Crime Thriller "The Sketch Artist" Receives 2017 Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation Grants

SHANGHAI, China - Nov. 16, 2017 - volare novels today celebrates the news that its novel, The Sketch Artist, has received grants by the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation. Cited by the foundation as an "important literary initiative", the novel, by Chinese author Teresa Ge, was the only crime thriller to be recognized this year. Both the English translation published on volare and the original Chinese novel were awarded.

"We are delighted that even more of our work is receiving public recognition, and feel that this is a wondrous indicator of the future of this cultural trend," said etvolare, founder of volare novels. Founded in 2015, the Chinese-to-English novel translation platform has since grown to become one of the largest English web novel publishers in the world, averaging seventeen million pageviews a month from nearly half a million unique visitors, and has licensing agreements with major Chinese-language web novel platforms such as Zongheng, 17k, iReader, and Xiang5. The Sketch Artist is volare's first novel licensed directly with the author.

The novel is a police procedural in which newly-recruited criminal composite sketch artist Zhang Chi uses his artistic and logic skills to help Shanghai police bring criminals to justice. Along the way he must navigate the choppy waters of not only bureaucratic protocol, but also interpersonal relationships as he teams up with icy trace analysis specialist Gu Shi, who just so happens to be the daughter of the bureau chief.

The Sketch Artist was first published in 2017 on Chinese web novel platform Nine Regions Literature, the debut web novel for author Teresa Ge, former Shanghai Armed Police Corps officer and author of the traditionally-published romance short story collection "A Girl's Shout", and novel "Scent of a Daughter". Previously her work has been awarded the 36th annual National Youth Literary Award, the International Junior Achievement Award, and the National Short Story Newcomer Award, among others.

The Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation, founded in 1986, is one of the largest public cultural support funds in China, and exists to "raise funds for cultural development, grant public culture, promote cultural innovation, foster cultural talents and facilitate culture exchanges, so as to prosper cultural undertaking in Shanghai".

The Sketch Artist is the first novel in the Chinese-to-English web novel scene to receive an award, marking an important step in the growth of the burgeoning industry, which in the last two years has gone from a small band of hobbyist fan translators to an ever-growing body of professionals.

volare novels hosts dozens of web novels, and utilizes a team of over fifty translators, editors, and other staff. Aside from The Sketch Artist's accolade, another volare novel, Poison Genius Consort, is set to get a TV serial adaptation in China in 2018. The company celebrates its second year anniversary today.