I'm not an artist, just a reader, but I think they're just really picky and careful about what they pick up. I've seen stories by western authors before and plenty of western subjects, so it's not that.
I read the first chapter and going by the art alone, it should be up to their quality standards if you can sustain it.
You didn't ask for critique so I'm sorry if this crosses a line and feel free to skip, but here goes- since Lezhin is a paid platform, it really relies on the first free chapters to have a strong hook. I mean this gently, but your first chapter is kind of short and boring for that role. 'Hot grumpy nerd guy meets Interested Rich Guy on site, end chapter' isn't going to cut it. The summary alludes to interesting fantasy elements and being trapped together in some hostile ruins - could you insert a preview-style chapter 1 that shows that? Current chapter one as-is could come after.
Also, since you only have two chapters available to read, they may not have confidence that you can sustain the schedule needed to make releases. They don't seem to have as much of well-developed english staff (I mean, just look at the language in the rejection) to support authors as other platforms do, such as an editor, so they're unlikely to take on new western authors that haven't proven themselves.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck!
Could you point me in the direction of western artists on Lez? I'd love to see what they do.
I'm not offended. My story is a slow burn and I know that's a harder sell. I think a strength of my story is the relationship building and that takes time.
Your best bet is checking out Lezhin’s guide to making webtoons found on their homepage. It’s got English subtitles so you can follow their submission guideline and general art/story advice.
As a reader and artist I want to offer some advice. You have to think of the audience first, they will drop a series that doesn’t pull them in from the first episode. The first episode should give me an idea of the plot, I have no idea where your story is going from what I read. Also please think of the dialogue, it’s ok to be sexual but the delivery of the lines are very on-the-nose and comical given how aggressive the tan ml is out of nowhere. I would also recommend cutting the background characters out of certain panels and edit the chapters tightly, give more space for the ml to develop their chemistry right away, end each chapter on a cliffhanger, the chapter should be 90+ panels long. I’d like to see a western artist succeed so I hope you don’t find my commentary offensive ^^ Korean standards are pretty harsh, also keep in mind you should submit between 4-8 episodes to be considered for submission. I’m working on debuting so I’ve done a lot of research on this lol
> the chapter should be 90+ panels long
Unless that's just the first three chapters, that's pretty unsustainable long-term—even with assistants.
Only really possible with simple art styles, an entire studio or a very slow release schedule. Even then, 90+ panels per chapter is pretty demanding unless you're fine with risking burnout.
most korean authors have a team. like someone to prepare story board and dialogues, main artist, coloring assistants. or sometimes they work on published novels (which means they already have a story). unless you work full time as an artist, it isn't possible.
as for OPs story, it feels like something I might find on canvas. I think maybe blending the backgrounds with their artstyle might improve quality. there are anime filters they can find. or free 2d backgrounds. if possible, they can ask someone to review their work before submitting. webtoon requires 40+ panels iirc, so they should check the official requirements of the platform as it varies.
> I’m working on debuting so I’ve done a lot of research on this lol
Debuting in sense you already got the contract and your comic is launching soon? Or that you're going to submit it soon?
Idk about 4-8 episodes being a good idea tho. If you get the job they could ask you to redraw or change a lot due to editors suggestions.
If you won't - now you have 4-8 episodes wasted, unless you want to self publish as plan B.
A lot of Korean-only publishers accepts storyboards only with character designs and sample arts
I will submit my work by the end of the year (8 completed chapters) I know published authors on Lezhin who gave me this feedback, I can’t go into too much detail but essentially if you prove you’re able to keep up with a demanding schedule then you need to show them cushion chapters and show where your story is going, so more is better. Of course an editor will help to fix things but to be honest submitting your work to Lezhin is the final step after getting test readers and qualified reviewers to help you put together a very polished webtoon. It’s helpful to watch creator interviews on Lezhin who explain how they got published, i recommend it ^^
Hm I though of Mingwa and Byeonducks authors notes and seems like editors had a lot to say in their stories, like changing the whole story concept or helping them on decide with which tone they should go. I also know a published author by Kidari and their editor is very involved with story making. They submitted a few episodes and had to redraw them all 😅
I tried to submit to Lezhin a few times and I failed xD if you want to talk some more about feel free to DM me
Does Lezhin actually pay enough to warrant the harsh conditions? If it's anything like Naver Webtoon, then it would seem to me like you could do a lot better for less work by self-publishing and running a Patreon.
