1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 225 "A Slap" and Royalties
There was a reason why Jiang Xian did not agree immediately.

To be honest, he was not very optimistic about the publication of "The Chess King" in Japan.

The overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature has always been difficult, and in the world literary world, the tastes of Japanese readers can be said to be the most "picky".

The works of Chinese writers are difficult to be accepted in Japan.

Yu Hua can be said to be the hottest Chinese writer in the overseas market. His book To Live was all the rage in Europe and the United States, but when it came to Japan and was published, it suffered a Waterloo. It took several years to sell out the first edition of 8000 copies.

Yu Hua said: Japanese readers not only dislike my works, but also the works of other Chinese writers.

The performance of "To Live" is actually quite good, because the average circulation of works by Chinese writers in Japan is only 2000-3000 copies.

Among modern and contemporary literary authors, the ones with the greatest influence in Japan are Lu Xun and Lao She.

There is no need to say much about Lu Xun. When he died, Dazai Osamu wrote a novel for him called "Farewell".

Lao She's works were popular in Japan. "Four Generations Under One Roof" and "Camel Xiangzi" were once broadcast on Tokyo Radio in the form of radio dramas. The names of Xiangzi and Xiao Fuzi are household names in Japan.

After these two writers, it became difficult for Chinese writers’ works to enter the Japanese market, so most Japanese readers’ evaluation of Chinese literature after Lu Xun has been on the decline.

"If it doesn't sell well, there is no point in publishing it." Jiang Xian is ambitious. He values ​​this hard-won publishing opportunity very much, because few foreign publishing houses are interested in Chinese writers.

Compared to "The King of Chess", he wants to communicate with Tokuma Shoten to publish other novels.

——"Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coin Street"

Because it was just published in "Harvest" not long ago, the "People's Literature" reading club has not paid attention to this novel yet.

If this novel is published in Japan, the sales volume should not be too low. After all, it is a best-selling novel all over the world.

As soon as Jiang Xian returned to the hotel, he hurried to find Li Xiaolin and asked her to help contact people in China and send a copy of the October issue of "Harvest" to Tokuma Shoten.

There are two advantages to publishing novels in Japan.

Firstly, the Japanese publishing industry implements a royalty system, and if sales are good, the royalties received will be considerable.

Secondly, this is also a good opportunity to promote national prestige and export culture.

"Today's news is really exciting." When Chen Xiru saw him come back, he immediately shared today's news. The first thing he did after returning to the hotel was to read all the major Japanese newspapers.

The newspapers were flooded with reports from various Japanese media on yesterday's collective interview with the delegation. Some media were calm and spoke in a very pleasant way:
"The mutual cultural research between the two countries is not enough and needs to be strengthened. The Chinese writers coming to Japan will promote it and make cultural exchanges and research more advanced."

Some of them used harsh words, after all, there are many right-wing media in Japan.

"This is a Chinese writer disparaging Japan!"

The right wing keeps claiming that Chinese writers are looking down on our culture and level of development, and they are extremely angry and condemning this.

In fact, most Japanese people didn’t think it was a big deal. It was just a few insults.

Looking back 65 years ago, Chinese writer Lao She led a delegation of Chinese writers to visit Japan.

Just after he finished a speech, Japanese writer Shiroyama Saburo said to him: "I heard that you are a versatile person. You wrote about martial arts in your articles. I guess you must be a martial arts master. Today I want to learn from you."

Before he could finish his words, he threw a left hook at the elderly Lao She, launching a sneak attack.

Lao She was leaning on a crutch at the time and his back was a little hunched, but he was not in a hurry. He stretched out his hand to gain leverage, grasped the other person's wrist and pulled gently. Shiroyama Saburo staggered and almost fell, shouting, "Master! I admire you! I admire you!" He even wanted to become his apprentice. This incident was regarded as a "good story" in Japan for a while.

The news about the group interview continued to ferment in the newspapers, angering a group of right-wing Japanese writers.

They were so excited and indignant that they gritted their teeth and swore to Tianhuang that they would regain their face in front of the Chinese delegation and humiliate these Chinese writers in revenge!

