One of the biggest trends in the anime, manga, and light novel mediums in the last decade has been the rise of online self-publishing. Many recent popular series have started as self-published web media before being purchased by a mainstream distributor. The distributor then releases updated versions of the original work and adapts it for other media, including making light novel, manga, and anime adaptations of the story. Many of these later adaptations have gone on to be smash hits, cementing themselves as some of the biggest franchises in the industry despite their humble beginnings. This trend is a fantastic thing for the manga, anime, and light novel industries as a whole, and its recent successes prove that major firms should work to promote self-publishing in the future, as it could lead to a massive boom period for the industry.
Source：https://www.cbr.com/why-self-published-creators-is-good-for-anime/
