The Amazing DL-Site!
Remember when Curious Factory, via Akiba Angels, were offering to upload your downloadable ‘doujinshi’ [comics, games, novels] to the digiket-powerhouse hub DLSite.com? Wow…your work available for download in Japan [you know, where digital comics are cool and somewhat profitable]. The truth, if it’s not in Japanese, it wont be that profitable. :/ I found this out by asking friends on both sides of the world, just how cool DL Site really is. For my Brit friend and my Texas friend, it was a bit of a waste of time. Now I know why DLSite has always allowed English “readers” to buy Japanese works from them, but never really bothered to implement an interface for “English Creators” to sell to Japanese “readers”, or even English downloaders; you know the term, the internet is for porn? Well, guess what a bulk of the English readers are paying a few dollars to download?
But you see, the fact that there were English readers, using DL Site, along with Japanese readers…wow, the possibility for exposure seemed-’ginourmous?’ That was the hook for Curious Factory–we’ll upload your work to DLSite.com for you!!
When I heard that, unless it’s in Japanese, it may not be all that profitable; I was a bit skeptical. But I thought…this is Akiba Angels. This is the same company that translated my old doujinshi and made them available to Japanese downloaders…[before they got cold feet and eliminated ani-paro works--in all honesty, I think they sort of died out because of this policy--I don't see many circles knocking down their door anymore.] BUT…if you want your Digiket to be profitable, or at least earn you something that can be called ’smallish’…why bother? I guess if you’re one of those geeky Japanophiles, you’ll get the bragging right to say ‘hey JennyChan, it’s me AdamKun, I’m on Japan’s DLSite.com, see how cool I am?’ But word up people…if your work is in English anyway, wouldn’t it be easier to host this shit from your own server or a web comics community that caters to English readers all ready?
Two creator friends of mine [Hey Jeff, Hey Co!] were very keen on the idea of DLSite.com, and so gave it a go. Being rude like I BE, I asked them, how much do you make? 0_0 When they told me, I just couldn’t believe it. I expected nothing awesome, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be that crappy. I make more a month in Amazon referrals from this blog, on works I don’t even write. :/
But I wanted to know why so many Japanese circles were using it, if the profits were so shitty. Lo and behold I found a listing for an artist I’ve always been friendly with… I asked her how much she makes off DL Site [she knows I'm rude, so I had nothing to be a shamed of.] 0_____0 Wow! She’s making a productive sum on her manpr0n…BUT, she’s Japanese and her work is in JAPANESE. -and she doesn’t have to kick a percentage back to a company to upload it for her, DL-Site just takes a percentage off at sales time, for hosting and distributing. She said what she makes off the DL’s she uses to make print copies for spot sale events.
I thought, what the hell–I mean, I could ask Kethylia to upload my stuff, in English, if all it takes is someone with the knowledge of Japanese to get me into the DL-Lite system. [I mean, I could even get my earnings sent to Yukari in Japan, if paying revenues locally is the only reason why DL-Site would insist on English creators having a go-between like Curious Factory.] =_=;
So Signed up…but I had some questions.
Will the works be translated, or just sold as is? Can the works be comics, and novels? What is the minimum page count?
You see, I could’ve sent them In Motion - bundled along with a short illustrated story, illustrations by the same artist of course, and sold it as one download. But Iris Print has English Language rights in both printed and digital formats, so I had to ensure that if I were going to make this work available, it had to be translated first [which Curious Factory's 'Akiba Angels' web site offers for free] along with the upload.
THEIR REPLY:
There is no minimum page count, but we encourage creators to submit product with decent volume. (Example: for comics 30+ pages). We can always distribute your product on JPN site as well.
[Wait, isn't this what it's supposed to be all about? Getting onto the Japane site? So the work would be available only in the English Area.]
Unless the product is consisting of large text, we can distribute the product as it is. Also, if you are selling on JPN site, localized product has tendency to sell more.
[Yes, I know--In Japanese, sells better.]
We offer translation service ($0.05 per Eng word) so if you are interested please let us know 
You can of course handle the translation by yourself, too.
AHAAA! 5 cents a word.
Unlike Akiba Angels [which strangely enough is where the press release hyping English creators inclusion to the DL-Site largely took place] there is no free localization. So you’re being entered into the DL-Site for the English area only–not the Japanese area, where a lion-share of the Japanese readers are;–Curious take a percentage per download…AND you wont make much with English works. You’ll make substantially MORE, if your work is in Japanese and thus can be uploaded to the Japanese area by Curious Factory who can make sure you get paid for it: BUT only if they can translate your works for a fee, in order to make your work, ‘profitable’. *I mean, if you could translate your own work–you wouldn’t even need them, right? I know licensor’s in the states that can’t even get good translators!*
With all due respect, that’s like being in the middle of the Sahara and finding a water station with a sign that reads: FREE DRINKING WATER and when you get there and ask for a drink, they say… WATER CUP WILL COST $50.00.
Just my opinion.
