Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 340: Royalties Tug of War

The first writer in the Chinese literary world to receive royalties was Wang Shuo. In 1992, when Huayi Publishing House was going to publish "The Collected Works of Wang Shuo", Wang Shuo requested a royalty payment system from the publishing house.

He was required to be paid according to the number of copies printed. For every book sold, he had to be paid 10% of the sales price.

Such a request was undoubtedly extremely bold at the time, and it also caused Wang Shuo to suffer abuse and controversy. Many media called him "China's most money-worshiping writer."

But Huayi Publishing House finally agreed to Wang Shuo's request, and the reason was very simple.

In this year, Huayi Publishing House published Wang Shuo's novel collection "Die After Having a Good Time", which included several of Wang Shuo's novellas. After the collection was released, it quickly became popular among readers and sold 30 copies in just one or two months. Huayi Publishing House was also well aware of the popularity of Wang Shuo's works.

The two parties finally reached an agreement, and Wang Shuo did not let down the trust of Huayi Publishing House.

After the publication of "The Collected Works of Wang Shuo", it became a best-seller across the country and was continuously reprinted and republished, earning Wang Shuo millions in royalties and also benefiting all Chinese writers since then.

Yu Hua once publicly stated in an interview: Without Wang Shuo, we writers would not have the income we have now. Thank you, great Wang Shuo.

At that time, the market economy had already become popular in the country, and Wang Shuo was also the most popular writer in the country.

He was so crazy at that time that, in his own words: Chinese movies, man!
In fact, it's more than just movies. In those years, Wang Shuo's novels, TV series and movies were popular. The two words "Wang Shuo" basically mean "best-selling".

At that time, if Wang Shuo wanted to get royalties, he had to fight with the publishing house and suffer attacks from the media.

Lin Chaoyang requested payment in the form of royalties nine years in advance, as he had already anticipated the difficulties he might face.

He was willing to accept the olive branch offered by Huacheng Publishing House because he had his own plans.

Huacheng Publishing House is located in Guangzhou. If we talk about the most open-minded region in China, Guangdong is now ranked second, and no one dares to say that they are the first.

If the atmosphere is open, then everything can be discussed.

"Crossing the Boat" is the sweet treat that Lin Chaoyang gave to Huacheng Publishing House. In today's negotiation with Li Shifei, what Lin Chaoyang has to do is to increase pressure.

He certainly knew that Huacheng Publishing House would not easily agree to pay royalties, but now they had tasted the sweetness, and even if they were reluctant, they would never let go easily and allow Lin Chaoyang's works to flow to other publishing houses.

In negotiations, it is important to fight but not to break down, and the talks cannot break down all at once. With the previous success, Lin Chaoyang is not afraid that Huacheng Publishing House will break up with him.

But he did not insist on it and asked Huacheng Publishing House to agree to his request immediately.

Instead, they adopted a step-by-step strategy and set a goal first. This way, the more benefits Huacheng Publishing House gained, the more difficult it would be to let go in the future.

"Chaoyang, let's talk about the publishing fee for "The Boat Crossing"!"

Faced with Lin Chaoyang's questioning, Li Shifei was silent for a long time and finally changed the subject.

Lin Chaoyang did not pursue the matter any further, and said, "Okay."

After some negotiations, the basic remuneration for publishing "Crossing the Boat" was increased to 30 yuan per thousand words, and the remuneration for the number of copies printed was increased to 7% of copies.

"Little Shoes" and "Wreaths under the Mountain" are old books, and the royalties for the number of copies printed are also 7%, but the basis for calculation is 15 yuan per thousand words.

This is another advantage of talking about royalties right away. If you open a door right away, it will be easier to talk about opening a window.

After the issue of remuneration was agreed upon, Li Shifei was warmly entertained, but he had difficulty eating.

The word "royalties" felt like a thorn in his throat, and he felt annoyed whenever he thought about it.

Forget it, let’s go back and discuss it.

A few days after Li Shifei left, the payment bill from Huacheng Publishing House arrived.

This time, Huacheng Publishing House was unexpectedly efficient. The royalties had already been received before the publication date even started. It seemed that they were under enough pressure.

The first print run of "The Boat Crossing" was 20 copies, "The Little Shoes" was printed in 3 copies, and "The Wreath under the Mountain" was printed in 10 copies. The total royalties for the three novels amounted to 19154 yuan.

Compared with the publication of previous works, the income from royalties has made great progress. Lin Chaoyang feels very gratified that his efforts have not been in vain.

He really couldn't bear to think about how happy he would be after receiving the royalties!
Two days later, Du Feng, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared at Lin Chaoyang's house and brought a set of clothes for Tao Yumo.

Tao Yumo loved the beige suit and shorts, paired with a gold belt, mid-calf stockings, and high-heeled sandals after she put them on. She kept looking at herself in the mirror.

“This is so beautiful!”

Tao Yumo turned around in front of the mirror, looking beautiful. Du Feng beside her said proudly, "Is this dress of mine good? You're going to work soon, so wear this. It will definitely intimidate your colleagues."

Tao Yumo became even happier when he heard this.

"We're not going to compete for beauty when we go to work, so why should we dress so formally?" Tao Yushu said.

Tao Yumo glanced at her sister and said, "Sister, you are such a bummer! This suit is very fashionable now."

Tao Yumo's words were well-founded. A few days ago, the Workers' Daily reported that suit shorts have become popular in Shanghai recently and have become the most fashionable summer wear for Shanghai girls.

Last month, an article titled "Goodbye, Zhongshan Suit" was published in "Fashion".