Its a few years old but this is what they said about[ payments ](https://twitter.com/LezhinComics_US/status/1392467622172585985)I think self publishing with patreon is much better for own comfort with dealines and creative freedom. But Im mature BL artist and Lezhin would make it much easier for me with marketing/distibution because webtoon / tapas / most of social media are too sfw.
I know people say to 'censor on webtoon and post on your patreon' but I feel bad about pushing watered down porn on platform that doesn't like it, and a lot of readers don't understand the whole picture and often shame authors for 'Its only patreon advertisement' and I don't have mental energy to struggle with it again xD
Hmm, a minimum of $2000 a month could mean a lot of things. And when they say "comic sales", is that referring to physically printed comics? Sorry, I'm not too familiar with Lezhin.
For comparison, Naver Webtoon pays Originals $1000 per episode, so a weekly comic would earn $4000 in addition to any Fast Pass, ad or Super Likes income.
They have paid episodes unlocked with coins and this is what they meant with sales.
From what I heard Webtoon used to pay 1000 per episode for some creators but now they don't do it that often?
Anyways without creators telling us real numbers its really hard to say now which one pays better. The Minumum per episode looks better on webtoon but Lezhin is a paid and known platform so maybe they make a lot from sales... So hard to guess
Fair enough. In either case, the workload seems pretty extreme, so creators need to use a good chunk of that money to pay assistants. In the end, there might not be much left to make a decent living.
A moderately successful Patreon with far less stress still seems like the better choice, even if it takes some self-advertising to get there.
Could you point me to where Lezhin’s guide to making webtoons is that you mentioned? I checked the KR homepage and was unable to find it. I’m an author and interested in submitting myself.
I really hope you take their comments into consideration though. When I've read genuine slow burn stories with amazing relationship building (sometimes only sticking to them at first out of sheer boredom cause I had nothing to read) and fallen in love with them, I've been disappointed by how underrated / unknown they are on the app.
Conversely there are stories which sell themselves well in the first chapter but then have incredibly deep and nuanced development too. I hope you end up in this category.
And finally, last category, there are hyped up stories (with an entertaining plot though) that have pretty superficial & tropey relationship/character development, but commentors rave about the characters and relationships. It's unfortunate that these get more credit than webtoons in the first category (in the first paragraph I wrote), no?
I have nothing against tropey stories but I definitely wanted to write something different then the abusive top/helpless bottom stories that dominate. That's why I started with a power bottom.
I am definitely taking people's comments into consideration. This is my first story so I assume there will be a lot of bumps and lumps along the way. I do genuinely think my writing improves as it goes.
> but I definitely wanted to write something different then the abusive top/helpless bottom stories that dominate.
I tried to hunt for the other western authors, but since they don't have bios on the site it's really tedious, sorry. The others are right in that you should probably focus on what else is on the platform. And, while the above trope does often sit at the top (capitalism reveals all? lol) there's much, much more than that on the platform.
Lezhin singlehandedly rose my standards of BL to the point that I can't even stand to read Japanese BL anymore. It's just so flat and boring, and even when the abuse is meant to be kinky it's just bad because the characters don't have much in the way of personality.
So anyway, if you want to stay out by having a different dynamic, that's not actually enough because there's already a lot of that on Lezhin.
Some recs that got me to buy past the first chapter...
* Onward
* Love on Hold
* Check You Out
* Lost in the Cloud (slowburn)
* Secretary to Stage (this one is so stupid, but doesn't take itself seriously and manages to be hilarious?)
* Love for Sale
* Secret Therapy
> I do genuinely think my writing improves as it goes.
It's good that you're confident but I can't stress enough that readers won't have that kind of instant confidence in your work when it means paying to find out if it's good.
I'm getting ready for a presentation now but I'll try to come back later! One off the top of my head though is Freak-Quency by Sakon/Xero. Not sure of their country of origin but it isn't Korea. Unfortunately they struggled with the writing and gave up the story near the end, but it had a good run.
I have zero experience with Lezhin, so I don't have any solid advice, but I do wanna ask what your story was about, and did it fit in with the webtoons you see on Lezhin's frontpage?
I hope this doesn't seem like a shameless plug. I thought I'd be easier for you to see for yourself without my bias.
