Cang's Ramblings

Chapter 1500: Comments on Sanjiang (February 02.16-02.23)

Why are online novels nowadays not as good as they used to be? Or, in other words, why are online novels getting worse and worse?

Hi everyone, I'm Lao Cang. Today, I'd like to discuss this topic, using this issue's Sanjiang Recommended List as an example. Why did we choose this sample?
Because the Sanjiang Recommended List is the avenue for new books from various fields to openly and honestly stand before all readers after many battles. Some books will achieve enlightenment and ascend to heaven, while others will explode on the spot!

There are 17 books in this issue of Sanjiang List.

"Ascending to the Gods", a first-level author Diewu Taohua, is currently serializing with 250,000 words.

"Invasion of America", a Level 5 author, is currently serializing with 21 words.

"Something's Wrong with Me", a first-level author named Yijin Shuye, currently serializing with 180,000 words.

"Why Race If You Have No Money?", a Level 5 author's infinite loop, 17 words serialized.

"I Must Get Lucky Immediately", Level 5 author Zhai Nan, currently serializing 20 words.

"I'm Compiling My Diary During the Wanli Period", Level 4 author Shangguan Bushui, currently serializing with 19 words.

"Light's Dawn of Azeroth", level 5 author Yilu Jilu, currently serializing with 68 words.

"Who Still Wants to Hang Around in Society After Being Reborn", Level 5 author Xin Yi Siyan, 24 words serialized.

"Forge Destiny into a Sword, Cut Souls and Ascend to Immortality", Level 4 author Pai Dakang, 15 words serialized.

"Chinese Entertainment: Starting from Prepaying Acting Skills", Level 3 author Yu Nianyi, 18 words serialized.

"The Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of the Han King Zhu Gaoxu's Family", Level 1 author Baiyin Dasheng, 23 words serialized.

"Military Journey: Beginning with the Mailing of a Recruitment Letter", Level 5 author Li Jun, currently serializing with 17 words.

"Who says this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!", written by Zhi Zhi, a first-level author, and currently serializing 230,000 words.

"Going to college at the age of 38, with my sons and daughters as classmates", level 5 author Youzi Taicai, 18 words serialized.

"Financial freedom, start from the daily intelligence system!", Level 1 author 97nin, 23 words serialized.

"The Boss's Daughter is Adopted by the Cloud, and the Boss's Favorability is Full", Level 3 author Green Beans Are Really Delicious, 17 words serialized.

"Simultaneous Time Travel: All My Selves in the Universe Are Talented", Level 1 author Wuyin Chire, currently serializing with 23 words.

1. Current Status of New Books

(I) Categories: Urban 7, Fantasy 2, Light Novels 2, History 2, Science Fiction 1, Game 1, Xianxia 1, Zhu Tian Wuxian 1. This shows that Urban Literature is the largest category in this issue, surpassing all other categories by a large margin, and is also the most difficult category to break through.

(2) Data

The collection of "Lucky Fortune" exceeded 50,000, the collection of "Invasion" exceeded 30,000, the collection of "Dawn" exceeded 30,000, the collection of "Top Stream" exceeded 30,000, the collection of "God" exceeded 20,000, the collection of "Something is Wrong" exceeded 20,000, the collection of "Intelligence" exceeded 20,000, the collection of "Diary" exceeded 20,000, the collection of "Racing" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Social" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Forging Destiny" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Tuó" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Military Care" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Classmates" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Cloud Support" exceeded 10,000, the collection of "Talent" exceeded 10,000, and the collection of "Advance Payment" exceeded 5,000.

Based on a 10:1 subscription ratio, there are approximately four new books that can achieve the "Excellent" status upon release. Liming, having already achieved the "Excellent" badge after 50 chapters, is arguably the fastest new book to achieve this status in recent times. Veteran authors have a wealth of tricks and a substantial backlog. Furthermore, this is a game-themed novel, which is quite rare. Crucially, he boasts the backing of Gold and Silver Alliances, giving him an even deeper foundation. He might even be aiming for a spot as one of the "Twelve Heavenly Kings" of the year.

