Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 220 Alice's New Toy!
It was night when Lionel left "Charpentier's bookshelf".

As this is his first novel to be published independently, he is naturally quite cautious.

However, after reviewing many publishing contracts on the market, none of them met my expectations.

In the 19th century, in addition to the most common buyout system, the publishing industry saw a wide variety of bizarre contracts.

For example, Jules Verne signed a fixed-salary contract with Hertzel Publishing.

Hertzel Publishing pays him 500 francs a month, and he is required to produce at least one novel a year.

A yearly salary of 6000 francs in France is considered upper-middle class living. Jules Verne could live in a mansion in Nantes and drive a yacht, living a very comfortable life.

However, compared to the astronomical income of other established authors who earn tens of thousands of francs per book, it seems insignificant.

Although he raised his price several times later, Jules Verne never earned an income commensurate with his fame.

After achieving fame, Balzac and Hugo requested payment based on the number of copies printed, which can be considered a prototype of the royalty system.

However, due to the lack of corresponding oversight mechanisms, they were caught in endless suspicion and lawsuits—Hugo eventually gave up on receiving dividends based on print runs.

After all, printing and selling books is different from theatrical performances—no matter how big the theater is, there are limited seats; performances require advance notice.

The occupancy rate is also easy to track; just buy a ticket, go in, and you can get a rough idea with a quick scan.

However, after careful consideration and repeated discussions with his "notary" Delacroix, Lionel decided to bring the "royalty system" to the forefront.

On the one hand, after the French Revolution, France had already established through legislation that authors enjoy property rights over their works;

By the mid-19th century, French judicial precedents had gradually strengthened the clause that "authors cannot be deprived of their rights indefinitely."

The widespread availability of railways, newsstands, and subscription models expanded book distribution; the public was also more willing to pay for bestselling novels...

Given the intense competition in the publishing industry, publishers naturally strive to establish long-term partnerships with bestselling authors.

All of these factors have elevated the status of writers and strengthened their ability to "fight" with publishers.

Concealing print runs still happens frequently even in the 21st century, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The royalty system ultimately drove rapid growth in the author's income, making it far more attractive to him than the buyout system.

Lionel also considered another factor:
Once free compulsory education is implemented in France, the number of readers will definitely experience explosive growth in the next ten to twenty years, and book sales will certainly rise accordingly.

If we don't seize this opportunity to promote the implementation and development of the "royalty system," it will be too late when the sales of a bestselling novel skyrocket from tens of thousands to millions of copies.

Hopefully, George Charpentier can figure out the pros and cons; otherwise, I wouldn't mind switching to another publisher.

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Lionel pushed open the oak door of his apartment at 117 Boulevard Saint-Germain, shutting out the chill of the Parisian winter night.

The gaslights in the foyer cast a warm glow, casting his long shadow on the gleaming parquet floor.

A slightly awkward yet vibrant piano melody drifted from the living room, like a warm current washing away his fatigue from the whole day.

He took off his heavy coat and hat, hung them on the coat rack by the door, and walked quietly into the living room.

The fire crackled in the living room fireplace, the leaping flames casting a soft orange-red hue over the entire room.

Debussy was focused, his fingers hovering over the piano keys; and sitting beside him was little Petit.

The girl had taken off her faded apron and put on an old but clean plaid dress.

Her little face was tense, her eyes fixed intently on the piano keys, one finger carefully striking out a simple melody, note by note—

It is the most popular children's chorus song "Looking Towards the Road" from the song "The Choir".

Debussy's voice was gentle and patient: "Yes, that's it, relax your fingers, Miss Petit... feel the melody, like ripples on the Seine..."

Lionel did not disturb the warm teaching scene; he leaned against the door frame, quietly appreciating it.

He had promised Debussy to come to his apartment to practice in the evenings as encouragement for the young musician.

The reason for having Petty learn something was to give her more possibilities for the future, rather than just being a cook.

As the music ended, Debussy was the first to spot Lionel: "Good evening, Mr. Lionel." Petit also turned around, and upon seeing Lionel, a bright smile immediately bloomed on his face.

She jumped off the piano bench and pounced on him like a little bird: "Young Master! You're back! Did you hear me playing the piano?"

Lionel smiled and patted her head: "I heard you, you played wonderfully, Petty. You'll be a pianist soon!"

Petty blushed instantly and lowered her head in embarrassment.

At that moment, Alice also came out of her room, her face showing a mixture of excitement and pride.

She was holding a rather novel and exquisite-looking metal machine.

Alice's voice was filled with excitement: "Leon, come and see! See what Mr. Zola gave me!"

Lionel glanced at it: "Oh, a typewriter? A Remington?"

Alice was taken aback: "You know this thing?"

Under the gaslight, the typewriter's black body and snow-white keyboard stood out, exuding a mechanical beauty.

Lionel certainly knew about this thing, but it was probably far from common in 1880.

Alice excitedly placed the typewriter on the round table in the living room: "Yes! Mr. Zola said he bought it to try using it as a substitute for a quill pen, but after using it for a while, he really didn't like it."

The sound of typing also annoyed him, constantly interrupting his train of thought. He found it too troublesome, so he suddenly sent it to me today.

Lionel was somewhat speechless.

He knew that Alice had stayed at the Villa Médan the longest and had an excellent relationship with the Zolas, but he never expected Zola to be so generous to her.

This typewriter must be worth several hundred francs, but he just gave it away like that.

The Zolas had no children of their own, so they practically treated Alice as their own daughter.

Alice, still caught up in her excitement, handed Lionel a piece of paper: "Look, this is the manuscript I typed out!"

Lionel took the paper.

The paper contains the latest chapter of "The Curious Cases of Benjamin Bouton" typed out.

The handwriting is clear and neat, with each letter printed on, completely eliminating the messiness and ink smudging issues of handwritten text.

Alice carefully crossed out and corrected only the few occasional spelling errors with her pen.

Lionel hadn't expected Alice to pick up this new toy so quickly.

Lionel was overwhelmed with emotion.

This Remington was obviously too bulky for him, but nowadays it represents the lightest and most cutting-edge office technology.

From this point onward, the production and reproduction of text will become increasingly rapid.

I've gotten so used to the feel of writing with a quill pen that seeing something so "modern" feels a bit strange.

Lionel said sincerely, "This is truly... a wonderful gift, Alice. It also means your work may be much easier from now on."

Alice smiled sheepishly: "Yes! Although I'm still typing very slowly and my fingers hurt a little, I will practice hard!"

"From now on, I'll be able to help you transcribe your manuscripts faster and better!"

After dinner, Debussy returned to the piano, but this time he played not etudes, but fragments he had composed on his own.

The musical notes sometimes flowed as quietly as moonlight, and at other times carried a vague and elusive emotion.

After Patty and Alice finished cleaning up the dishes, they sat down quietly and listened.

Lionel poured himself a small glass of cider and then went into his study.

He's starting to work on his new novel.

(End of this chapter)