HiveMind Lowers Overseas Barriers for K-Web Novels ② — Innovating the Process Beyond Translation to Distribution

Completing translation does not mean overseas publishing is finished. The serialized chapters must be remade into paperbacks or e-books that foreign readers can purchase, covers and blurb descriptions suitable for local readers must be prepared, platform-compliant files must be produced and distributed, and sales records must be aggregated to settle accounts with rights holders. As this process is repeated for every single work, publishers face a substantial operational burden separate from translation costs.

Part 1 addressed the translation cost barrier and AI translation. Part 2 examines the current state of the post-translation publishing, distribution, and settlement processes, and looks at how HiveMind, which is developing the global content publishing platform ‘Aurorah’, aims to resolve these challenges.

The awareness that an organizational and operational foundation is required to support overseas expansion is also being raised in Japan. Published in June 2026 by the Japan Council for the Global Expansion of Print Culture, the ‘Strategy for the Global Expansion of Print Culture 2026’ cited the shortage of literary translators and overseas sales personnel, alongside an insufficient information infrastructure for overseas publishing, as key challenges to increasing international book sales.

However, both the Korean and Japanese markets share a common challenge: a weak industrial middle layer capable of continuously converting numerous story intellectual properties (IPs) into products consumable by foreign readers, while smoothly returning generated sales data and revenue to rights holders and creators.

In this interview, author Yung-hee Lee and Heo-kyu Lim, head of the Korea Story Writers Association, shared their insights. Author Yung-hee Lee debuted in 2006 with “Final Shop” and has continued his creative endeavors for two decades; he currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature & Creative Writing at National Mokpo University. Having previously worked at webtoon and web novel production companies, he has hands-on experience in overseas translation and distribution. President Heo-kyu Lim, who also serves as a publishing company CEO, leads the Korea Story Writers Association, an incorporated association established under the permission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, taking the lead in protecting the rights of web novel and story writers and improving their creative environment.

Even If Translation Costs Are Solved… the Repetitive Publishing, Distribution, and Settlement for Each Work

From a publisher’s perspective, President Heo-kyu Lim pointed out that “clearing the translation barrier is not the end.” Publishers enter into overseas export rights agreements with domestic original creators, sign contracts with local platforms and distributors, and then proceed with localization work. Subsequently, they sequentially carry out polishing, proofreading and copyediting, creating local-tailored marketing assets such as cover designs and promotional blurbs, platform onboarding, promotions, and processing settlements and data collection. Translation, in effect, is merely one stage of the entire publishing workflow. Above all, because these procedures are repeated for every single work, they act as a heavy administrative burden on publishers.

In particular, he said, “The stages that incur far more expenses than expected include marketing tailored to local platform characteristics, alongside translation and localization.” Monitoring feedback from local readers and planning promotions aligned with platform policies are essential. Book covers and promotional copy must also be recreated to fit local cultures and preferences. The settlement structure is even more complex. “Due to a distribution structure that passes sequentially through overseas platforms, local agencies, and domestic publishers, a long time lag occurs between data collection and settlement execution, and uniform application is difficult because market characteristics and regulations differ by country,” he explained.

President Heo-kyu Lim emphasized the importance of a “direct and robust partnership with local platforms,” alongside a system that secures both translation efficiency and quality. What is crucial is not merely the number of distribution stages, but establishing a framework where the roles and revenue-sharing standards for each stage are clear, and sales and settlement information is properly delivered to rights holders. From the perspective of authors and associations, he noted that anti-copyright-infringement measures against illegal text leaks or unauthorized translations, as well as a transparent system guaranteeing rights, must operate hand-in-hand.

Lowering Initial Cost Burdens for Rights Holders and Integrating Overseas Publishing Workflows

Dong-Uk Kim, CEO of HiveMind, paid close attention to the fact that publishers who finish translation actually experience significant confusion at the distribution and settlement stages. Because settlement statement formats vary by platform, simply aggregating them is no small task; once expanding into overseas markets, variables such as exchange rate fluctuations and whether local corporate entities have been established are added. Accordingly, moving a step beyond translation, HiveMind is building a platform that seamlessly connects the entire workflow encompassing editing, file production, distribution, and settlement. CEO Dong-Uk Kim stated, “Ultimately, unless content editing, platform-specific format conversion, distribution, and settlement are connected to one another, translation alone can hardly lead to overseas sales.”

HiveMind has implemented translation, editing, and EPUB creation features for its internal localization process, and plans to launch a settlement beta service within this year while continuing to refine its existing services. In the Japanese e-book market, the company is directly publishing localized web novels to build operational experience spanning translation, file production, and distribution. Furthermore, it plans to systematically secure distribution channels to supply works as an authorized provider to major global e-book platforms, including Amazon.

HiveMind aims for a business model where publishers can focus on creating story IP domestically, while entrusting the localization and distribution preparation required for global expansion to HiveMind. The vision is to act as a ‘Global Aggregator’ that helps domestic publishers introduce their works to overseas markets as seamlessly as publishing books for local readers.

The business model was designed to reduce the upfront burden on rights holders. HiveMind operates a revenue-sharing collaborative model that lowers the initial localization cost burden for rights holders. Under this model, HiveMind handles localization and overseas publishing, sharing foreign sales revenue with rights holders according to contractual terms.

A Long-Tail Challenge Backed by Transparent Settlements

CEO Dong-Uk Kim highlighted a transparent settlement system as an essential prerequisite for a virtuous cycle in the creative ecosystem. He emphasized, “Curation, editing, cultural judgment, and rights decisions belong purely to the human domain, and an infrastructure must be established where rights holders can autonomously choose the approach that best fits their work — whether licensing out, co-publishing, or direct distribution.” He added, “A story merely crossing borders does not mark its completion. Only when revenue generated from overseas distribution, reader response data, and rights usage information are transparently accumulated and made visible to creators can they move forward to the next story.” HiveMind is preparing its settlement service to publicly disclose sales details by platform and work so that rights holders and authors can check them directly.

From a publisher’s viewpoint, President Heo-kyu Lim said, “Lowering translation and distribution barriers opens up positive opportunities. In the past, publishers were forced to select and export only mega-hits that were 100% proven domestically to break even; however, when initial costs are lowered and author awareness and branding are built, a ‘long-tail’ strategy becomes possible — allowing diverse genres and subject matters to be launched lightly to test local responses.”

Writers also face long wait times from signing overseas export rights contracts to actual launching, and thus deeply desire transparency in the intermediary distribution process. Author Yung-hee Lee noted, “While market responses and data are important, what writers desire most is the transparent disclosure of settlement details. When settlement records from overseas platforms and platform-specific data are provided in detail, writers will be able to formulate diversified creative strategies targeted beyond the domestic market toward global markets.”

For stories that pass the initial hurdle of translation to continuously connect to subsequent works, this intermediate process must settle into an infrastructure rather than remaining a manual task repeated for every single work. CEO Dong-Uk Kim stated, “HiveMind will bundle translation, editing, publishing, and distribution into a single process, while progressively equipping itself with local platform integrations and data accumulation to widen the path for K-web novels to meet global readers.”

Reporter Ye-ji Kim, IT DongA (yj@itdonga.com)