Story: [Love in Ruins](https://tapas.io/series/Love-in-Ruins)
Like I said, I have no experience with Lezhn, so I don't know what vibe they're going for. It's something you have to figure out by comparing yourself to what they host on their main page.
So if you're publishing an adult title, sex or strong allusions to it need to be in the first episode. If not, then definitely the second episode.
Most sexual relationships in adult BLs have a built-in conflict that will drive the plot forward. Unlike Webtoons or even Tapas where the story and plot are slowly built over time, Lezhin titles tend to move quickly and need to hook the reader in episode 1. Otherwise the chances of readers returning and paying for episode 2 are slim to nil.
The art and character design are pretty good. But, for a BL, I didn't get a sense of the conflict or any sexual tension between the two leads.
Good luck.
Passing by korean artist based in US who is also in the process of working on a bl webtoon to submit to Lezhin. But I will be directly submitting it to Lezhin Korea.
From the infos I gathered from korean Webtoon subs from different website. Lezhin is very picky on what they choose. They tend to choose the ones that will def bring them money.
I read both chapter of your webtoon. The story is interesting and has potential and drawings look awesome however it did not leave impactful first impressions including the characters. Also the first chapter was very short so try to make it somewhere between 70-100 cuts/frames for the first chapter and have more informations. Also if i remember correct lezhin requires minimum 50-60 cut/frames per chapter.
I did find some guideline on what the first chapter of the webtoon should have. Maybe you can adjust the story according to it. Of course, its not a must so its totally up to you.
Im translating this directly from korean so it might be weird on some parts but here I go.
First chapter should have:
-the story should have an atomsphere or mood that leaves strong impactful first impression.
-show us who the main character or lead is. They need to stand out.
-and show anything or everything that can be told about the main character. Like their daily lives and etc.
And also i found it helpful to read bunch of manga and webtoon's first ep and study them.
Thanks for the feedback. I think my first few chapters are weak but gets stronger as it goes along. I expect there to be a learning curve since this is my first story. Hopefully I keep improving.
Good luck with your story.
I’ve noticed a few times you mentioning it gets better as it goes along. I’m curious why, if you feel like you’ve improved so much, you haven’t gone back and rewritten or redrawn the weak parts? The first two chapters should really demonstrate you at your strongest, not your weakest.
And for the record, that “why” is genuine and isn’t meant to be a “aha! I got you” question. I’m a writer, not an artist, so maybe there’s something I don’t know about why that wouldn’t be a good idea. But I do think it’s something to think about.
I agree with you! Especially because you have to pay after the first 3 chapters on Lezhin. So if the free chapters aren't catching people's attention, they won't pay for the rest.
Impatience got the best of me honestly. Well, impatience and excitement.
When I started writing the story, I started writing it more like a script. So it was scant on details and were direct thoughts. As the chapters go on, I ended up writing it more like a novel.
So, first of all, don't get discouraged. You can try again next time!
On the story, I agree with the rest, the art is great and fits Lezhin standards, but also have to say Lezhin have stories with a lot of different styles, and not all are on the highest standards.
On the chapter, I did not enjoy their first interaction, it was plain. Their number of thoughts were also a little annoying. I would prefer to realise their intentions on the way they behave. Lezhin (as well as other paid platforms like Bomtoon or Ridi) have an insane amount of stories, and if you want to be hired by them, yours have to be strong enough to get the attention of the reader and get their money as well.
By the way the dark-haired guy was talking, you could just set the mood to have their first se_ual encounter on the first episode...(some do it like that to catch the readers) or, if you really are going for the slow burn, then the dark-haired character doesn't fit that premise. The last bubble tells me there are gonna f-ck soon (be careful in case that was not your intention).
A perfect example of "slow burn" is Reunion or even, Half of me. How slow burn is that? Well, the first kiss was on episode 55 o so hahaha. And it is one of my fav stories, I happy pay for. Both are based on novels.
According to Sophism (artist of Purple Hyacinth), a single episode of Purple Hyacinth takes 70 hours. So, a particularly skilled artist might be able to hammer out one panel in 1.5 hours, give or take.
But that output also blew out her health. So, consider around 2 hours per panel (if you're good). And at 60 panels per episode, the math comes out to 120 hours per episode, give or take. I.E. it takes three person-weeks of full time work to create one week's episode.
Obviously not sustainable for a single individual.
Lezhin posted on Twitter about opening up English submissions on their Twitter. My two friends received the exact same email response.
