Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 444: Tokyo Trip

No matter how successful the book signing event is, it will only make tens of thousands of dollars at most. For publishers, what is more important is the public opinion effect that the book signing event will cause.

Ming Pao Publishing House is backed by the Ming Pao Group and can easily call on a bunch of reporters from TV stations, newspapers and magazines.

The grand event of the book signing event was reported on the Jade Channel's evening news that evening, and several newspapers including Ming Pao also reported it the next morning.

"Thousands of people line up in Wan Chai streets just to see the new book by a mainland talent" "The Truman Show is published, 'Truman' Xu Guanwen appears at the book signing event"...

Normally, news like the release of a new book would hardly cause any big stir even if it was published in the newspaper.

But the clever thing about Ming Pao Publishing's publicity campaign is that it linked the new book with the movie and invited the popular superstar Xu Guanwen.

He was wearing the same outfit he wore when filming a movie, and when the reporters took pictures, "Truman" appeared vividly on the media pages, naturally attracting the attention of many Hong Kong people.

Moreover, this linkage has also attracted more attention to the movie "The Truman Show" which is currently being filmed.

The sales of the new book "The Truman Show" were already good after it was released on the shelves. With the boost of this wave of publicity, the sales in major bookstores in Hong Kong have become even hotter.

In addition to the single-day sales record of 1800 copies on the day of the signing event, sales of "The Truman Show" also continued to rise in the days after the signing event.

By October 10, the novel had sold 1 copies in just half a month after its release, breaking the fastest sales record of Lin Chaoyang's previous works.

While the new book "The Truman Show" was selling well, Lin Chaoyang and his wife arranged their affairs in Hong Kong and planned to return to the mainland before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But at this time Lin Chaoyang suddenly received a letter from Naoko Kondo, saying that the Japanese version of "Crossing the Guandong" had been translated, and she and Shozo Fujii contacted several Japanese publishing houses for "Crossing the Guandong".

At present, several publishing houses seem to be sincere and hope that Lin Chaoyang can take the time to go to Japan to discuss publishing matters.

After reading the letter, Tao Yushu suggested that Lin Chaoyang go to Japan first and then return to the mainland with her after finishing his business.

Three days later, Lin Chaoyang took a flight from Kai Tak Airport at 5:30 pm and arrived at Tokyo International Airport at 9:40 pm.

After exiting the passage, he saw someone waiting there holding a pick-up sign. It was Naoko Kondo.

"Lin-san, welcome to Japan!"

"Hello Ms. Kondo, long time no see!" The two greeted each other with a smile.

Naoko Kondo introduced the middle-aged man next to her to Lin Chaoyang, "Mr. Lin, this is Associate Professor Fujii whom I mentioned in the letter to you."

Lin Chaoyang shook hands cordially with Fujii Shozo and said a few words to thank him for his enthusiastic help.

Fujii Shozo bowed repeatedly, "It is my honor to be able to participate in the translation of Lin San's works."

After greeting the two of them, Lin Chaoyang looked behind them. There were a few young people following them, so they should be together.

Unlike the solemn tone she used when introducing Fujii Shozo, Kondo Naoko simply said, "They are all students of Fujii-kun and I. I brought them here today to meet Hayashi-san."

There was a feeling in her tone of voice like a local rich man taking his country relatives to the city to see the world. Those students did not seem to be dissatisfied at all. Instead, they looked at Lin Chaoyang eagerly.

One of the short, round-faced girls was holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand. When she saw Lin Chaoyang looking at them, she hurried forward and gave the flowers to Lin Chaoyang.

"Thank you!"

Lin Chaoyang's thanks made the round-faced girl excited again, and she couldn't help but suspect that this was someone Kondo Naoko hired to pick her up at the airport.

None of his novels had been published in Japan, so he found it difficult to understand the excitement of his students.

After a welcome, the group of seven left the airport and drove all the way to Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

The hotel that Naoko Kondo arranged for Lin Chaoyang was in Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, called Prince Hotel, a five-star hotel.

