A look at changing eras

After years of development, people started to realize online literature's value in other fields, including film and television, gaming, and capital flowed in. From then on, the whole industry has stepped into a new era.

In the new era, popular online literary works are widely adapted into animation, games, TV series and films, and so the benefits are reaped from all fields. Companies scramble to buy the works that are well-received online and try to maximize the profits from them.

For example, Nirvana in Fire, originally an online novel written by Hai Yan, has been adapted into an acclaimed TV series, becoming a successful brand. Later, its namesake game and other derivatives were developed, making it a model of franchise development.

Writers can also make more money than before. A successful work can help its writer to make money from online reading, copyright royalty, adaptation of films, TV series, games, animation and so on. As a result, some writers even begin to write especially for future adaptations, leading to some problems in writing.

According to He Hong, a director of China Writers Association: "As online literature in China moves into a new era, we should avoid homogenization and vulgarity."