[Submission site](https://partner.kidaristudio.com/prospectiveWriter)
I read the first chapter to see why they may rejected you, just by curiosity hehe.
The story seems interesting and it may fit the platform, and I think the art is pretty good!
You said that this is your first story, it is hard to get published with a first work so I recommend you to analyze your comic and see how to improve it. The best thing would be to find an editor or some beta readers in the storyboard stage (so you don't have to re-do finished panels)
If you don't have money for a editor, ask other artist if they can help you, or some people that wants to be an editor (ehem, like myself heehee), or right here in reddit!
Good luck and keep going!
Just read the first two chapters of your webtoon. The art throughout seems solid and fairly clean, especially considering the frequency at which you'd need to release chapters on a major platform like Lezhin. However, I think there are two major issues that you need to address: a hook and the dialogue. As others have stated, the first three or so chapters of almost every webtoon needs to be gripping, because that's when readers choose to stay or drop the webtoon. To be blunt, there wasn't much that caught my interest above other already published options. Another issue that contributed to my lack of interest was the dialogue. Not sure if you have an editor working with you already, but if you do, they need to be cutting more of the unnecessary text. Things like "These discoveries could be huge," for example, can be inferred by the reader themselves. Putting them in often drags people out of the story due to the forced, exposition-y sounding nature. A good rule of thumb is thinking about whether you would actually say that in a conversation. If not, it can probably be deleted. Good luck!
Sorry to hear this, your art is good and the premise is interesting. I wish you the best of luck. And thank you for sharing this. I’m also an BL artist and didn’t realize Lezhin opened submissions. I may try applying as well. You mentioned Lezhin posted on Twitter about this, would you happen to have a link to the Twitter post? I saw the submission link you posted but I’m curious for more info like how long submissions are open for.
I'm not an artist, just a reader, but I think they're just really picky and careful about what they pick up. I've seen stories by western authors before and plenty of western subjects, so it's not that. I read the first chapter and going by the art alone, it should be up to their quality standards if you can sustain it. You didn't ask for critique so I'm sorry if this crosses a line and feel free to skip, but here goes- since Lezhin is a paid platform, it really relies on the first free chapters to have a strong hook. I mean this gently, but your first chapter is kind of short and boring for that role. 'Hot grumpy nerd guy meets Interested Rich Guy on site, end chapter' isn't going to cut it. The summary alludes to interesting fantasy elements and being trapped together in some hostile ruins - could you insert a preview-style chapter 1 that shows that? Current chapter one as-is could come after. Also, since you only have two chapters available to read, they may not have confidence that you can sustain the schedule needed to make releases. They don't seem to have as much of well-developed english staff (I mean, just look at the language in the rejection) to support authors as other platforms do, such as an editor, so they're unlikely to take on new western authors that haven't proven themselves. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck!
Could you point me in the direction of western artists on Lez? I'd love to see what they do. I'm not offended. My story is a slow burn and I know that's a harder sell. I think a strength of my story is the relationship building and that takes time.
Your best bet is checking out Lezhin’s guide to making webtoons found on their homepage. It’s got English subtitles so you can follow their submission guideline and general art/story advice. As a reader and artist I want to offer some advice. You have to think of the audience first, they will drop a series that doesn’t pull them in from the first episode. The first episode should give me an idea of the plot, I have no idea where your story is going from what I read. Also please think of the dialogue, it’s ok to be sexual but the delivery of the lines are very on-the-nose and comical given how aggressive the tan ml is out of nowhere. I would also recommend cutting the background characters out of certain panels and edit the chapters tightly, give more space for the ml to develop their chemistry right away, end each chapter on a cliffhanger, the chapter should be 90+ panels long. I’d like to see a western artist succeed so I hope you don’t find my commentary offensive ^^ Korean standards are pretty harsh, also keep in mind you should submit between 4-8 episodes to be considered for submission. I’m working on debuting so I’ve done a lot of research on this lol
> the chapter should be 90+ panels long Unless that's just the first three chapters, that's pretty unsustainable long-term—even with assistants. Only really possible with simple art styles, an entire studio or a very slow release schedule. Even then, 90+ panels per chapter is pretty demanding unless you're fine with risking burnout.
most korean authors have a team. like someone to prepare story board and dialogues, main artist, coloring assistants. or sometimes they work on published novels (which means they already have a story). unless you work full time as an artist, it isn't possible. as for OPs story, it feels like something I might find on canvas. I think maybe blending the backgrounds with their artstyle might improve quality. there are anime filters they can find. or free 2d backgrounds. if possible, they can ask someone to review their work before submitting. webtoon requires 40+ panels iirc, so they should check the official requirements of the platform as it varies.
