It is with a heavy heart that I must announce a significant change to our release schedule. Due to financial constraints, we are reducing the weekly release of Demon Sword Maiden from 4 chapters to 2, and Automata Maid from 2 chapters to 1.
Here are the key reasons behind this decision:
1) Financial Constraints
Our limited budget is the main reason for this adjustment. This year has been tough on us. Our ad revenue has plummeted, and our Patreon funds are running low. A policy change on NovelUpdates (removing links to novel chapters for logged-out users) has drastically decreased our traffic from that source since last October, leading to lower overall page views and, consequently, less ad revenue. Additionally, Google’s phasing out of cookies has further impacted our ad impressions, reducing revenue from that stream. Since picking up God’s Gofer last December, we’ve been spending more than we earn from Patreon, forcing us to dip into our reserves.
2) Popularity
Given our budgetary constraints, we’ve reviewed our subscriber counts and found that Demon Sword Maiden isn’t significantly outperforming other projects, casting doubt on the need for a double quota. Additionally, Automata Maid has one of the lowest subscriber counts, and we’re nearing the final chapters for translation, prompting us to cut expenses on these novels.
3) Overdue Work
The third reason is the difficulty in maintaining a consistent schedule due to the personal circumstances of our translators. Demon Sword Maiden requires three translators, two of whom are struggling with health and academic pressures. One has a spinal injury and is still recovering, while the other is in their last semester of college, overwhelmed with assignments. The translator for Automata Maid also works on Pupil of the Wiseman and Destiny Unchain Online, contributing to delays due to their heavy workload. We hope that reducing their workload will ease some of their burdens.
We understand that these changes may be disappointing, but they are necessary for the long-term sustainability of our projects and the well-being of our team. Thank you for your understanding and continued support during this challenging time.