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Chapter 129, Page 0126: [The Birth of a Bestselling Book]

numb.

Chen Guiliang's hand went numb!
My wrists and arms, in particular, are sore and painful.

Seeing that the queue was too long, Li Xunhuan signaled to the hired shills that they could leave gradually. Their commissions would still be paid.

The passersby behind them found that the queue was taking too long, and some people started to leave the queue from time to time.

But occasionally, passersby would fill in.

Chen Guiliang didn't even have time for lunch, mechanically signing his name at lightning speed.

Some fans even asked him to write down their blessings.

These are usually true fans, and their wishes must be fulfilled.

Fortunately, there aren't many cell phones with camera functions these days, and very few people carry cameras with them. Otherwise, being asked for a photo while getting an autograph would be even more troublesome.

After Chen Guiliang signed five or six hundred books, only four people asked to take a group photo.

"let's go."

Hu Zhenyu glanced inside.

He also asked Chen Guiliang to write a blessing, too embarrassed to say that he was Cao Cao that day, but somehow he blurted out: "Mr. Chen, shall we meet and fight?"

Chen Guiliang said, "Sure, let's see if you can wait until I finish signing."

So Hu Zhenyu stood outside and waited.

Waiting for a damn thing!

It will probably take several hours.

"Let's go, let's find a place to fight," said the student who could break rocks on his chest.

Eighteen people signed up for the Three Kingdoms Kill forum, but seven of them didn't show up, so only eleven showed up today.

The female office worker was queuing up very enthusiastically.

To be precise, she was having a very engaging conversation with the middle-aged man behind her.

Through somewhat deliberate casual conversation, it was learned that the man was a mid-level manager at a foreign company.

They had a lot in common, discussing currently popular highbrow books, such as *Wolf Totem*, *We Three*, and *The Da Vinci Code*.

As for Nalan Xingde, Cangyang Gyatso, and the like, they won't be hyped up for another two years.

"You've been waiting in line for so long, doesn't your wife call to urge you?" the female office worker said.

The middle-aged man laughed and said, "Sometimes she goes shopping and forgets to eat lunch. Today she has her best friend with her, so she'll definitely be going to get a beauty treatment. It doesn't matter whether I'm there or not for a while."

The female office worker was quite envious of that kind of life: "Then why do you still go out shopping with your wife?"

The middle-aged man said, "I just accompanied her to the beginning, and then went to the lounge area to read and drink coffee. I found a good book today, so I came over to join in the fun. I didn't expect to run into Ms. Zhang."

The female office worker covered her mouth and laughed, "I never expected that I could meet so many people and have so much in common. My colleagues don't like reading, and I don't usually have much to talk about with them."

"People should read more books. It can refresh our minds after work, improve our intellectual level, and broaden our horizons," the middle-aged man said.

The female office worker seemed to have found a kindred spirit and happily took out her phone: "That's what I was thinking too. Can I have your phone number? I don't mean anything by it, I just want to find someone to share my reading experiences with."

The middle-aged man also took out his phone and said, "The Kite Runner. It's a really good book. You should check it out when you have time."

"Excuse me, I don't know this book. Where can I buy it?" the female office worker asked.

The middle-aged man seemed to just realize something: "Oh, this book hasn't been translated into Chinese yet; I'm reading the English version."

"Wow, you are so awesome!"

"It's alright. I bought it last year when I was on a business trip to the United States. It's extremely popular there, and its sales have surpassed those of 'The Da Vinci Code'."

These two adulterers have hooked up!
They were in line 1200th, with 300 touts ahead of them. They stopped getting autographs and left in batches, meaning the two of them were in line 900th.

In less than two hours, it was the female office worker's turn.

A female office worker took a close look at Chen Guiliang and found that this entrepreneur was very handsome and was also a student at Peking University, so he must have a bright future.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit too old.

"Mr. Chen, I really like your book. I've already read part of it online." The female office worker said without hesitation. Actually, she only knew that the book had a high number of online clicks after seeing the promotional content on the book jacket.

Chen Guiliang gave a polite smile, quickly signed his name, and said, "Thank you for your support." He added a blessing as he signed: "May you always be beautiful and always smiling."

The female office worker was overjoyed; these eight characters were more valuable than a book, and she could take a picture and post it on her blog.

The middle-aged man didn't say anything, took the autograph and left, then went to find a place to have coffee with the female office worker.

Around noon, a large portion of the people in line suddenly dispersed because they couldn't wait any longer and went to eat.

Most of these people did not return after finishing their meal.

But some people feel that after waiting in line for so long and finally reaching the front, leaving halfway through would be a waste of their time. So they endure the wait, even if they don't know why they're in the first place!

Around 1 p.m., Chen Guiliang felt he was close to completing his task.

But as they were signing up, the number of people in line inexplicably started to increase again...

The check-in line finally disappeared at 3:30 pm, with only one or two people occasionally coming over.

Bian Guanyue took out bread and milk: "Have something to eat, the boxed lunches are already cold."

"Damn, this is even more tiring than studying for my senior year of high school," Chen Guiliang complained, swinging his wrist.

Li Xunhuan laughed and said, "I'm flying to Shanghai tomorrow; there's another show there."

"I'm afraid my hand is ruined," Chen Guiliang asked. "How much did you sell?"

