Crispy wrote:

Definitely not from Aozora, the txt books I'm referring to (many of them) are as new as 2013.

I don't think you're referring to these 2GB of 5000 or so txt novels from the thread at Novels in Text Form?

Crispy wrote:

Search for 一般小説・TXT詰め合わせ it's a 2GB file that's floating around with 5000 or so txt novels (new and old). You can see the contents list here (although it might not be complete):
http://www.douban.com/note/178235823/
http://forum.koohii.com/viewtopic.php?id=10601

In this thread "Online Japanese Novels", the OP seems to be referring to Haruki M. ebooks in Japanese... as far as I know, Kindle do not have it and the author himself have not grant any rights so far.... so where do these txt files of his books come from? 

I think we have a different understanding of the term "Online Japanese Novels" which is not the same as オンライン小説.　 Also 携帯小説 (mobile novels) are entirely different.

Would you be kind enough to elaborate further or please give some examples on the txt books that are as new as 2013?

Thank you for your patience with me. With a clearer explanation, I got a better picture now    

As for the examples listed above, they are mostly Light Novels and usually require money. I think maybe about 3-4 of them belongs to the free category.

For example: 三浦勇雄 - 聖剣の刀鍛冶 1巻 (vol.1 is free only but not the rest of the volumes) where this site below have a sample of the novel and displays which device reader is best for reading Light Novels.
http://www.wildhawkfield.com/2012/07/1mfjmf.html

Here this site below shows the Ranking of Light Novels as well as the cost of each novel.
http://lightnovel.rankinet.biz/

Perhaps it may not matter much to anybody where these "free" mobile formats or text files or digital books come from as long as they can download it anytime and there seem to be no complaints. Don't get me wrong... i'm not complaining about it or going to report about it to the retailers, publishers or authors since i'm not getting paid for it. (lol)

However, i wonder if people who downloaded the "free text materials" really read through it?  Doesn't it bother them that there are errors?  Or maybe it is "free" they cannot complain at all nor do they have any rights to do it?  Perhaps a lot of them don't even know that there are problems with the text in the first place?!?

Maybe I'm sort of pedantic.... anyway I think it is much better to read the PNG or PDF books as there are lesser room for text errors but some of it may have missing pages here and there.

Somehow, I get the feeling that most of the non-Japanese people do not really differentiate between light novel and online novel and cell-phone/mobile novel. Probably cell-phone novel or online novel are not popular with the Western countries and it just look the same as the Western light novel and web-fiction stories?!

In any case, most of the Japanese Online Novels that I know of are actually free.  
This link below have the ranking of the current online novels.
人気順ランキング 今回／累計
http://nnr2.netnovel.org/ys/rank.cgi?mode=rank&kt=
Currently, "Ｉ'll have Sherbet!" is popular and in fact, anyone can read it online. No registration or fees are required. The reader may also choose to cast a vote if they like the story.

オンライン小説の読み方
How to Read Online Novel
http://onlinenovel-reader.hanameiro.net … 2%E3%81%99

見て歩く者ｂｙ鷹野凌
http://www.wildhawkfield.com/
ここは鷹野凌が興味を持った小説・漫画・アニメ・ゲームなどの創作物（とくにSF）、ボカロ・東方、政治・経済・国際などの時事問題、電子書籍・SNSなどのIT関連などについて語るブログです。

There are free online light novel magazines out there.

Here's one:
http://rkmg.jp/

Last edited by chamcham (2013 February 19, 10:04 am)

Guoguodi wrote:

I realise this is probably the wrong thread to ask in, but I wasn't sure if my question warranted its own thread.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows of a publication (online or offline) which covers "general interest" topics? Sort of like a Reader's Digest, except in Japanese. Something where the articles are fairly long or in-depth would be ideal. I'm imagining something like a magazine where the majority of articles are non-fiction, but not scientific/economic/political -- probably best categorised as "general interest" reading.

I would recommend "Hiragana Times" magazine. http://www.hiraganatimes.com/

They even have digital PDF subscriptions. When I used to get the digital PDF magazines,
they mailed me the print magazines anyway.

PDFs are nice since you can copy/paste the text in the articles.

Last edited by chamcham (2013 February 19, 9:55 pm)

@ Hi chamcham
Thanks for that link. Shall take a look at it when I have the time.
Do you like free online light novel magazines? 

What do you usually read besides light novel?
If i remember correctly, you enjoy reading 森 絵都 books.


@ Guoguodi
I think the recommendation that chamcham suggested above is pretty good. 

I cannot think of any publication like Reader's Digest, except in Japanese.... (where majority of articles are non-fiction, but not scientific/economic/political -- "general reading").... as most of the Japanese publication are rather "specific" in their own field.

Give wiki 雑誌 a try, you might find something there among the hypertext-links.

Below are some publication (in Japanese) that I find interesting.
週刊文春
http://shukan.bunshun.jp/
ＳＷＩＴＣＨ
http://www.switch-pub.co.jp/
日経エンタティメント
http://ent.nikkeibp.co.jp/ent/index.shtml

Last edited by eslang (2013 February 20, 12:23 am)