JP7513293B2 - Publication permission device, publication permission method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a publishing permission device, a publishing permission method, and a program.

Various ideas have been put into place to foster new authors. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a print control device that creates print data that makes the book look more glamorous as the number of publications increases, giving buyers a sense of unity in the growth of the book and encouraging users to purchase the book.

JP 2015-95251 A

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of nurturing new artists.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a publishing permission device, a publishing permission method, and a program that can nurture new authors.

In order to achieve the above object, a publishing permission device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A creator registration means for registering creator information;
a ticket granting means for granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
The apparatus further comprises a serialization request notifying means for notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at the publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket, either the first ticket or the second ticket.

The creator information includes the creator's work data,
the first condition is a condition regarding the work data registered by the creator registration means,
the second condition is a condition regarding the creator's work serialized in the published first electronic magazine and the published second electronic magazine;
This may be done.

The creator information includes the creator's work data,
The first condition is satisfied when a reader's evaluation of the work data registered by the creator registration means is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference value;
The second condition is satisfied when the number of readers of the creator's work serialized in the first electronic magazine and the second electronic magazine is equal to or greater than a second predetermined reference value.
This may be done.

When the creator registered by the creator registration means is a predetermined specific creator, the ticket granting means grants the second ticket to the specific creator.
This may be done.

A method for permitting publication by a publication permitting device, comprising:
A creator registration step to register creator information;
a ticket granting step of granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
The method further comprises a serialization request notification step of notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at the publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket, either the first ticket or the second ticket.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises:
Computer,
A creator registration means for registering creator information;
a ticket granting means for granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
a serialization request notifying means for notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at the publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket out of the first ticket and the second ticket;
It further functions as a.

This invention makes it possible to nurture new writers.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a publishing permission system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a publishing permission device. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of point information, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of serialization management information. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a creator registration process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a point addition process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a ticket usage process. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the flow up to the publication of an electronic magazine when a free publishing ticket is used. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a serialization management process. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the process leading up to the issuance of a premium ticket and permission to publish an electronic book.

(Embodiment)
A publication permission device, a publication permission method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals. In the following, the publication permission device of the present invention will be described using an example in which it is applied to a publication permission system 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the publishing permission system 1 includes a publishing permission device 100, a creator terminal 300, a reader terminal 400, and an editor terminal 500, each of which is communicatively connected via a network 210. In the illustrated example, there is a single creator terminal 300, a reader terminal 400, and an editor terminal 500, but there may be a plurality of these.

As shown in FIG. 1, the publishing permission device 100 is an information terminal connected to a network 210 such as the Internet. The publishing permission device 100 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a publisher's smartphone, tablet, PC (Personal Computer), or server, and can transmit and receive various data to and from a creator terminal 300 and a reader terminal 400 via the network 210. The publishing permission device 100 has a function of providing a creator's work to readers, a function of granting permission to serialize the creator in an electronic magazine based on evaluations from readers, and a function of notifying the publisher of permission to publish an electronic book. The publishing permission device 100 also has a function of selling published electronic magazines and electronic books.

As shown in FIG. 1, the creator terminal 300 is an information terminal connected to a network 210 such as the Internet. The creator terminal 300 is an information terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC owned by a creator such as a manga artist, original author, or editor, and is capable of sending and receiving various data with the publication permission device 100 via the network 210. The creator terminal 300 is an information terminal for registering information about the creator and their work in the publication permission device 100 by reading a program stored in the publication permission device 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reader terminal 400 is an information terminal connected to a network 210 such as the Internet. The reader terminal 400 is an information terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC owned by a reader, and is capable of sending and receiving various data with the publication permission device 100 via the network 210. The reader terminal 400 is an information terminal that evaluates works registered in the publication permission device 100. The reader terminal 400 is also an information terminal for purchasing electronic magazines and electronic books sold by the publication permission device 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the editor terminal 500 is an information terminal connected to a network 210 such as the Internet. The editor terminal 500 is an information terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC owned by an editor of an electronic magazine or electronic book at a publisher, and is capable of sending and receiving various data with the publication permission device 100 via the network 210. The editor terminal 500 is notified by the publication permission device 100 of a request for serialization in an electronic magazine and permission to publish a book, which indicates that the publishing conditions for the book have been met.

Next, the configuration of the publication permission device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the publishing permission device 100 includes a memory unit 110, a control unit 120, an input/output unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a system bus (not shown) that interconnects these units.

The storage unit 110 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM stores a program 111 executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the control unit 120, various data (not shown) required in advance to execute the program 111, point information 112, and serialization management information 113. Although not shown in the figure, the storage unit 110 also stores works registered by creators, published electronic magazines and electronic books, etc. In addition to this, works registered by creators, published electronic magazines and electronic books, etc. may be stored in a separately provided information server.

