Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 312 What is cultural output? This is it!
All eyes and cameras were focused on Zhang Chao again. Alice Mayhew and David Miller's hearts were in their throats again, fearing that Zhang Chao would utter some vicious words again.

Zhang Chao looked around the audience before continuing, “During this trip to the United States, I felt that there is a huge cognitive gap between ordinary readers in China and the United States, but they are eager to communicate with each other.

The National Book Critics Circle Award has more than 700 judges. Winning the award means that I have been recognized by quite a number of them, and it is my honor.

But even so, it is still not free from all kinds of criticism. I think this has to do with the number of judges who are eligible to cast a vote.

So how about this - a website called "People's Choice Network" will be launched after today's press conference, where every reader can register an account and recommend their favorite books or share their own book lists."

The scene was a bit cold for a while. Now it is fashionable to set up websites. Although Zhang Chao is a writer, it is not too uncommon for him to do so. Many media giants have already tried this.

A reporter couldn't help but ask: "This seems quite similar to Hollywood's "People's Choice Awards"? "The People's Choice Awards" is one of the oldest annual award ceremonies in Hollywood, and each award is entirely voted on by film, television and music fans.

Zhang Chao laughed and said: "It may be somewhat similar, but the reason why this website was born is not the "People's Choice Award", but the "People's Recommendation Award".

Reporters wondered: “Is this any different?”

Zhang Chao explained: "The 'People's Recommendation' here does not mean that readers vote for their 'favorite' works, but rather that they choose one of the new books published in their own country each year that they most want readers on the other side of the Pacific to read and recommend it to them."

"This is quite interesting!" The reporters became excited and began to whisper to each other, sharing their views on the news.

Soon everyone discovered that Zhang Chao seemed to have found an extremely clever angle of entry -

In the past, the award was given for "I like to read", but Zhang Chao wanted readers to choose "I want you to read". The latter not only includes the former, but also prompts readers to think - why do they need to read this book?
And there are many possibilities here - this recommendation can be "friendly", "provocative", or "weird"...

At this time, another reporter asked: "I noticed that you said 'China and the United States'. Doesn't that include other countries? As far as I know, countries like Europe and Japan also have huge book markets."

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "Yes, only China and the United States. IP addresses from other regions cannot register this website."

The reporter then asked, “Can I ask why?”

Zhang Chao calmly replied: "China and the United States are separated by an ocean, and the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. Since we are going to build a bridge, let's build the longest one in the world. I have not considered other small bridges and paths."

Reporters and readers were a little shocked for a moment, but then some sharp-eyed people caught the business opportunity behind Zhang Chao's "big talk" - Zhang Chao was artificially creating "scarcity"!

China is the country with the largest population and the greatest potential in the book market in the world, and the United States is the country with the most mature and developed book market in the world. The total number of high-quality readers in the two countries will certainly account for the majority of the world's total.

Only allowing readers from China and the United States to register for this website will not restrict its development. Instead, it will encourage high-quality readers from other regions to find ways to register.

Two years ago, Google launched the first free large-capacity mailbox on the market, which implemented a more stringent recommendation registration system. Only by being invited by users who have already registered for Google mailboxes can one join this "big family".

The result? The scarcity of Gmail invitation codes made it very difficult to get one, and the code spread like crazy. In less than a year, it beat Yahoo and other established email services to pieces.

Before his rebirth, Zhang Chao had joined the army of people "asking for codes" everywhere. At that time, it was a great honor to have a Google mailbox and send emails to others.

The "People's Choice" book sharing website that is about to be launched is likely to replicate this miracle.

Old lady Alice Mayhew in the audience became anxious and turned to David Miller and said, "Don't you know about this?" There was a questioning tone in her voice.

David Miller panicked and said quickly, "I... I swear I don't know. He only told me that he would have some 'surprises' during the awards ceremony, but he didn't say what they were. I thought... I thought..."

Alice Mayhew sighed and said, "You thought Zhang Chao's 'surprise' was to announce that he would randomly draw a lucky reader and give him a reward, right?"

David Miller was a middle-aged man, but at this moment he was so embarrassed that his face almost blushed.

