My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

At Snail Literature, Zhao Wen holds 94% of the shares and is the actual controller of the company. However, he is only a registered shareholder and refuses to hold any management position, does not work regular office hours, and does not handle daily affairs...

Because Editor Gao had promised that he would take responsibility for everything.

He holds 4% of the shares and serves as the executive director, general manager, and legal representative of the company, handling all daily operations related to publishing, copyright negotiations, offline reception, and business and financial matters...

However, Zhao Wenzhen didn't realize that once Miss Yi'an left the dull environment of Jiuge, she was like a fish released back into the sea, finally revealing her unrestrained and imaginative side.

Although she only has 2% restricted shares, she does a lot of work, including internal affairs, letter organization, warehouse management, and purchasing miscellaneous items. She also took the lead in building a team called Snail House.

She felt it was a bad thing that her fans were scattered like sand; if she could unite them, it would save Mr. Snail a lot of trouble. So, without any instruction, she figured out a whole set of rules—

She chose two of the most reputable chain bookstores in Tainan as her regular registration points. With two receipts and the unique stamp on the inside cover of the book, she could register as a member of "Snail's House".

In addition, real-name registration is required. Adults must present their national ID card, while minors who are students must present a copy of their household registration book or a certificate of enrollment issued by their school.

Zhao Wen was completely dumbfounded. This was the prototype of a fan club decades later! Miss Yi'an, why did you travel through time?

Moreover, Yi'an suggested to Zhao Wen that they hold at least one gathering every year, which would create a buzz: every September 1st, the anniversary of the publication of "Norwegian Wood", Mr. Snail's fans will hold a grand gathering at Minsheng Green Park!

Although gatherings were strictly controlled that year, Mr. Snail had just become a novelist with extremely high national popularity, and the authorities were relatively lenient towards him. Without Zhao Wen or Editor Gao having to intervene, Miss Yi'an booked the gathering 11 months later.

Even your fan management logic is this smooth; you still say you're not a time traveler!

The office area of ​​Snail Literature is already taking shape. The twenty-one wooden houses that the editors acquired at a premium have all their partition walls removed and the foundations raised at a high price.

Zhao Wen knew that Super Typhoon Wayne would pass through Tainan next year. He didn't know whether it would cause flooding in the old wooden house, but as long as the house was stabilized, it wouldn't be harmful.

The main entrance of Snail Literature faces the main street with a constant flow of people. All negotiations, warehousing, and meetings are handled here. Only a hidden door in Zhao Wen's office leads directly to his home, so that he won't run into the endless stream of book fans.

Now, there are many fans coming to Tainan to wait for Zhao Wen's books. At first, it was just college students, but gradually more adults, housewives, and office workers have also joined in. They wander around the alley in twos and threes, occasionally knocking on doors to inquire about Mr. Snail's whereabouts.

To be honest, even though Zhao Wen has now been featured in newspapers and magazines, only a handful of people in the entire alley know that he is Mr. Snail, such as Uncle Bing from the tobacco and liquor store, Uncle A at the alley entrance, and Aunt Chen.

So, when Aunt Chen Erfeng, who occasionally knocks on the door, occasionally points in random directions at the gate of the courtyard, she easily sends a group of readers far away.

The new company's first success came when Mr. Wicker Chair brought Allen Thorne from America to their door.

"Allen, this alley is now called Snail Alley by all the young people in Taiwan. It's full of book fans who come to follow Mr. Snail. You can't find such a passionate reader atmosphere anywhere else in the world."

Alan Thorne is the deputy editor-in-chief of New Directions Publishing in America, and is the third most powerful person in the company.

New Direction is the largest and most influential overseas literary publisher in the United States, and its second-largest shareholder is Kodansha, where Shuji Fujino works.

That's why Shuji Fujino was qualified to initiate this negotiation regarding the overseas copyrights of all of Mr. Snail's works.

Zhao Wen would naturally not refuse. Whether it was the wildly popular "Norwegian Wood" or the future "Harry Potter" series, they all needed to rely on this Japanese-American joint venture channel to achieve translation and distribution throughout the English-speaking world.

Allen glanced at the students wandering back and forth in the alley and said in surprise, "It's really amazing that just one novel has turned the whole alley into a literary pilgrimage site."

Fujino Shuji chuckled and, as if familiar with the place, knocked on the gate guarded by the simple-minded aunt.

In this era, the United States is the most powerful country in the world, and no one would question that.

Its citizens are usually very arrogant and rude, but Allen is different. Even their entire New Direction is different. Among all the overseas literature publishers in the United States, New Direction has the most moderate and friendly attitude towards China. They never deliberately tamper with the text, let alone use the works to insert their own agenda.

Zhao Wen was well aware of this, so he was very polite to Allen, even more so than to Mr. Wicker Chair.

But Allen is first and foremost a businessman, and without much formality, he made his most instinctive demand as a copyright holder: one million US dollars to buy out all of Zhao Wen's published works in English-speaking regions and overseas, as well as all secondary rights to film and television adaptations, merchandise, and derivative works.

At that time, one million US dollars could be exchanged for 4000 million New Taiwan Dollars or 2.6 million Japanese Yen, which was already a lot.

A few years later, the great Haruki Murakami published "Norwegian Wood" overseas through Kodansha. The first issue only brought in less than $9. Later, in a fit of anger, he packaged it up, and the total revenue did not exceed $50.

But Zhao Wen has a good memory. He knows that just one book, "Norwegian Wood," sold nearly two million hardcover copies and one million paperback copies in America alone. 15% of that is over thirty million US dollars, which is five million! Not to mention the even better-selling "The Alchemist"!

Zhao Wen looked at the shrewd Allen and gently shook his head: "I can't agree to this. Moreover, the core rights to all my works, including derivative adaptations and cross-language secondary distribution, must remain with me. They will not be released to others now or in the future."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Allen's face, and he was about to continue raising the price little by little when Zhao Wen generously offered a compromise:

"However, we can discuss the collaboration on the translation and distribution of physical books. I'm willing to accept a tiered royalty system, starting with your lowest tier."

This is actually a betting agreement. If the book doesn't sell well, Zhao Wen might not even get a million dollars, let alone a hundred thousand.

Allen glanced at Xiao Nihong, who seemed about to speak but hesitated, and finally realized that he had overstepped his authority again. In this negotiation, the publisher had made it clear that he was just there to play a supporting role.

Fujino Shuji smiled apologetically at Zhao Wen, then politely declined several times from their American father, before quickly and decisively ending the negotiation. He was really afraid that Allen would offend his big spender!

When Mr. Wicker Chair produced the final agreement he had prepared beforehand, Zhao Wen smiled with satisfaction. As expected, it was Little Neon who knew how to handle things.

The royalties will be 100% replicated from the previously signed Japanese translation agreement, with no tiered royalties. Mr. Snail, who's already a legend, offering him a tiered royalty contract is an insult!

......

The broadcast schedule for "My Fair Princess" has been set, with CTV securing the exclusive broadcasting rights for one run for a "super high price" of NT$280 million.

Deng Ge sounded a little frustrated on the phone, but Zhao Wen comforted him, "Deng Ge, you have to believe me. Before the show even finishes airing in three months, we'll be making tens of millions of yuan! And that's just within Taiwan!"

Zhao Wen didn't dare to overestimate the revenue of "My Fair Princess". After all, the broadcast rate more than ten years later is incomparable to the current broadcast rate. The 65% viewership rating in Taiwan in 98 should be equivalent to 70% or even 80% in 82, right?