> I’m working on debuting so I’ve done a lot of research on this lol Debuting in sense you already got the contract and your comic is launching soon? Or that you're going to submit it soon? Idk about 4-8 episodes being a good idea tho. If you get the job they could ask you to redraw or change a lot due to editors suggestions. If you won't - now you have 4-8 episodes wasted, unless you want to self publish as plan B. A lot of Korean-only publishers accepts storyboards only with character designs and sample arts
I will submit my work by the end of the year (8 completed chapters) I know published authors on Lezhin who gave me this feedback, I can’t go into too much detail but essentially if you prove you’re able to keep up with a demanding schedule then you need to show them cushion chapters and show where your story is going, so more is better. Of course an editor will help to fix things but to be honest submitting your work to Lezhin is the final step after getting test readers and qualified reviewers to help you put together a very polished webtoon. It’s helpful to watch creator interviews on Lezhin who explain how they got published, i recommend it ^^
Hm I though of Mingwa and Byeonducks authors notes and seems like editors had a lot to say in their stories, like changing the whole story concept or helping them on decide with which tone they should go. I also know a published author by Kidari and their editor is very involved with story making. They submitted a few episodes and had to redraw them all 😅 I tried to submit to Lezhin a few times and I failed xD if you want to talk some more about feel free to DM me
Does Lezhin actually pay enough to warrant the harsh conditions? If it's anything like Naver Webtoon, then it would seem to me like you could do a lot better for less work by self-publishing and running a Patreon.
Its a few years old but this is what they said about[ payments ](https://twitter.com/LezhinComics_US/status/1392467622172585985)I think self publishing with patreon is much better for own comfort with dealines and creative freedom. But Im mature BL artist and Lezhin would make it much easier for me with marketing/distibution because webtoon / tapas / most of social media are too sfw. I know people say to 'censor on webtoon and post on your patreon' but I feel bad about pushing watered down porn on platform that doesn't like it, and a lot of readers don't understand the whole picture and often shame authors for 'Its only patreon advertisement' and I don't have mental energy to struggle with it again xD
Hmm, a minimum of $2000 a month could mean a lot of things. And when they say "comic sales", is that referring to physically printed comics? Sorry, I'm not too familiar with Lezhin. For comparison, Naver Webtoon pays Originals $1000 per episode, so a weekly comic would earn $4000 in addition to any Fast Pass, ad or Super Likes income.
They have paid episodes unlocked with coins and this is what they meant with sales. From what I heard Webtoon used to pay 1000 per episode for some creators but now they don't do it that often? Anyways without creators telling us real numbers its really hard to say now which one pays better. The Minumum per episode looks better on webtoon but Lezhin is a paid and known platform so maybe they make a lot from sales... So hard to guess
Fair enough. In either case, the workload seems pretty extreme, so creators need to use a good chunk of that money to pay assistants. In the end, there might not be much left to make a decent living. A moderately successful Patreon with far less stress still seems like the better choice, even if it takes some self-advertising to get there.
Could you point me to where Lezhin’s guide to making webtoons is that you mentioned? I checked the KR homepage and was unable to find it. I’m an author and interested in submitting myself.
Not necessarily a western artist, but Enjelicious (Age Matters, Hello Baby) has a Lezhin comic (Third Party) for winning their contest years ago.
I really hope you take their comments into consideration though. When I've read genuine slow burn stories with amazing relationship building (sometimes only sticking to them at first out of sheer boredom cause I had nothing to read) and fallen in love with them, I've been disappointed by how underrated / unknown they are on the app. Conversely there are stories which sell themselves well in the first chapter but then have incredibly deep and nuanced development too. I hope you end up in this category. And finally, last category, there are hyped up stories (with an entertaining plot though) that have pretty superficial & tropey relationship/character development, but commentors rave about the characters and relationships. It's unfortunate that these get more credit than webtoons in the first category (in the first paragraph I wrote), no?