Program 111 is a program that executes the creator registration process, point addition process, ticket usage process, and serialization management process described below, and is pre-stored in memory unit 110.

The point information 112 is a list of information required to manage points, which are evaluations from readers of creators who have registered their works in the publishing permission device 100, such as manga artists and original authors (see FIG. 3A), and is stored in the storage unit 110 by executing the creator registration process described later. As shown in FIG. 3A, the point information 112 includes information such as an "ID" as identification information to identify an individual creator, a "password" to authenticate the creator, "points" indicating the number of points, "number of free publishing tickets" and "number of premium tickets" indicating the number of tickets to allow serialization in electronic magazines, a "type" indicating the type of creator, such as a manga artist or original author, a "name" indicating the name of the creator, and a "work ID" to identify the registered work. The "number of free publishing tickets" indicates the number of tickets to allow serialization in a rookie electronic magazine (rookie magazine) in which multiple works by new manga artists are serialized, and the "number of premium tickets" indicates the number of tickets to allow serialization in a popular electronic magazine (main magazine) in which multiple popular works are serialized. In addition, the "name" includes not only real names but also pen names. Also, while the illustrated example shows one "work ID," multiple "work IDs" are included if multiple work IDs are registered. In addition to the information shown in the figure, other information such as the type of contract with the publisher, royalty rate, payment account number, and account holder name may also be included. Furthermore, contact information such as the creator's phone number and email address may also be included.

The serialization management information 113 is a list of information required to manage the number of downloads for each work serialized in a published electronic magazine (see FIG. 3B), and is stored in the storage unit 110 when the ticket usage process described later is executed and the electronic magazine is published by the publisher. As shown in FIG. 3B, the serialization management information 113 includes information such as a "magazine ID" for identifying the published electronic magazine, a "work ID" for identifying the work serialized in the electronic magazine, a "member name" indicating the name of the member of the creation team of the work, and a "number of downloads" indicating the number purchased by readers. In addition to the information shown in the figure, the serialization management information 113 may also include information such as the type of contract with the publisher, royalty rate, and each member's payment account number and account holder. Information about a newly published magazine is added to the serialization management information 113 each time an electronic magazine is published.

The control unit 120 is composed of a CPU, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 120 operates according to the program 111 stored in the memory unit 110, and executes processing according to the program 111. The control unit 120 has a creator registration unit 121, a points processing unit 122, a ticket processing unit 123, and a serialization management processing unit 124 as main functional units provided by the program 111 stored in the memory unit 110. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the control unit 120 has a functional unit that provides the reader's desired work (including works serialized in an electronic magazine) to the reader terminal 400 based on input operations from the reader terminal 400.

The creator registration unit 121 is a functional unit that registers information about the creator and their work based on the creator's input operation on the creator terminal 300. Specifically, the creator registration unit 121 has a function to store various information input by the creator in the memory unit 110 as point information 112, and a function to store works sent by the creator in the memory unit 110.

The point processing unit 122 is a functional unit that manages points corresponding to creators. Specifically, the point processing unit 122 has a function to grant points to creators based on the reader's input operation on the reader terminal 400, and a function to determine whether the number of points is equal to or greater than the ticket condition number, which is the standard for granting a free publishing ticket. The point processing unit 122 also has a function to clear the points to "0" when a free publishing ticket is granted.

The ticket processing unit 123 is a functional unit that grants tickets to creators and transmits serialization permission to the electronic magazine to the publisher based on the use of the ticket granted to the creator. Specifically, the ticket processing unit 123 has a function of granting a free publishing ticket when the point processing unit determines that the number of points is equal to or greater than the ticket condition number, and a function of granting a premium ticket when the serialization management processing unit 124 described later determines that the number of downloads is equal to or greater than a reference value. The ticket processing unit 123 also has a function of transmitting serialization permission information that permits serialization in a type of electronic magazine corresponding to the type of ticket used to the publisher (more specifically, the editor of the electronic magazine) based on the use of the granted ticket by the creator's operation of the creator terminal 300. The ticket processing unit 123 also has a function of decrementing by 1 the number corresponding to the type of ticket used among the "number of free publishing tickets" and "number of premium tickets" in the point information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 when the ticket is used.

The serialization management processing unit 124 is a functional unit that manages works serialized in published electronic magazines. Specifically, the serialization management processing unit 124 has a function to count the number of purchases of works serialized in published electronic magazines by readers operating the reader terminal 400, i.e., the number of downloads, and a function to determine whether the number of downloads has reached or exceeded a reference value that is the standard for granting premium tickets and publishing an electronic book. Furthermore, when it is determined that the number of downloads has reached or exceeded the reference value, the serialization management processing unit 124 has a function to send electronic book publishing permission information that permits the publication of an electronic book to the publisher (more specifically, the editor of the book), and a function to clear the number of downloads to "0".

