Novelpia

Novelpia is an online platform for reading web novels and comics, founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 2020. The company operates on a subscription-based model, offering users access to a wide variety of digital content. It has positioned itself as a significant player in the Korean web novel market, particularly for male-oriented and subculture-friendly genres.

The platform's business model centers on its "Plus" membership, a flat-rate subscription that gives readers access to premium chapters. While many stories offer a set number of initial chapters for free to attract readers, the rest of the content is behind the paywall. This structure incentivizes both established and aspiring authors to publish their work on the platform, as they receive a settlement amount based on the number of inquiries their work generates from subscribers. The company also generates revenue from a premium tier that removes ads. In addition to web novels, Novelpia has expanded its offerings to include webtoons, some of which are adaptations of popular novels on the site.

Historically, Novelpia emerged as a strong competitor to the then-dominant platform, Joara, by offering more favorable terms to writers and a cheaper subscription for readers. This strategy, backed by aggressive marketing and the capital of its parent company, Toptoon, allowed Novelpia to attract a significant number of writers and readers, particularly from the adult and male-oriented fiction community. The company has secured $9.89 million in funding over two rounds, with its latest being a Series B round in May 2022. Key investors include J&M Partners, SJ Investment Partners, and New Media Investment.

In mid-2025, Novelpia launched a global website to provide official English translations of its Korean novels, expanding its reach to an international audience.

Keywords: web novel, digital comics, subscription service, Korean content, online publishing, fantasy fiction, light novels, webtoons, digital media, content platform