Light Novel

A light novel is a novel primarily targeting teens and young adults. The term “light novel” is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called ranobe or rainobe for short.

In recent years, light novel stories have been popular choices for adaptation into manga, anime, and live-action films (for example, the light novels of Tatsuhiko Takimoto have been adapted into all). Light novels are often serialized in literary magazines such as Faust, Gekkan Dragon Magazine, The Sneaker and Dengeki hp, or media franchise magazines like Comptiq and Dengeki G’s Magazine.

Light novels have become very popular in Japan, and the publishing companies are constantly searching for new talent with annual contests, many of which earn the winner a cash prize and publication of their novel. The Dengeki Novel Prize is the largest, with over 2000 submissions annually. They are all clearly labeled as “light novels” and are published as low-priced paperbacks. In 2007 it was estimated (according to a web site funded by the Japanese government) that the market for light novels was about ¥20 billion ($166.7 million at ¥120 to the dollar) and about 30 million copies published annually.[1] Kadokawa Group Holdings, which owns major labels like Kadokawa Sneaker Books and Dengeki Books, has a 70% to 80% share of the market.