Web novel

A web novel, also known as an online novel (オンライン小説) or web fiction, is a written work of literature available primarily or solely on the internet. A common type of web novel is the web serial novel. The term comes from old serial stories that were once published regularly in newspapers and magazines. The forms of publishing on the internet can vary from regular SNS such as Twitter to web sites designed to facilitate writing and publishing in a simplified form with tables of contents and some images.

Unlike most modern books, web novels are often not published as a whole. Instead, it is released on the Internet in installments or chapters as they are finished, although published compilations and anthologies are not unknown. The web serial form dominates in the category of fan fiction, as writing a serial takes less specialized software and often less time than an ebook.

Popular web novels will often get picked up by traditional publishers usually becoming light novels, especially in Asia.

Anime, light novels, and manga that started as web novels

 * The Girl Who Ate a Death God - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel
 * The Girl Who Bore the Flame Ring - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel
 * In the Land of Leadale - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel and then an anime
 * Journal of the Mysterious Creatures - Chinese web novel adapted into an ONA
 * Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Korean web novel adapted into a webtoon
 * Restaurant to Another World - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel and then an anime (2 seasons)
 * The Rising of the Shield Hero - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel and then an anime (2 seasons)
 * So I’m a Spider, So What? - Japanese web novel adapted to a light novel, a manga, and then an anime