Don't even think about the cause of this incident.

It was clearly the right wing that provoked the Chinese delegation first, and the way the delegation handled the situation was already very face-saving for them.

The level of this obsession is comparable to that of sports fan circles.

He did everything from yelling, booing, cursing, and giving the middle finger, and then he turned the tables and accused the other party: Your outfit affects the performance of our athletes! The camera hidden in the big jadeite can predict the trajectory of the ball! You took advantage of the situation, and our athletes are exhausted!
To sum it up in one sentence: Instead of reflecting on yourself, it is better to blame others.

On a bright morning, Jiang Xian followed the delegation to visit the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature. The museum has two floors: the first floor is a coffee shop and library, and the second floor is an exhibition room.

Today the museum holds a special exhibition on Yasunari Kawabata, introducing Kawabata's life and works, as well as the translation and adaptation of his works.

Kawabata Yasunari's status in Japan is equivalent to Cao Xueqin's in China. He once wrote:
"I woke up at four in the morning and found the crabapple blossoms still awake."

“Through the long tunnel across the county line is the Snow Country.”

"Even your fingertips have a beautiful color."

Mo Yan regards Kawabata Yasunari as his teacher and his "Snow Country" as a beacon on his own writing path.

Yu Hua also regarded Kawabata Yasunari as his teacher. When he first started writing, he was fanatically imitating him and even excluded almost all other writers in those years.

In addition, Jia Pingwa, Su Tong, Wang Xiaobo and Wang Anyi have also been inspired and influenced by him.

After the visit, the delegation showed envy on their faces.

This literary museum has been built quite completely, and the information of all the famous Japanese writers has been recorded in it.

During the visit, many adults brought their children in, and the staff asked them to fill out the exhibition Q&A, which contained questions about people's names, book names, place names, etc.

"This is a kind of cultivation of national pride," Ba Jin said. "We are not as good as Japan in this regard, but we can't always be worse than them."

Ba Lao's words were recognized by many people in the delegation. The construction of the literature museum was like everyone adding fuel to the fire, which is now burning brighter and brighter.

Jiang Xian was the first one to support Ba Lao in setting up a literary museum. This was no secret and had been made public long ago. Many people in the Writers Association also knew about it. Now that the matter was brought up again within the delegation, those old comrades in the Dramatists Association who were not very familiar with Jiang Xian immediately looked at him with admiration.

This young comrade is very capable!

Jiang Xian once again became the focus of the delegation. A group of old comrades from the Drama Festival Association asked him about his ideas about the Literature Museum, and the remaining young players couldn't help but feel a little envious.

They are all accompanying staff in the regiment, and they are all juniors, but Jiang Xian is the only one who is valued so much by the old comrades. How can they not be envious?
The next day, the delegation arrived at Waseda University in a Mercedes-Benz car. They were surrounded by college students in casual clothes. The youthful atmosphere made the delegation, which had been shuttling among politicians and celebrities for many days, feel much more relaxed.

"What is the level of Waseda University in the country?" Jiang Xian and Chen Xiru asked.

Chen Xiru thought for a moment and said, "It's probably equivalent to Nanjing University, Fudan University, and Tongji University in China. The best school in Japan is the University of Tokyo."

After listening to their discussion, Saionji took the initiative to explain: "Waseda University has always been the main base for left-wing activities, but what is special is that the Shield Society founded by Yukio Mishima also has its main members from Waseda University."

The writing session was held in the library's conference room. Many Japanese writers came and chatted with members of the Chinese delegation in groups of three or four.

"Jiang Xian, I would like to introduce you to a Japanese writer friend of mine," said Saionji.

He pulled over a gentle little man of medium height, who looked relaxed, and introduced him:

"This is Murakami-kun."

After that, he introduced the other party: "This is Mr. Jiang Xian."

Jiang Xian shook hands with him out of curiosity, and then heard Xiyuan Temple introduce him: "Murakami is a new writer in Japan. One of his works was shortlisted for the Akutagawa Prize this year. This is his second time to be shortlisted!"

