Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 23 Signing and Planning

As Cao Sheng expected, when talking about the remuneration, the price offered by the other party was indeed not high.

Chang Qingshu: "Since you have not published any works before and you are not famous here, we can only pay you according to the standard for newcomers, which is 3000 RMB per episode (65000 words per episode). If this book is well received in the market, we will definitely increase your payment for your next work. If you have no objection to the payment, we can officially sign the contract today."

3000 per episode?

Although Cao Sheng had expected that the royalties would not be high, he was still a little disappointed by the price.

He remembered that around 03 in the original time and space, the publishing price for new authors in Taiwan seemed to be 4500 per episode.

However, it is now 98, and the price per episode is lower than in 03, which is normal.

But considering his own interests, he still wanted to try to get more.

So, he replied: "3000 yuan per episode? 3000 yuan for 50 words? To be honest, this price is much lower than I expected. It's not even yuan per thousand words. My book should be a completely new topic, right? You also said that my book is well written. If this is the highest price your company can give me, then I may have to think carefully."

After a moment, Chang Qingshu replied: "3000 RMB per episode is the price for all new writers. Of course, we are optimistic about the market prospects of your work, so we can adjust the price appropriately, but my authority is limited, so I can only increase it a little. If it's more, I will need to ask the president for permission. I hope you can understand."

Cao Sheng: "What price can you give me?"

Evergreen: "4000, this is the highest price I can give you within my authority. If you want a higher price, you can tell me your expected remuneration and I will apply to the president on your behalf. However, I cannot give you an accurate answer as to whether the president will approve it or how long it will take. Please understand."

4000?

Cao Sheng was a little hesitant.

Of course he wants to get higher remuneration.

But reason told him that in 98, as a completely new author, it was already a rare opportunity for him to receive such high royalties.

Even if he asked this evergreen to apply to their president, even if he could negotiate a higher price, it probably wouldn't be much higher.

The key point is that if you do this, the publication that could have been finalized may eventually be shelved due to the issue of manuscript fees.

Yes! Since his book can pass the review of this publishing house, it should also have a chance to pass the review of other publishing houses.

But can other publishers definitely offer a higher price?

Also, what about time?

How long will he have to wait before submitting his manuscript to another publishing house?
If the second and third publishing houses reject my manuscript and are unwilling to publish my book, will I still be able to support myself?
Newcomers are not qualified to negotiate terms.

This is a truth he has long understood.

Until he proves the market value of his work, he has no bargaining power at all.

Only when his works become popular in the market and other publishing houses come to him to commission works, will the initiative be transferred to him and he will be qualified to negotiate the price he wants.

These thoughts passed through his mind and made him make a decision.

"Okay! Then 4000 per episode. I agree to this price. Can we sign the contract now?"

After a moment, Chang Qingshu replied: "I am very happy that we have reached an agreement on the remuneration. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future. I will send the contract to you immediately. You can print it out, sign it, and then mail it to the address I provided you. You need to print two copies of the contract. After you sign it, we will receive the contract you sent, sign it, and stamp it, and then send a copy back to you."

……

When Cao Sheng came out of the Internet cafe, the smile on his face and his brisk steps showed his mood.

4000 per episode doesn't seem like much.

But each episode only has 65000 words. With his typing speed, even if he has to attend classes during the week, if he works hard, he should have no problem writing two episodes every month.

So, he can earn 8000 per month.
If he is in good condition and works harder, it is not impossible for him to write three episodes in a month.

If you can write three episodes a month, you will get 12000 yuan in royalties. This kind of income is nothing in the online literature circle in 2024.

But it’s 98.

His father works hard but can only earn two or three hundred yuan a month. At the end of the year, even with the income from farming at home, he may not be able to save two thousand yuan.

If his parents knew that he now has the opportunity to earn 12,000 yuan a month, they would definitely burn more paper money for their ancestors during the Chinese New Year to thank them for their blessings.

Of course, as a reborn person, this amount of royalties cannot satisfy him.

He still planned that if the book sold well after publication, he would ask the publishing house to increase his royalties.

If it doesn’t go up, he will threaten to end it soon.

He will not give up the interests that he should fight for.

……

After coming out of the Internet cafe, he went to the printing shop at the school gate, printed out two copies of the contract according to the publisher's requirements, signed them, and went to the post office to mail the contract to the recipient address.

Chang Qingshu said that once the contract is sent to their publishing house, the royalties for the first episode will be transferred to his bank account.

Then we will arrange for the book to be published as soon as possible, and when it is published, we will send him 5 sample copies.

But the second month's remuneration will be postponed for one month.

Cao Sheng wanted to have enough money as soon as possible to buy a laptop for writing, so when he heard that the second month's manuscript fee would be postponed by one month, he proposed that he submit two episodes of the manuscript next month and let the other party pay one episode's fee and deposit one episode's fee next month.

But it was declined.

The reason is: this book has not yet been tested by the market. According to convention, the first three volumes will be published over three months, with only one volume published each month to test the market reaction.

If the market response is not good, the publishing house has the right to ask him to complete the work as soon as possible.

Cao Sheng had no choice but to follow the other party's rules.

New work by newbies...

It's normal for the other party to be cautious.

But he still wants to buy a computer of his own as soon as possible to write.

The speed of handwriting the manuscript is really too slow. After finishing it, I have to find time to go to the Internet cafe to type it again.

The efficiency is too low!

It will affect his monthly income from royalties in the future.

However, the fee for his first episode was only 4000 yuan, while laptops are generally very expensive nowadays, with a laptop costing seven or eight thousand yuan, or even tens of thousands of yuan.

It was not until the 2000s, when the Shenzhou laptop came out, that the inflated prices of laptops were brought down.

Therefore, at present he can only consider a desktop computer, and it has to be a relatively cheap assembled computer. The prices of finished machines are also inflated, and 4000 yuan may not be enough.

Moreover, he had to save some money for living expenses, and also some money to rent a house, because he now lived in an eight-person dormitory, and other classmates and seniors often came to visit. If he kept the computer he bought in the dormitory, if it was broken or stolen, he might not know who did it.

The most important thing is that the computer is placed in the dormitory, so it is probably difficult for him to calm down and write.

To sum up, Cao Sheng plans to keep his budget for buying a computer within 3000 yuan.

The remaining 1000 yuan is used for rent and food.

(End of this chapter)