What publishing-industry insights came up in the editor interview? Utsudo invited Xiaoqi, a former editor who greatly influenced her early career, onto her show, collecting fifteen questions from viewers on Penana beforehand. In the interview, Xiaoqi analyzed the state of Taiwan’s platforms and publishers, and pointed out that Taiwan’s book-buying population isn’t as small as people think. He also suggested that when writing light novels, authors should benchmark against current hit genres in Japan rather than Taiwan, to attract readers who buy Japanese light novels.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Inviting my former editor onto the show

Last time, I invited my former editor onto my show to chat with everyone.

He’s one of the benefactor editors I mentioned at the start of the Ghost Island series, and he greatly influenced my early ideas about fiction and my writing.

Back when I was a total newbie, every conversation with him taught me so much—about printing, fiction, the history of Taiwanese fiction and more. Though I can’t deny his information overload often left my head blank, and all I could do was respond in a daze.

After talking with him that day, I remembered chatting with him years ago and occasionally zoning out while listening—except he’d often throw a question at me out of nowhere, so I couldn’t even daydream (X

Collecting questions from the audience

I was honored to have Xiaoqi on the show this time. Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes at first, since editors usually prefer working behind the scenes, and going on stage takes courage. But when I asked, Xiaoqi readily agreed.

Since I’d managed to lure an editor on, of course I had to make the most of it and ask everything I wanted to know (X

So I posted on Penana’s creative challenge that I’d be having editor Xiaoqi on the show on September 30, and welcomed everyone to leave their questions. I’d pick the ones with the most to talk about and ask Xiaoqi on the day.

Thanks to everyone’s enthusiastic posts. Adding my own questions, we had fifteen in total.

An information-packed editor interview

Maybe because it’s rare to have an editor on, the audience that day was noticeably larger than usual, and many people asked interesting questions along the way. The day passed in a flood of information and lively discussion. I was so satisfied.

Afterward, some people said they took lots of notes, and others said they gained a lot. I also learned a great deal about publishing. I suspect Xiaoqi knows plenty of inside stories too, but it wasn’t convenient to say them on air. No worries, I’ll ask him privately (X

Xiaoqi also talked about the state of Taiwan’s various platforms. It was rare to analyze Taiwan’s publishing industry and the business side from a different angle, and it offered very different ways of thinking. I think that was the biggest takeaway.

Light novels should benchmark against Japan’s hit genres

What surprised me most was the topic of “Taiwan’s book-buying population.” I’d always assumed the reading population was shrinking because of digital devices. But Xiaoqi said that in Taiwan, sales of foreign light novels haven’t changed much—it’s just that local sales have dropped further.

He also said that when writing light novels, we should benchmark against “current hit genres in Japan,” not Taiwan. If you benchmark against Japan, people who buy Japanese light novels may become your readers too.

These were things I’d never considered. What an eye-opener!

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #201: What Should You Do When You Get Bad Reviews?
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.