Lin Chaoyang stayed in the hotel's annex, which was built in 1960.

When checking in, Lin Chaoyang proposed to pay for the room himself, but Kondo Naoko firmly disagreed, and even Fujii Shozo tried to dissuade him.

"Mr. Lin, there is an old Chinese saying that guests should follow the host's wishes. Since you have come to Japan, we should be responsible for these matters."

The three of them argued for a while, but seeing that Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii remained firm in their attitude, Lin Chaoyang didn't insist any longer.

By the time we checked in, it was already past eleven o'clock in the evening.

Naoko Kondo asked Lin Chaoyang about his thoughts on the itinerary. This time Lin Chaoyang came to Tokyo to discuss the publication of his novel. In addition to going to the publishing house to discuss business, Naoko Kondo also arranged some gatherings and sightseeing for Lin Chaoyang.

For example, she and Shozo Fujii have gathered some people from the Japanese literary circles to hold a welcome banquet for Lin Chaoyang tomorrow, and they will also visit the University of Tokyo where Shozo Fujii teaches, go to Kyoto to enjoy the maple leaves, tour the National Folk Exhibition Hall, etc.

Lin Chaoyang thought for a moment. The welcome banquet had already been arranged and it was not convenient to refuse. He politely declined the tour.

He also explained Tao Yushu's pregnancy and expressed his desire to return home as soon as possible.

After listening to his words, Naoko Kondo and others left with a little regret.

The next morning, after getting up, Lin Chaoyang went to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. As soon as he returned to his room after breakfast, the front desk downstairs called and said that someone was waiting for him. When he went downstairs, he saw Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii waiting there.

"You two have been waiting for a long time."

Lin Chaoyang said something polite and followed the two into the car.

Today they are going to the Sakuramon Hall of Nihon University in Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, which is the headquarters of the Sakuramon Club, the alumni association of Nihon University.

It is known as one of the four major alumni associations in Japan, along with the Mita-kai of Keio University, the Inamon-kai of Waseda University, and the Josui-kai of Hitotsubashi University.

In the morning, Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii arranged an exchange meeting here. The participants were all their students. In the afternoon, they met with the writers, and in the evening, there was a welcome dinner.

I don’t know how Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii described it to the students. When attending the exchange meeting in the morning, Lin Chaoyang found that the students looked at him in the same way as the students who picked him up at the airport last night, as if they were looking at some big star.

After communicating for a while, he found that Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii did praise him in front of their students, and a considerable number of these students had a good knowledge of Chinese and had read his novels.

The doubts in my mind were answered, and the morning exchange meeting ended in a happy atmosphere.

At noon, the guests invited to the welcome party arrived at the hall one after another. Masako Toyoda, Tsutomu Mizukami, Daisaku Ikeda...all of them were pro-Z writers.

Most of these writers are over 60 years old and have close ties with the Chinese literary world, so they accepted the invitation of Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii to attend the welcome banquet.

Sitting among a group of veteran writers, Lin Chaoyang, who was not even 30 years old, looked even younger. Several veteran writers were amazed at what they saw. They could not have imagined that such a famous writer in China could be so young.

Lin Chaoyang does not speak Japanese, and several old writers do not speak Chinese either, so they rely entirely on Fuji Naoko and Fujii Shozo, two China experts, for communication.

While everyone was chatting, another person came into the hall.

Seeing these two people coming, everyone who was chatting excitedly stood up at the same time. Lin Chaoyang didn't understand why, but he knew that these must be heavyweights.

"Lin-san, please allow me to introduce you. This is the historian Mr. Shigeki Kaizuka, a professor at Kyoto University."

When Lin Chaoyang heard this name, he immediately thought of a book he had read in the Yan University Library, "Confucius", and the author seemed to be Shigeki Kaizuka.

