Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 179 Go grab the manuscript!
Seeing that Mayumi Yamamoto did not react, Zhang Chao did not get anxious, but instead invited her to go to the company in the afternoon to introduce Keigo Higashino's situation.

Zhang Chao doesn't know much about Keigo Higashino. Apart from "White Night Walk" and "The Devotion of Suspect X", he only knows about his works which are too famous, such as "The Little Shop of Sorrow" and "Malice".

There are very few people in China who know him, after all, there are no officially published translated works.

After Keigo Higashino became famous in the mid-80s, his greatest characteristic was his high productivity. Zhang Chao wrote three novels and several novellas in two years, and was disliked by many domestic writers and critics for "writing too much, too fast." However, compared with Keigo Higashino, Zhang Chao is nothing.

By 2006, Higashino Keigo had officially published more than 60 works. To be an agent for an author, you can't just focus on a few famous works, you have to take other works into consideration, otherwise you will soon fall out with them.

Therefore, the selection and order are very important. Although Mayumi Yamamoto's introduction is not necessarily objective, it can undoubtedly provide a good reference for Zhang Chao, Ma Boyong, and Huang Jiefu.

"In fact, Keigo Higashino does not get enough respect among our Japanese mystery writers." As soon as Mayumi Yamamoto opened her mouth, Zhang Chao blushed, and Ma Boyong and Huang Jiefu also looked at him in confusion.

Before she came over in the afternoon, Zhang Chao and these two people were bragging about how great Keigo Higashino was, but Mayumi Yamamoto didn't give him any face.

Mayumi Yamamoto didn’t know what was going on, and continued to introduce: “Traditional orthodox writers and book fans feel that Higashino-kun’s tricks are not original enough, his reasoning is not rigorous enough, and he is too social.

Social writers and book fans think that Higashino is too prolific and that his exploration of the social factors of crime is too superficial. At the same time, both groups think that Higashino is too "best-selling."

After the introduction, Zhang Chao and several others were confused. How could there be such an "objective" fan?

However, Mayumi Yamamoto quickly changed the subject and began to praise him: "But I think this is exactly the charm of Higashino-kun. He has never been constrained by the title of 'mystery novelist', but has created freely.

That’s why he can write works that go beyond traditional mystery novels. The biggest feature of Higashino’s works is that both detectives and criminals have character charm and psychological motivations that go beyond logic and trickery. After reading his works, you often don’t get pleasure from solving the puzzles, but resonate with the characters...”

Following Mayumi Yamamoto's story, Zhang Chao and others finally had a more comprehensive understanding of Keigo Higashino. Finally, Zhang Chao asked her a question: "If we want to introduce Keigo Higashino's works to China, which works do you recommend for priority? Name five."

Mayumi Yamamoto shouted in surprise and joy: "Really? That's great!" Although she didn't know Huang Jiefu and Ma Boyong, she still knew a little about Zhang Chao's influence.

After pondering for a long time, she said, "If I only have to choose five, I think they are these works - After School, Masked Villa, The Devotion of Suspect X, White Night Walk, and The Letter."

After listening to him, Zhang Chao said, "Okay, we will consider it carefully. Later, I would like to ask you to translate the introduction and basic context of some of Keigo Higashino's works into Chinese for reference by these two colleagues. I wonder if you are willing to do so?"

Mayumi Yamamoto agreed again with surprise.

After seeing her off, Zhang Chao said to Huang Jiefu and Ma Boyong, "The starting point of Mayumi Yamamoto's recommendation of the work just now was to introduce Keigo Higashino's mystery novels to China. However, the domestic market is still too small to support sales.

You should pay attention to the following works: The Devotion of Suspect X, White Night Walk, Malice, and Wandering Blade, in order of ranking. In particular, you should pay attention to the works that have been adapted into films and TV series. White Night Walk was released as a movie in January this year.

