Restart life

Chapter 102 0099 [Publisher Fierce Competition] (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Wen Baobao)
Publishing houses also take a holiday during the National Day holiday.

Shenyang.

Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House.

Shi Xiang, a senior editor in charge of youth literature, returned to the office after a holiday break to relax.

He was in a good mood.

"Brother Shi, President Chang wants you to come over."

"coming."

Shi Xiang went to the office of Vice President Chang Jing with a beaming smile.

"dong dong dong~~"

The door wasn't closed. Shi Xiang knocked a few times as a formality, paused for two seconds, and then went inside.

Vice President Chang said, "We couldn't reach an agreement on Guo Xiaosi's new book; it was snatched up by 21st Century Publishing House."

"How could this be?" Shi Xiang was immediately taken aback.

He is Guo Jingming's true benefactor!
At the time, no one had high hopes for "Ice Fantasy". Even the publisher of "The Edge of Love and Pain" thought the novel had no future.

It was in the dead of winter that Shi Xiang took the train from Shenyang to Shanghai to discuss with Guo Jingming how to publish and promote "City of Fantasy". Immediately afterwards, Shi Xiang also helped publish and promote "How Many Flowers Fall in Dreams".

Guo Jingming's "Island" series was also handled by Shi Xiang.

Shi Xiang always thought that no matter what book Guo Jingming published, he would choose to collaborate with him.

Vice President Chang sighed, “21st Century Publishing House has gone mad. ‘The Happiness of Carved Times’ is just a picture book, yet they are willing to pay royalties for a full-length novel! That Guo Xiaosi is opportunistic; he kicked us aside for a tiny bit of royalties.”

Shi Xiang thought to himself: I told you long ago, don't hold back Guo Jingming's royalties. He can earn more money, why would he keep working for us?
Although Guo Jingming is embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, he remains a hot commodity in the eyes of publishers.

He planned to publish a book of pictures and texts purely for making money, and the news immediately attracted a frenzy of bids from multiple publishing houses.

Li Xunhuan (Lu Zong, Han Han's later publisher) was the most brilliant. He planned to simultaneously promote Guo Jingming's new book and the second edition of Zhuang Yu's "Inside and Outside the Circle".

In other words, they would tie the plagiarist and the plagiarized to each other and publish a book together!
Li Xunhuan even persuaded the plagiarist to agree that if the plagiarist included a line in the reprint, "Thank you Zhuang Yu's novel for inspiring me," the two could make peace and avoid further legal battles.

Making money together is a win-win situation.

However, Guo Jingming refused...

Li Xunhuan was speechless and then sought cooperation with Han Han.

"Will Guo Jingming's 'Island' still working with us?" Shi Xiang asked.

Vice President Chang said, "The organization has decided to cut off contact. Do you really think we have no complaints?"

Shi Xiang hesitated and said, "Aren't there two more rounds left?"

"broken!"

“He’s not the only celebrity to emerge from the New Concept Writing Competition,” Vice President Chang tossed over a copy of “Mengya” magazine. “Chen Guiliang has a very positive image. He got into Peking University based on his own merit, and he started serializing a novel during the National Day holiday.”

Shi Xiang took the magazine "Sprout" and flipped to Chen Guiliang's novel according to the table of contents. After reading for a few minutes, he frowned: "Isn't this just a humorous and witty translation of the History of Ming? It'll be lucky if it sells 100,000 copies."

"Not necessarily, the serialization has been very well received," said Vice President Chang.

Shi Xiang asked, "Then should I make a trip to Peking University?"

Vice President Chang said, "Let's try to contact him."

……

In Tongliao, the center of the universe, the nine-year-old Future Khan is happily reading "Sprout".

"Have you finished your National Day homework?" Old Khatun asked.

Little Khan said, "Mom, I finished a long time ago."

"What extracurricular book are you reading now?"

"I just flipped through 'Mengya' (Sprout), the book my neighbor read." I'm studying history, really, you won't believe me.

"Is this also history?"

"It's about the Ming Dynasty, and it's really funny."

Old Khedron snatched the magazine "Sprout" with the intention of just checking it, but ended up really getting engrossed in reading it.

It has no reading barriers and is suitable for men, women, young and old.

It's fine if you don't like history; just treat it as a humorous story.

The young Khan stood by, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

The old khoto read the more than 20,000-word serial for 50 minutes with a smile, then casually tossed it back to his son: "Here you go."

The young Khan was overjoyed.

……

"Senior, the issue of 'Mengya' that I bought has been circulated all over our class."

Tao Xue excitedly said on the phone, "Everyone loves your 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty,' saying that it's an easy way to learn history. Even students who don't like reading 'Mengya' magazine find your serialized articles fascinating."

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "Thanks to your help with the publicity."

Tao Xue said, "I also went on the Mengya Forum and saw that many people were discussing it, saying that your book is particularly interesting."

"I'm afraid there are still people who don't like me and accuse me of translating history books to cheat for royalties?" Chen Guiliang said.

Tao Xue said, "Those were just a few isolated cases, and I replied to all of them to scold them. Many netizens joined me in scolding them, and we scolded those few until they dared not show their faces."

Chen Guiliang broke out in a cold sweat.

Surprisingly, he even has fans helping him fight back.

After chatting for a while, Tao Xue asked, "Are you going home for winter break this year?"

"The National Day holiday has just ended," Chen Guiliang said.

"Ok."

"Listen carefully in class, study hard, and I'll be waiting for you at Peking University."

"It's settled then, I'm going to do my homework. Senior... Hmph, goodbye, nephew!"

Goodbye, Aunt Xue.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Guiliang lay down in his dormitory to rest.

During the National Day holiday, Chen Guiliang rode his bicycle and visited almost all the surrounding universities.