Alice Mayhew said: "Next time, you must ask clearly about this kind of thing and report to me! Damn, we may have missed an opportunity!" The old lady was very well-mannered, but at this moment she couldn't help but swear.

As a senior book editor and editor-in-chief in charge of the overall situation, she sensed the huge business opportunity behind Zhang Chao's creativity.

Unlike original books, the publishing rights of past book translations, especially new book translations, are firmly in the hands of large publishers in various countries. Small publishers rarely translate new books because the market prospects are uncertain. Instead, they prefer to re-translate and republish old books with good market reputation and a stable readership.

Generally speaking, even if a foreign writer can "make a big hit with one book" in a foreign country with a different language, it is rare for them to truly form a stable readership. Most of them "make a strong start, then decline, and finally run out of steam."

There are only a few people like Haruki Murakami who has been so popular in China for nearly 20 years and whose Chinese translations of every new book can make it to the bestseller list.

Under such a system, the power of editors of large publishing houses in "new book translation" will be greatly expanded, that is, they can decide what kind of translated works readers can see.

Whether in China or the United States, the vast majority of readers' acceptance of non-native literary works comes from the indoctrination of these editors - information asymmetry means commercial value.

The website that Zhang Chao is about to launch may completely break this information gap.

Readers from both countries will surely be curious about what kind of books the other side wants us to read. Once this curiosity is aroused, the "market" is born.

If a market can be born, then "porters" will definitely be born as well.

The "wild subtitle groups" that have been "trained" in the process of online piracy and dissemination of film and television dramas have proved that everyone's enthusiasm for breaking information barriers is unstoppable.

Under this mechanism, Zhang Chao is creating a pie out of thin air for "book translation". In the future, publishers of all sizes can share this new pie based on the feedback from this website.

Alice Mayhew couldn't help but imagine, if she had known Zhang Chao's idea earlier and let her publishing house get involved, then...

Of course, Zhang Chao didn't know about the little thoughts behind the scenes, or even if Alice Mayhew knew about it in advance, he would not allow any major publishing house to get involved in the construction or operation of this website.

Even though these big publishing houses are wealthy and have many people, Zhang Chao believes that readers will turn around and leave if they see any trace of their involvement on the website. How can a website with the subtext of "anti-authority" allow "authority" to be the boss?
At this time, a reporter's question attracted everyone's attention. She asked: "This website should also allow professional book reviewers and writers to register, right?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "Of course it is allowed. We will not review the identity of the registrants. There are no registration restrictions other than nationality."

A sweet-looking young female reporter seemed to have grasped some key point and immediately asked excitedly: "Then this website is also likely to be monopolized by them! They are all professionals with strong ability to express opinions, and it is difficult for ordinary readers to compete with them.

Aren’t you afraid that your website, like many publishers’ websites and book blogs today, will be filled with long essays by these professional book reviewers?

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "You are very sharp!" This compliment made the female reporter smile shyly. Zhang Chao's performance at the press conference today was so wonderful that it had impressed many people.

Zhang Chao continued, “I have already considered this issue, so each book review published on my website cannot exceed 140 characters, which is the maximum length for a single text message.

In addition, you may also include a picture of up to 100kb, such as a book cover."

There was a huge exclamation at the scene. Both reporters and readers began to whisper. Although there was a word limit for a single blog post, few people could write to the limit.

The reporter who asked the question immediately inquired: "You mean, like Twitter?" The social software Twitter only launched its trial version at the end of last year. It is very niche and is considered by most people to be just a kind of "online text message" and is far from being popular.

Most of these “light social” software had to wait until the iPhone launched its App Store and the mobile Internet reached the “intersection point” before they could unleash their huge energy.

Otherwise, without clear usage scenarios and interaction requirements, everyone would turn on their computers, not just to read a 140-character complaint from a netizen about his or her life.

Zhang Chao said: "Oh, you know Twitter? It is a bit like Twitter, but it is limited to the word count. That's all. Our website is a home for everyone to read and communicate.

I hope that anyone who loves reading and is experiencing a book shortage can find the books they want on this website.”

The beautiful lady reporter saw Zhang Chao looking at her with encouraging eyes and couldn't help but ask again: "Why 140 words?"