The Akutagawa Prize is the Akutagawa Ryunosuke Prize, which was founded to commemorate Ryunosuke Akutagawa, who wrote "Rashomon". It is one of the most well-known Japanese literary awards along with the "Naoki Prize". Both are only awarded to new writers. The difference is that one is for pure literature and the other is for popular literature.

"Second time entry?"

Jiang Xian thought about it, he was nominated twice and didn't win the award, isn't that just being a runner-up twice?

"What's Murakami's full name?"

Murakami answered, and Jiang Xian vaguely heard four words:

——Haruki Murakami.

He looked her up and down and found that she looked familiar. With her runner-up physique, she must be the runner-up king without a doubt.

Murakami's father was a Japanese soldier, but Murakami is a leftist. He feels extremely distressed about his family background and has apologized to China many times in public. He also refuses to eat Chinese food because he believes he is not worthy of eating the fruits of the labor of the Chinese people. He has never had children in his life because he does not allow his sinful bloodline to be passed down.

Haruki Murakami is not good at speaking, so Saionji interrupted to avoid a dull moment.

"Jiang Xian, Murakami has a small bar in Shibuya. We can go there for a drink if we have a chance."

"You're very welcome." Murakami forced a smile.

Jiang Xian remembered that Murakami was good at English, so he just communicated with him directly in English.

"What's the name of the bar?"

Haruki Murakami was stunned for a moment, and immediately replied in English: "It's Peter Cat, the name of a cat I have."

"Where? I'll go when I'm free."

Murakami took out a business card from his pocket and gave it to him. "If you can't find it, you can call me."

Saionji listened to the two of them communicating fluently in English and was surprised at their English proficiency.

He had no say at all. He was responsible for communication between China and Japan because he had lived in China, knew some Chinese, and was interested in Chinese culture.

The translation was also timely switched from Japanese to English.

Jiandan and Haruki Murakami met, and Saiyuan Temple said: "Murakami doesn't like to participate in social activities, but he likes Chinese literature very much, and especially admires Mr. Lu Xun."

Haruki Murakami once said that many of his articles are influenced by Lu Xun, including the famous "1Q84", which is closely related to Ah Q.

As he was speaking, a burst of laughter came from the side.

I don’t know what the Japanese soldier said loudly beside Wan Fang, which made many Japanese writers around laugh.

Chen Xiru was also nearby, and Jiang Xian asked him what happened.

He explained through gritted teeth, "This little devil just discovered that Comrade Wan Fang had never read the works of a Russian writer, and he said that Chinese people read too few books and didn't even know the writer they were talking about, so it's no wonder they can't write good works."

"Baka." Xiyuan Temple was very angry and advised: "Don't pay attention to these right-wing bastards." Jiang Xian laughed, "It's okay, it's okay, we Chinese have always been magnanimous."

The communication session is coming to an end.

Writers from both China and Japan sat around the table in the conference room and took turns giving speeches.

The little Japanese guy just now was also among them. He stood up and gave a speech, mixed in with his own personal opinions and secretly cursing: Chinese writers read little and their knowledge of literature is too shallow, not as rich as that of Japanese writers.

The delegation was a little angry after hearing this.

Wan Fang lowered his head in self-blame.

She really thought it was a friendly exchange and opened her heart to others with a sincere face, but she didn't know that these Japanese were so cunning and unfriendly, and actually used her to slap China in the face.

Soon it was Jiang Xian's turn to speak. He stood up, glanced at the Japanese writers opposite him, and spoke in a calm tone.

"I've been reading the books of Russian writer Kuskaya recently and I feel very inspired. Have you read them?"

Seventy percent of the Japanese writers across the table nodded.

"But I made up this story about the author." Jiang Xian sat down directly and decisively.

Quiet.

The whole table was silent.

The silence was deafening.

Everyone in the Chinese delegation lowered their heads and covered their mouths, fearing that they would not be able to hold back their laughter.

Bing Xin didn't care and just laughed a few times generously.

