1979: Literary Master, Starting from the Return of Educated Youth

Chapter 53 I am advocating the spirit of the rule of law
Can we negotiate? That means you have a chance to get better terms.

After hearing the proposal, Xu Yuexin responded subconsciously.

"The conditions the agency offered me before were pretty good."

Xu Yuexin said politely, "The royalties can remain unchanged at 9%."

"My biggest hope at the moment is to draft a more complete publishing contract, so that I can have a comprehensive basis for everything I do in the future."

When "The Garland under the Mountain" was first printed and published, Xu Yuexin signed a contract with People's Literature.

According to his research, this contract of only a few pages was actually very rough and even full of loopholes.

Of course, no one can be blamed for this. The court has only been back in operation for less than two years, and everyone's awareness of the rule of law is still vague.

However, Xu Yuexin thought that he was a rookie at the time and had limited bargaining power. Proposing changes too early would be disadvantageous to him, so he shelved the idea.

Now that I have two famous works in my hands, it's time to resolve the contract issue.

"The royalties issue is easy to discuss. As for the contract, what specific terms do you mean..."

Wang Chaoyin said with a little hesitation.

"Let's analyze the last contract one by one."

"Then wait for me for a moment. I'll go get a contract."

After Wang Chaoyin finished speaking, he left the reception room, brought back a new contract from outside, placed it on the coffee table in front of the two of them, and opened the contract cover.

This contract is exactly the same as the publishing contract of Gao Shan. Xu Yuexin started from the first page and pointed out the incomplete parts one by one, as well as his corresponding opinions.

This time, Xu Yuexin was no longer polite.

Every clause in the contract involves real money.

What's more, he had a hunch that this adjustment to the contract terms would determine the distribution of interests between the two parties for many years to come, so there was nothing to lose face about.

Since you have made up your mind to pursue the path of commercial literature, you must sort out the interests in the early stages. Only in this way can you avoid being tripped up by disputes in the future.

“The statement granting Party A the right to publish and distribute is too general and does not specify whether it is exclusive, limited to the domestic market, or includes overseas.”

“It should be changed to non-exclusive publishing and distribution rights, limited to domestic distribution. Since the publishing house does not have the ability to distribute overseas, there is no practical significance in having this right.”

"The contract stipulates that each subsequent reprint of the contracted book shall be subject to the terms of the first signed contract. It would be best if this part could also be changed so that each reprint would require a new contract, i.e. one print and one signature."

"A good book has a long life cycle and may still be in print 20 or 30 years later. By then, the social environment and market situation will have changed. Mechanically applying the old contract is like cutting one's feet to fit the shoes."

……

Xu Yuexin kept correcting others, while Wang Chaoyin, who was listening beside him, was stunned and a little nervous.

This guy is not simple. He is so resolute and to the point when it comes to his own interests. The modifications he listed are all critical, and most importantly, the reasons he gave are irrefutable.

Unfortunately, Wang Chaoyin himself was not very well versed in the law, and when Xu Yuexin talked about the complicated issues, he felt overwhelmed listening to him.

"Wait a minute, I'll write down your request first."

Wang Chaoyin interrupted midway, took out a pen from his pocket, took out a piece of paper from the last page of the contract, and wrote it down behind his back.

"It's not exclusive publishing and distribution rights, right? And the part about overseas..."

Wang Chaoyin muttered to himself while recording and confirmed with Xu Yuexin.

After Xu Yuexin and Wang Chaoyin finished writing down what had been said before, they continued to point out the problems in the contract and their corresponding demands to him.

"If we can reach an agreement on a new contract, then I hope to re-sign the contract for The Mountain as well. When it comes to adjustments in the interests of both parties, the new contract will prevail."

Finally, Xu Yuexin asked Wang Chaoyin.

"Okay, I'll write it all down for you." Wang Chaoyin wrote on the paper for a while, then put down his pen and said, "Some of the requests are beyond my authority. After you leave, I will consult with the leaders and they will make the decision."

Changing the contract means reshaping the mode of cooperation between the two parties. Wang Chaoyin estimates that editor-in-chief Li Ji cannot make the decision alone and must convene a leadership team meeting to study the matter.

"Well, the club can take its time to think about it."

Xu Yuexin said calmly, "I'm not in a hurry."

Xu Yuexin had already established a psychological expectation of what the result of the contract modification would be.

People's Literature certainly cannot meet all of his demands, and the magazine is not owned by his family.

It would be great if it could clarify the non-exclusive publishing and distribution rights, and have one print and one signature.

The most important two demands are these two. It would be best if the other demands can be met, but it is acceptable if they cannot be met.

Let go of the details and grasp the core interests, this is called pattern. In addition, Xu Yuexin did not want to make things difficult for Wang Chaoyin while protecting his own interests.

After Xu Yuexin left, Wang Chaoyin copied the text of his demands into a notebook and found the editor-in-chief Li Ji.

"When Yue Xin discussed the publication of The Horse Wrangler with me today, he proposed to improve the contract. This was his idea."

In the editorial office, Wang Chaoyin sat in front of Li Ji's desk and handed him a notebook with densely written words. "The requirements are quite detailed. I wonder if there is a judge in his family."

Speaking of this, Wang Chaoyin was also puzzled. Most of the authors he had met, especially young authors, did not have the same awareness as Xu Yuexin.

Xu Yuexin is truly an exception among exceptions. Whether it is his achievements in works or his way of dealing with people, he does not seem to be of this age.

"Oh? Xiao Xu wants to change the contract."

"Let me take a look. Wait a moment."

Li Ji took the notebook and began to read it carefully. His expression was not serious but rather full of interest.

In fact, he had long known that the magazine contract was just a rough, semi-finished product and should be improved.

It’s just that we went through a special period in the past few years, and there were too many problems to be solved in the company, so I was unable to take care of it for a while.

Now Li Ji wanted to know what opinions Xu Yuexin, a young man who had just entered the literary world, could give on the contract.

Li Ji's eyes swept across the lines on the notebook, stopping at a certain point from time to time to interpret the intention and rationality.

Wang Chaoyin was feeling very uneasy at this moment.

He was worried that Xu Yuexin's request would displease the editor-in-chief, and he was even more worried that the editor-in-chief would not agree to modify the contract, causing Xu Yuexin to switch to other publications.

Since last year, literary and art newspapers and periodicals have resumed publication one after another. For example, Shanghai Literature and Art has been thriving, and Yanhe in Shaanxi is also gaining momentum, and is known as "Little People's Literature".

The October magazine was newly established in Beijing last year. Just by looking at its name, you can tell that it has a deep background and should not be underestimated. In fact, it has indeed developed very quickly.

As the choices for submissions become increasingly diverse, People's Literature faces the risk of having its authors snatched away.

High-quality authors like Xu Yuexin are undoubtedly the magazine's valuable assets and must not be lost.

Wang Chaoyin felt a little anxious and waited anxiously for the editor-in-chief to express his opinion.

"The demands raised by Xiao Xu are crucial and deserve serious study."

After a long while, Li Ji put down his notebook, put away his expression and said seriously, "Everyone in the team will be here tomorrow, so we can hold a meeting to discuss this matter."

"You are the editor-in-chief and his responsible editor. You have to attend this meeting tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll go back today and prepare for my speech at the meeting."

Wang Chaoyin agreed nervously, trying to interpret Li Ji's attitude from the details.

(End of this chapter)