Narou
Shōsetsuka ni Narō (小説家になろう; lit. 'Let's Become a Novelist') is a Japanese web novel publishing website created by Yusuke Umezaki. The website allows writers to upload their novels that can be read free of charge. Around 1.14 million novels have been published on the website as of the end of 2025. The website's works are primarily young adult literature and centered around the isekai genre; in particular, a large number of stories share similar settings and themes.
Umezaki began developing the website in October 2003 and launched it in April 2004, with the website growing in popularity due to the cell phone novel boom and the print publications of The Irregular at Magic High School and Log Horizon in 2011. Umezaki co-founded Hina Project to run the website in 2010. The website's writers tend to be amateur writers with little formal training. Well-performing works are acquired for print publication as a light novel and sometimes receive manga or anime adaptations.
The website is one of the most popular entertainment websites in Japan, with 2.3 million registered users as of January 2026; several publishers have tried to launch similar websites. It has been described as "the primary source of new IP for the light novel industry" and several of the most successful light novels, such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, originated on the website. More than 200 novels published on the website have received an anime adaptation. The website also helped establish the isekai genre as its own category.
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