Tokyo: The life of a literary giant begins with home self-defense!

Chapter 56 (Seeking follow-up reading) The interview became more famous than the article 4
“You want to save declining sales with just one article?”

Muroyasu, who was sitting next to Ono, couldn't help but laugh.

The editor-in-chief of this second group has a completely different editing style from Ryukawa Tetsu.

His hair was meticulously combed close to his scalp, his face was calm and his eyes were sinister.

He would definitely look like a villain on TV.

"You still don't understand why the literary market has become like this." The man stood up and buttoned the second button of his suit, leaving two centimeters of the white collar exposed at the cuffs.

He gave people an aura of meticulousness, and his eagle-like eyes swept around. Except for Ono and Nakamura above, almost no one dared to look him in the eye.

"Kodansha's Gunzo has 48 copies, Bungeishunju's Literary World has 41 copies, and the pure literature books from Kawade Shobo and Shueisha only have 70 copies combined."

What Muroan said internally was the reality of the current major publishing houses on the market. The editors nodded after listening and he continued:
"But do you know what the total sales of Kodansha's monthly magazines were last month?"

The editor in a suit was speaking to everyone, but his eyes were fixed on Taro Ono.

"How many?"

Ono Taro frowned.

He usually only cares about the market for pure literature. Kodansha established boys' and youth comics magazines such as "Weekly Shonen Magazine" and "Bessatsu Shonen Magazine" a long time ago, as well as heavyweight mystery novel awards such as the Edogawa Ranpo Award. They are very diverse and messy, and it is difficult to count sales.

"Seven million, eight hundred thousand copies, a fifty percent increase from last year."

Muroan said a very exaggerated number, and the editors below were stunned and started to talk.

Statements like "That woman is so powerful." and "Kodansha should have no rivals in popular literature publishing." are heard frequently.

"Why are you saying this?" Ono Taro waved his hands somewhat dissatisfied.

In terms of money making and sales, few can compare with Kodansha. Shinchosha focuses on pure literature and has almost no other popular reading materials except for a Shincho Novel Science Fiction Award.

"Popular literature is becoming more and more popular in the market, and it is foreseeable that the market for obscure pure literature will be squeezed out."

"Do you want us to do popular literature as well?"

Taro Ono sneered, saying that Shinchosha was able to achieve its current status because they focused on the purity of literature, and that they would definitely be ridiculed by the industry if they went into doing popular literature.

"of course not!"

Muroyasu stood up and was even more excited than Ono Taro.

"Can popular books be considered literature?"

The discourse within the room is somewhat contemptuous, but this is almost considered common sense in the industry.

Light novel authors are not as good as mystery novel authors.

Writers of mystery novels are not as good as those who create pure literature.

Pure literary creators are a group of people who can truly influence society and make people think. They cannot be compared with those authors who entertain the public.

If Longchuan Che were here, he would definitely ask the literary author if he could get a raise in royalties since he is so talented.

But now, including Ono Taro, who was at odds with the other party, nodded in agreement.

Most of the people who come to Shinchosha are literati with ideals and ambitions, which is indeed different from Kodansha, which focuses on making money.

"What on earth are you trying to say by going around in circles?"

Taro Ono was still holding the manuscript of "Snow Country" in his hand, and was impatient with Muroan's interruption.

"It's understandable that publishers like Kodansha and Shueisha are paying more and more attention to popular books, but we can't do that."

Inside the room, Abe walked up to Ono Taro, picked up his manuscript, looked at it, and sneered.

"Sure enough, it's another bland manuscript."

"Class literature is popular now, and you want to save the company's sales with a manuscript like this that has no ideological core?" "In my opinion, the article "Eggs and High Walls" that I recommended to the monthly magazine "New Trend" should have been published. While everyone is focusing on popular readings, we can grab all the pure literature market!"

"Yes, he is eyeing the rights to select articles for the monthly magazine New Trend, which he holds."

Looking at the other party talking, Ono Taro's face turned dark.

The government is compared to a high wall and the people are compared to fragile eggs.

The manuscript that was received by Indoor Abe was indeed powerful and explosive, but it ran counter to Ono Taro's idea of ​​selecting the manuscript.

'Don't criticize for the sake of criticizing.'

This is what the chief editor of Shinchosha has always insisted on.

He believes that it is important for a good work to have an ideological core, but the most important thing is whether it can cause changes among the people and society after it is released.

"Eggs and High Walls" is well written.

But publishing it will not change the current situation.

Taro Ono shook his head and was about to say that he would not accept the manuscript.

He discovered that Minister Nakamura, who had always supported him, was also staring at him.

It doesn’t matter whether “Eggs and Walls” is used or not, but it was indeed a method proposed by Amuro to prevent the decline in sales.

The market for pure literature is becoming increasingly sluggish. Should the monthly magazine New Trend, which has always been dominated by me, conform to the current mainstream class literature?

Satire the government, guide the people, and write something that everyone likes to read.

"I want everyone to read this manuscript in my hand first."

Taro Ono was silent for a while, and then put the prepared "Snow Country" in front of the editors.

With sales continuing to decline and other publishing houses doing better and better, the minister who originally supported him could no longer stand by his side.

If "Snow Country" fails to satisfy everyone, his group's right to select manuscripts will also be in danger.

"I met a young man in Yamanashi Prefecture."

Thinking of the always indifferent Ryukawa Toru, Ono Taro smiled.

I originally thought that Ryukawa Toru was lucky, but now it seems that I am also lucky to have got "Snow Country".

“He’s different from all of us cynical literary people.”

The snow-white manuscript paper was placed in front of each editor. Everyone listened to each other and wanted to see what kind of work really made the other party persist.

“Don’t write criticism, don’t write reflection.”

“It’s even hard for me to see the pursuit of something concrete in his works.”

Looking to the west, you can see the majestic snow-capped mountains even from Tokyo.

The phantom-like old man in kimono seemed to still be sitting in that direction.

His genre was born in the original world together with classist literature, but he finally defeated classist literature.

No criticism, no thinking.

Some are just the pursuit of pure artistic aesthetics.

"He was very poor and didn't have much money, so I asked him why he didn't write pulp fiction."

Taro Ono smiled as he recalled the night when the wheel tracks were pulled far away by the starlight.

"He said he had eaten up a century of Japanese literary fortune, and he wanted to return these things to us first."

(End of this chapter)