J-Novel Club

J-Novel Club
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Publishing
Founded	2016
Founder	Sam Pinansky
Fate	Acquired by Kadokawa Corporation
Headquarters	San Antonio, United States
Products	English translations of Japanese light novels and manga, e-books, print editions, audiobooks
Parent	Kadokawa Corporation

J-Novel Club operates as a publishing firm that focuses on delivering English-language translations of Japanese light novels. The company initially releases these light novels and manga in serialized segments before issuing complete e-book versions. By August 2021, J-Novel Club had secured licenses for over 150 series and produced upwards of 800 e-books. Its licensed works come from prominent Japanese publishers such as Hobby Japan, Overlap, Kodansha, Kadokawa Corporation, among others. On April 28, 2021, Kadokawa finalized its acquisition of J-Novel Club.

History

Founded in 2016 by Sam Pinansky, J-Novel Club emerged to address the limited availability of Japanese light novels in Western markets. The company’s business approach involves distributing weekly serialized chapters to subscribers before releasing the fully compiled e-book editions. Early offerings included titles like Occultic;Nine, Brave Chronicle: The Ruinmaker, and My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World. Subsequent expansions incorporated series such as Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

In January 2017, a collaboration with Seven Seas Entertainment was established to produce print versions of selected light novels, later broadening to include more series under this partnership. By July 2018, J-Novel Club had initiated its own print publishing line, debuting with In Another World With My Smartphone and expanding to encompass 25 print titles by August 2021.

The company debuted an online manga reader platform in November 2018, launching with five titles initially available. In October 2019, a Kickstarter campaign successfully financed the print publication of Invaders of the Rokujouma!?.

Further diversification occurred with the introduction of the J-Novel Heart imprint in November 2019, which concentrates on shojo manga, followed by the April 2021 launch of J-Novel Pulp, an imprint dedicated to translating German pulp fiction. After being acquired by Kadokawa Corporation in April 2021, J-Novel Club continued to expand through various strategic partnerships.

At Anime NYC 2022, announcements included a print collaboration with Yen Press covering multiple titles and a joint effort with RBMedia and Podium to develop audiobook versions. In October 2023, the company established its European branch "J-Novel Club Nina," aimed at the French and German-speaking audiences.

In March 2024, J-Novel Club secured distribution agreements for print editions with Hachette Book Group for North America and Diamond Book Distributors for international markets. Later in October 2024, it unveiled the "J-Novel Knight" imprint specializing in boy's love genre content.

Audiobook titles

External links