My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

After putting down the sample of "Love Letter," Editor Gao explained the publication details of the combined edition of "Spirited Away" and "The Alchemist" to Zhao Wen:

Both the ISBN and CIP use the United Literature Publishing House's ISBN. The ISBN of a major publishing house is more authoritative and has higher channel recognition. The printing is handled by Jiuge, and the distribution and distribution are led by the United Literature Publishing House across all channels, with Jiuge supplementing the local channels in southern Taiwan.

After deducting printing and distribution costs, the profits will be split 4:6, with Jiuge receiving 4% and Lianhe receiving 6%. Zhao Wen's royalties are set at 10%, to be shared by both companies and settled monthly.

The cover will bear the inscription "Jointly published by Jiuge Publishing House and United Literature Society," with both brands endorsing the publication.

Zhao Wen naturally had no objections, but said that it would take two or three months to finish writing these two novellas.

Editor Gao sent not only a sample of "Love Letter," but also a check.

This is the royalty amount up to December 31, 1981. At that time, the sales of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" exceeded 800,000 copies. After deducting the 800,000 that had been almost spent, I received 5.6 million New Taiwan Dollars!

Having lived two lives, becoming a millionaire for the first time almost brought tears to Zhao Wen's eyes. In his previous life, he had relied on government assistance for over a decade, never expecting to only encounter wealth after his sudden death!

Editor Gao was an impatient person, and within three or four days, he brought the musician he had mentioned to their door.

The producer's name is Lin Xinjun. He wears jeans and a leather jacket and has long hair. He has been in the industry for five or six years and has released two minor hit campus folk songs.

He only made the trip to Tainan out of respect for Editor Gao, and in his heart he just thought of it as a literary youth who wrote a best-selling book and entertained himself, and that it would be good enough if the lyrics and music were pleasing to the ear.

As a result, Zhao Wen sat by the window, picked up his guitar and played it once. From the second chord onwards, Producer Lin unconsciously leaned forward.

As the song ended, he stared at the instrument and exhaled heavily, his voice filled with barely suppressed amazement: "Mr. Snail... this is more than just 'a little bit'! The lyrics and melody of this song hit the mark perfectly; there's absolutely no need to change it."

Then Zhao Wen continued singing "My Deskmate".

This song was considered a top-tier campus folk song by the standards of the Taiwanese music scene in the 1980s, but it didn't deliver a groundbreaking, explosive performance. Therefore, Zhao Wen decided to generously include it as a bonus track on the "Those Years" single, offering more for the same price, emphasizing excellent value for money!

This was the first time Editor Gao had heard "My Deskmate" and after listening to it, he pondered once again: There really are extraordinary people in this world, and Awen is one of them!

Lin Xinjun gestured with his hand, his expression resolute: "The arrangement will be exactly as you said. Lead guitar at the bottom, vocals forward, maybe a tiny bit of bass for emphasis, cut everything else. Clean, clear, just that youthful energy. Put it on the radio for a late-night slot, and it'll be broadcast all over the island's campuses in one night."

Although he can only make a living in this industry, he's been immersed in it for so long that he knows all too well what kind of songs become hits—what touches people's hearts is always the truest emotion. This version with just a guitar and vocals is ten times more powerful than those love songs piled high with orchestral arrangements.

Zhao Wen handled all the lyrics, music, guitar playing, and vocals himself, only needing to add a bass line and a simple rhythm base.

Lin Xinjun owns a small record company that can handle the entire process from production to distribution.

The two parties reached an agreement quickly—Zhao Wen would pay the production fee in one lump sum, give up 15% of the long-term sales revenue, and keep all the copyrights to the lyrics, music, and recording without having to sign any contract of servitude.

Lin Xinjun readily accepted the opportunity presented by the popularity of Mr. Snail, which offered both production revenue and a stable share of the profits.

Based on the market rates for that year, the entire package, including arrangement, bass recording, studio mixing, copyright registration, and cover design, would cost NT$34,000.

When discussing the number of discs to be pressed, Editor Gao initially wanted to be on the safe side and start by pressing 5,000 discs as a trial run.

Zhao Wencai waved his hand magnanimously: "Ten thousand copies. If they don't sell out, we'll give them to radio stations and karaoke bars as publicity."

The cost of pressing a single disc is NT$12, so pressing 10,000 discs would cost NT$120,000.

The entire single cost NT$144,000 to produce. However, each CD was not cheap. "Descendants of the Dragon" sold for NT$150, and "Rain in March" for NT$160. These were the prices of the albums.

Zhao Wen only released two songs on a 7-inch single, which is a completely "unconventional move" because no one would be foolish enough to release their hit song as a single!

But Zhao Wen didn't lack hit songs at all... At that time, 7-inch pirated CDs would sell for thirty or forty yuan, but he decided to sell them for only fifty yuan. Not to make a lot of money, but to break through a market monopolized by a few top singers. Fame should be achieved as early as possible!

Moreover, after deducting the cost of NT$12 and Lin Xinjun's 15%, and sharing 20% ​​of the profits with Uncle Gao and Editor Lou who promised to help with distribution, the net profit per disc can still reach about NT$20!

Why are there so many? Because distributors only charge a few dollars as a resale fee for these low-priced discs.

Lin Xinjun happily held the sheet music for the two songs, playing the guitar and humming along while Editor Gao and Zhao Wen chatted. He had a feeling that these two songs might become his most successful and lucrative projects!

"What are your plans for the release date?" Editor Gao was eager to finalize the release date, hoping to take advantage of the long-tail effect of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and release "Love Letter" as soon as possible.

"No rush, let's wait a bit longer." Zhao Wen reached out and caught the tabby kitten that jumped into his arms. "I heard that Auntie's 'The Lamp of Yesterday' is scheduled for release next month?"

Editor Gao realized that Kingcrown Publishing had indeed been holding its breath. Auntie, after only a month of writing "The Lamp of Last Night," had scheduled its release for the 22nd of next month, hoping to reclaim the market as the popularity of "Those Years" waned. Rumor had it that another book, "Hurry, Too Hurry," was coming out in August or September—it seemed like they were going to release two novels in a year.

"You want to... fight them both at the same time?"

"Of course," Zhao Wen laughed. "Love Letters was released on the same day as hers, and the bound volume will follow her 'In a Hurry'!"

Editor Gao looked at the eighteen-year-old boy in front of him and liked him more and more. His aunt had only offended him once, but this kid was going to hold a grudge for life. Brilliant!

In early February 1982, the song "Those Years" first appeared on the late-night charts of China Broadcasting Corporation.

The singer is Mr. Snail, who hasn't "debuted" yet!

Mr. Snail's voice was very clean, with a touch of youthful gentleness.

Editor Gao was initially worried for Zhao Wen, fearing that he wouldn't be able to handle the situation since he was crossing over into this field. However, on the night of the premiere, the radio station's hotline was flooded with calls.

Before the next day had even passed, young men and women, whether they had heard the song or not, were excitedly asking everywhere when Mr. Snail's CD would be released and where they could buy it.

According to the usual procedure, the record will be officially available in record stores after a full week of charting.

Instead of following the conventional record channels, Editor Gao and Editor Lou directly utilized the book sales networks of "Nine Songs" magazine and "United Literature Society" throughout Taiwan, launching the sale simultaneously through multiple channels. The 10,000 vinyl singles they had prepared went on sale on the third day after the chart-topping night, and sold out in just one morning.

Even the basic stock in each store wasn't filled, and additional orders kept pouring in like snowflakes.