2. Cause analysis

(1) Why do many new books nowadays like to have very long titles?
One reason is market forces. The most obvious reason is that as readers get younger, they prefer to understand a book's initial impression through its title. This is also a necessity for fast-paced reading, allowing readers to quickly identify their preferences. The longer the title, the more it fully showcases the story and creativity, conveying the reader's general direction, as seen in the phrases "top-tier" and "cloud-raising." Furthermore, many influential authors from external sites have flocked to Qidian, bringing their signature naming techniques with them. Such titles easily attract young readers to Qidian, and are more effective than traditional three- or four-character titles, especially for seemingly new authors.

The second factor is editorial. Perhaps driven by their understanding of the market, they believe the proliferation of these titles is a natural progression of market demand. By signing or promoting these titles, they can expect to see a few eye-catching new works, leading to a moderate shift in the control of story content. Since they struggle to predict true market trends, they often resort to a "cast a few nets first, whatever fish there is" approach. Of course, some editors, with a strong sense of responsibility, will carefully consider the story itself and select works that embody their inner creative vision. Having watched live streams of some top-tier editors, I've seen that they select books incredibly quickly, with relatively fixed criteria. It's challenging to get them to offer particularly pertinent recommendations in a short period of time. In short, it all comes down to luck.

(2) Why are introductions getting longer and longer?

The reason is essentially the same as the analysis of the title. Many new authors, fearing readers won't have the patience to open their books, devote extensive space to the introduction, unpacking their story in its entirety. This often backfires. Meanwhile, established authors and platinum-winning authors, with their vast fan bases and impressive reputations, tend to keep their introductions relatively simple. For example, "The Honest Man" reads, "Humans know the terror of ghosts; ghosts know the wickedness of the human heart." And "Night Without Boundaries" reads, "That day the sun set and never rose again." But new authors wouldn't dare write such an introduction unless they believe they have exceptional writing talent and can retain readers with their stories. Even then, they might not be entirely confident.

III. Future Prospects

1. The road is difficult. These books with unusually long titles often convey an air of experimentation or impulsiveness, with no guarantee of word count or ending, making them prone to poor endings. This is especially true for new books by new authors with poor initial data. The cost of trial and error is minimal, much like the popular practice of raising insects on external websites: if one account fails to generate results, the book is immediately abandoned and the author starts over again with a new account. This frequent occurrence instills fear in readers, who are hesitant to invest their time in these new books by newly arrived authors, leading to a vicious cycle in which new books generally struggle to gain traction.

2. The author's choices determine their future. Authors hoping to capitalize on their creative visions often opt for bizarre titles and complex descriptions to secure contracts or attract readers. This is a gamble from the outset, betting that some readers will pick up their books out of curiosity. However, these curious readers often quickly disappear after a few chapters, as these authors likely over-invest in the so-called premise. The story, often insufficiently polished or clichéd, struggles to retain readers. Consequently, a dramatic turnaround in sales is unlikely.

3. Return to the original intention. Novels are about storytelling, not moralizing or playing with settings. After going through layers of screening, only the best stories can truly be passed down. The title, introduction, names of people, places, settings, etc. are often just icing on the cake and should not be the original intention of the author or the key factor they believe will lead to a hit. I suggest imitating the writing attitude of squid: starting from the story, starting from the collection of basic information, finding the elements that interest you most and creating with rich content to attract readers' attention may be the right path.

. Summary
Overall, this issue of Sanjiang offers little intrigue for veteran readers. It's essentially a read-through experience, hardly spurring a desire to read, and they're simply not inclined to open the book and read more than a few pages. The dismal performance of various statistics exacerbates this feeling of desolation. While appropriate marketing and short video traffic generation can alleviate this awkwardness to some extent, ultimately, the story itself is the true charm that truly captivates readers.

My personal suggestion is that you can read "I Must Get Lucky Now", "Invasion of America", "Dawn of Light in Azeroth" and "Apotheosis", and maybe you can find a new book that suits your taste.

Finally, I would like to end with a comment from a reader: "Those who can write plots cannot write emotions, those who can write emotions cannot write plots, those who can make money cannot write books, those who can write books cannot make money, good books don't have good reputations, good reputations don't have good books, good writing may still plagiarize, and if you don't plagiarize, you can't write well!" (Perfect Paradox)

Writing is not easy, so cherish every moment.

I’m Cang Yiwei, and I’m here to promote “Cang’s Ramblings”.

The above text and video versions have been released on major short video platforms (some parts have been deleted). Interested friends can search for "Cang Yiwei" to watch it. Thank you.

(End of this chapter)