Per-episode billing
편당결제
한국어로 읽기Per-episode billing is buying a web novel one episode at a time (about 100 won in coins) instead of by volume or subscription; it makes each episode a product.
Also written as: 회차 결제 · 편당 과금 · 100원 결제 · pay per episode · 코인 결제 · 캐시
Meaning
Per-episode billing is payment one episode at a time. Readers top up a platform's virtual currency (coins, cash, cookies) and spend one unit per episode. The price varies by platform and title but hovers around 100 won, and that unit price is what created the "5,000 characters per episode" convention. It contrasts with the printed book's volume unit and a subscription service's monthly fee, and it is the base structure of the Korean web novel and webtoon industry. Wait-or-pay and advance reading are variations built on top of it.
Why it matters
Per-episode billing turns the episode into the product. Readers do not buy a work; they buy episodes. The revenue of a 200-episode title is the sum of 200 small decisions, each made in the last five lines of the previous episode. This explains nearly every trait of web novel craft: cliffhanger cuts, the payoff cycle, one event per episode, the 5,000-character standard. For the writer, it also means sales statistics are visible per episode. You can see where purchases stop, and that is read-through. Settlement reaches the writer after the platform's commission (commonly 30 to 50 percent) and any publisher or management share. How much of a 100-won episode reaches the writer depends on platform and contract, and it is the first number to check in any agreement.
Example
The path of one 100-won episode (illustrative) Reader pays 100 won → app store commission (on mobile payment) → platform commission → publisher or management share (where a contract exists) → writer's settlement
Actual ratios differ by platform and contract. If 10,000 readers finish a 200-episode title, that is about 1.75 million purchases (excluding 25 free episodes), and that times the writer's share is the title's episode revenue. Wait-or-pay, promotions and adaptation rights sit on top.
Running even rough numbers shows what one percentage point of read-through is worth. Raising retention from 90 to 91 percent per episode leaves noticeably more readers after a hundred episodes.
Common mistakes
- Thinking only at the level of the work. Under per-episode billing, every episode must earn its price. An episode of travel and exposition is a drop-off point.
- Signing without knowing the split. Check in the contract how much of each 100 won reaches you. A direct platform deal and a publisher deal differ.
- Splitting episodes to multiply purchases. Stretching one event over two episodes lowers read-through and reduces total revenue.