These functional units work together to enable the publishing permission device 100 to realize various functions, such as granting creators permission to serialize their work in an electronic magazine based on reader evaluations, notifying publishers of permission to publish an electronic book, and providing creators' works to readers.

The input/output unit 130 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, liquid crystal display, organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, etc., and is a device for inputting and outputting various types of data.

The communication unit 140 is a device that enables the publishing permission device 100 to communicate with other information terminals, such as the creator terminal 300 and the reader terminal 400, via the network 210.

The above is the configuration of the publication permission device 100 in the publication permission system 1. Next, the operation of the publication permission device 100 in the publication permission system 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 9. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a creator registration process executed in the publication permission device 100. The creator registration process is a process for registering creator information and works in the publication permission device 100.

The creator registration process is started by the creator operating the creator terminal 300 to start the program 111 stored in the publication permission device 100. The following description assumes that the creator's information and work data are input with the start of the creator registration process. Specifically, in this example, the creator is the manga artist "Yama A-o" shown in FIG. 3(A), and in addition to information indicating the manga artist "Yama A-o", "1XXX" is input as a password into the creator terminal 300, and work data (manga data for the first chapter) is also input. The name input as the creator's information may be a pen name or other name other than the real name. In addition to the creator's information and work data, a payment account number and account holder information may also be input. In addition to the manga data for the first chapter, the work data includes data such as the original novel and a short one-shot.

When the creator registration process shown in FIG. 4 is started, the control unit 120 first acquires information to be registered by using the function of the creator registration unit 121 (step S101). Specifically, in step S101, creator information such as "type", "name", and "password" shown in FIG. 3 (A) input by the creator's operation on the creator terminal 300, and data on the work to be registered are acquired. Note that the "type" information acquired in step S101 is a number corresponding to each type, for example, "01" for original author, "02" for cartoonist, and "03" for editor. In addition to the number, identification information or information on either the original author, cartoonist, or editor may be acquired directly. In addition, multiple types of information may be acquired, such as the original author and editor. In addition, the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101 may also include, for example, a payment account number or account holder information. In this example, the creator is a manga artist named "Yama A-san" and the password is "1XXX", so in the process of step S101, the type "02", password "1XXX", and name "Yama A-san" are acquired as the information to be registered. In addition, work data (manga data for the first chapter) has also been entered along with this information, so in the process of step S101, that work data is also acquired.

After executing the process of step S101, the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to check the "type" information included in the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101, and judges whether or not it is the "original author" (step S102). Specifically, in the process of step S102, it is judged whether or not it is the "original author" by judging whether or not the information indicating the type included in the acquired information to be registered is "01". Note that after executing the process of step S101, it may be judged whether or not there is an error in the acquired information to be registered. Specifically, it may be judged that there is an input error when something other than characters, such as numbers or symbols, is entered in an input field where characters should be entered, or when an item that requires input is left blank.

If it is determined in step S102 that the creator is the "original author" (step S102; Yes), the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to register the information to be registered acquired in step S101 as the original author (step S103). Specifically, in the process of step S103, the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101 is stored as point information 112 as shown in FIG. 3 (A). That is, in the process of step S103, the information of the password and name included in the information to be registered acquired in step S101 is registered for "type" as "original author", and for "password" and "name", the information of the password and name included in the information to be registered acquired in step S101 is registered. Then, a unique "ID" is assigned to each creator, and the information of "points", "number of free publishing tickets", and "number of premium tickets" are each set to the initial value "0". In addition, the initial values of information such as the type of contract with the publisher and the royalty rate may be set together. For example, multiple stages of the type of contract with the publisher and the royalty rate may be prepared in advance. The publisher should then be able to set a higher level depending on the contractual relationship with the publisher. In step S103 of the creator registration process, the lowest level of type, royalty rate, and other information may be set as initial values. If the creator's contact information, such as a phone number or email address, is included, the contact information may also be registered. If an "ID" is assigned in step S103, the "ID" may be notified to the creator for the next login.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the person is not an "original author" (step S102; No), the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to check the "type" information included in the information to be registered acquired in the processing of step S101, and determines whether or not the person is a "manga artist" (step S104). Specifically, in the processing of step S104, it determines whether or not the information indicating the type included in the acquired information to be registered is "02" to determine whether or not the person is a "manga artist".

If it is determined in step S102 that the person is a "manga artist" (step S104; Yes), the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to register the information to be registered acquired in step S101 as a manga artist (step S105). Specifically, in the process of step S105, the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101 is stored as point information 112 as shown in FIG. 3(A). That is, in the process of step S103, "manga artist" is registered for "type", and the password and name information included in the information to be registered acquired in step S101 are registered for "password" and "name". Note that the process of step S103 is similar in that other information such as "ID" is set and that "ID" is notified. In this example, in step S101, type "02", password "1XXX", and name "Yama A-san" are acquired as the information to be registered, so the answer is determined as Yes in step S102, and in step S104, as shown in FIG. 3(A), the information "manga artist" for "type", "1XXX" for password, and "Yama A-san" for name are registered.

