Author Reveals He Thought Contact from a Publisher Was a Scam
A light novel author revealed a rather curious story from the beginning of his career. When he had only been writing for about three months, he received an email inviting him to publish a work, but he thought it was simply a scam.
The reason? The company’s name sounded way too much like a sneaker brand.
The author in question is Inumajin, known for his works published by KADOKAWA. He shared the story on social media and revealed that he only discovered the contact was legitimate after talking to other writers.
Author Reveals He Thought Contact from a Publisher Was a Scam
The story began when Inumajin received an email from a company interested in working with him. Since he was still new to writing and knew practically nothing about the light novel industry, he became suspicious.
His reaction was roughly this:
“I got a solicitation email from a scam, from a place with a name that sounds like a shoe manufacturer.”
His fellow writers started laughing.
Then he continued:
“If it’s a scam, they could at least pick a name that sounds more convincing. Are they making fun of me?”
That’s when he received the response that probably left him completely shocked:
“The one being looked down on is you. That’s the oldest light novel label in Japan. Reply immediately.”
Inumajin’s response?
“Huh?”
Yes, they were talking about Sneaker Bunko, one of KADOKAWA’s best-known light novel labels. JUST LOOK at the light novels published under this label:
- Roshidere
- KonoSuba
- Masou Gakuen HxH
- Record of Lodoss War
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
And many others.
The problem is that “Sneaker” really does make you think of shoes. For someone who knew nothing about the industry, it isn’t that crazy to assume it was a footwear brand.
He Practically Knew Nothing About Light Novels
Inumajin explained that, at the time, he had only been writing for about three months and had never written a light novel before.
He even mentioned that he had read Full Metal Panic!, so he probably would have realized that an email from Fantasia Bunko could be legitimate.
But Sneaker Bunko? That one completely went over his head. And the funniest part is that his own works ended up being published by Sneaker Bunko.
Seijo-sama
Wanwan Monogatari:
The label is part of KADOKAWA and specializes in light novels, with a huge catalog of well-known titles.
The Beginning of His Career Was Quite Complicated
The author’s lack of experience went far beyond not recognizing the name of a publisher. According to him, when he started his career, he didn’t even know how to properly write a light novel.
He said he didn’t even understand the proofreading marks used when reviewing manuscripts and had to rely on more experienced writers for help.
Inumajin also revealed that he later made a similar mistake with another project and joked that he needed to apologize for that one too.
In another case, he received an upfront payment worth millions of yen. This time, he admitted that pretty much anyone would probably assume it was a scam.
Inumajin has been publishing light novels since 2017. None of his titles have received an anime adaptation yet, but let’s see what the future holds. Will he also think it’s a scam when someone comes along wanting to turn one of his works into an anime?