Today at AnimeExpo 2018, J-Novel Club announced they will be increasing their library of titles by a third with the acquisition of 8 light novel titles:

“Amagi Brilliant Park”

“Kokoro Connect”

“Gear Drive”

“Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles”

“Sorcerous Stabber Orphen”

“JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World”

“Last and First Idol”

“Märchen der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight”

J-Novel Club also announced the start of producing and selling its own line of physical books, starting with “In Another World With My Smartphone” from Hobby Japan, Tokyo.

Amagi Brilliant Park

J-Novel Club announced the acquisition of “Amagi Brilliant Park” from KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo. The first half of volume 1 is available for members on j-novel.club to read today, plus a free preview for everyone else! The E-Book for volume 1 will go on sale in late August of 2018.

Amagi Brilliant Park is a light novel series written by veteran author Shouji Gatou, creator of the Full Metal Panic! series and spinoffs. Started in 2013, Amagi Brilliant Park currently has 8 volumes in print in Japan, as well as a 3 volume spinoff series. Amagi Brilliant Park was turned into a wonderful anime by Kyoto Animation in 2014, and now English speaking fans can finally read the books it was based on!

“I’m curious to see how they render the copulas, like ‘fumo,’ ‘ron,’ and ‘mii.’ I can’t wait!” – Author Shouji Gatou

Kokoro Connect

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Kokoro Connect” from KADOKAWA CORPORATION ENTERBRAIN. The first half of volume 1 is available for members on j-novel.club to read today, plus a free preview for everyone else! The E-Book for volume 1, “HITO-RANDOM”, will go on sale in late August of 2018.

Kokoro Connect is a light novel series written by author Sadanatsu Anda, who won a special prize in Enterbrain’s 11th Entertainment Awards, Light Novel Famitsu Bunko Division in 2009. Only 1 year later he published the first volume of Kokoro Connect, which continued for 11 volumes before concluding in Japan in 2013. Kokoro Connect was adapted into an anime in 2012, and now English speaking fans can finally read the books it was based on and the conclusion to the story!

“It brings me great pleasure to have this opportunity to share my work with the rest of the world! As the title suggests, Kokoro Connect is a story about hearts—something that truly transcends all cultural barriers—and I hope you’ll connect with it, too. In the meantime, I intend to craft even more stories for everyone in the world to enjoy!” – Author Sadanatsu Anda

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Sorcerous Stabber Orphen” from TO Books Inc. The first half of volume 1 is available for members on j-novel.club to read today, plus a free preview for everyone else! The E-Book for volume 1 will go on sale in late August of 2018.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen is a novel series written by veteran author Yoshinobu Akita, and has spanned over 40 volumes of novels, multiple manga adaptations, and a full year’s worth of anime starting in 1998 over 2 different seasons which adapted the original novel series. It even inspired a Playstation 2 RPG which was a launch title for the system! Although the anime and manga were localized in the early 2000s by ADV, the original novels have never seen an official English release… until now! The Wayward Journey, the first series of novels, spanned 20 volumes between 1994 and 2003, and was a contemporary to other classics like Slayers, running in Dragon Magazine. And it was recently announced that it will be getting a brand new anime adaptation, with more information to be released soon!

This is the first series J-Novel Club has licensed from publisher TO Books, Inc., and they hope it will lead to even more of their content to be released officially in English!

“I’m overjoyed that more people will have the opportunity to read Orphen! Thank you very much.” – Author Yoshinobu Akita

Gear Drive

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Gear Drive” from OVERLAP, Inc. The first half of volume 1 is available for members on j-novel.club to read today, plus a free preview for everyone else! The E-Book for volume 1 will go on sale in late August of 2018.

Gear Drive is based on a web novel of the same name, serialized on the Syosetsu ni Narou website, and its first volume was published as a light novel by Overlap earlier this year. Our heroine Anti Kythera might have ended up with some useless-seeming never-before-heard-of “magic” called “gearcraft” (whatever that is!) but with the encouragement of her parents and friends she’s gonna go off and be the best damn adventurer ever anyway! At least she can make a mean milkshake… right?

Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles” from Hobby Japan, Tokyo. The first half of volume 1 is available for members on j-novel.club to read today, plus a free preview for everyone else! The E-Book for volume 1 will go on sale in late August of 2018.

Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles was originally a web novel and has been published as a light novel with 10 volumes and counting by Hobby Japan. It tells the story of a poor orphan boy who comes to the realization that he was actually reincarnated, and his tale of revenge and rags to riches, as he ends up in a prestigious academy for rich kids and nobles!

JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World” from Hayakawa Publishing Corp. The first part of the novel is available as a free preview today, and the rest of the novel will be streamed weekly for J-Novel Club Members! The E-Book for will go on sale in Fall of 2018.

JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World was originally a web novel, and the first ever web novel to be published by venerable sci-fi and fantasy publisher Hayakawa Publishing! It’s hilarious, controversial, raw, and filled with the bitter truths you never see in your usual fantasy escapism, taking all the tropes you’re used to seeing and turning them right on their head to create a surprisingly funny and very much human story about love and gender roles in isekai stories. Haru is an extremely strong character, who takes the giant bag of dicks she’s handed in life (literally) and turns it into lemonade (literally… wait, no… figuratively!). JK Haru is recommended for mature readers ages 17 and up.

“Haru, who traveled from Japan to another world, finally makes it to LA! I hope you’ll stick with Haru in this new story as she bravely makes her way in another world that is harsher and more absurd than reality, yet still familiar.” – Author Kou Hiratori

Last and First Idol

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Last and First Idol” from Hayakawa Publishing Corp. The first part of the novel is available as a free preview today, and the rest of the novel will be streamed weekly for J-Novel Club Members! The E-Book for will go on sale in Fall of 2018.

Last and First Idol is a collection of three short stories by up-and-coming author Gengen Kusano, including the titular Last and First Idol, which was awarded the prestigious Seiun Award for best science fiction short story in 2017. In addition to this epoch-defining masterpiece, two other stories, Evolution Girls and Dark Seiyuu, are also included. Gengen Kusano masterfully combines the highest of high sci-fi with otaku, gamer, and pop culture elements to produce stories of a truly mind blowing scale. Whether it’s idols or gacha games or seiyuu fandom, it’s always going to go intergalactic if it’s Gengen Kusano.

“In the universe, there are infinite minds, and infinite moments of time. You are but one such mind, at once such moment. Why do you exist? And how should you live the life you have? A truly great work of fiction is one that helps you find answers to these problems. Last and First Idol will provide those answers. Thus, it is a masterpiece.” – Author Gengen Kusano

Märchen der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight

J-Novel Club LLC announced the acquisition of “Märchen der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight” from Earthstar Entertainment. The first part of the novel is available as a free preview today, and the rest of the novel will be streamed weekly for J-Novel Club Members! The E-Book for will go on sale in Fall of 2018.

In Another World With My Smartphone

In Another World With My Smartphone was turned into an anime in 2017 and has 13 volumes released in Japan and 9 volumes released in English as ebooks, with volume 10 coming out in Fall 2018. One of J-Novel Club’s top titles, it has already sold more than 50,000 digital copies in less than 1 year! As one of J-Novel Club’s launch titles for print books, they will be printing and selling volume 1 as paperbacks to be distributed everywhere books are sold.

J-Novel Club has teamed with Ingram Publisher Services LLC, an Ingram company, for sales and distribution in the US and Canada. More details about format, pricing, distribution, and release date will be announced in the coming months, as well as information on additional titles that will be getting the print treatment.

About J-Novel Club

J-Novel Club Membership is only $4.50 a month for an annual membership, and gives you a new chapter a week from more than 20 ongoing series, including “Invaders of the Rokujouma!?”, “If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord”, “Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest”, “Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash”, “The Faraway Paladin”, “In Another World With My Smartphone”, “How a Realistic Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom”, and many more!

About Ingram

The world is reading and Ingram Content Group (“Ingram”) connects people with content in all forms. Providing comprehensive services for publishers, retailers, libraries and educators, Ingram makes these services seamless and accessible through technology, innovation and creativity. With an expansive global network of offices and facilities, Ingram’s services include digital and physical book distribution, print on demand, and digital learning. Ingram Content Group is a part of Ingram Industries Inc. and includes Ingram Book Group LLC, Ingram Publisher Services LLC, Lightning Source LLC, VitalSource Technologies LLC, Ingram Library Services LLC, and Tennessee Book Company LLC.