Sail across the sea

Chapter 563: Let's make it a little spicier.

In 1990, the National Copyright Administration issued a "Notice on Appropriately Increasing Book Royalties," stipulating that the standard for book royalties should be increased from the original 6-20 yuan per thousand words to 10-30 yuan. For works that "have significant academic value" and "must be paid more generously," the standard could be increased, but it could not exceed 40 yuan per thousand words.

Newspaper and magazine royalties, referencing book royalties, are generally around 30 yuan per thousand words. Sometimes, Zou Guohong writes a short article of about 2000 words, which is then edited by the editor, leaving only about 1000 words. If he can get 50 yuan in royalties, he's already celebrating.

If you submit your work to a local newspaper in Fudong Province, the payment standard is less than 30 yuan per thousand words. It is very common for an article to only receive a dozen yuan in payment.

But this editor-in-chief in front of me is offering 200 yuan per thousand words as payment. Is this some new scam?

"Editor-in-Chief Yuan, I'd like to ask, regarding the 200 yuan per thousand words fee you mentioned, are there any special requirements for the manuscript?"

Zou Guohong decided to get to the bottom of things first. Countless historical experiences told him that the more tempting the pie, the more likely it was to be poisonous, such as the Feast at Hongmen, the Banquet at Hongmen, the Banquet at Hongmen where military power was released, and the Banquet at Hongmen where he fought against Hatoyama.

Thinking about it that way, the coffee in front of me suddenly doesn't smell so good anymore.

“There are no special requirements. The quality of the article should be no lower than the articles you published in the cultural supplement in the past, and the viewpoint should be the kind you just told me about,” Yuan Xiaoyan said.

Which category?

"Just as you said, China's democratic and cultural traditions are at least 1000 years more advanced than those of the West. Just write from this perspective, the content is not limited."

"You mean you specialize in publishing these kinds of articles?"

"Does Teacher Zou think there's anything wrong with this?"

"Isn't this a bit... uh, not quite in line with the trend?"

Zou Guohong didn't know what to say, so after hesitating for a moment, he used this euphemistic way of putting it.

As a historian, he is somewhat resistant to those remarks in society that denigrate Chinese civilization, feeling that such views are too extreme. However, he is also hesitant to write an article specifically to refute such views, especially to say that China's cultural traditions are 1000 years more advanced than the West, feeling that such statements might also be somewhat extreme.

The fundamental duty of academic research is to present only the evidence available and not to exaggerate for the sake of sensationalism. He has always believed that Chinese and Western cultures each have their own characteristics, and some differences are related to specific national conditions. Simply saying that one is 1000 years more advanced than the other is somewhat biased.

But judging from what this Editor-in-Chief Yuan said, it seems that she likes this kind of biased opinion.

It becomes clear when you think about it: the secret to running a magazine is going to extremes, right? The more extreme the viewpoint, the more controversy it generates. Controversy attracts attention, and the magazine sells well.

Let alone publishing a magazine, there is a group of people in academic circles who are determined to make sensational statements. They say that the Qin system was learned from Persia, and that the architecture of the Tang Dynasty was learned from Japan. These people are very successful in academic circles and make a fortune from their lectures. Zou Guohong has always looked down on them with envy.

But should I do the same?
Doesn't that seem a bit too shameless?

"Professor Zou, as I just mentioned, the purpose of our journal is to provide the public with diverse perspectives. Currently, the rampant blind worship of foreign things in society has created a very unhealthy social trend. What's wrong with us asking conscientious scholars like yourself to clarify the facts and guide rational thinking?"

Yuan Xiaoyan delivered a passionate speech.

Zou Guohong stammered, "When I said that China's democratic tradition is 1000 years more advanced than the West's, it was actually a rather imprecise statement. It's fine to say such a thing in informal settings. But if it's written up as an article and published formally, wouldn't that be a bit too serious?"

"So, Professor Zou, have you ever seen any articles that claim that Western democratic traditions are 1000 years more advanced than China's?" "I have indeed seen that. Of course, I think they're not being very serious."

"If they can speak, why can't you?"

"It's always better to be objective when doing academic research."

"But we're not an academic journal; we're a current affairs media outlet. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to offer 200 yuan per thousand words, Professor Zou, wouldn't you agree?"

"..."

Zou Guohong fell silent.

The other party's implication was quite clear: they wanted this kind of article and were willing to pay a high price. If Zou Guohong wanted to make this money, he shouldn't talk about being serious or objective; he should just honestly write according to their requirements.

"Our initial motivation for starting this magazine was because we discovered a very serious deviation in current social trends. Some people, for ulterior motives, are vigorously promoting Western superiority, belittling China's own traditions, and denying our current system. We hope to make our voices heard amidst this trend and counteract these inappropriate remarks. Professor Zou, would you be willing to join us?"

"I don't quite understand what Editor-in-Chief Yuan meant by 'joining'."

"If Professor Zou is interested in joining, we would like to create a column for him in our publication. The name could be 'Four-Dimensional Historical Perspective,' focusing on comparative studies of Chinese and Western history, which is Professor Zou's area of ​​expertise."

“Our magazine is a weekly publication, and requiring Professor Zou to submit one article per issue is perhaps too much of a constraint. If we could submit one article every two weeks, with each article being around 3000 words long, that would be ideal for us.”

One article every two weeks, 3000 words each, 200 yuan per thousand words—that's 1200 yuan a month! That's equivalent to the pay for teaching three courses. Teaching three courses, including preparation time, would take about four months of non-stop work. Writing two articles, at most, just requires pulling a few all-nighters.

Why wouldn't I accept something so good?
What, you mean integrity?

What is integrity? Can you eat it?

"I'll work overtime and finish one article every two weeks, which should be achievable," Zou Guohong quickly assured him.

"Let's stick to the standard we just discussed, 200 yuan per thousand words. Does that sound acceptable, Professor Zou?"

"Sure, sure. Actually, I don't really care about the payment for the manuscript. What I really care about is Editor-in-Chief Yuan's idea of ​​guiding the public to think rationally."

"In terms of writing style, a touch more humor would be appropriate. As for viewpoints, I think it would be better to be a bit more scathing."

"Yes, yes, as Emperor Taizong of Tang said, 'If you aim for the highest standard, you will only achieve the middle; if you aim for the middle, you will only achieve the lowest.' We should refute those extreme views, and naturally our own views should also be a bit extreme."

"That's great, Professor Zou. It'll be a pleasure working with you!"

"Editor-in-Chief Yuan, it's a pleasure working with you!"

　Several kind readers have helped me find typos these past few days, and I've corrected them all (only very old chapters are no longer editable). Thank you!

　　(End of this chapter)