If it is determined in step S104 that the user is not a "manga artist" (step S104; No), the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to register the information to be registered acquired in step S101 as an editor (step S106). Specifically, in the process of step S106, the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101 is stored as point information 112 as shown in FIG. 3(A). That is, in the process of step S103, "editor" is registered for "type", and the password and name information included in the information to be registered acquired in step S101 are registered for "password" and "name". Note that other information such as "ID" is set, and that "ID" is notified, as in the process of step S103.

Also, as described above, if multiple types of information, such as "original author and editor," are acquired in the process of step S101, the process of step S104 may be performed after the process of step S103, and then the process of step S105 and the process of step S106 may be performed. Also, if the process of step S104 returns No, the "type" information included in the information to be registered acquired in the process of step S101 may be checked to determine whether or not the information is "editor," and then the process of step S106 may be performed. If the information is not "editor," an error may be detected and the creator registration process may be terminated.

After executing any one of the processes of steps S103, S105, and S106, the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to determine whether or not there is a registered work (step S107). Specifically, in the process of step S107, whether or not there is a registered work is determined based on whether or not work data has been acquired in the process of step S101. Note that the work data in this embodiment can be registered later. That is, in the first creator registration process, only the point information 112 is registered (only the creator is registered), and it is also possible to register the work data by executing the creator registration process again at a later date. In that case, by inputting the ID and password from the creator terminal, the creator information editing page is logged in, and only the process of step S108 described later is executed. In this example, as described above, since the work data (manga data for the first episode) has been acquired in the process of step S101, the determination is made as Yes in step S107. The creator registration unit 121, which executes any one of steps S103, S105, and S106, and the processes of steps S103, S105, and S106 correspond to a creator registration means and a creator registration step.

If it is determined in step S107 that there is a registered work (step S107; Yes), the control unit 120 uses the function of the creator registration unit 121 to register the creator's work data acquired in step S101 in the storage unit 110 (step S108), and ends the creator registration process. By performing the process of step S108, the reader becomes able to read the work using the reader terminal 400. Specifically, in this example, since the work data (manga data for the first episode) of the manga artist "Mt. A-O" has been acquired, the work data is registered in the process of step S108. This enables the reader to read the manga data for the first episode of "Mt. A-O" via the reader terminal 400. Note that if it is determined in step S107 that there is no registered work (step S107; No), the control unit 120 ends the creator registration process as it is.

In this way, by carrying out the creator registration process, the creator's information and work are registered in the publishing permission device 100.

Next, the point addition process executed in the publication permission device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the point addition process executed in the publication permission device 100. The point addition process is a process of adding points for a creator based on reader evaluations received from the reader terminal 400, and granting a free publishing ticket if certain conditions are met.

The point addition process is started by starting the program 111 stored in the publication permitting device 100 each time the publication permitting device 100 receives point addition information indicating that the reader has given a high rating, which is sent by the reader's operation on the reader terminal 400. The point addition information includes creator information indicating the creator to whom the reader has given a high rating. The creator information may be, for example, an ID that identifies the creator. The point addition process is not limited to receiving point addition information, but may also be started by starting the program 111 stored in the publication permitting device 100 by the reader's operation on the reader terminal 400. In this case, the point addition information may be input to the publication permitting device 100 by the reader's operation on the reader terminal 400.

When the point addition process shown in FIG. 5 is started, the control unit 120 first uses the function of the point processing unit 122 to identify the creator to whom points will be added (step S201). Specifically, in the process of step S201, the control unit 120 identifies the creator to whom the reader has given a high rating based on the creator information included in the point addition information received from the reader terminal 400.

After executing the process of step S201, the control unit 120 uses the function of the point processing unit 122 to add points to the creator identified in the process of step S201 (step S202). Specifically, in the process of step S202, the point information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 is updated by adding +10 to the points of the creator with the ID identified in the process of step S201.

After executing the process of step S202, the control unit 120 uses the function of the point processing unit 122 to determine whether the number of points after the process of step S202 is equal to or greater than the number of ticket conditions (step S203). Specifically, in the process of step S203, it is determined whether the number of points of the creator identified in the process of step S201, i.e., the number of points after the points are added in step S202, is the predetermined number of conditions for granting a free publication ticket (number of ticket conditions). The number of conditions for granting a free publication ticket (number of ticket conditions) can be arbitrarily set by the publisher and is stored in the storage unit 110. In this embodiment, the number of conditions for granting a free publication ticket (number of ticket conditions) is 1000. The number of conditions for granting a free publication ticket (number of ticket conditions) may be set in stages, for example, to 1000, 2000, 3500, etc. The determination condition in the process of step S203 corresponds to the first condition, and the points of the number of ticket conditions correspond to the first reference value.

