Huayu: King of Kung Fu

It was Taiwanese publishers who first approached him, just as Lin Hu had expected.

It's incredibly difficult to publish a novel in mainland China. The censorship is strict, and getting an ISBN is a real challenge, so Lin Hu never even considered it.

In the 1990s, the Internet was not blocked, and the entire Chinese-speaking world was connected.

Once "The Legend of the Dragon and the Snake" became a hit online, it was easy for overseas publishers to find it, so Lin Hu initially hoped to publish it overseas.

There are few restrictions on book publishing in Hong Kong and Taiwan; anything can be published, but the publishing environments are different.

Hong Kong has a small population and few publishing houses, so people tend to be cautious about publishing novels.

However, Hong Kong citizens have a strong reading culture, and popular authors such as Ni Kuang and Yi Shu often have print runs exceeding 100,000 copies.

Taiwan has a large population and even more publishing houses. This small island boasts over 700 publishing houses, making the competition extremely fierce.

They discover which books can make money and rush to publish them, resulting in a wide variety of books on the market, making it extremely complicated.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Taiwanese publishers were the first to approach him; in fact, Lin Hu had anticipated this.

In the early days of online literature, there was no subscription revenue.

The author wants to make money, so he mainly goes through the publishing route in Taiwan.

For example, novels like "Zhu Xian" and "The Legend of the Little Soldier" were initially published in Taiwan.

However, the upper limit for publishing in Taiwan is relatively low; 30,000 copies is already considered a super bestseller.

Crown Publishing is a large publishing house, so Lin Hu felt relatively at ease and decided to cooperate.

He replied to the editor's email, directly asking: How many copies will be printed in the first print run? When will it be published? When will the contract be signed? What will the royalties be?

A short while later, I received a reply from Lele.

"Hey, even the Taiwanese are working overtime!" Lin Hu muttered, opening his email.

"Mr. Lin, hello! You're a newcomer, so our first print run is usually 5000 copies. After we finalize the publishing details, my company will mail you the contract. Then, we'll create a book plan for you, and it will generally be published within one or two months..."

Lele's reply was very detailed. The royalties will be calculated based on the price. "The Legend of the Dragon and the Snake" is a very long novel and will be published in installments.

Generally speaking, a book contains around 80,000 words and costs about NT$200. The royalty rate is 12%, with 50% paid in advance.

In addition, the publisher will withhold 20% tax, but in reality, they may not be able to withhold that much, and any overcharged amount can be refunded.

Lin Hu did the math: publishing one volume would earn him NT$120,000, which is less than US$4,000, but taxes would still be deducted, and he could only prepay half of it.

This amount of money is simply a drop in the ocean when it comes to making a movie.

Fortunately, it can be published long-term, providing a steady stream of income.

Lin Hu asked, "If my novel sells well, how often can it be republished?"

Lele asked, "How many words are there in your 'The Legend of the Dragon and the Snake'? Is the manuscript complete?"

"Approximately 240 million words, plenty of drafts!"

"Then we can publish it in 30 parts, one part per month, and we can settle the royalties every six months."

In Taiwan, published works with a continuous storyline are described using the term "part".

Lin Hu thought for a moment and made a request: "My novels are quite popular online, and many publishers want to collaborate with me."

But Crown Publishing is a major publishing house, so I still trust it quite a bit.

If I submit my novel to your publishing house for publication, I would like to prepay six months' worth of royalties.

"Because I'm short of money right now, if it doesn't work out, I'll ask someone else."

"Mr. Lin, I need to report your request to the boss."

"Can."

Lin Hu closed the email, and Zhou Xun asked, "How much are the royalties for six months?"

While Lin Hu was chatting with Lele, Zhou Xun stayed nestled in his arms.

Lin Hu did some mental calculations: "About 600,000 New Taiwan Dollars, they'll convert it into US dollars and wire it to me, probably... around 20,000 US dollars."

"That's a lot. It would take me a long time to save up all of it."

Lin Hu's company has a total of 200,000 yuan in its accounts, some of which has already been spent.

This amount of money won't last long to keep the company running.

With the arrival of the $20,000 from Crown, the financial pressure was immediately relieved.

Lin Hu suddenly thought of a question: "Do you know anyone who can trade US dollars?"

Zhou Xun was taken aback: "You want to exchange money on the black market?"

"right!"

Zhou Xun thought for a moment: "I'll ask around for you!"

Zhou Xun made a phone call. She sang in bars all year round and knew all sorts of people; she had a very unconventional background.

It didn't take long for them to find out how to exchange the money.

The current exchange rate is approximately 1 to 8, but on the black market it can be exchanged for 1 to 10.

Lin Hu thought it was a good deal and said, "Okay, I'll exchange some once the money arrives."

Zhou Xun asked curiously, "Are you planning to use the royalties to make movies?"

Lin Hu noticed that Zhou Xun was worried about his filming budget, and asked with a smile, "Are you trying to lend me money?"

Zhou Xun was taken aback. She was only concerned about Lin Hu and had not thought about borrowing money.

Because making movies requires a lot of money, her savings were simply not enough.

However, since Lin Hu had asked, she didn't hesitate: "If you want to borrow it, I can lend it to you, but I don't have much money."

As she spoke, she got up and rummaged through her suitcase, taking out a bankbook and handing it to Lin Hu.

Lin Hu opened the savings book and was surprised to find that there were more than 100,000 yuan in it.

This amount of money is equivalent to the one-time royalties Lin Hu received, no wonder she said it would take her a long time to save up.

"Wow, you're quite the little rich girl!"

"I've been saving this for a long time!"

Lin Hu was touched that Zhou Xun took out the passbook so quickly without hesitation.

This money... Lin Hu thought of Zhou Xun's previous relationship that she had confided in him before. This must be the money she was saving for her wedding and to buy a house.

What a love-struck fool! We can't take this money!

Lin Hu returned the bankbook to Zhou Xun, kissed her on the cheek, and said softly, "This money is what you worked so hard to save, how can I use it? I'll take care of the funding for the movie, trust me."

"Okay, then I won't bring it up again... Aren't you tired after filming all day? Hmm..."

……

The next day, the group went to the 798 Art Zone to continue filming.

After yesterday's practice, the three of them worked together much more smoothly.

After several days of trial and error, including a minor injury sustained by Wang Baoqiang, they finally filmed another set of movements.

A few people gathered together to watch the replay. They saw Lin Hu and Wang Baoqiang fighting back and forth. Both of them were incredibly agile, and their moves were swift, clean, and efficient.

Suddenly, Lin Hu kicked Wang Baoqiang away, leaped into the air, and with a double-peak strike, slammed both elbows into Wang Baoqiang's head.

With a "thud," Wang Baoqiang instantly collapsed to the ground!

This move was incredibly fierce and impactful, seemingly several times more powerful than the kick from a few days ago.

It's a pity there are no sound effects now. If Lin Hu were to strike Wang Baoqiang's head with both elbows, there would be a sound effect of bones breaking.

With a "click," Ning Hao imagined the scene—how shocking it must have been!