Li Xunhuan said, "I signed about 3500 books, but I didn't count the ones I bought from Sanlian Bookstore that were signed. To be honest, it far exceeded my expectations. This place is a bit eerie."

How could it not be eerie?

This place will become the preferred venue for celebrity autograph sessions! Whether it's selling books or records, there will always be random passersby lining up.

"How much is the venue fee?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Li Xunhuan said, "3 a day. This is the price I negotiated down; the mall initially asked for 5 a day."

Grass.

So expensive!

Despite signing over 3000 copies today, for Li Xunhuan, it was purely a loss-making endeavor to gain publicity.

But this is a necessary advertising expense.

The next day, Chen Guiliang flew to Shanghai and signed autographs until his hands cramped.

The two book signing events were captured by reporters, and newspapers subsequently began (paid) publicity for them.

Li Xunhuan really dared to let reporters exaggerate to the extreme. He signed more than 3000 copies in the capital, but the newspapers reported that he signed 8,000 copies on the first day.

They also came up with gimmicks such as "the hottest book at the beginning of 2005", "a knowledge feast for all", "the author with the highest royalties in the country", and "the most fashionable high-end reading material".

Li Xunhuan also paid for advertorials on the reading channels of portal websites such as NetEase and Sina.

For a time, "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" became a hot topic.

There were also subsequent media reports, so Li Xunhuan didn't need to spend any money.

Once the momentum is built up, the media will always try to capitalize on it.

Especially at that time, many newspapers and magazines had book sections that regularly recommended books. Since "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" was so popular, they just went along with it and recommended it.

……

Guangming Road, Xinhua Bookstore.

A middle-aged couple came in with their child, who was in junior high school.

The child was dejected and showed no joy, because he had come to buy study materials for the winter break.

"Stand up straight! What kind of posture is this, hunching over like that?" the mother scolded.

The father said, "Don't look so gloomy. I'll buy you another set of extracurricular books today."

The mother immediately added, "Buying world classics will improve your writing skills."

The child sighed inwardly.

The mother asked the shop assistant, "Where are the study materials and world classics?"

The shop assistant pointed the way.

The family continued walking inside and were surprised to find a row of "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" books, with a sign that read "Hot Selling Section".

The father stopped and pointed to the promotional poster, saying to his wife, "Look."

The mother looked closely and said, "It's recommended by experts and professors from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University, and so many authors recommend it. Can a child even understand this book?"

The father took out a book and first looked at the title page and preface.

The mother continued looking at the promotional posters, scolding her son: "Look at those people from the countryside, how hardworking and diligent they are! They were specially admitted to Peking University, and they even passed the entrance exam for Peking University on their own. They're only freshmen, and they're already running a company and writing books. And you? All you know how to do is play video games!"

The child randomly opened a book and saw a Three Kingdoms Kill bookmark inside.

It looks like a game; it seems really fun.

"Mom, let's buy this one. I want to learn about history," the child said.

The mother read the first chapter and found that she could understand it all: "This book is good. It's suitable for junior high school students and they can learn some basic history."

The child was overjoyed.

People frequently stop in front of the bookshelves; the place is simply too conspicuous.

Gradually, seven or eight students on winter vacation gathered there. They didn't pay for the books; they just stood there reading slowly, sometimes for an entire day without even eating lunch.

Some people got tired of standing and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bookshelf.

More and more people gathered there, and as its popularity grew, even those who weren't interested couldn't help but come and take a look.

Every now and then, a customer would pick up a book and pay for it.

The book market has been booming in recent years, with more people willing to buy and read books, resulting in several best-selling titles.

Not only are Xinhua bookstores very busy, but even small county shops that specialize in selling pirated books often become very crowded during holidays.

Of course, this was the last glorious moment for the Chinese book industry.

I don't know when it started, but fewer and fewer people are visiting bookstores, and one after another, bookstores selling both legitimate and pirated books are closing down. Those bookstores that manage to survive mainly rely on children's books and educational materials.

Although Chen Guiliang's version of "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" is not popular enough online, it still attracts many customers in offline bookstores.

He lived in an era of booming book markets!

Early in the morning, Chen Guiliang was still sleeping with Bian Guanyue in his arms when he received a call from Li Xunhuan: "President Lu, I've only been back in Beijing for two days. Don't ask me to do another book signing."

Li Xunhuan said excitedly, "It's selling like hotcakes! With all my promotional activities and the fact that your book has no reading barriers, sales at major bookstores are soaring. Some popular bookstores have asked me to restock after only two or three days!"

"It's all thanks to Mr. Lu's brilliant methods," Chen Guiliang complimented.

Li Xunhuan said, "Now a lot of media outlets are following suit with their reports, all of which are my own spontaneous publicity without me paying for them. The magazine 'Mengya' is also helping to promote you, saying that you are a rising star in the literary world that they have nurtured."

"I know that. They even invited me to participate in an event during the summer vacation." Chen Guiliang had already agreed, after all, he had to return the favor.

Li Xunhuan continued, "Several television stations have contacted me, inviting you to participate in their programs. Of course, they won't pay you an appearance fee; it's a form of free publicity that benefits both parties."

Chen Guiliang said, "Help me pick two or three reliable ones. We won't go to the ones that are too low-end."

Li Xunhuan laughed and said, "You're treating me like a manager."

(End of this chapter)