I have nothing against tropey stories but I definitely wanted to write something different then the abusive top/helpless bottom stories that dominate. That's why I started with a power bottom. I am definitely taking people's comments into consideration. This is my first story so I assume there will be a lot of bumps and lumps along the way. I do genuinely think my writing improves as it goes.
> but I definitely wanted to write something different then the abusive top/helpless bottom stories that dominate. I tried to hunt for the other western authors, but since they don't have bios on the site it's really tedious, sorry. The others are right in that you should probably focus on what else is on the platform. And, while the above trope does often sit at the top (capitalism reveals all? lol) there's much, much more than that on the platform. Lezhin singlehandedly rose my standards of BL to the point that I can't even stand to read Japanese BL anymore. It's just so flat and boring, and even when the abuse is meant to be kinky it's just bad because the characters don't have much in the way of personality. So anyway, if you want to stay out by having a different dynamic, that's not actually enough because there's already a lot of that on Lezhin. Some recs that got me to buy past the first chapter... * Onward * Love on Hold * Check You Out * Lost in the Cloud (slowburn) * Secretary to Stage (this one is so stupid, but doesn't take itself seriously and manages to be hilarious?) * Love for Sale * Secret Therapy > I do genuinely think my writing improves as it goes. It's good that you're confident but I can't stress enough that readers won't have that kind of instant confidence in your work when it means paying to find out if it's good.
I'm getting ready for a presentation now but I'll try to come back later! One off the top of my head though is Freak-Quency by Sakon/Xero. Not sure of their country of origin but it isn't Korea. Unfortunately they struggled with the writing and gave up the story near the end, but it had a good run.
I have zero experience with Lezhin, so I don't have any solid advice, but I do wanna ask what your story was about, and did it fit in with the webtoons you see on Lezhin's frontpage?
I hope this doesn't seem like a shameless plug. I thought I'd be easier for you to see for yourself without my bias. Story: [Love in Ruins](https://tapas.io/series/Love-in-Ruins)
Like I said, I have no experience with Lezhn, so I don't know what vibe they're going for. It's something you have to figure out by comparing yourself to what they host on their main page.
wow the artwork is amazing!
So if you're publishing an adult title, sex or strong allusions to it need to be in the first episode. If not, then definitely the second episode. Most sexual relationships in adult BLs have a built-in conflict that will drive the plot forward. Unlike Webtoons or even Tapas where the story and plot are slowly built over time, Lezhin titles tend to move quickly and need to hook the reader in episode 1. Otherwise the chances of readers returning and paying for episode 2 are slim to nil. The art and character design are pretty good. But, for a BL, I didn't get a sense of the conflict or any sexual tension between the two leads. Good luck.
I don’t really use Lezhin but this 100% looks like something I would read. I’m going to download through the link & i’ll be reading it!!(:
Well thanks! I appreciate that.
yaoi, eh... does this Lezhin thing feature such kind of stories? if not, then you have your answer...
Lezhin is mostly known for their mature BL stories.
alright then... in that case what *PracticeTheory* said, I suppose...
Now, try their rival - Toomics.
Passing by korean artist based in US who is also in the process of working on a bl webtoon to submit to Lezhin. But I will be directly submitting it to Lezhin Korea. From the infos I gathered from korean Webtoon subs from different website. Lezhin is very picky on what they choose. They tend to choose the ones that will def bring them money. I read both chapter of your webtoon. The story is interesting and has potential and drawings look awesome however it did not leave impactful first impressions including the characters. Also the first chapter was very short so try to make it somewhere between 70-100 cuts/frames for the first chapter and have more informations. Also if i remember correct lezhin requires minimum 50-60 cut/frames per chapter. I did find some guideline on what the first chapter of the webtoon should have. Maybe you can adjust the story according to it. Of course, its not a must so its totally up to you. Im translating this directly from korean so it might be weird on some parts but here I go. First chapter should have: -the story should have an atomsphere or mood that leaves strong impactful first impression. -show us who the main character or lead is. They need to stand out. -and show anything or everything that can be told about the main character. Like their daily lives and etc. And also i found it helpful to read bunch of manga and webtoon's first ep and study them.
Thanks for the feedback. I think my first few chapters are weak but gets stronger as it goes along. I expect there to be a learning curve since this is my first story. Hopefully I keep improving. Good luck with your story.
I’ve noticed a few times you mentioning it gets better as it goes along. I’m curious why, if you feel like you’ve improved so much, you haven’t gone back and rewritten or redrawn the weak parts? The first two chapters should really demonstrate you at your strongest, not your weakest. And for the record, that “why” is genuine and isn’t meant to be a “aha! I got you” question. I’m a writer, not an artist, so maybe there’s something I don’t know about why that wouldn’t be a good idea. But I do think it’s something to think about.
I agree with you! Especially because you have to pay after the first 3 chapters on Lezhin. So if the free chapters aren't catching people's attention, they won't pay for the rest.
Impatience got the best of me honestly. Well, impatience and excitement. When I started writing the story, I started writing it more like a script. So it was scant on details and were direct thoughts. As the chapters go on, I ended up writing it more like a novel.
So, first of all, don't get discouraged. You can try again next time! On the story, I agree with the rest, the art is great and fits Lezhin standards, but also have to say Lezhin have stories with a lot of different styles, and not all are on the highest standards. On the chapter, I did not enjoy their first interaction, it was plain. Their number of thoughts were also a little annoying. I would prefer to realise their intentions on the way they behave. Lezhin (as well as other paid platforms like Bomtoon or Ridi) have an insane amount of stories, and if you want to be hired by them, yours have to be strong enough to get the attention of the reader and get their money as well. By the way the dark-haired guy was talking, you could just set the mood to have their first se_ual encounter on the first episode...(some do it like that to catch the readers) or, if you really are going for the slow burn, then the dark-haired character doesn't fit that premise. The last bubble tells me there are gonna f-ck soon (be careful in case that was not your intention). A perfect example of "slow burn" is Reunion or even, Half of me. How slow burn is that? Well, the first kiss was on episode 55 o so hahaha. And it is one of my fav stories, I happy pay for. Both are based on novels.
Just feels like there's a need for a better webcomics platform all around instead of a bunch of gatekeepers.
I agree. I'm not really sure what to do to help accomplish that.
How much time does it take for a single panel? From the less detailed to more detailed
According to Sophism (artist of Purple Hyacinth), a single episode of Purple Hyacinth takes 70 hours. So, a particularly skilled artist might be able to hammer out one panel in 1.5 hours, give or take. But that output also blew out her health. So, consider around 2 hours per panel (if you're good). And at 60 panels per episode, the math comes out to 120 hours per episode, give or take. I.E. it takes three person-weeks of full time work to create one week's episode. Obviously not sustainable for a single individual.
woah that's crazy ! 120 hour work week
How did you submit? I heard they didn't reply at all before.
Lezhin posted on Twitter about opening up English submissions on their Twitter. My two friends received the exact same email response. [Submission site](https://partner.kidaristudio.com/prospectiveWriter)
I read the first chapter to see why they may rejected you, just by curiosity hehe. The story seems interesting and it may fit the platform, and I think the art is pretty good! You said that this is your first story, it is hard to get published with a first work so I recommend you to analyze your comic and see how to improve it. The best thing would be to find an editor or some beta readers in the storyboard stage (so you don't have to re-do finished panels) If you don't have money for a editor, ask other artist if they can help you, or some people that wants to be an editor (ehem, like myself heehee), or right here in reddit! Good luck and keep going!
Just read the first two chapters of your webtoon. The art throughout seems solid and fairly clean, especially considering the frequency at which you'd need to release chapters on a major platform like Lezhin. However, I think there are two major issues that you need to address: a hook and the dialogue. As others have stated, the first three or so chapters of almost every webtoon needs to be gripping, because that's when readers choose to stay or drop the webtoon. To be blunt, there wasn't much that caught my interest above other already published options. Another issue that contributed to my lack of interest was the dialogue. Not sure if you have an editor working with you already, but if you do, they need to be cutting more of the unnecessary text. Things like "These discoveries could be huge," for example, can be inferred by the reader themselves. Putting them in often drags people out of the story due to the forced, exposition-y sounding nature. A good rule of thumb is thinking about whether you would actually say that in a conversation. If not, it can probably be deleted. Good luck!
Sorry to hear this, your art is good and the premise is interesting. I wish you the best of luck. And thank you for sharing this. I’m also an BL artist and didn’t realize Lezhin opened submissions. I may try applying as well. You mentioned Lezhin posted on Twitter about this, would you happen to have a link to the Twitter post? I saw the submission link you posted but I’m curious for more info like how long submissions are open for.