Mobile Novels
I remember about 10 years ago, word was getting out on how Japan was getting into electronic books. They looked like PDAs - which I guess they were - and were designed to be held and operated one-handed while the other hand gripped onto ropes and rails while commuting to work. Since then though, mobile phone have exploded in popularity. It’s highly unusual to not have a mobile or keitai, especially if you live in the major cities.
The increased use of mobile phoes is also said to be related to the downfall of manga in Japan. Shounen Jump, the manga magazine with the highest circulation, sells about a quarter now of what it used to sell 10 years ago. Manga companies are trying to wrench some of that readership back by making mobile phone manga. That hasn’t quite hit off yet. But in the meantime, there’s mobile novels.
Mobile novels are usually between 200-500 pages, and when you consider that there’s about 500 Japanese caracters per day, that’s a lot of characters to plug into your keitai. Lisa Katayama at Wired, however, met one that claims she can type into her mobile phone faster than she can type at a keyboard.
These authors are usually anonymous but can sell thousands of copies of their novels. I don’t think it’s something the authors will be able to live off anytime soon, but with the rise in popularity of mobile novels, new technology is set to be released that will allow for picture and sound integration. Did you hear that? That was the sound of hundreds of pornographers salivating at the prospect of yet another medium to invade.
Read Lisa’s article on the mobile novel phenomenon here.
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