In short, remember, if Keigo Higashino can be remembered by domestic readers, it is definitely not because of his good reasoning writing, but because of his extreme character creation and plot arrangement.

If many mystery novels are made for the sake of "tricks", then the charm of Keigo Higashino's works is just the opposite. "After saying this, Zhang Chao still felt a little regretful. He even checked at noon and found that "The Convenience Store of Sorrow" had not been written by Keigo Higashino, otherwise it would definitely be ranked first. After all, it was this work that made Keigo Higashino really "popular" in China.

Ma Boyong nodded and said, "From a marketing perspective, 'mystery writer Keigo Higashino' is indeed not as attractive as 'suspense writer Keigo Higashino' in China - although I personally like to read mystery novels. To be honest, I'm afraid many people don't know what the term 'mystery novel' means."

Zhang Chao agreed, "Although I don't read much, I know that the market segmentation of domestic genre novels has not yet reached the level of Europe, America and Japan. So it's useless if the books he writes are good. The key is that the books we choose must also be good."

Huang Jiefu said, "If you have decided on a few works, I will fly to Japan in a few days to discuss. Our cooperation with Kadokawa has always been quite pleasant, and I believe Kadokawa Leyan will be willing to introduce him. But he is a writer after all, and I don't understand literature, so I don't know if he is willing to talk to me."

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "Don't worry. A writer who can write five books a year will definitely not be interested in talking to you about literature. What he cares about most is definitely royalties and how to ensure income."

Huang Jiefu said "Oh" as if he suddenly understood, and then made an OK gesture to show that he understood.

Then Zhang Chao called Xu Ruiya and others to a meeting, and introduced what happened in the afternoon when Mayumi Yamamoto introduced Keigo Higashino and how he chose to prioritize the translation of works. Finally, he concluded:
“Youth will be published as an independent journal starting next month, and our previous plan can be implemented. Youth will gradually transition from a monthly to a bi-weekly. The main issue will be published in the first half of the month, Youth·Non-fiction in the middle of the month, and Youth·Grand View in the last half of the month.

This requires a large number of high-quality manuscripts and authors. If there are not enough domestic authors, we need to find foreign authors. I have just explained the standards, and I hope you can understand. If you don’t understand, you can find me or Ma Boyong.

If there are good writers or good manuscripts, don't miss them and make sure to get them!
In June, Daguan will release a supplement to test the waters. The main authors are Xue Tao and other authors who just graduated from Qingchun Pie this year, as well as you, Lao Ma. We have given you half a year to prepare new works. Readers are full of expectations. Don't let them down.

The May issue of Youth Magazine will publish a preview of The Grand View and a preview chapter..."

After the explanation, Zhang Chao noticed a doubtful look on Ma Boyong's face and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the new work?"

Ma Boyong said: "I have read all the works of 'Daguan'. I always feel that the genres are somewhat repetitive with the original 'Youth' magazine, and the 'weight' of the works is not particularly full... After all, 'Daguan' is mainly aimed at more mature readers."

Zhang Chao said: "What you said makes sense. I'll think of a way to deal with this."

Shuang Xuetao asked, "Are you planning to serialize new works in 'Daguan'? Can you take care of it?"

Zhang Chao chuckled and said, "Of course I can't take care of it all. Besides, I'm not even 22 yet, so I'll leave the work to Youth."

Everyone: "..."

Zhang Chao said, "Okay, everyone go about your business. Oh, and book me a flight to Taiyuan right away, and rent a car there, preferably an SUV with better passability. I'm not driving in the city, I'm going to leave Taiyuan."

Huang Jiefu was confused and asked, "What are you doing in Taiyuan, Shanxi? Did Ms. Song go to Shanxi to film a movie recently?"

Zhang Chao: "..." Then he said: "What else can I do? Go and grab some manuscripts that are of sufficient weight for you. If you go too late, you won't be able to grab them. Book your tickets and car now, the sooner the better!"

(End of this chapter)