Cell Phone Novels Have Arrived in North America
Alternative to Self Publishing Ebooks and Print On Demand
Sep 28, 2009
Cell phone novels, keitai shousetsu in Japanese, have existed in Japan since the mid-1990s. Why are they just now becoming known in North America? Chalk it up to advanced Japanese technology combined with long commutes on subway trains, bored teens with a mobile phone to keep them entertained and a strong need to communicate with peers.
Even before IPhones existed, Japanese mobile phones were already multifunctional with internet, music, camera and video capabilities. This author's American daughter spent nearly a year in Tokyo in 2008 and found the average Japanese cell phone to be nothing short of miraculous.
She observed cell phones as they were held up to photo booth sensors, accepting images sent directly to the phone. Photos were then stored in the cell phone until uploaded on the internet later. This, to an American teen, was like looking into the future.
Electronic Book Publishing – Cell Phone Novels
Constantly evolving, cell phones have become all-purpose tools of communication with an ever-increasing list of functions. Phone novels, originally read and created by young Japanese women on the subjects of love, sex, and pregnancy have seen their sub-culture status grow into a mainstream literary culture.
Mobile phone novels have their own structure and limitations according to each author's preferences. Authors' identities are never shared with the public, allowing them to write their life stories without fear of being exposed. Downloaded in short installments, phone novel chapters are brief for an easy read with an interactive option.
What makes the cell phone novel interactive is the instant communication between author and reader. Readers can leave comments which the author can respond to. If the author notices less people reading as the story progresses, he can immediately take action to change the plot. Only time will tell if this publishing phenomenon is just a fad or a 21st century obsession that's here to stay.
Publishing Your Own Book
Cell phone publishing offers an opportunity for unknown writers that just didn't exist before. An unknown writer named Yoshi wrote Deep Love, a book about a Tokyo teen prostitute. This book rose to the top and ended up becoming a movie, TV show and Manga comic book, finally being published as a hardcover book with more than 2.6 million copies sold.
Although Japan was the birthplace of this literary genre, cell phone novels are also being written in China and North America by a variety of writers from teens to university students and adults. The teen and young adult writers attract mostly young readers and write about emerging trends and culture. According to the NY Times, five out of the ten best selling novels in Japan in 2007 were originally cell phone novels.
How to Self-Publish
If a writer wants to become a cell phone novelist, how exactly does that work? Check out this online site called Text Novel dot com to find out how it works. This is a site where users create their own work of fiction while reading and communicating with other writers online or by cell phone.
Stan Soper, the founder of Text Novel, offers an annual contest for cell phone novelists on his blog (text novel blog dot com). The 2009 winners have just been announced and can be viewed from his blog site. Winners receive $1,000 and an introduction to a literary agency or publication.
Amateurish, perhaps. Compelling? Most definitely. Come on, ride the wave of the future and try your hand (or thumbs) at writing a cell phone novel. It might just be the ride of your life.
If you liked this article, you also might like reading about WEbook, another online publishing opportunity.
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