Video summary

I Made Over 5000$ on Webnovel in a single month, Here's how you can too!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Business

Business goal & credibility

  • The creator claims a step-by-step playbook for launching and monetizing a Webnovel title.
  • Credibility is asserted via results:
    • $5,000 Silver Prize from WSA (Web S… Awards) plus a free trip to China.
    • Claimed novel performance: 2 million views, 400 chapters, completed.
    • Earnings claim: over $5,000 in one month (December 2023 mentioned; exact date unclear).

Operating model: 3-stage funnel on Webnovel

The creator frames success as progressing through three phases:

  1. Uncontracted (starting phase)

    • Publish and build traction while not yet earning from paid chapters.

  2. Contracted but not Premium

    • After contracting, you access features, but chapters aren’t locked for pay yet.

  3. Premium (monetization phase)

    • Chapters become purchasable/locked; key revenue tools activate (e.g., Privilege, Rising Fiction ecosystem).

Phase 1 playbook (setup & early publishing)

1) Title / metadata choices (positioning)

  • Title guidance
    • Prefer 2–3 word, short, high-impact titles.
    • Title should clearly describe the premise (examples: isekai-style, online-game premise, or using the main character’s “cheat” concept).
  • Team/category selection
    • Example given: male lead fantasy (the creator says they’ll only discuss fantasy).

2) Cover as the primary acquisition lever

  • Core statement: If nobody clicks, readers won’t arrive → book fails.
  • Cover options
    • AI-generated covers recommended for new authors:
      • Midjourney for cover art generation.
      • Ideogram for lettering (with prompt examples “in description”).
    • Commissioned artist: more expensive; not recommended for new authors.
    • Using copyrighted images: discouraged (implied “Pitus” refers to questionable stock/copyright sources).

3) Synopsis writing (conversion-focused)

  • Synopsis must include:
    • The main character background
    • The cheat / “golden finger” / differentiator
    • Some worldbuilding, but short (avoid depth)
  • Suggested style tactic:
    • Include brief dialogue for dynamism/voice presence.
  • Optimization note:
    • The creator acknowledges what to emphasize by implying they didn’t emphasize the cheat enough in their own earlier example (suggesting iteration).

4) Tags

  • The creator claims tags “don’t matter at all” (low prioritization).

5) First chapters (retention & hooking)

  • Rule: The first 3 chapters must be “top of your game.”
  • Length guidance:
    • Don’t make chapter 1 too long; hook quickly.
  • Content guidance (avoid failure modes):
    • Introduce the main character immediately
    • Set tone/atmosphere early (comedy/serious/light, etc.)
    • Include mystery
    • End with a hook (example: reincarnation / gaining power)
    • Avoid:
      • Info dumps
      • Deep world exposition early
      • Over-description of the protagonist’s physical appearance (optional/minor)
      • Grammar mistakes

Publishing throughput as an “algorithm dependency”

Stockpile (risk management)

  • Recommendation: 10–20 chapters stockpile before going live.
  • Purpose:
    • Insurance against early underperformance
    • Enables monetization ramp (e.g., Privilege fill-rate later)

Initial publishing + word-count gating

  • Vetting strategy:
    • Publish around 4,000 words total to trigger the vetting process.
  • Vetting criteria (summary):
    • They verify you’re not violating guidelines; if OK, it clears.

Feature gating & contract acquisition

Fresh Stories mechanic (early discovery)

  • Claim: the only useful early feature is Fresh Stories.
  • Algorithmic basis (as described):
    • work count / update frequency drives placement.
  • Placement tactic:
    • The first to update ranks higher; later updates drop you.
  • Suggested behavior:
    • Publish ~1 chapter per day (not republishing) until reaching 12,000 words.

Contract target

  • 12,000 words minimum to apply.
  • Contract described as:
    • “Getting a contract is easy,” but failing implies a major problem with the story.
  • Timeline:
    • Up to ~7 days to receive feedback after applying.
  • Economic terms:
    • Contract summarized as 50/50 royalties (after deductions).

Contract economics (high-level margin math)

Revenue split after platform deductions

  • Creator’s breakdown:
    • Apple/Google take 30%
    • Additional website operating cut (~)
  • Result claim:
    • Creator keeps ~30% after deductions; Webnovel keeps ~30%
    • Overall: you end up with roughly ~50% of what you earn (“true novel” framing)

Non-monetary distribution hopes (treated as rare)

  • Adaptations into physical books/comics/Amazon/audio are described as extremely rare.
  • Example cited:
    • Only one male fantasy author with a comic adaptation: “JS mango with my dragon system”
  • Contest winnings (WSA) are framed as:
    • Not something to plan around—extremely lucky

Phase 3 playbook (Premium monetization stack)

Posting cadence after contract (competitive positioning)

  • Recommendation: 2 chapters/day, each ~1,000 words.
  • Benchmark:
    • Creator claims “everyone” posts ~14 chapters/week.
  • Minimum fallback:
    • If you can’t do 2/day, post at least 1/day (~1,500 words) or 1,000+ words.
  • Key principle:
    • Consistency is heavily rewarded by the algorithm.

