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

Chapter 59: Do you want to publish and distribute in Hong Kong and overseas?
Is People's Literature paying out the royalties for several other novels at the same time?
Originally, Xu Yuexin thought that he would have to wait until the eve of the manuscript being published before he could receive the royalties, but he did not expect to receive them today.

This working style is really smart.

……

When Xu Yuexin, carrying a huge sum of money and pushing his bicycle, left No. 166 Chaonei, he saw the elderly Hong Kong businessman walking out of the building with brisk steps.

Since they had met twice, the two were considered acquaintances and nodded to each other in greeting.

"I haven't had time to ask for your name, sir. May I ask what your last name is?"

"Your surname is Xu, and your given name is Yuexin."

"Oh... Hello, Mr. Xu. My name is Ye Tianrong and I'm in the cultural and entertainment business. I heard that you are promoting reform and opening up, so I wanted to come to the mainland to seek partners."

The two chatted casually, and when they walked out of the gate, the old man told Xu Yuexin the purpose of their visit today: "I came here today to help them publish books in Hong Kong, and then we will split the profits 50-50. But the magazine leader didn't agree."

"It's such a pity."

Xu Yuexin expressed a little sympathy.

Ye Tianrong spread his hands and smiled helplessly: "Fortunately, I am mentally prepared for this. At worst, I can just try a few more times."

"What about you? You must be the senior writer here, right?"

This old man is somewhat indomitable.

After hearing Ye Tianrong's thoughts, Xu Yuexin actually admired him for a moment.

Now that I know some of the other party's background, it would be nice to have a deal with him.

"I guess so. I have been providing them with articles."

Xu Yuexin said lightly.

While chatting, the two of them had already arrived on the street and were walking along the shade of the trees beside the road.

"Hello, my great writer friend. Nice to meet you today."

In contrast to Xu Yuexin's attitude, Ye Tianrong immediately showed the enthusiasm of a businessman facing a potential partner, took the initiative to shake hands with him and said, "To be honest, I have been paying attention to you since the Xinqiao Hotel."

"I really want to read your masterpiece. Could you please provide the title of the book?"

“I wrote both The Garland Under the Mountain and The Horse Herder.”

"Wow, this is amazing. I have heard of these two books for a long time. I just read them a few days ago. They are really popular. I am very impressed after reading them."

When Ye Tianrong heard about Xu Yuexin's works, he was immediately excited. "It's a pity that these two books cannot be sold in Hong Kong, so the citizens have no chance to see them."

There is something behind his words.

Xu Yuexin listened to what Ye Tianrong said and wondered if Ye Tianrong wanted to cooperate directly with him to engage in publishing and distribution?
Goodbye. You have to know that these days, if an author privately contacts a Hong Kong publisher to publish his work there, it is a definite suicide act.

Unless there is an organization in the middle willing to endorse and bear the risk for you.

"Boss Ye, such a compliment is really unacceptable."

After Xu Yuexin politely declined, he chose to change the subject, "By the way, how long do you plan to stay in Beijing, Boss Ye?"

Ye Tianrong had just arrived here and didn't know the seriousness of the situation, so he couldn't get carried away.

Even if it was to be published and distributed in Hong Kong or overseas, he would not do it this way.

"There is no fixed deadline until the goal is achieved. A book in Hong Kong can be sold for 20 Hong Kong dollars. I believe that with such a big profit gap, there will eventually be a publishing house that will be tempted and agree to cooperate with me."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Xu Yuexin looked at Ye Tianrong who was so excited that he couldn't help but pour cold water on him. "Why, is there anyone in the world who doesn't love money? Besides, you are in the process of reform and opening up, and someone will take the first step in the end, right?"

Ye Tianrong insisted on his own opinion and was obviously very confident in his own logic.

"That's commercial logic, but our current magazines are all state-owned units, so that doesn't apply to us."

Xu Yuexin explained to him, "Leaders of state-owned units are all cadres with administrative ranks. When they face new situations, they often prioritize safety."

"Even in the context of reform and opening up, it doesn't mean we can boldly try anything."

"If we don't understand this relationship, I'm afraid it will be useless to come a few more times."

Ye Tianrong knew people in the upper echelons, knew how to pay attention to policy trends, and even cleverly learned to use Coca-Cola as an observation indicator.

The problem is that he is a Hong Kong businessman after all, and he still doesn't quite understand some of the underlying logic here.

This meant that he would run into obstacles at the beginning.

Ye Tianrong was stunned for a moment.

It seems... it is true. I have dealt with several leaders of units here. When they look at problems, they do not only consider profits, but also take many other things into consideration.

For example, the opinions of superiors, whether there are previous practices, etc.

This young man gave a very good and insightful summary.

Ye Tianrong had to admit that Xu Yuexin's words made sense, even though he looked more than thirty years younger than him.

"So what you mean is that I should go back home and come back after the new policy is introduced?"

After figuring it out, Ye Tianrong said with a sense of loss.

The round-trip airfare and accommodation costs are small matters; the key lies in precious time and opportunity.

As a businessman, Ye Tianrong really wanted to seize the opportunity.

Xu Yuexin did not respond to Ye Tianrong immediately, but thought about his original proposal in his mind.

Distributing books and periodicals in Hong Kong and overseas is indeed a very profitable business.

If I can reach a cooperation with him and then find People's Literature to endorse me, the returns will definitely be astonishingly high and there will be no risk.

As for how to impress people's literature? Relying on profit sharing alone is not enough. As I just said, we cannot use pure commercial logic to apply to state-owned enterprises in this era.

The difficulty lies in this point. Ye Tianrong knows people in the upper class, but today he can only return empty-handed. You can imagine the obstacles on this road.

If you want to release the film in Hong Kong and overseas, you have to find a way to resolve these obstacles.

Before that, what he had to do was to stabilize Ye Tianrong and prevent him from running away.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuexin decided to leave some hope for Ye Tianrong.

"It's Boss Ye's business to come or go."

Xu Yuexin said slowly, "I just think that if I stay here for a while, I can at least build some connections and better understand the rules of doing things."

"Moreover, we have the phenomenon of policy preemption. By the time you know about the policy in Hong Kong, I'm afraid others have already implemented it in advance."

"Take publishing in Hong Kong and overseas as an example. As far as I know, there is already an undercurrent, and many writers and publishers are eager to try."

"Of course, if Boss Ye is willing to leave and come back to eat other people's leftovers after a while, then just ignore what I said."

(End of this chapter)