Tokyo Tycoon, Start as a Writer

Chapter 50: Gaining both fame and fortune, the Director of the Ministry of Culture came to apologize
Japanese writers' income is mainly divided into three parts.

The manuscript fee published in the fiction magazine is paid by the number of words (number of manuscript pages). A manuscript page has about 350 words. The fee for an ordinary author is 4000-6000 yen per page. The fee for a single manuscript page for an established and best-selling author can reach more than 5 yen.

One of the authors that Kiyoaki Matsueda is more familiar with is Junichi Watanabe, whose royalties for a single sheet of manuscript paper are 5 yen.

"Mr. Mishima, I'm sorry that I couldn't help you this time. To express my sincerity and my guilt, in the new contract, your manuscript fee per sheet will be priced at 50000 yen." Editor Matsushita said very sincerely.

50000 yen is the maximum amount he can offer at this level.

In a contract that Kiyoaki Matsueda had signed before, the manuscript fee for a single page of manuscript paper was 6000 yen, and this was the best price that editor Kobayashi had gotten for him as a newcomer.

Based on the 89000-word length of "Shiosao", the pre-tax royalties under the old contract were more than 150 million yen, which is half a year's income for an average worker.

According to the new contract, it is 1270 million yen.

Kiyoaki Matsueda is now extremely poor. The income brought by "Dancing Girl", namely the signing bonus of 10 yen, the one-time royalties of 22 yen, and the Shincho Award prize of 100 million yen, the latter two of which have not yet been received.

Now you can get 1270 million yen in royalties in one go, and unless you are a greedy person, you will feel satisfied.

The second major source of income for Japanese writers is royalties from single books.

Generally speaking, the royalties for a single book are 10% of the selling price. If the selling price of a single book is 1500 yen, the author can get 150 yen for each copy printed.

Assuming that the first edition prints 1 copies, the writer will have 150 million yen in royalties. Regardless of whether the printed books are sold out or just sit in the warehouse gathering dust due to a poor market, the publisher must pay the author this amount.

If the book sells well in the future, you can continue to print more copies, and you can receive the corresponding amount of royalties no matter how many copies you print.

Of course, single volumes are also negotiable.

"In the new contract, Mr. Mishima's single book royalties are 15%." Editor-in-Chief Matsushita said, his demeanor and tone were very respectful. "In the entire history of the New Wave, there are no more than 20 writers who can get this ratio. I have to explain the reason for giving you this royalty ratio in person to the editor-in-chief. It is also because I value my cooperation with Mr. Mishima and believe in your ability that I dare to give you this."

"I understand." Kiyoaki Matsueda nodded slightly to express his gratitude.

15% royalties are really not low. In this industry chain, bookstores take at least 30%-40% of the selling price, printing houses take 10%, and the marketing and promotion costs of books take 20%, leaving only about 30%.

Giving 15% to the author is a limit that a publishing house that has to support an entire company of employees can take. The conditions are indeed very sincere.

In addition to the royalties for single-volume books, there are also royalties for paperback books.

Three years after the publication of the single-volume edition, the best books among them can be published as paperback editions with simple binding and smaller printing size.

Because of their lower prices and wide sales, paperback editions have a very good economic effect and are also an important source of income for writers.

The third important source of income is copyright income.

Whether it is film and television adaptation, game animation, peripheral products, or joint authorization, Editor-in-Chief Panasonic has given the maximum conditions within his authority, which can be said to be full of sincerity.

Even for some currently unimportant and non-scaled things, such as e-book royalties, Panasonic's editor-in-chief even gave a terrifying proportion of 50%.

It was only 2010, and Japan's e-reading business was just getting started. The electronic royalties that authors could receive generally did not exceed 30%.

“Oh, and there’s a signing bonus!”

Hearing this, Songzhi Qingxian's eyes suddenly lit up.

It will take another two or three months to receive royalties, but the signing bonus is paid out very quickly!

"Generally, for authors with long-term contracts and high economic benefits, we can offer 100 million yen." Editor-in-chief Matsushita looked at the young writer, his forehead slightly sweating. In order to firmly grasp this potential stock in his hands, he gritted his teeth and said, "And for you, Mr. Mishima, I can offer you 500 million yen!"

500 million yen is the signing fee for top writers.

Even the series of conditions mentioned above are the treatment given to top writers.

The editor-in-chief of Panasonic dared to give this, which shows that he was really risking his life.

The Second Department has been established for so long, but has never had much say in the new trend. After finally producing a new film, it was suppressed by the First Department in various ways. Now that he has given Kiyoaki Matsueda such generous conditions, it can be said that he has completely put his career on the line.

If Kiyoaki Matsueda's books don't sell well in the future, he will definitely be held accountable by his superiors because of this contract.

In the office, the editor-in-chief looked nervous, and so was the intern editor.

Kiyoaki Matsueda thought for a moment, then turned to look at Midori Kobayashi and said, "I'll leave the subsequent serialization and publication of 'Tide Sao' to Editor Kobayashi."

Kobayashi Midori took a deep breath and showed an infectious smile: "Hey! Mr. Mishima, please rest assured!"

Editor-in-Chief Matsushita felt relieved and looked at Kobayashi Midori with satisfaction, thinking that it was time to make her a full-time employee.

"By the way, please pay the signing bonus quickly."

"I will personally help you with the process. I will be there on the first working day of next week!"

"Okay, get a pen."

"Mister Mishima, please!"

Kiyoaki Matsueda took the pen and signed his name on the contract.