First, to play with Bian Guanyue.

Secondly, familiarity with major universities will facilitate the future promotion of the game "Three Kingdoms Kill" and the campus network.

Bian Guanyue was very happy, sitting on the back of the bicycle every day, enjoying the different scenery of the university campus.

After a few days, her kissing skills improved considerably. She hadn't been lying down for long when the phone rang again.

"Hello, is this Chen Guiliang?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"I'm."

"Hello, I'm Wan Yu, an editor from Writers Publishing House. I'd like to talk to you about the publication of 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty'."

"I've only serialized it for a little over 20,000 words."

How many words do you plan to write in this book?

"Around a million."

"How many?"

"A little over a million."

"This... is not convenient to publish. I suggest you release it in volumes."

How much royalty does your company plan to pay?

"8%."

Chen Guiliang got out of bed, sat in front of the computer, and asked, "How much are Han Han and Guo Xiaosi's royalties?"

Wan Yu paused for a moment: "15%. Your book is different; it's a popular science book about history, so its sales are naturally not as good as their youth novels. Besides, Han Han and Guo Jingming didn't even get 15% for their first book. Fame and royalties are linked; you need to make a name for yourself with one book first. For a newcomer with some fame, 8% is already very high; Yu Hua's royalties are only 12%."

"Let me think about it. You can also discuss it further," Chen Guiliang said.

Wan Yu said, "Okay, let's discuss it further."

That afternoon, Chen Guiliang received several phone calls from publishing houses.

His new phone number was probably leaked by Hu Weishi.

One publisher was particularly stingy, offering a royalty rate of only 6%, treating Chen Guiliang like a complete newcomer and completely disregarding his reputation among middle school students.

If it were a completely new author publishing their work, how could they possibly attract so many publishers?

Nowadays, major publishing houses in China are particularly keen to acquire writers who have emerged from the "New Concept Writing Competition," and they are even willing to publish pure literary novels that are often discouraged.

The next day, evening.

Chen Guiliang received another phone call.

"Hello, I am Chen Guiliang."

"Hello, I am Shi Xiang from Chunfeng Literature and Art. I was the one who handled the production of 'Ice Fantasy' and 'How Many Flowers Fall in Dreams'."

"Editor Shi has a good eye," Chen Guiliang chuckled.

Shi Xiang said, "I'm almost at Peking University. Do you have time to meet?"

"Sure, let's meet at Wansheng Bookstore & Xingke Cafe near the East Gate of Peking University. When can you get there?"

"I'm currently on the subway for the next half hour. Could you please bring the rest of the manuscript with you?"

Students and faculty from several nearby universities love to visit Wansheng Bookstore. The old man standing next to the bookshelves might just be one of those renowned professors.

The coffee shop next door is also very popular, where teachers and students from different schools can chat over coffee.

Strangers can also have conversations.

Chen Guiliang estimated the time and slowly rode his bicycle over.

The coffee shop was quite crowded, so Chen Guiliang found an empty seat and ordered a glass of water.

It's not that he's showing off; he just can't stand coffee because he always thinks it has a burnt taste.

Not long after, Shi Xiang arrived in a hurry, dragging a suitcase in his hand, which showed his sincerity.

"Hello."

"Hello."

The two shook hands, and Shi Xiang casually ordered a cup of coffee.

Chen Guiliang got straight to the point, pushing the manuscript over: "I've only written about 50,000 words so far, with a total of over a million words. Editor Shi can take a look first."

Shi Xiang sipped his coffee and read intently.

But after reading for only ten minutes, I started skipping around to read the rest.

Finally, he returned the manuscript to Chen Guiliang: "Our Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House is a leader in the field of youth literature. If we claim to be second in publishing and promoting the works of young writers, no one dares to claim to be first..."

Chen Guiliang listened patiently to Shi Xiang's rambling for a long time. After Shi Xiang finished speaking, he only asked one question: "How much royalties do you offer? Since yesterday, six publishing houses have contacted me."

Shi Xiang said, "You can't just look at royalties. Some publishing houses have rigid systems. Even if they give you 15%, what good is it? Sales won't go up. This is your first time publishing a book, so it really depends on your operational skills, and we are the best at that!"

"How much royalty can you give me?" Chen Guiliang repeated the question.

Shi Xiang felt that Chen Guiliang was a bit difficult to deal with, so he took the initiative and increased the percentage slightly: "9%".

"Okay, I'll think about it."

Chen Guiliang hadn't even considered a quick collaboration with any company; he still wanted to promote the company online through forums.

Once you gain popularity online, you'll have more leverage in subsequent negotiations.

Shi Xiang, however, was afraid that other publishing houses would poach his talent: "10%. That's the limit I can decide. Any more than that would require me to ask my superiors. We are both cultured people. There's no need for us to be so mercenary. It would be an insult to our culture to haggle like businessmen."

This price is an almost unimaginable treatment for a new writer with some fame.

Yu Hua's royalties are only 12%.

The fact that Han Han and Guo Xiaosi were able to get 15% is purely exceptional; there is no other person like them in all of China.

As they were talking, the phone rang again.

"Hello, this is Chen Guiliang."

"Hello, I'm Li Xunhuan, I work in book publishing. Can we meet up?"

"I've long admired the Four Great Talents under the Banyan Tree. Where are you now?"

"I just finished discussing a collaboration with Zhuang Yu in Beijing. I also have a good relationship with your classmate Guo Xiaosi."

"Xingke Coffee near the East Gate of Peking University, next to Wansheng Bookstore. I'm chatting with an editor from Chunfeng Literature and Art."

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Chen Guiliang hung up the phone.

Shi Xiang's expression was stern.

-

(Monthly passes are about to be ripped off by chickens, brothers with monthly passes, hurry up and support us.)
(End of this chapter)