After he greeted, he asked a question, and Kondo Naoko helped translate it. Shigeki Kaizuka looked happy, as he didn't expect that Lin Chaoyang had read his works.

Shigeki Kaizuka is a leading figure in the Japanese historical community, and is known as one of the three great men of Kyoto University along with Kojiro Yoshikawa and Takeo Kuwazono.

He has written many works, including "The Spirit of the Ancients", "Confucius", "Ancient Chinese State", "Nostalgia for China", "Old China and New China", etc., which are widely welcomed by Japanese intellectual circles.

Including the arrival of Shigeki Kaizuka, there are a total of nine people invited to attend the welcome banquet today. Their professions include writers, critics, and historians, and they have a certain status in Japan's cultural and intellectual circles.

Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii took great pains to arrange Lin Chaoyang's visit to Japan.

The day after the welcome dinner, Lin Chaoyang, led by Kondo Naoko, came to the headquarters of Shiramizu Society, which is also located in Chiyoda Ward.

Hakusuisha is a well-known Japanese publishing house that focuses on publishing books related to linguistics and translation. The "Hakusui" in its name is taken from a line from Qu Yuan's "Li Sao": "In the morning I will cross the Baishui River, climb up to Langfeng Mountain and tie up my horse."

Hakusuisha is not very famous in the Japanese publishing industry, but its influence is considerable.

He is not well-known because his main publishing direction is books on philosophy, history, literature, drama and language. As the style is high, the audience is small.

The reason why it is influential is that since 1955, Hakusuisha has established the Kishida Kunishi Script Award in the name of Kishida Kunishi, the pioneer of Japan's modern and contemporary drama movement.

Over the past thirty years, the Kishida Kunishi Script Award has gradually become an authoritative award in the Japanese theater industry, and many influential figures in the Japanese theater industry have won this award.

Because of the existence of the Kishida Kunishi Script Award, Hakusuisha has a unique influence in the Japanese drama literature world.

Of course, all this information was told by Naoko Kondo to Lin Chaoyang. According to her, if it comes to publishing literary works alone, Hakushui Publishing House is a good partner.

However, due to its strength, Baishui Publishing House is far inferior to those large publishing houses in the distribution and promotion of books.

When they arrived at Hakusuisha, they were received by the editor-in-chief Okamura Tatsuya, who is equivalent to the editor-in-chief in China.

Okamura Tatsuya is a middle-aged man in his forties with a thin face. If he doesn't smile, his face is full of seriousness, as if someone owes him two hundred strings of cash.

"Crossing the Guandong" itself is of excellent quality, and it was translated by two professors who are proficient in Chinese, Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii, so the quality of the translation is also excellent.

After some communication, Tatsuya Okamura expressed the attitude of Hakushui Publishing House. They recognized the content of the novel and were willing to provide Lin Chaoyang with a publishing contract with an 8% printing fee.

The so-called stamp duty is the name of royalties in Japan.

Lin Chaoyang is not famous in Japan. This is the first time his work has been published in Japan, so getting this royalty rate is already a good treatment.

Then Lin Chaoyang asked about the translator's royalties. Okamura Tatsuya said that Hakusui Publishing could provide the translator with a fee as a buyout fee for the translator's work, and the price was around 220 million yen.

After listening to Tatsuya Okamura's conditions, Lin Chaoyang calculated in his mind that the current exchange rate between RMB and Japanese yen is about 1:80, and 220 million yen is more than RMB.

Lin Chaoyang said goodbye to Tatsuya Okamura on the grounds that he needed to think about it.

After coming out of the Hakushui Society headquarters, Naoko Kondo thought that Lin Chaoyang was dissatisfied with the conditions of the Hakushui Society, and said to Lin Chaoyang:
"Mr. Lin, we can go to Hechu Study again. Their conditions are better than Baishui Society, and their strength is also much stronger than Baishui Society."

Lin Chaoyang nodded, "Okay, let's go take a look."

