Chapter 14: The Young Man's Debut Performance Was Not Ideal
A week passed in a flash.
"What era is this? Writing such a light novel is so old-fashioned!"
"Demon slaying, a boring story. My review is that it's not as good as… The Legend of the Edge God: An Unofficial Record."
"I want a harem! Harem! Don't recommend works like this to me!"
"It's alright, I bought a copy a few days ago and read it at home. The author's skill is pretty good, it doesn't seem like a work written by a middle school student. They're quite a talented novelist."
"Among a pile of lewd-looking artworks, a serious work like this is quite refreshing. I'll support it a little."
"I hope the second volume is released soon. I can't wait to see the confrontation between the Pillars and the Twelve Demon Moons."
Izumi Chihiro was browsing the reviews for his work on the Fujikawa Bunko official website.
There were good and bad reviews, and quite a lot of negative ones.
But this was also normal, because people with opinions are usually good at expressing their views, while those who think it's acceptable are usually the silent majority.
For example, some fantasy harem light novels, due to the sheer number of works, have already caused a backlash in public opinion, with many people criticizing them.
However, from a sales perspective, most fantasy harem works have good sales, it's just that the proportion of people cursing below is much larger than for ordinary works.
But making money, there's no shame in that.
Since it's a commercial light novel, it's naturally a reader's market. As an author, you will naturally follow the readers who are most numerous.
This is the way of the world.
However, for him personally, making money was one thing, but more importantly, it was about what he wanted to write.
It was about — making money while standing tall.
Unfortunately, he originally wanted to find some reviews as a reference to consider the direction for improvement in the second volume, but it seemed there was no useful information to be found, so he had to close the comments section webpage.
Just then, Machida Sonoko sent a new message, of course, to inform him of the sales data compiled over the past week.
Electronic sales were not yet counted; currently, the key factor in sales was the sales of the bunko edition.
Among them, circulation and digestion rate were the key data to focus on. Circulation was the number of copies printed, but it didn't mean that you could sell as many copies as you printed.
If the digestion rate was too low, it meant that most of the books you distributed were not selling, indicating that the book's potential was poor.
Of course, the industry is not as everyone imagines, where only profitable works are kept and all others are cut; in reality, some deficit works are also maintained.
Based on the editorial department's judgment of a work's potential, they can continue to observe whether the work's subsequent sales will improve.
There is also the Oricon chart in this world for data statistics.
Generally speaking, the lower limit for charting is usually around 5,000, and light novels with first-week sales higher than this figure usually do not risk being cut.
"The first week's sales were 4,300, which is very average, hmm… honestly, this was expected, as there wasn't a very prominent place for promotion."
Machida Sonoko's voice came from the other end of the phone, showing no discernible emotion.
"So, the gimmick wasn't enough?"
Upon learning this data, his heart sank.
It is not uncommon in the industry for a light novel to be released and remain unknown, only to be cut.
He naturally felt nervous.
Because if there was no follow-up, then all his efforts during this period would have been in vain.
The person he was talking to suddenly fell silent, and Machida Sonoko understood his feelings, so she changed her tone:
"Don't worry, Izumi-sensei, although there were some objections from the editorial department, I tried to fight for it, and you will have at least three volumes. If subsequent sales keep up, there should be a chance. I believe you can do it."
"Hoo…"
Izumi Chihiro took a deep breath, coming out of his breath-holding state.
At that moment, his heart rate had quickened.
"I understand, Machida Editor, I will do it… Thank you."
He made a promise and expressed his gratitude.
"No need to thank me, Izumi-sensei, this is what I should do as an editor. I indeed saw some potential in your work, which is why I recommended it… Some people in the editorial department share my view."
"If your writing itself was a mess, even if the sales were a bit higher, there would still be a possibility of being cut… There are countless works that start strong in the first volume and then plummet in the second. Izumi-sensei, I hope you can seize this opportunity…"
Machida Sonoko said earnestly.
Her words were full of expectation.
After hanging up the phone, Izumi Chihiro walked out of his room, preparing to pour himself a glass of water to calm his mind.
From the moment he embarked on this path, he understood that he was different from before, and he also carried the expectations of many people.
This was different from the feeling of just drifting along before; while there was immense pressure in his heart, there was also a greater motivation to climb upwards.
"Ni-san, how were the first week's sales…?"
In the living room, Sagiri stood up from the sofa.
Her expression was equally tense.
"It's not very optimistic, only 4,300 sales."
He chose to tell the truth.
"Then will it be cut?"
Sagiri clenched her small pink fists, looking worried.
"Don't worry, not for now."
Izumi Chihiro explained the reason.
"Oh, I see…"
Sagiri also breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank you, Machida-san!
"Then what are your plans, Ni-san? Aren't you going to do something to boost sales?"
She asked again.
"What can I do? I'm just a debut light novelist, I don't have that much promotional capability. I just need to write my novel well."
He spread his hands.
If the positive reviews are high enough, readers will naturally recommend it to others.
If subsequent sales can steadily increase and the average per volume reaches a certain level, it can also avoid the risk of being cut.
In the industry, while many works become instant hits, there are also works that defy expectations and turn their fate around.
After hearing his words, Sagiri's eyes flickered repeatedly.
No, I must find a way to change things; I can't just sit back and do nothing!
But what… can I do?
She lowered her head again.