Webtoon is a website that is home to thousands of creator-owned content which is available in a variety of genres; action, fantasy, horror, comedy, romances and more. Fans can come to the site, or app and can read new episodes of their favorite comics for free. The Webtoon site traditionally earns the majority of its income from the advertisement shared on the site; spitting the revenue 50/50 between authors and the platform.
However, Webtoon has recently shared more details regarding the booming financial success the platform has had lately. The company originally launched in Korea in 2004, and later expanded its US creator-monetization program in 2019, showing an increase of more than 75 percent in payments to creators since 2020 according to Forbes. Webtoon continues to expand globally, according to a March 2022 press release Webtoon is soon to establish a European Corporation. And much of the fuel for this success rocket ship is coming from offering an Ad free subscription option to readers which comes with perks.
Creators earn money from users who choose to subscribe to their serialized stories. For a small monthly fee, fans can get exclusive first access to new episodes. In addition to advertisement revenue, with subscriptions, Webtoon and its creators have found a highly lucrative combo. For example top-earning creator of, Lore Olympus, Rachel Smyth, has millions of subscribers and has garernred billions of views, and earned more than 9 million dollars last year.
“Webtoon creators are some of the most talented, creative, and captivating in the history of comics,” said Ken Kim, CEO of Webtoon Americas. “Our storytelling technology platform supports every type of creator, allowing them to build a global audience and make money from their work. In a time when comics have never been more popular, we’re incredibly proud of the growing Creator Economy and ecosystem we’ve built to celebrate and support Webtoon creators.”
For creators looking to learn more about the plateform, there are several resrouces and tutorials available to help them on their way.
The comic platform has been increasing its presence over the last few years. This has included partnerships with several companies for comic series, including Marvel, DC Comics, Archie Comics, and HYBE. The titles have included Eternals: The 500 Year War, Ethel Energy, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, 7Fates: Chakho, Zatanna & The Ripper, and Kill the Dragon.
It’s clear that Webtoon knows by sharing the abundance of growth with it’s creators it will give the company a leg up when it comes to competing for talent, and gaining access to materials. Forbes reported that the US comic market grew by more than 60% to over $2.1 Billion dollars last year alone. It’s unmistakable that there is a huge hunger for sequential art in all genres and formats, and Webtoon with its established mobile app and data-driven format has found a creative way around tradition publishing roadblocks and distribution costs brining in a whole new audience.
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