"Okay, now I can relax and prepare for the marketing of the new book." After seeing his signature, the relaxed look on Editor-in-Chief Matsushita's face gradually turned serious. "Mishima is a newcomer after all, and 'Tide of Tide' is a new book, so it has limited appeal to readers..."

"Don't worry, the sales will definitely be good." Matsueda Kiyoaki put down his pen and smiled confidently, "After tomorrow, the name 'Tide Sao' will be famous all over the country. You just need to prepare the interview arrangements for the new book."

"Ok?"

Editor-in-chief Panasonic was very confused.

Kobayashi Midori, who knew the reason, laughed secretly.

After finishing the contract signing work and returning to Matsueda's house, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.

Matsueda Masako, who had been away from social life for several months, was still lying on the bench under the teahouse corridor, revealing a pair of voluptuous white legs under her lavender nightgown. The setting sun in the summer shone on her dazed face and tall, full chest, and her lazy and charming eyebrows showed more than ever that she was a widow with nowhere to vent her lust.

Seeing her like this, Kiyoaki Matsueda was reminded of a geisha named Kimie in Nagai Kafu's novel.

She has an innate warmth and fragrance. She doesn't need any seduction skills. Any man who has touched her will never forget the sensory pleasure - Masako is like this magical woman.

Kiyoaki Matsueda walked up to the corridor and squatted next to the recliner.

The weather was very hot and humid at four o'clock in the afternoon. Although Matsueda Masako was wearing cool clothes, she couldn't help sweating.

The scent of a woman's body mixed with sweat came.

Her expression became more lazy and affectionate. She looked towards Song Zhiqingxian and moved her red lips: "Were you bullied badly?"

"On the contrary, I made a great comeback," said Kiyoaki Matsueda calmly.

"Oh~"

Matsueda Shinsako responded coldly.

She didn't show her inner excitement and joy at all. She was even afraid that her eyes would reveal her thoughts, so she simply closed her eyes.

"Are you planning to escape?" asked Kiyoaki Matsueda with a smile.

Hearing this, Matsueda Shinsako opened her eyes and laughed coldly: "Let me tell you, this level of humiliation is not enough to hit me! And you don't even win! I'm just waiting to see how your single book sales plummet!"

"In that case, I'll keep it for now. After the book is published, I'll slowly settle the score with you!"

"I'm afraid I'll settle accounts with you!"

"Let's make a bet!" Matsueda Kiyoaki grabbed her little finger on her right hand and made a pinky promise with himself, "If the sales of the new book exceed 100,000 copies in the first month, I win and I will be your master for a day. Otherwise, you win and you will be my master for a day."

Their little fingers were hooked together.

Where the skin touches, it's warm and soft.

The setting sun gradually dimmed, and the two daughters walked into the house one after another. Matsueda Kiyoaki went to prepare dinner with them.

The mistress was as gorgeous as ever, with a slightly tipsy expression and a satisfied smile on her face.

"There is a lot of dust on the tea table..."

She suddenly remembered this because no guests came to visit this lonely old Chinese family and the tea table had not been moved for a long time.

Maybe there will be changes in the future?
The evening breeze, dispelling the summer heat, blew in from the courtyard.

Feeling the refreshing breeze, Matsueda Shinsako couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had come back to life. She felt full of strength. She stood up and walked into the tea room and cleaned it inside and out.

The soft emotions unique to women surged in her chest, making her face look happy.

"Hey, Mom, you look so good, did something good happen to you?"

In response to her little daughter's strange question, Matsueda Shinsako laughed. The sky above her head was already covered with night, and the beautiful and lovely Star of Hope began to shine!
■

The next day, August 8th.

All major newspapers in Japan published a news story.

The titles are all different, but the content is exactly the same: the Ministry of Culture uses its power to oppress emerging authors and attempts to seize the copyright of popular award-winning works.

This news caused an earthquake in the entire literary world.

There are some things that are fine to do in private, but they must never be said out loud.

When faced with major events that concerned their own interests, middle and lower-level authors all stood on Mishima's side and criticized the Agency for Cultural Affairs through various channels.

Even the top authors who have close ties with the Ministry of Culture dare not speak out at this time and are swept up by public opinion to join the ranks of criticizing the Ministry of Culture.

The general public also overwhelmingly supports Mishima.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs, from top to bottom, and even officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, were all criticized by netizens.

The lackey of the Ministry of Culture official in the video, the editor of Shinchosha, also could not escape verbal abuse and even cyber violence.

In addition, "The Wave of Waves", a novel representing the writer Mishima's resistance to powerful oppression, became popular all over the country before it was published - this is a heroic story of the lower class overthrowing the upper class, and who wouldn't love to hear about it?

Amid the overwhelming wave of public opinion, Shinchosha responded immediately.

On August 8, Editor-in-Chief Nitta was dismissed by Shinchosha due to work mistakes. Because he caused huge negative impact to the company, he also faces lawsuit from the company, and the dismissal compensation may not even be enough to cover his loss.

Under tremendous public pressure, Seiichiro Ito was officially dismissed at 8 a.m. on August 18, and his political career ended.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the Ministry of Culture held a press conference.

The deputy director of the Tokyo branch bowed and apologized to the national audience, reflected on his mistakes at work and begged for forgiveness from the people. At the press conference, he also stated that he would personally visit the writer Mishima and apologize to him in person.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, many media outlets focused on the doorstep of Matsueda's home.

The noble and cold mistress of the Matsueda family, wearing a long-sleeved kimono, opened the gate and accepted the bow of the Deputy Minister of Tokyo under the aim of long-sleeved and short-sleeved guns... This scene became the front-page photo of several newspapers.

■

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(End of this chapter)