(小説家になろう "Let's Become a Novelist") is a Japanese-language self-publishing platform for Web Serial Novels, started by Yusuke Umezaki in 2004. It initially also hosted fan fiction, but this was eventually banned in 2012 in order to encourage posting original works.The site is free to use, and it's become increasingly common for Light Novel publishers such as Dengeki Bunko to search its archive and license popular works for professional publication. This has caused the website to become very influential on Japanese media: it's in large part responsible for the glut of LitRPG and isekai anime and manga in The New '10s.
Compare Wattpad, which can be considered the closest English-language equivalent (though unlike Shousetsuka ni Narou, it does allow fanfiction).
Tropes common in works on the platform:
- LitRPG: It's quite common for works posted here to directly cite RPG mechanics, especially stats, Skill Scores and Perks.
- Pen Name: Works that originate on the platform are usually published under the author's username, even if they're later bought and professionally published.
- Trapped in Another World: Many works that originated on this site follow the plotline of the main character somehow ending up in a fantasy world, if they haven't been reincarnated into that other world instead; such stories are frequently referred to as Isekai (literally meaning "another world"). It's been widely acknowledged that this originated from the popularity of The Familiar of Zero, with numerous fanfics of the series (usually Crossovers where someone else is summoned to the series' world instead of the protagonist Saito) being very popular on the site before the rule of original works only was put into effect.
- Work Info Title: This website is a big part of the reason why so many light novels, manga, and anime from the The New '10s on have used absurdly long titles to fully describe the premise, rather than just using a publishing blurb.
Works available on the platform:
- 7th Time Loop
- The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
- Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter
- Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian
- Am I Actually the Strongest?
- The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
- Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra
- The Apothecary Diaries
- Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World
- Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest
- The Aristocrat's Otherworldly Adventure
- Ascendance of a Bookworm
- Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon
- Banished from the Hero's Party
- Beast Tamer
- Berserk of Gluttony (2017–2022, moved to Kakuyomu)
- Black Summoner
- Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.
- By the Grace of the Gods
- Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
- Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
- Chillin' in My 30s After Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army
- Combatants Will Be Dispatched!
- Cooking With Wild Game
- Chrono Crown
- Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
- Demon Lord, Retry!
- Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?
- Drugstore in Another World
- The Eminence in Shadow
- Endo and Kobayashi Live!
- Failure Frame
- The Failure Red Mage Is Unmatched In Sage Time
- The Faraway Paladin
- Farming Life In Another World
- The Fruit of Evolution
- Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers
- The Great Cleric
- The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody
- The Greatest Magicmaster's Retirement Plan
- Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World
- Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill...
- The Hero Who Seeks Revenge Shall Exterminate With Darkness
- The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter
- How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (2014–2016, moved to Pixiv afterward)
- I Shall Survive Using Potions!
- I Swear I Won't Bother You Again!
- I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
- I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace
- I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince
- I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness
- I'm In Love With the Villainess
- I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
- I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss
- I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level
- I've Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-Related Skills
- The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World
- The Ideal Sponger Life
- If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord
- In Another World with My Smartphone
- In the Land of Leadale
- Infinite Dendrogram
- The Invincible Little Lady
- The Irregular at Magic High School
- Isekai Cheat Magician
- JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World
- Knight's & Magic
- KonoSuba
- Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
- Lazy Dungeon Master
- Log Horizon
- Loner Life In Another World
- Magical Explorer
- The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess
- Management of Novice Alchemist
- The Misfit of Demon King Academy
- The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess To Savior
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
- My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer
- My Happy Marriage
- My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered...
- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
- My One-Hit Kill Sister
- My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even At Level 1
- Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu
- Parallel World Pharmacy
- Re:Monster
- Re:Zero
- Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship!
- Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
- Reborn to Master the Blade
- Rebuild World
- Record of Wortenia War
- Reincarnated as a Sword
- The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World
- Restaurant to Another World
- Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl
- The Rising of the Shield Hero
- Roll Over and Die
- The Saint's Magic Power Is Omnipotent
- Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement
- Secrets of the Silent Witch
- Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
- Sengoku Komachi Kurou Tan
- Sexiled (2018)
- Shangri-La Frontier
- Skeleton Knight in Another World
- So I'm a Spider, So What?
- The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest
- Survival in Another World with My Mistress!
- Sweet Reincarnation
- Tearmoon Empire
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World!
- Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs
- TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- (2012–2016, moved to Alphapolis)
- Tsuyokute New Saga
- Unnamed Memory
- The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
- Villainess Level 99
- The Weakest Tamer
- Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle
- Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!
- Wise Man's Grandchild
- The World's Finest Assassin
- The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic
