Recently I've been reading a few light novels translated by Baka-Tsuki. The releases are updated with the number of chapters in respect to the volume as opposed to total number of chapters as the mangas are usually updated. Reading lists are not updated because, presumably, it assumes the chapter number specified are the total of all chapters since the volume increments are not reported.

I would like to update the release numbers of the novels I'm familiar with with the total number of chapters. Is that acceptable?

That's how Baka-Tsuki reports releases to us, and that's how they list them on their wiki. And I'm pretty sure that's how most of the table of contents for the novels do it.

You're stuck

________________
A just ruler amongst tyrants

Yes, that's how the chapters are designated in the novels, but listing the total chapters here wouldn't cause any problem would it? IMO, all that matters is that I will be able to know a new chapter has been released and mark that I've read it. As to which chapter under which volume, we can find from BT's page.

It causes problems because chapters aren't necessarily easy to count because of intros, prologues, epilogues, extras, etc

________________
A just ruler amongst tyrants

As far as I've seen on MU, prologues, epilogues and the like are just tagged whatever it is in place of chapter number. Novels do not count them as regular chapters either, so I fail to see why this would cause any issue.

It may seem easy for you, but it confuses the rest of the people because only we'd be using that numbering system.

There is no easy way to know that chapter 55 is volume 6 chapter 2

________________
A just ruler amongst tyrants

Like I previously mentioned, after we're notified of a release, we can check the for the newly released chapter in the Baka-Tsuki's novel page for example. Otherwise there is absolutely no point in having any novel entry in the reading list at all - it neither allows us to satisfactorily record what and how many chapters we read, nor does it tell us there is a new release.

Without allowing a measure of total chapters being reported, the reading list is completely useless when it comes to novels.

We report exactly what Baka-Tsuki reports. You want us to change what we list? Get them to change how they report.

Well, I myself can do the reporting. It's not restricted to BT staff, is it? I've been thinking of contacting them all the same, though not specifically about this issue.

Regardless of novels or mangas, for the reading list to be usable, all the releases must be numbered in their total. Why not simply make policy that, discounting the extra chapters (prologue, epilogue, omakes), all the regular releases must be counted to their sum?

Last edited by lambchopsil at 2:52 pm, Aug 7 2011

We are not willing to make that policy

________________
A just ruler amongst tyrants

Is there any way to make is so novels with multiple volumes show you when there is a new chapter rather than just saying "hey one of the previous volumes had 41 chapters"

An example of this would be: Mang Huang Ji (Novel)

I am just hoping there is some way for me to tell if I am up to date on my novels. I would be fine to have a separate list of stories where the number shows the volume and chapter if it is in a subsequent chapter or just the chapter if you are in that volume.

Summary: I want stories like Mang Huang Ji (Novel) to display the current place of the story, rather than the max chapters of the previous volumes.

As things are right now, the system does seem to get confused by the fact that chapter numbering gets reset with each volume for most novels. Currently the system seems to ignore the volume number and only look at the chapter number. Would it be feasible to adjust the system to take the volume number into account?