Kawaide Shobo was the first to publish textbooks and study reference books, and it also had its own Seimido Bookstore. In the Japanese publishing industry, it was more powerful and famous than Hakusuisha, and had a longer history than Hakusuisha, having been established in 1886.

The headquarters is located in Sumiyoshicho, Shinjuku-ku, and its main magazine "Bungei" is one of the five major national pure literature magazines in the Japanese literary world.

These five pure literature magazines hold literary awards every year, which are called the five public newcomer awards by the media. They can discover many outstanding writers every year and therefore have a huge influence in the literary world.

The two greatest advantages of Kawaide Shobo are that it is very serious and responsible in cultivating discovered writers, and second, it has strong publishing and publicity capabilities.

With the introduction of Naoko Kondo, Lin Chaoyang got a brief understanding of Kawaide Shobo. When they arrived, they were greeted by the editor of the literature and art department, Miyu Kitamura.

Kitamura Miyu is a young woman in her thirties with a gentle voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin Chaoyang.

She graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Nihon University and is a junior of Naoko Kondo.

When Naoko Kondo came to her to discuss "Crossing the Guandong" in the first half of the year, she expressed her high admiration for Lin Chaoyang, so Kitamura Miyu has always been curious about Lin Chaoyang.

Last month, Naoko Kondo brought the translated manuscript of "Crossing the Guandong" to see Kitamura Miyu. After reading the novel, she finally understood Naoko Kondo's feelings. "Reading Hayashi's novels always reminds me of Ryotaro Shiba's historical novels, which are magnificent and grand in style."

Ryotaro Shiba is a famous Japanese historical novelist. His works are very popular in Japan and he was once the most popular writer in Japan.

Kitamura Miyu was of course praising Lin Chaoyang when she said this, but he felt a little uncomfortable listening to it, because Shiba Ryotaro was an iron rightist. Not only did he serve as a soldier in the puppet Manchukuo, but he also got involved with the *** in the 1990s.

The compliment was well-intentioned, so Lin Chaoyang could only change the subject and talk to Kitamura Miyu about the publication of the novel.

The conditions offered by Hechu Shobo were similar to those offered by Baishui Publishing House, also an 8% printing tax. In addition, Lin Chaoyang was concerned about the translator's royalties.

Kitamura Miyu said: "We can provide the translator with a buyout fee of 200 million yen."

This fee is even lower than what Baishui Publishing House offers. After hearing this condition, Lin Chaoyang didn't say anything and still said he needed to think about it.

After coming out of Kawade Shobo, he asked Kondo Naoko about the treatment of Japanese translators, and found out that the treatment given by Hakusuisha was already quite generous.

One of their main businesses is to translate and publish foreign works, so the royalties they pay to translators are the highest among many publishing houses.

"Then let's choose Baishui Society." Lin Chaoyang said.

At this moment, Kondo Naoko also understood what Lin Chaoyang meant. It turned out that he had been considering the issue of translation royalties. This immediately touched Kondo Naoko's heart.

"Mr. Lin, I suggest you choose Hechu Shufang. Baishuishe's influence is mainly concentrated in drama literature, but Hechu Shufang is different.

They have Wen Yi. If Wen Yi promotes Chuang Guan Dong after it is published in Japan, it will be of great benefit to the development of your work in Japan.”

Naoko Kondo suggested to Lin Chaoyang with a serious face.

“You don’t need to worry about the translation fee. It is a great fortune for Fujii and I to be able to translate a book like Crossing the Guandong. We also hope that Crossing the Guandong can be read by more Japanese readers.

Choosing Kawade Shobo is indeed beneficial for this novel, please believe it!"

Having said that, Kondo Naoko suddenly bowed solemnly to Lin Chaoyang.

After she did this, Lin Chaoyang couldn't say anything, because the translator didn't complain that the remuneration was too low.

"Okay, then let's choose the Hede Study."

Lin Chaoyang made the decision, and Naoko Kondo was delighted. "I really hope that Crossing Guandong can be published in Japan!"

