Errant Heart Discussion Forum

I know iOS and Android have been mentioned as wonderful opportunities to expand the VN community. They do allow for the lowest barriers to entry, the least limitations on content for anything that could be called a platform (of course not including self-published PC), and a customer base that is very willing to try a variety of games and applications -- as long as those apps are 'free'.

That being said, I'd worry about building an audience for such a text-heavy activity on the 'small screen'. Especially considering that many who do read digitally are using their kindles and nooks, not their iphones and samsungs. Looking through amazons kindle store, it does seem that is a potential option for small publication, but I'll admit certainly not for every work. Has anyone checked in to the graphics capabilities of the Fire for converting renpy or other program bases? The games as a literary experience audience is clearly out there. You can get digital versions of the classic choose your own adventure series, the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks as well as Lone Wolf. The IF community is represented by Choice of Games and other pieces, some of which are well done, extensive experiences. While taking the digital reader path may not capture new fans from the console and anime community, it might just bring folks who already know what a novel is to enjoy a visual one.

So, this question came up in another thread. Rather than stray wildly off topic, I'm redirecting the conversation here, since it basically encapsulates the same idea.

What are some ways in which the audience for Visual Novels in the English-speaking world can be grown and cultivated?

Personally, I'm a fan of cross-media support. I don't think devs should be focusing on getting people to play their visual novels, per se. I believe devs should be getting people interested in their property as a whole, first, as a way of gaining fans and easing them into a medium which they likely know little or nothing about.

Perhaps write a series of short stories based on your VN and post them at sites that host and promote the creation of short stories. If one happens to have the wherewithal to generate a webcomic based on ones VN, make one and draw readers in with that before asking them to dive into a VN. Make one or a series of music videos with the assets from ones game and set it to some trendy and/or appropriate song and post it on YouTube.

Get you VN published on multiple platforms. I don't mean Windows/Mac/Linux. I'm talking about getting a port made for Android and iOS. A tall order, I know, but if one can get a title to run on those platforms and can get a title hosted on the Android Marketplace or in the Apple App Store, one gains access to a whole new clientele.

I had a crazy, hare-brained scheme back in the day while Tokyopop was still on top of its game to combine short one or two chapter manga with a VN. Of course, we'd be talking about original titles in this case. But book stores always complained about shelf space. The less space a title took up, the more they liked the book. Consequently, stocking a few svelte 2-chapter manga titles, plus a CDROM/DVD of a VN based on that title, held on the inside cover would theoretically have appealed to all parties.

The publisher would have had lower printing and overall publishing costs, the retailer would have had less shelf space taken up, and the reader would have a chance to get introduced to the universe (even if they read the book before buying it while standing in the aisle) before needing to make the commitment of installing and exploring the VN.

But alas, despite the fact that TP was mulling the idea of publishing VNs for a while, they've now flushed themselves. Book retailers, it seems, are not far behind. So much for that idea.