If it is determined in the process of step S203 that the number of points is less than the number of ticket conditions (step S203; No), the control unit 120 ends the point addition process as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of points is equal to or greater than the number of ticket conditions (step S203; Yes), the control unit 120 grants a free publication ticket by the function of the ticket processing unit 123 (step S204). Specifically, in the process of step S204, for example, the free publication ticket is granted by sending the free publication ticket to the creator terminal 300 of the creator identified in the process of step S201. Also, for example, the free publication ticket is granted by notifying the creator terminal 300 of the creator identified in the process of step S201 that the free publication ticket has been granted and having the creator download the free publication ticket. Also, when the free publication ticket is granted in the process of step S204, the number of free publication tickets corresponding to the creator among the information included in the point information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 is increased by +1. As described above, the free publishing ticket is a ticket that allows serialization in a newcomer's electronic magazine (Rookie magazine), which serializes multiple works by new manga artists, and by submitting a work using the ticket, the work will be serialized in the newcomer's electronic magazine (Rookie magazine). The ticket processing unit 123 that executes the process of step S204 and the process of step S204 correspond to the ticket granting means and the ticket granting step, respectively. The free publishing ticket corresponds to the first ticket, and the newcomer's electronic magazine (Rookie magazine) corresponds to the first electronic magazine.

After executing the process of step S204, the control unit 120 clears the points corresponding to the creator identified in the process of step S201 (the creator to whom the free publishing ticket was granted) from among the information contained in the point information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 to "0" (step S205) by using the function of the point processing unit 122, and then ends the point addition process. Note that in this example, when a free publishing ticket is granted, the number of points of the creator is cleared to "0", but if, for example, the number of ticket conditions is set in stages such as 1000, 2000, 3500, etc., and a free publishing ticket is granted when the number of points is reached or exceeded, the process of step S205 does not need to be performed each time a free publishing ticket is granted. In other words, the number of points may be added continuously.

In this way, by executing the point addition process, points are added to the creator based on the reader's evaluation, and a free publishing ticket is awarded if the conditions are met. Since the points are associated with the creator, they are added equally across multiple works. There is also no set expiration date for the points.

Next, the ticket usage process executed in the publication permission device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the ticket usage process executed in the publication permission device 100. The ticket usage process is a process in which a ticket owned by a creator is consumed to notify the editors of each electronic magazine that a request for serialization in the electronic magazine has been made.

The ticket use process is started by starting the program 111 stored in the publication permission device 100 each time the publication permission device 100 receives ticket use information transmitted by the creator's operation on the creator terminal 300. In this embodiment, in order to use the ticket, it is necessary to form a work team, such as a cartoonist and an editor, or an original author and a cartoonist and an editor. Therefore, the ticket use information includes work member information indicating the information of the work team members including the ticket user, and ticket information indicating the type of ticket to be used. In addition, when forming a work team, the work team can be formed by referring to the creator information registered in the creator registration process shown in FIG. 4. For example, if the cartoonist "Yama A-san" shown in FIG. 3 (A) has a free publishing ticket, he sends a request to the editor "Yoda B-san" to join the work team, and if the editor "Yoda B-san" agrees to this, the work team is formed. Furthermore, the ticket usage process is not limited to receiving ticket usage information, but may be started by the creator operating the creator terminal 300 to start up program 111 stored in the publication permission device 100. In this case, the ticket usage information may be input to the publication permission device 100 by the creator operating the creator terminal 300.

When the ticket usage process shown in FIG. 6 is started, the control unit 120 first uses the function of the ticket processing unit 123 to determine whether there is a problem with the team composition (step S301). Specifically, in the process of step S301, the control unit 120 checks the work member information included in the ticket usage information received from the creator terminal 300, and determines whether the team composition is as previously set, such as whether the work members include an editor, or, if the ticket user is the original author, whether they also include a manga artist.

If it is determined in the processing of step S301 that there is a problem with the team composition (step S301; Yes), that is, if the members indicated by the work member information included in the ticket usage information are not in the pre-set team composition, the control unit 120 ends the ticket usage processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no problem with the team composition (step S301; No), that is, if the members indicated by the work member information included in the ticket usage information are in a preset team composition, the control unit 120 uses the function of the ticket processing unit 123 to determine whether the ticket used is a premium ticket (step S302). Specifically, in the processing of step S302, the control unit 120 checks the ticket information included in the ticket usage information received from the creator terminal 300 and determines whether the type of ticket used is a premium ticket that allows serialization in a popular electronic magazine (this magazine) in which multiple popular works are serialized.