She then called Shozo Fujii and told him the good news.

The three of them got together in the evening, and Fujii Shozo suggested finding a place to celebrate.

Japan's economy was at its peak in the 1200s, and its current overseas net assets are as high as billion US dollars, ranking first in the world.

At the same time, China also ranked first in the world in both trade current account surplus and foreign exchange reserves, and all three indicators showing economic strength ranked first in the world.

At this time, Japan was known as the "rich empire" and "could buy America."

Behind the strong economy is the daily overloaded work of Japan's working class. It is normal for Tokyo office workers to get off work after 10 o'clock every night.

The whole society is in a state of "overwork", but people don't think there is anything wrong with it, and many Japanese are even proud of it.

Some private TV stations have also launched late-night programs such as "Live Broadcast Until Dawn". The streets are full of 24-hour convenience stores and late-night izakayas are everywhere. The entire society is gradually moving towards a "24-hour city that never sleeps."

The three of them had already had dinner, so they found an izakaya, ordered a few glasses of sake and some side dishes, and chatted while eating.

If nothing unexpected happens, "Crossing the Guandong" will be successfully published in Japan. The efforts of Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii over the past six months have not been in vain. This is naturally a happy thing, but what makes them even happier is the publication itself.

The two of them imagined the possible response that "Crossing the Guandong" might arouse among Japanese readers after its publication. They were in a very happy mood and drank a lot of wine, becoming drunk without realizing it.

“I really hope that ‘Crossing Guandong’ can be published soon, and we can introduce more works of Mr. Lin in the future.”

"The Ferryman's Tale! Mr. Lin, please let me translate this masterpiece full of Zen and philosophy. I will do my best!"

Kondo Naoko was a little drunk. She became excited when she mentioned "The Ferryman". She stood up unsteadily, bowed to Lin Chaoyang, and spoke drunkenly.

"I will if I have the chance."

Lin Chaoyang helped her up helplessly.

The alcohol content of this sake is not high. How come you end up drinking like this after just a few small glasses?
"Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Naoko Kondo staggered and bowed to Lin Chaoyang again, and was pulled by Lin Chaoyang and pressed into her seat.

At this time, drunk white-collar workers in the izakaya started to act crazy, which is a daily norm in places like izakayas.

Seeing this, Lin Chaoyang suggested leaving. At this time, Fujii Shozo was still sober, and the two of them supported Kondo Naoko and walked out of the izakaya.

It was already half past ten in the evening, and Tokyo, which has successfully become an international financial center, was still brightly lit at this hour.

Many shops on the street are still open, and office workers who have just got off work can be seen everywhere.

When Naoko Kondo came out of the izakaya, the wind blew and her stomach churned. She broke away from the two men and instinctively rushed to a telephone pole and vomited.

"Ms. Kondo is really... bold!"

Fujii Shozo said this in a deep voice, and his cautious sarcasm made people laugh.

Lin Chaoyang laughed. Fujii Shozo looked at the street and said with a sigh: "Tokyo at night is so beautiful! Lin-san, look at that street lamp..."

Lin Chaoyang looked in the direction of his gaze, "They are all fueled by the flesh and blood of young Japanese people."

Lin Chaoyang didn't know where his sudden emotions came from, but what he said was true.

Whether it is New York, London, Tokyo today, or Yanjing and Shanghai decades later, these cities are like a speeding train.

The countless young people who come here to make a living are the fuel of this train. It is the burning lives of these young people that make these cities so brightly lit and extravagant.

Only a few lucky ones can find a place to settle down here after burning themselves, and more people will only become useless waste after their youth is burned out.

Together with those who want to be fuel but cannot, they are eliminated by this fast-moving train.

"Ugh~"

The rough sound of Kondo Naoko vomiting interrupted their thoughts. She stood up with the help of a telephone pole, and Lin Chaoyang and the other man went forward to support her.

