Do editors in Taiwan look after authors like they do in Japanese anime? Generally, it’s unlikely. It’s not that Taiwanese editors are cold, but publishers don’t have resources as rich as in Japan, and works are harder to sell abroad, so precious resources naturally go to authors with proven records. Truly passionate editors who love the field are rare—like pulling an SSR. If you find one, treasure them, and don’t wear them out.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Editors and authors in anime

Anyone who’s watched Japanese anime has probably developed some longing and imagination about the relationship between editors and authors.

For example, when an author misses a deadline, the editor storms over to their home; or when something happens, the editor stands by them, even showing up with care packages as a surprise; or their back-and-forth plot discussions blossom into a romance…

The reality of Taiwan’s publishing industry

But honestly, this basically doesn’t happen in Taiwan.

Of course, it’s not because Taiwanese editors are colder. It’s because editors and publishers don’t have the resources to do that. If you’re personally close with your editor, that’s an exception; otherwise, unless you’re an author the publisher values highly, you may not even get a canned holiday greeting.

For example, since I moved to online platforms, I’ve never received a gift from a publisher again (X

The resource gap with Japanese publishing

It can’t be helped. Compared with Taiwan, Japan’s publishing ecosystem is more developed and has more resources—just look at how many works are translated from Japanese. Works from a stronger culture are more likely to spread abroad, so the profits are naturally better.

Since that industry chain is more profitable, publishers naturally put more effort into nurturing promising authors or courting authors with proven records.

But if you’ve read earlier Ghost Island posts, you know that Taiwanese publishers have relatively fewer resources and find it harder to sell works abroad. So precious resources naturally go to established authors. Whether they nurture little newbies depends on whether a passionate editor has any energy to spare QQ

As always: however bad things are, do what you can do well. Then maybe you really will get “recruited” (?)

A passionate editor is like an SSR

A passionate editor is someone who truly loves this field. They’re rare and precious. If you’re lucky enough to meet one, hold on tight—and don’t make them work too hard, or once their passion fades they’ll become an ordinary editor XD

Do you want the SSR you pulled to turn into an R?

Treasure them, everyone!

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #156: You Ask, I Answer—Penana’s Author Q&A Project
• 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.