The Japanese soldiers who had nodded just now now had their faces turning red and white, as if they had been slapped in the face.

Especially the servile guy, his neck turned red, but he couldn't say a word.

Because he was also one of the people who nodded just now, and he nodded particularly hard and with a large amplitude.

Baga, cunning Chinese!
Li Xiaolin whispered to Jiang Xian, "Beautiful."

His clean and neat slap was so satisfying!
Do you Japanese writers discriminate against us for our lack of reading experience? Yes, you have a lot. You have heard of any random article we make up. This really makes us feel inferior.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Ba Jin leaned back and clapped his hands, "Don't worry about it, let's continue."

Haruki Murakami also raised his lips, "Well done!"

He has always been dissatisfied with the atmosphere of the Japanese literary and art circles, so he later simply transferred his works to the world.

The delegation returned to the New Otani Hotel in the evening.

Jiang Xian took a shower while writing, and then lay on the table to finish his manuscript. Chen Xiru was used to it, and knew that Jiang Xian would seize the time to write whenever he had free time, so he didn't disturb him and just wandered around the hotel and other people's rooms.

"Xu Sanguan Selling Blood" has a total of 178,000 words, and the manuscript paper is uneven.

The 500-word manuscript paper that Jiang Xian brought from Renwen Press had long been used up. He then had the 240-word manuscript paper from People's Literature and the 320-word manuscript paper from Shanghai People's Publishing House. He used the three types of manuscript paper mixed together.

He was finishing up the novel when the phone in the room rang. Jiang Xian picked up the phone and the hotel receptionist told him in Chinese that someone was visiting.

Jiang Xian felt puzzled and told the group leader Ba Jin about it. Then he went to the lobby on the first floor of the hotel accompanied by Chen Xiru.

Waiting here was the editor from Tokuma Shoten whom Jiang Xian had met at the People's Literature reading club, as well as a gentle man with a slicked-back hair and glasses. When he saw Jiang Xian, he took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Hello, my name is Higashino Nobuo, I work at Tokuma Bookstore, and I came here today to visit Mr. Jiang Xian."

Nobuo Higashino can speak Chinese, but his pronunciation is not very standard and has a strong Japanese accent.

Jiang Xian probably knew what they were here for, so he didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "The delegation is busy with work, so please speak directly if you have anything to say."

Nobuo Higashino did not speak immediately, but looked Jiang Xian up and down, shocked by his youth.

He came here naturally for publishing matters. He worked at Yu Dejian Bookstore and had already read the novel "Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coin Street". From the story conception to the novel structure, all the designs were exquisite!
In Nobuo Higashino's view, the protagonist of the story is not only an extraordinary artist "Leland", but also "me".

"I" represents mortals, and "Leland" represents the gods high above. It is the touch of mortals on gods that makes this novel sacred.

After reading the novel, he was amazed. After consulting with the president, Tokuma Yasushi, he came to visit Jiang Xian.

"Our president, Yasukazu Tokuma, has always been very supportive of cooperation with the Chinese literary and art circles. This year, we are planning to co-produce a movie with Beijing Film Studio, 'A Game of Chess That Has Not Been Completed.'"

As he spoke, Higashino Nobuo took out the October issue of Harvest, placed it on the table, opened the page of Copper Coin Street and exclaimed: "If such an excellent work is published, it will surely cause a huge sensation in the Japanese cultural circle."

Jiang Xian looked at him, waiting for his next words.

Higashino Nobuo said: "We are willing to take on the responsibility of publishing "Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coin Street" in Japan. Our Tokuma Shoten is very powerful and well-known in Japan. If we are entrusted with the publication of your work, with our influence, the sales volume will definitely not be low."

This was exactly what Jiang Xian was waiting for. He was not opposed to cooperating with Tokuma Bookstore.

Tokuma Shoten itself is considered one of the top ten publishers in Japan.

The president of Tokuma Shoten, Tokuma Yasukai, is also a pacifist. In season 2, he was beaten by the right wing because of his anti-war stance.