The three of them walked for a while, and Kondo Naoko finally sobered up a little, and got into a taxi with the support of Fujii Shozo.

The taxi first took Lin Chaoyang back to the Prince Hotel, and Fujii Shozo was responsible for escorting Kondo Naoko home.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lin Chaoyang came to the hotel lobby to wait for someone. Half an hour later, Naoko Kondo finally arrived.

She saw Lin Chaoyang's face full of shame and he kept bowing, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lin! I was so rude last night. I'm really sorry."

"Ms. Kondo, don't worry about these little things. But to be honest, your alcohol tolerance is too average. You should drink less in the future."

Lin Chaoyang's joke made Kondo Naoko's face even more embarrassed, and he shook his head helplessly.

"Well, let's get going to Kawade's study."

"Hey-"

Naoko Kondo bowed suddenly, but this bow was not to Lin Chaoyang, but to ease her own embarrassment.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Lin, Fujii-kun will also be there today." After bowing, Kondo Naoko thought of something else and pulled Lin Chaoyang.

"Is Fujii going too?"

"Yes. He said he would ask a friend from the law department to come over and help look at the contract."

"Fujii is really thoughtful!"

The two waited in the hotel for a few more minutes before Fujii Shozo arrived with a gray-haired colleague. The two sides introduced themselves to each other. The associate professor from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo was named Yusuke Naito.

After a few pleasantries, everyone set off for Kawade's study.

Kitamura Miyu received a notice from Kondo Naoko yesterday afternoon and prepared the publishing contract for "Crossing the Guandong" early this morning. However, she was surprised to see Lin Chaoyang and his group.

I feel that the signing of Lin Chaoyang, a foreign writer, has more momentum than many well-known Japanese writers.

The publishing contract has two versions, Chinese and Japanese. With the help of Yusuke Naito in reviewing it, Lin Chaoyang did save some effort.

According to the contract, Kawaide Shobo exclusively enjoys the publishing rights of "Crossing the Guandong" in Japan for three years, with a printing tax rate of 8%. The first print run of the novel is set at 1.2 copies, and royalties are settled every six months.

The reference price of "Crossing the Guandong" is 3600 yen. Lin Chaoyang can obtain 345.6 million yen in royalties for the first print, 50% of which will be remitted to Lin Chaoyang in a few days, and the other 50% will have to wait until the royalties are settled half a year later.

Lin Chaoyang calculated carefully and found that more than 3 million yen was only more than 40,000 yuan, which was not much.

I hope that after the publication of "Crossing the Guandong" will have good sales, so as not to waste his trip and the help of Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii.

After signing the contract, Lin Chaoyang proposed to treat a few people to dinner in the evening, and by the way, he also invited Kitamura Miyu, who would be Lin Chaoyang's editor at Kawade Shobo in the future.

Taking advantage of having nothing to do in the afternoon, Lin Chaoyang first booked a flight back to Hong Kong.

The next day when I went to the airport, Naoko Kondo and Shozo Fujii came to see me off, just like when we came.

After saying goodbye, Lin Chaoyang boarded the plane.

A few hours later, the plane landed at Kai Tak Airport.

When they met, Tao Yushu said, "I thought you would stay there for at least a week."

"Ms. Kondo and the others have arranged some itineraries for me, but I want to go home for the holidays, so I'd better hurry up and do my business before returning home." Lin Chaoyang said with a smile.

After resting for a night in Hong Kong, the couple boarded a train heading north.

Tao Yushu is now in the late stage of pregnancy and is not suitable for flying.

After two days of hard work, the couple finally returned to Yanjing at noon on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Lin Chaoyang did not tell his family in advance that they were coming back, so the old couple Lin Erchun were naturally surprised and delighted to see them.

"Okay, okay, I'm finally back, just in time for the holidays."

Lin Erchun went out to buy groceries. Today was the day for the family reunion, so he had to cook a few more dishes in the evening.

(End of this chapter)