If the ticket used is a premium ticket (step S302; Yes), the control unit 120 uses the function of the ticket processing unit 123 to send serialization request information indicating that a serialization request has been made to a popular electronic magazine (this magazine) in which multiple popular works are serialized, to the communication terminal of the editor of this magazine (step S303), and ends the ticket use process. On the other hand, if the ticket used is not a premium ticket (step S302; No), that is, if it is a free publication ticket, the control unit 120 uses the function of the ticket processing unit 123 to send serialization request information indicating that a serialization request has been made to a newbie electronic magazine (Rookie magazine) in which multiple works by new manga artists are serialized, to the communication terminal of the editor of Rookie magazine (step S304), and ends the ticket use process. Note that the Rookie magazine and the editor of this magazine, that is, the notification destination of the serialization request information, are stored in advance in the storage unit 110 and can be changed at the publisher's discretion. In addition, since the popular electronic magazine (main magazine) has a larger number of readers and higher sales than the newbie electronic magazine (rookie magazine), the premium ticket is more valuable to the creator than the free publication ticket. Note that the ticket processing unit 123 that executes the processing of steps S303 and S304 and the processing of steps S303 and S304 correspond to the serialization request notification means and the serialization request notification step, respectively.

In this way, when the ticket usage process is carried out, a serialization request is notified to the editor of the electronic magazine that corresponds to the type of ticket used. After that, each work is edited by the respective editors at the publishing company, and each electronic magazine is published. This allows readers to purchase (including free of charge) each electronic magazine (they can download it). Note that when purchasing each electronic magazine in this embodiment, it is also possible to purchase only some of the works.

Next, the flow up to the publication of an electronic magazine will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow up to the publication of an electronic magazine when a free publishing ticket is used. As shown in the figure, by executing the creator registration process (see FIG. 4), information on the manga artist "Mt. A-san" and his work are registered in the publishing permission device 100. This allows readers to read the registered work via the reader terminal 400. Then, as shown in the figure, when a reader gives this work a high rating, point addition information is transmitted and point addition process (see FIG. 5) is executed. Then, if the points after the addition are equal to or greater than the ticket condition number, the free publishing ticket is granted to the creator ("Mt. A-san" in the illustrated example). After that, when the creator "Mt. A-san" forms a work team and uses the free publishing ticket, ticket use information is transmitted and ticket use process (see FIG. 6) is executed. As a result, serialization request information indicating a request for serialization in a rookie electronic magazine (Rookie magazine), which serializes multiple works by new manga artists, is sent to the editor of the electronic magazine (more specifically, the information terminal of the electronic magazine editor), the editor edits each work, and the rookie electronic magazine (Rookie magazine) is registered with the publication permission device 100 and published. Note that, not limited to rookie electronic magazines (Rookie magazines), serialization management information 113 shown in FIG. 3(B) is stored in the storage unit 110 when an electronic magazine is published (if already stored, information about the newly published magazine is added).

As a result, creators such as new manga artists who have registered their works can be given the opportunity to serialize their works in electronic magazines, helping to nurture new writers. In addition, because points are associated with creators, they can be added up across multiple works, and there is no expiration date, which increases the motivation of new writers to obtain free publishing tickets, helping to nurture new writers.

Next, the serialization management process executed in the publishing permission device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the serialization management process executed in the publishing permission device 100. The serialization management process is a process in which, when it is determined that the number of downloads of a work included in a published electronic magazine has reached or exceeded a reference value, electronic book publishing permission information that grants a premium ticket and permits the publishing of an electronic book is sent to a publisher (more specifically, the editor of the book).

The serialization management process is started by starting the program 111 stored in the publication permission device 100 each time a work included in a published electronic magazine is downloaded by the reader's operation on the reader terminal 400. The download includes both paid and free downloads. The serialization management process may be performed in common for both newcomer electronic magazines (rookie magazines) and popular electronic magazines (main magazines), and may be started when the electronic magazine is downloaded. In this embodiment, the electronic magazine may be downloaded by specifying one work included in the electronic magazine. In this case, the reader terminal 400 provides electronic data of the specified work, but the reader can only read the front cover, the specified work, and the back cover, and cannot read other works included in the electronic magazine. Specifically, the pages corresponding to the other works cannot be opened, and the page of the specified work is displayed when the cover is turned over. Apart from this, the pages other than the specified work may be all advertisement pages or displayed in a single color, so that the other works cannot be visually read. In other words, even if only some works are specified, the download in this embodiment is still performed for the electronic magazine, and the reader is able to read the specified works (the reader is considered to have purchased only some of the works in the electronic magazine). In what follows, the works specified by the reader among the electronic magazines downloaded by the reader (i.e., works that the reader can read) are referred to as downloaded works or downloaded works. Also, if the reader does not specify a work, the entire electronic magazine will be downloaded with all works specified. In this case, for example, the number of downloads for each of the works can be added up.

