Marketplace
The Nongine Marketplace is a built-in platform where creators can list their visual novels for others to discover and play. It serves as both a distribution channel and a community hub, making it easy for readers to find new stories and for creators to grow their audience without setting up external hosting or marketing channels.
Listing Your Project
To list your project on the Marketplace, it must first be published to the web. Once published, open the project settings and navigate to the "Marketplace" tab. Here you can fill in the listing details: a description of your visual novel (up to 2000 characters), one to three genre tags, a content rating, a cover image, and up to five screenshots. The description should give potential readers a clear sense of what your story is about and what kind of experience to expect. Write it as you would a book blurb: engaging but not spoiler-heavy.
Genres and Tags
The Marketplace organizes projects by genre. Available genres include Romance, Mystery, Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama, Adventure, and Thriller. You can assign up to three genre tags to your project. Choose the genres that most accurately represent your story, as readers frequently browse by genre. In addition to genre tags, you can add free-form tags such as "short," "female protagonist," "multiple endings," or "voice acted" to help readers filter results. Tags are searchable and appear on your listing page.
Content Ratings
Every Marketplace listing requires a content rating. The available ratings are "Everyone," "Teen," and "Mature." The Everyone rating is for projects with no objectionable content. The Teen rating is for projects that contain mild violence, occasional strong language, or romantic themes. The Mature rating is for projects with intense violence, frequent strong language, or adult themes. Readers can filter the Marketplace by rating, and the default view excludes Mature-rated projects unless the reader has opted in through their account settings.
Discovery and Search
Readers discover projects on the Marketplace through several channels. The front page features curated staff picks, trending projects (based on play count and rating velocity), and new releases. A search bar allows readers to search by title, creator name, genre, or tag. Search results can be sorted by relevance, newest, most played, or highest rated. Each listing shows the cover image, title, creator name, genre tags, average rating, and play count, giving readers enough information to decide whether to try a project.
Ratings and Feedback
Readers can rate your project on a five-star scale and leave written reviews. Ratings and reviews appear on your listing page and factor into the Marketplace's ranking algorithms. As a creator, you can respond to reviews from the listing management page. Constructive feedback from readers is one of the most valuable aspects of the Marketplace, as it helps you understand what resonates and what could be improved. Projects with higher ratings and more reviews tend to rank higher in search results and are more likely to be featured on the front page.