1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Dickens pulled Michelle into the carriage.

The distance between Dottie Street and Fleet Street was not far, and the carriage soon arrived at the office building of Bentley Monthly.

As soon as they got off the carriage, the two of them practically ran all the way into the office of Bentley's Notebooks.

The office was bustling with activity, the voices of employees mingling together, creating a festive atmosphere like Christmas.

A slightly overweight middle-aged man with slicked-back hair stood in the center of the office, holding a document in his hand. His eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses looked extremely complicated.

This man was Richard Bentley, the owner of *Bentley's Notebooks*, a well-known publisher in London.

He saw Dickens and Michelle, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end only let out a long sigh.

"Charles, Mr. Michel, you've arrived."

His voice carried a hint of weariness, but even more so an irrepressible excitement.

"Richard, so what's going on? Have the sales figures come out yet?" Dickens asked anxiously.

Bentley didn't answer directly, but instead handed over the documents he was holding.

"See for yourselves."

Dickens took the document, and Michelle joined him.

The document contained very simple information: a summary of first-day sales figures from various sales outlets.

The numbers were arranged in a dense, orderly fashion.

In the end, it all came up as an astonishing number.

When they saw the final total sales figures, even Dickens, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but gasp.

"My God..."

First-day sales: 7,000 copies!

It's worth noting that Bentley and Dickens initially estimated that selling four or five thousand copies in the first month would be considered a success.

And now, in just one day, seven thousand copies have been sold!

This number is an incredible miracle for a newly founded literary magazine.

If we add the 5,000 pre-ordered copies, the total sales figure reached an astonishing 12,000 copies!

"All the bookstores are asking for restocking."

"We must print more immediately! With our current inventory, we might not even last until tomorrow."

Bentley's voice sounded incredibly excited. He didn't want to falter during this golden window for magazine sales.

Piracy is not a problem that only emerged in the 21st century; even in London in 1837, it was still a major issue.

Although Britain enacted copyright laws in 1814.

This law explicitly stipulates that authors enjoy a 28-year copyright protection period, and penalties for infringement include confiscation of pirated books, fines, and destruction of printing equipment.

But in reality, policies are just policies; implementing them is extremely difficult.

Given the immense popularity of "A Study in Scarlet," it wouldn't be long before cheap pirated copies costing only a penny or two appeared in many parts of London.

In the UK, this was still relatively safe, at least it was all done privately. America at that time was a true haven for piracy.

The reason is simple: US copyright law at that time only protected the copyrights of American authors...

As for the British, well, good luck to you.

For example, just this year, dozens of pirated versions of Dickens' "The Pickwick Papers" appeared in the United States, and the author's name was even changed to "Moncrief".

Moreover, American publishers don't have to pay any royalties; they only give a small, symbolic gift, usually a few dozen pounds at most.

This is comparable to Michelle's previous life's "new works by Jin Yong" and "new works by Huang Yi".

It can only be said that the essence of humanity is that of a repeating machine...

Getting back to the point, all Bentley can do now is to hurry up and sell whatever he can before pirated copies come out.

The office staff were also discussing this amazing achievement, and everyone's face was beaming with excitement.

The better the magazines sell, the more secure their jobs become.

Their expressions as they looked at Michelle were filled with admiration and curiosity.

This young man in front of me wrote the detective story called "A Study in Scarlet," which became a bestseller as soon as it was released.

Bentley looked at Michel, the young man he once thought had "too much of an appetite."

At that moment, he finally understood where the other party's confidence came from.

This young man is not arrogant, but rather has an extremely clear understanding of the value of his work.

He also has a complete set of mature promotional methods.

Not only is he a good writer of novels, but he is also quite adept at doing business.

For the first time in business, this usually shrewd publisher felt he had misjudged the company.

So he lost, and he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

Since you've lost, let's lose with some dignity. Why not just bring it up yourself?

"Mr. Michel," Bentley said solemnly, his tone no longer carrying the arrogance of before.

"You won. I lost that bet."

Michelle looked at him calmly, a faint smile on her face.

"I think we can talk about payment now."

"Of course." Bentley gave a wry smile.

"According to our contract, it's forty-something niches per print sheet. I think that will be the highest royalty rate in all of Britain!"

This issue of "A Study in Scarlet" is two printing sheets long.

Therefore, according to the contract, Bentley should pay Michelle over eighty dollars in royalties for this issue alone!

Bentley didn't make any excuses; instead, he pulled out a check he had prepared beforehand.

He handed the check to Michelle with a hearty laugh.

Although he was reluctant to spend the money, as a businessman, he knew even better that the profits from "A Study in Scarlet" would far exceed this astronomical fee.

Not only did he not lose money, he actually made a fortune. You could say he made a killing.

Besides, this royalties will be paid sooner or later.

Rather than delaying, it's better to be straightforward and leave a good impression on Michelle.

Michelle took the check and paused for a moment when he saw the amount.

The royalties for the eighty-odd nis should be eighty-four pounds.

The check in his hand clearly showed an amount of one hundred pounds.

"Mr. Michel, you deserve this."

"The extra portion is to thank you for your promotional suggestions."

Bentley seemed to notice Michelle's surprise and smiled.

He's a pure businessman, and Michel has proven his ability to make money, so naturally he'll increase his investment.

After all, this amount of money is just a drop in the ocean compared to the benefits Michelle brought him.

Not only did they not delay, but they also proactively offered to pay more, a style very unlike "Bentley".

Dickens was also somewhat surprised, as this was nothing like the Bentley he remembered who only cared about money.

He patted Michelle on the shoulder excitedly, genuinely happy for his friend's victory.

"Michelle, just like you said, ten thousand is a conservative estimate!"