Kadokawa Seeks Foreign Authors to Create a New Wave of Hits

Kadokawa seeks foreign authors as part of a new strategy to shake up the light novel market in Japan. Even though the country has many writers producing stories in this format, the number of readers has been decreasing in recent years, something that has worried publishers and professionals in the industry.

The initiative gained attention after Kadokawa held an international contest focused on isekai stories written in English. The competition was organized in partnership with MyAnimeList and the Honeyfeed platform, with the goal of discovering new talent from around the world whose works could be published in Japan.

Kadokawa Seeks Foreign Authors to Create a New Wave of Hits

The contest, called MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 – The Isekai, was created with the intention of discovering the next big hit in the genre. The grand prize winner was the story Isekai’d with my dog, I’m not the hero?! written by the author known as Frettiko.

At the same time, the publisher also organized another project called World Manga Contest, which gives foreign artists the opportunity to debut in the Japanese manga market. These initiatives are part of a broader move by the company to expand internationally.

According to Satoshi Arima, editor-in-chief of MF Books, a label owned by Kadokawa, Japan does not actually suffer from a lack of light novel authors. On the contrary, the number of writers interested in publishing stories in this format has continued to grow over the years.

The problem, according to him, is that the number of readers has not kept up with this growth. With fewer people consuming this type of content, the market could slowly shrink if nothing is done to renew public interest.

Arima explained that, when looking at the history of light novels, many major hits appeared during periods of change in the market. One example was when web novels started being published in physical format after the boom of anime adaptations based on light novels.

That is why Kadokawa seeks foreign authors as a way to bring new ideas and generate a positive impact on the market. In his view, publishing works by writers from other countries could help spark curiosity among new readers.

There is also a strategic goal behind this decision. If a foreign author becomes popular in Japan after being published by Kadokawa, it could open doors for the company to expand its business in that author’s home country.

With this approach, Kadokawa hopes not only to find new hit stories, but also to strengthen the global presence of light novels and create new opportunities for the Japanese market in the future.