When the serialization management process shown in FIG. 8 is started, the control unit 120 first uses the function of the serialization management processing unit 124 to identify the work downloaded by the reader (step S401). Specifically, in the process of step S401, the downloaded work is identified by checking the download information stored in the memory unit 110 when the work is downloaded by the reader's operation on the reader terminal 400. Note that the download information includes not only downloaded work information for identifying the downloaded work, but also identification information identifying the reader who downloaded it, their payment information, time information indicating the date and time of download, and author identification information identifying the members of the work and their representative.

After executing the process of step S401, the control unit 120 uses the function of the serialization management processing unit 124 to increment the number of downloads of the work (step S402). Specifically, in the process of step S402, the serialization management information 113 stored in the storage unit 110 is updated by incrementing the number of downloads corresponding to the work identified in the process of step S401 by +1.

After executing the process of step S402, the control unit 120, by using the function of the serialization management processing unit 124, judges whether the number of downloads added in the process of step S402 is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (step S403). Specifically, in the process of step S403, it is judged whether the value of the number of downloads updated in the process of step S402 is equal to or greater than a reference value that allows the issuance of a premium ticket and the publication of an electronic book. The reference value is preset by an editor of the publishing company (e.g., 10,000) and is stored in the storage unit 110. Note that the reference value in this embodiment is the reference value that allows the issuance of a premium ticket and the publication of an electronic book, but separate reference values may be set for each. Note that the judgment condition in step S403 corresponds to the second condition, and the reference value in step S403 corresponds to the second reference value.

In the process of step S403, if it is determined that the number of downloads added in the process of step S402 is less than a predetermined reference value (step S403; No), the control unit 120 ends the serialization management process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of downloads added in the process of step S402 is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (step S403; Yes), the control unit 120 grants a premium ticket by the function of the ticket processing unit 123 (step S404). Specifically, in the process of step S404, the premium ticket is granted to the representative indicated by the creator identification information included in the download information. The granting of the premium ticket may be transmitted to the creator terminal 300, as with the free publication ticket, or may be made to be downloaded. The ticket processing unit 123 that executes the process of step S404 and the process of step S404 correspond to the ticket granting means and the ticket granting step, respectively. The premium ticket corresponds to the second ticket, and the popular electronic magazine (this magazine) corresponds to the second electronic magazine.

After executing the process of step S404, the control unit 120 clears the number of downloads to "0" by the function of the serialization management processing unit 124 (step S405). Specifically, in the process of step S405, the serialization management information 113 is updated by setting the number of downloads corresponding to the work identified in the process of step S401 to "0" among the serialization management information 113 stored in the storage unit 110. Note that in this example, when a premium ticket is granted, an example is shown in which the number of downloads corresponding to the work is cleared to "0". However, for example, if the number of downloads is set in stages such as 10000, 20000, 35000, etc., and a premium ticket is granted when the number of points is equal to or exceeds the number of points, the process of step S405 does not need to be performed each time a premium ticket is granted. In other words, the number of downloads may be continuously added. Also, for example, two types of counters may be provided: one that continuously counts the number of downloads and one that is cleared to "0" in the process of step S405.

After executing the process of step S405, the control unit 120 uses the function of the serialization management processing unit 124 to notify the editor of the electronic book and the members of the work of the electronic book publishing permission indicating that the conditions for permission to publish the electronic book have been met (step S406), and ends the serialization management process. This results in the publication of the electronic book.

In this way, by carrying out the serialization management process, premium tickets are given to creators according to the number of downloads of their work in the digital magazine, and a notification of permission to publish the digital book is sent to the editor of the digital book, etc. As a result, by carrying out the above-mentioned ticket usage process, the work of the new manga artist is serialized in the popular digital magazine (this magazine), and furthermore, it is published as a digital book by the publisher.

Next, the flow up to the issuance of the premium ticket and the permission to publish an electronic book will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow up to the issuance of the premium ticket and the permission to publish an electronic book. In the illustrated example, a newcomer's electronic magazine (rookie magazine) is registered in the publishing permission device 100, and the work of the manga artist "Yama A-o" (representative of the creation team) is published in the rookie magazine. As shown in the figure, when a reader purchases (downloads) an electronic magazine including some works via the reader terminal 400 (in this example, when only the works of "Yama A-o" are specified and purchased), the serialization management process shown in FIG. 8 is executed. Then, when the number of downloads of the work in the purchased electronic magazine (in this example, the work of "Yama A-o") exceeds a reference value, as shown in FIG. 9, a premium ticket is granted to the creator (in this example, "Yama A-o") and permission to publish an electronic book is notified. This makes it possible to serialize in the popular electronic magazine (this magazine) using the premium ticket. The permission to publish the e-book is also notified to the e-book editor, as shown in the figure. This results in the publication of the e-book for the work (in this example, the work of "Mt. A-san").

Therefore, new manga artists and other creators who have been given the opportunity to serialize their works in digital magazines can be given further opportunities to serialize their works in more popular digital magazines and to have their works published in digital books, further nurturing new artists.