Zhang Chao smiled happily and explained: "Most readers have excellent expressive ability and can write amazing sentences. But they are not professional book reviewers who make a living from this and cannot write long articles. The so-called 'ability to express opinions' mostly comes from this.

The 140-character limit puts ordinary readers and professional book reviewers on the same starting line. On this website, 'all are equal'!
In addition—” Zhang Chao picked up his mobile phone and shook it: “The 140-word book review can not only be published on the website, but also sent to your friends via text message.”

The readers sitting at the back of the venue cheered, saying that Zhang Chao's website was tailor-made for them.

The beautiful lady reporter laughed and said, "Then the book reviewer's job may be lost. You just received the "National Book Review Award". Is this really a good thing to do?"

Zhang Chao said seriously: "Of course not. I think this gives these book reviewers a real chance to become a 'guiding light' for the readers. Think about it, before they could only meet readers through columns in newspapers and magazines, but with our website -

They can even share their true opinions on books with readers every hour! Capturing the moment of inspiration at any time, isn't this a better way to show their personal charm than racking their brains to produce long articles?
Believe me, book reviewers can also become real 'stars'!
This is a gift from me to the National Book Critics Circle. I thank them for their recognition and I hope they like it. "

After hearing Zhang Chao's words, journalists who are columnists, including Lewis Lampham, were all moved.

The blogging boom that emerged in the past few years has created a large number of "common people heroes." Many early bloggers simply shared their daily lives, but were deified by netizens who were eagerly looking for fresh content on the Internet, and gained a dazzling halo and huge profits.

Does Zhang Chao's website also contain such opportunities? It's really tempting!

A reporter immediately raised his hand and asked the crucial question: "What is the URL of this website?"

Zhang Chao reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a piece of cloth. He held it high and pulled it open. The words on it were clearly visible: "The address of this website is very simple, with only 5 letters -

www.weibo.com!"

The flashbulbs crackled, and the reporter who had just asked the question asked again: "This... this is simple, but what does it mean?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, beating these people up in the first half was indeed the right decision. In the second half, each of them asked more questions than the other and spoke more pleasantly. They were all talented and I really liked having them in (the press conference).

Zhang Chao explained with a smile: "Since this website is for readers from both China and the United States, this URL also combines Chinese and English expressions - "wei", the corresponding Chinese character in Chinese is "微", which means "tiny, very little", symbolizing the website's 140-character limit.

At the same time, "微" in Chinese also means "exquisite, profound". There is an old Chinese saying, "微言大义", which means the profound truth contained in refined language, which is also related to the purpose of our website.

"bo" is actually the abbreviation of the English word "book". By combining "wei" and "book", we hope that everyone can share the joy of reading with friends across the ocean in a concise and meaningful language!

You can use the literal translation and call this website "Weishu" or the phonetic translation and call it "Weibo". Anyway, I have registered both names!"

After Zhang Chao finished speaking, there was warm applause from the audience. Not only the readers, but even some reporters were conquered by Zhang Chao's imaginative creativity and brilliant explanation.

Chinese is so profound that a simple word like "wei" has such a profound connotation. After applauding, the reporters wrote down Zhang Chao's explanation and emphasized it in their notebooks.

Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Zhang Chao couldn't help but say, "The slogan of our Weibo website is - I want to get you some books to see see!"

This "easy to understand" Chinese-style English caused everyone present to burst into laughter. The effect was more than just full, it was simply explosive!

Alice Mayhew looked at the lively atmosphere at the scene, and once again glanced sadly at David Miller beside her, wondering why this subordinate whom she valued so much was so disappointing in front of Zhang Chao?

He only sighed again and said, "We definitely lost an opportunity!"

This "Weibo Network" seems to be going to be a huge hit!
Then there was the ceremony where David Miller handed over the medal of the "National Book Critics Circle Best Novel Award" to Zhang Chao. Although the publishing house was well prepared, the music, flowers, and lights were carefully designed, and it was grand and magnificent, but...

Everyone just felt - it was boring!
Next came the book signing session, and suddenly a huge crowd of people started pouring in from outside the venue, they had been waiting impatiently!

(End of this chapter)