The article suggests that the popularity of suits is a "reaction" to the "old three suits" that have been popular for many years, and the deeper reason is based on the desire for political system reform.

We can see from the small details that the spirit of reform and opening up is gradually changing the entire society.

Tao Yumo was admiring his new equipment with great pleasure. Tao Yushu went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Lin Chaoyang held the child and chatted with Du Feng.

Du Feng suddenly asked Lin Chaoyang, "Brother-in-law, what do you think about me buying a cold drink machine and selling cold drinks at the beach?"

Cold drink machine?
Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar name from Du Feng, Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is there any place in Yanjing that sells this thing?"

Du Feng replied: "There are none in Yanjing, but there are in Guangzhou. They are sold at the Canton Fair. Someone in Yanjing sold one and put it on the beach in Beidaihe. It's selling cold drinks like crazy this summer. It's said that they can make 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a day!"

When talking about this, Du Feng's eyes lit up.

The details buried in Lin Chaoyang's memory were turned out in his mind, "That man is called Li Xiaohua?" "Brother-in-law, do you know him too?"

"I've heard of it."

Du Feng said enviously: "You've heard people mention it. How much money does he make?"

He asked Lin Chaoyang again in a serious tone, "Brother-in-law, what do you think of my idea?"

"Not good!"

Lin Chaoyang rejected Du Feng's idea outright, which puzzled him. "Why?"

"You all saw that he made money, so can't others see it? It's not like others can't buy a cold drink machine.

Believe it or not, there will be dozens of cold drink machines on the beaches of Beidaihe next year! "

"This..." Du Feng hesitated after listening to Lin Chaoyang's words.

He felt that what Lin Chaoyang said made sense, but it was still a bit exaggerated to say that there would be dozens of cold drink machines on the Beidaihe beach next year.

"It won't be that widespread, right?" Du Feng asked.

"We'll know next year, won't we?" Lin Chaoyang said calmly.

Looking at his expression, Du Feng was conflicted. He was afraid that what Lin Chaoyang said was right, but also afraid that what Lin Chaoyang said was wrong.

Lin Chaoyang shook his head helplessly upon seeing this. He would not turn back until he hit the wall.

"If you really want to try it, just go buy one. A cold drink machine is affordable for you now. Even if you can't make much money, you shouldn't lose money either."

Hearing him say this, Du Feng hesitated for a long time, and then he realized something.

"Brother-in-law, you are right. Business that everyone sees is no longer a business. I take what others discard, and I give what others take."

Lin Chaoyang joked, "Okay, we haven't seen each other for a few days, and you can speak fluently."

Du Feng laughed embarrassedly, "Brother-in-law, please stop making fun of me."

A few days later, the preliminary preparations for "The Chess Master" were progressing steadily, and Chen Huaikai came to Lin Chaoyang to discuss the candidates for the actors.

Jiang Nansheng is undoubtedly the soul of the novel, and the same is true in the movie. A good casting and character creation can make the audience more convinced and fond of the plot, so Chen Huaikai attaches great importance to this male protagonist.

He screened all the male actors of the right age in Yanying Studio, including Ma Chongle who had acted in "Night Rain in Bashan", Huang Xiaolei who had acted in "Wedding", Liu Yanli who had acted in "Sunny Days" and "Golden Avenue", Shen Guanchu who had acted in "New Soldier Ma Qiang"...

But no matter how he looked at them, he felt that either the image or the temperament was not suitable.

Jiang Nansheng in the novel comes from a good family and a famous family. He has loved Go since he was a child, so his appearance must be thin and gentle, a little fragile, but also with a bit of nobility.

At the same time, beneath his thin appearance, he had a strong heart and remained calm in the face of the Japanese butcher knife.

Chen Huaikai placed the photos of the male actors on the coffee table for Lin Chaoyang to observe. Just as he thought, Lin Chaoyang did not find any actor who fit the image of a Jiangnan student in his mind.

"Gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, it's hard to find an actor like this!"

He leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

Nowadays, the film industry's aesthetic standard for male actors is one with a righteous and upright image.

Zhou Liqing's image might make him just an ordinary actor in later generations, but nowadays, he is a top handsome guy. Almost all the actors in Yanying Studio have this kind of orthodox appearance.

Chen Huaikai thought for a while, and suddenly thought of "The Garland under the Mountain" that Xie Jin was currently filming. He asked Lin Chaoyang: "Hey, what do you think of the actor Tang Guoqiang?"

"Tang Guoqiang is handsome but lacks literary talent."

Lin Chaoyang rejected the candidate that Chen Huaikai had finally come up with in one sentence. He couldn't help but said angrily: "This one doesn't work, and that one doesn't work either. Why don't you just be the director!"

Lin Chaoyang said helplessly: "Why are you taking it out on me when you can't choose an actor?"

"Don't you deny people?"

"You didn't deny it? Then you can choose from here!"

Lin Chaoyang pushed a pile of photos on the table to Chen Huaikai, and Chen Huaikai stopped talking.

At the end he sighed, "Oh! Why is it so difficult to choose an actor?"

Seeing his sad face, Lin Chaoyang said, "How about I recommend an actor to you?"

Hearing this, Chen Huaikai immediately raised his head, showing surprise, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that there was a suitable actor?"

"This actor's situation is a bit special!"

"What's so special about it? From which factory? I will definitely second him!" Chen Huaikai said firmly.

“Not from the studio.”

"Is that from the theater troupe?"

"Not at all."

Chen Huaikai said anxiously: "It's already this late, don't keep us in suspense!"

"Tony Leung, the actor who played Emperor Xianfeng in The Burning of the Old Summer Palace."

(End of this chapter)