(Modification)
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the publishing permission device 100 according to the above embodiment does not need to have all of the technical features described above, and may have some of the configurations described in the above embodiment so as to solve at least one of the problems in the prior art. In addition, at least a part of each of the following modifications may be combined.

In the above embodiment, in the processes of steps S303 and S304 in FIG. 6 and step S406 in FIG. 8, examples have been shown in which serialization request information and permission to publish an electronic book are notified to each editor (each editor's information terminal), but this is just one example. The notification destination is not limited to the editor, and may be any person in charge of publishing an electronic magazine or an electronic book. In other words, it may be any person in charge of the electronic magazine or the electronic book at the publisher.

In addition to the above embodiment, for example, a specific creator may be registered in the storage unit 110 in advance, and when the creator registration process is performed and the specific creator is registered, a publishing request ticket may be granted. The publishing request ticket may be a ticket that allows serialization in a popular electronic magazine (this magazine) from the beginning, just like the premium ticket. For example, famous authors or creators who create works desired by the publisher, such as horror works, may be registered in advance as specific creators. This allows the publisher to indirectly request the author of the work desired by the publisher to serialize the electronic magazine. In this case, when a creator is registered in the creator registration process, it is sufficient to determine whether the creator is a specific creator registered in advance. Specifically, this determination is performed before the process of step S107 in FIG. 4, and if the creator is a specific creator, the ticket may be granted by the function of the ticket processing unit 123. Since the publishing request ticket is a ticket with the same function as the premium ticket, the premium ticket may be granted.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which a reader can purchase some of the works included in an electronic magazine, but for example, if the price of the electronic magazine is 800 yen and the price of each work is 200 yen, if the reader purchases four or more works, the price automatically becomes 800 yen, and the electronic magazine may be provided to the reader terminal 400 so that the reader can read all of the works. In other words, if the price of the work purchased by the reader is equal to or higher than the price of the electronic magazine, the price may be the price of the electronic magazine, and the electronic magazine itself may be provided.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the publication of an electronic magazine about manga was given as an example, but it is not limited to manga, and may be any publication such as novels or paperbacks. It is also not limited to electronic books, and may be, for example, music. In this case, the creator may be a composer or lyricist, and the work to be registered may be a song. The electronic magazine may also be, for example, an album.

The publishing permission device 100 according to the above embodiment can be realized using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the publishing permission device 100 that executes the above-mentioned processes may be configured by installing a program for executing any of the above-mentioned processes on a computer from a recording medium that stores the program. Also, a single publishing permission device 100 may be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

In addition, when the above-mentioned functions are realized by sharing the functions between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between an OS and an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it over a communications network. For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on the communications network and distributed over the network. These programs may then be started and run under the control of the operating system in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be performed.

1 Publishing permission system, 100 Publishing permission device, 110 Memory unit, 111 Program, 112 Point information, 113 Serialization management information, 120 Control unit, 121 Creator registration unit, 122 Point processing unit, 123 Ticket processing unit, 124 Serialization management processing unit, 130 Input/output unit, 140 Communication unit, 210 Network, 300 Creator terminal, 400 Reader terminal, 500 Editor terminal

Claims (6)

A creator registration means for registering creator information;
a ticket granting means for granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
a serialization request notification means for notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at a publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket out of the first ticket and the second ticket,
Publication permission device. The creator information includes the creator's work data,
the first condition is a condition regarding the work data registered by the creator registration means,
the second condition is a condition regarding the creator's work serialized in the published first electronic magazine and the published second electronic magazine;
2. The publishing permission device according to claim 1. The creator information includes the creator's work data,
The first condition is satisfied when a reader's evaluation of the work data registered by the creator registration means is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference value;
The second condition is satisfied when the number of readers of the creator's work serialized in the first electronic magazine and the second electronic magazine is equal to or greater than a predetermined second reference value.
3. A publication permission device according to claim 1 or 2. When the creator registered by the creator registration means is a predetermined specific creator, the ticket granting means grants the second ticket to the specific creator.
3. A publication permission device according to claim 1 or 2. A method for permitting publication by a publication permitting device, comprising:
A creator registration step to register creator information;
a ticket granting step of granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
a serialization request notification step of notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at the publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket out of the first ticket and the second ticket,
How to get permission to publish. Computer,
A creator registration means for registering creator information;
a ticket granting means for granting a first ticket when a first condition for the creator's work is satisfied, and granting a second ticket different from the first ticket when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied;
the first ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a first electronic magazine, and the second ticket is a ticket for permitting serialization in a second electronic magazine having a larger number of readers than the first electronic magazine,
a serialization request notifying means for notifying a person in charge of the electronic magazine at the publishing company of a serialization request for the electronic magazine according to the type of the used ticket out of the first ticket and the second ticket;
A program that further functions as.

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