Premium strategy (what chapter to lock)

  • Locking timing recommendation:
    • After going Premium, lock chapters around 25–35.
    • Creator calls 30–35 the “current meta.”
  • Rationale:
    • Locking too early can “turn off readers” (reduce conversion).

Privilege monetization system (core KPIs & targets)

The creator emphasizes Privilege as essential to make money.

How Privilege works (mechanism)

  • Readers pay coins/money to access chapters in advance (example structure):
    • 10 chapters in advance
    • 5 chapters in events
  • Privilege effects:
    • Generates immediate revenue
    • Drives unlock-based perks (Win-win program)

Win-win thresholds (explicit numeric targets)

  • 1,000 unlocks → $50 reward + feature for 7 days
  • 5,000 unlocks → $200 reward + feature for 7 days
  • Promotional features mentioned:
    • Librarian / Splash Banner (book promoted on app main page)
    • Library feature (promoted/hot slot within the library)

Execution tactic for Privilege

  • Set Privilege content availability:
    • Fill the paid-advance buffer immediately.
  • Importance:
    • If readers can’t buy access because the buffer isn’t ready, conversion drops.
  • Requires stockpile:
    • This supports the earlier 10–20 chapter stockpile recommendation.

Pricing tactic (early-stage revenue control)

  • Two described tactics:
    1. Keep Privilege cheap to get more unlocks
    2. Use “decent pricing” to match top books
  • Recommendation for new books:
    • Avoid “too cheap” unless aligned with market examples.
    • Action: check top books’ prices and “copy what they do.”

Premium discovery chain (Rising Fiction progression)

After going Premium, the creator claims a promotion funnel:

  • Rising Fiction (main priority)
    • If performance is good (“decent/average is fine”):
      • unlocks subsequent placement:
        • Charming Reads
        • Readers Pick
        • then weekly and trending features (creator implies deeper promotion)

Interpretation: treat it as a performance ladder where response determines graduation.

Metrics & KPI guidance (what to trust / what to ignore)

Trustworthy KPI: Collections

  • Defined as the real number of users adding the book to their library.
  • Example scale cited: 20,300+ collections (for their completed/working book).
  • Claim: it’s not inflated (no bots).

Misleading KPI: Views

  • Treated as “extremely misleading.”
  • Explanation:
    • Views are closer to impressions (scroll-past counts).
    • Example claim: “1 view equals 7 or 8 views” via an inflation mechanism.

Monetization KPI: Subscriptions

  • Defined as chapters sold per day.
  • Used as the primary indicator once locked chapters exist.

Concrete “end-to-end” operational checklist (actionable)

Setup

  • Choose a 2–3 word clear title
  • Build a high-click cover (AI via Midjourney + Ideogram lettering)
  • Write a short conversion synopsis:
    • character background + cheat + quick worldbuilding + hook

Launch (Uncontracted)

  • Create a 10–20 chapter stockpile
  • Publish until reaching ~4,000 words → vetting
  • Publish 1 chapter/day to rank in Fresh Stories until 12,000 words

Contract

  • Apply after 12,000 words
  • Expect ~7 days for feedback
  • Contract economics described as 50/50 (after deductions)

Premium

  • Post 2/day (~1,000 words) (or maintain high daily volume)
  • Lock chapters around 30–35
  • Enable Privilege and fill advance buffers immediately
  • Target Win-win unlocks:
    • 1,000 unlocks → $50
    • 5,000 unlocks → $200
  • After Premium:
    • Focus on Rising Fiction performance to climb to:
      • Charming Reads → Readers Pick → weekly features

KPI monitoring

  • Track Collections and Subscriptions (paid chapter sales/day)
  • Ignore Views as inflated impressions

Presenters / sources

  • Presenter/creator: the YouTube author (speaks throughout; name not provided in subtitles)
  • Platform mentioned: Webnovel (with contrast references to Royal Road and Patreon)
  • Tools referenced: Midjourney, Ideogram (for cover lettering), and an unspecified Discord for coaching via an invite code (code text not included in subtitles)
  • Other referenced source/example authors: JS mango (for a rare comic adaptation example)

Original video