'China's Online Literature Behemoth'

       I continue to be fascinated by the development of the online-publishing/reading model in China -- and at China Buzz Chi Yi writes about China's Online Literature Behemoth (which is apparently Shanda Literature subsidiary Qidian).
       Not surprisingly, online writing shares quite a few similarities to print publishing:

But while Qidian has produced several famous writers, the overall quality of the works on the site has been criticized. Since the system rewards writers based purely on sales, it encourages them to pander to the maximum number of people with entertaining, but formulaic storylines. For instance, a typical Qidian novel will feature uniformly gorgeous female characters that will inevitably fall for the hero, who is so powerful and talented that he defeats all his foes with ease.

       Apparently the founder of Qidian wants to set up a competing site now; I look forward to seeing more coverage about all this.