He basically didn't hesitate and showed his willingness to get involved. "How can I get my novel translated?"

"We have excellent translators." Nobuo Higashino said that the level of translation is crucial to the introduction of a novel. One of the main reasons why Chinese literary works cannot make a breakthrough in Japan is that the level of translation is not high enough.

Jiang Xian doesn't understand Japanese, so naturally he has no way to judge the level of the translation, but he is very confident about the core of the novel "Copper Coin Street".

Moreover, Japan implements a royalty system, where the risk of works is shared by the author and the publisher. On this basis, he believes that Tokuma Shoten will not mess up the matter by doing things perfunctorily.

The two sides immediately discussed the issue of remuneration.

Nobuo Higashino said that Tokuma Shoten was willing to offer a 3% royalty.

Jiang Xian frowned.

This is too low!

Japan's royalty rate is generally between 3% and 10%, depending on factors such as the nature of the work, the author's reputation, and market demand.

There is also an unspoken rule that after the number of copies sold exceeds 50, the royalty rate will change and increase to 15%.

Chinese writers like Jiang Xian are indeed not well-known in Japan and are considered newcomers, but he cannot accept only getting the lowest 3%.

Royalties mean that he also has to take risks. The royalties are so low, and if the print run is small and there are no reprints, then it would basically be a waste of time.

“The price you offered is too low.”

Jiang Xian shook his head, not satisfied.

The royalty rate, the price of the book, and the number of copies printed together give the writer's royalties.

The price of Japanese books is generally 2000 yen. According to the ratio of 3%, Jiang Xian will get about 60 yen for each book sold. If the starting print run is 1000, then he will get yen.

In Tokyo, the starting price for a taxi is 10,000 yen.

Nobuo Higashino really appreciates Jiang Xian's work, but this is Japan, a capitalist society, where appreciation is not the only thing to talk about, only business.

"Mr. Jiang Xian, our publishing house also has to bear the risk of publishing. We will do a lot of market research before publishing a book, calculate and control the number of prints, but there are still very few Chinese writers publishing works in Japan, so we also have to consider the risks of the enterprise."

"If there are risks, you and I will share them together." Jiang Xian did not give in.

There is no fraud in business. Naturally, Nobuo Higashino still has room to raise the price, but he just wants to get the lowest price possible from Jiang Xian.

“What royalties are you craving?”

"10%." Jiang Xian asked for a huge amount.

The Japanese still have to learn how to bargain from the Chinese. They will simply raise the price to the highest level, leaving themselves enough room to bargain downwards.

Nobuo Higashino remained silent. He would definitely not give Jiang Xian the royalties he wanted. This was the standard remuneration for famous Japanese authors.

In Japan, the status of writers is extremely strict. Unlike in China, Japanese literary journals all commission articles and generally do not accept submissions from new authors. New authors who want to submit articles must first make their debut in the literary world, and the way to make their debut is to win a newcomer award.

Therefore, even a 1% increase in royalties would require long and careful negotiations.

"Let's go back and think about it first," Nobuo Higashino stood up and said goodbye.

Jiang Xian didn't say much. He returned to his room and spent two days finally completing the creation of "Xu Sanguan Selling Blood".

The news of his clean and neat slap in the face at the literary exchange conference quickly spread in the Japanese cultural circle.

In the evening of that day, Jiang Xian received another call from the hotel front desk, saying that someone was coming to visit.

Jiang Xian thought that Tokuma Bookstore had figured it out, so he pulled Chen Xiru downstairs and found that it was another group of people.

He was a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean-style bun on his head. As soon as he saw Jiang Xian, he introduced himself with a giggle, saying that his name was Oda Masaki.

"Mr. Jiang Xian, we would like to discuss with you the publication of "Glass Moon Shining on Copper Coin Street" in Japan."

Jiang Xian was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Xiaotian, "Are you also from Tokuma Bookstore?"

"Tokuma Bookstore? No, no, no."

There was a hint of cunning in Oda's eyes.

"We are from Fuso Society."

(End of this chapter)