Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 22 Negotiating Publishing
Hello, Zhongyuan Yidianhui:

Thank you again for your manuscript. I am pleased to inform you that your work "I Want to Become an Immortal" has passed the final review of our company. Our review editors unanimously believe that your masterpiece has a novel subject matter, a smooth and easy writing style, unique style, likable characters, vivid supporting roles, and a fascinating plot. It fully meets the publishing standards of our company. Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss specific publishing matters.

Looking forward to seeing your reply soon.

I wish you good health and abundant creative ideas!
——Xinchang Publishing House Evergreen"

……

After reading this email, Cao Sheng felt indescribable for a moment.

Happy for sure.

In the original time and space, although he had been writing full-time for many years, he entered the industry too late. When he started writing, the online literature publishing market in Taiwan had almost been occupied by the great writers.

By the time his works reached a certain standard, the online literature publishing market in Taiwan had shrunk terribly, and it became difficult to publish the works of great writers there.

So, before his rebirth, although he had been writing for many years, he had never published any works in Taiwan.

It has never been published in mainland China.

Because online literature publishing in mainland China has never been doing well.

As a person who makes a living by writing, it must be a regret in his heart that his works have never been printed in lead type and published.

So, now that he sees his work being published, he is very happy.

But more importantly, ambitions for the future are growing rapidly.

reason?

He is now the first author to write online articles, and I'm afraid he will also be the first author to publish online articles. He is already a well-deserved pioneer in this industry.

Guo Xiaosi, Han Er, Sanshao, Fanqie and others don’t know what they are doing now!

And Cao Sheng has already gained such a first-mover advantage.

With such advantages, he naturally has higher expectations for his future.

As an online writer, there is mostly only one standard for success.

——That is whether you make money.

You say you write well, and people ask you how much money you make? You say you haven't signed a contract yet, and haven't earned any royalties, so who would respect you?
You say that you write well and your readers have a very good reputation. People ask you how much money you make? You say that your monthly royalties are about 3,000 yuan, but others say that your monthly royalties are 100,000 yuan. Do you still have the confidence to say that you write well?
Since their inception, online writers have long been unknown and without any official awards or financial subsidies. Many people outside the industry have never even heard of this profession. The only criterion for judging whether your profession is good or not is basically how much money you can earn.

If you earn a lot, others will envy you.

If you earn so little, people will look at you as if you are a joke. They may even suspect that there is something wrong with your brain. They can't understand why you still do this job when you earn so little.

As for Cao Sheng.

After his rebirth, he has written a book called "The Days of Living with a Flight Attendant" and the beginning of his current book "I Want to Become an Immortal".

But he has been generating electricity with love. So far, he has spent a lot of time and energy. He doesn't know how many brain cells have died, and he has also paid a lot for Internet fees.

But I didn't earn a penny.

The title of the originator of online literature is very intimidating.

But he couldn't fool himself.

He has always been aware that if he cannot earn royalties quickly, his living expenses for this semester will soon be used up, and by then, he will have problems with eating every day.

And now?
The first publishing house he submitted his manuscript to agreed to publish his book "I Want to Become an Immortal".

This news not only brought him a sense of accomplishment, but also the money he needed most.

With the money, he could not only improve his food, but also buy a laptop of his own as soon as possible, so that he could type every day without having to write by hand in a draft book and then go to an Internet cafe overnight to convert it into an electronic document.

He can also rent a house to provide himself with a better writing environment. And...

Next time a beautiful girl wants to date him, he won't have to refuse because of his tight living expenses.

money……

It's so important for a man.

In this era, only if you have money can you live with dignity. Without money, all your good qualities will be insignificant in the eyes of others.

For example: You are honest and trustworthy, hardworking, filial to your parents, respectful to the elderly and loving the young...

But if you have no money, who will look at you more than your parents and relatives?
In front of the computer.

Cao Sheng sat motionless for a long time, staring blankly at the content of the email in his mailbox and reading it several times. Many past events flashed through his mind. After a long time, his turbulent heart gradually calmed down.

A smile quietly appeared on the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, a sentence flashed through his mind: Once I swallow a golden pill, my life will be in my own hands from now on.

Confidence, at this moment, filled his heart.

He began to organize his thoughts and reply to the publishing house.

——"Thank you! I am very happy to pass your review. It is already very late. Can we formally communicate about the specific publishing matters at 2 pm tomorrow?"

When replying to this message, he glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen - 10:44.

It's not even early morning yet.

Therefore, there should be no ambiguity regarding the "tomorrow afternoon" mentioned in his reply.

……

The next day at 1: p.m.

Cao Sheng arrived at the Starry Sky Internet Cafe early, turned on a computer, and logged into his email.

As he expected, the publishing house's manuscript editor, Chang Qingshu, had already replied to him.

——"No problem, see you at 2pm today, I look forward to communicating with you in real time - Evergreen"

Cao Sheng didn't reply in a hurry.

I waited until 2 o'clock before he replied: "Hello! I'm online, are you there?"

Chang Qingshu quickly replied: "Hello, I'm here, and I'm about to discuss the publication of "I Want to Become an Immortal" with you. May I ask if this book was created independently by you? Does the copyright of this book belong entirely to you personally?"

Cao Sheng: "Yes, this book was created independently by me, and all copyrights belong to me."

Evergreen: "Very good! How long do you plan to write this book? How many words are there in total?"

Cao Sheng: "The total number of words depends on the market response of the book. If the market response is good, I can write a longer one. Otherwise, I can finish it at any time."

Cao Sheng didn't want to limit the total number of words in the text when signing the contract.

Because he knew that as a new author, the royalties he could get for his first published work would definitely not be high, but he wanted to earn more royalties, so what should he do?
His plan is: after his book is published and becomes popular, he will ask for an increase in royalties. If the publishing house disagrees, he will say that he is preparing to complete the work in the near future.

Doing this seems a bit shameless.

But if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth.

Moreover, as long as he does not agree with the other party on the minimum number of words in the full text when signing the contract, or sets the expected number of words in the full text to be less, then the initiative of when to complete it is in his hands.

At that time, he can use his right to terminate the work at any time to discuss the issue of increasing his remuneration. What's the problem?
Besides, if this book becomes popular and the other party is still unwilling to increase the remuneration, is he, Cao Sheng, really the shameless person?

(End of this chapter)