Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 375 Zhang Chao is not selling books

Generally speaking, how do you hold a new book launch conference?

The publishing house first invites a group of famous writers and critics to write the preface, skirt cover, and recommendations for the book, and then spends money to find media to report on it to warm up for the official launch.

On the day of the press conference, those who are wealthy will invite some famous writers or cultural figures to speak at the event, and they will praise the work in front of the media. Then they will sign a hundred or eighty books. The reporters will have material to film, and everyone will be happy.

Lu Jinbo's idea was similar, except that the lineup of writers he envisioned inviting was more luxurious: writers under his own command, such as Yi Zhongtian, Wang Shuo, Annie Baby... If Zhang Chao didn't mind, Han Han, who had just returned from Japan, could also be included.

Then there are writers who have a teacher-student relationship with Zhang Chao: Yu Hua, Jia Pingwa, Wang Meng, Liu Zhenyun, Mo Yan…

The launch of "Homeland" should be a top-notch "writer show" to fully demonstrate Zhang Chao's special status in the contemporary literary world. He also believes that as long as Zhang Chao is willing to cooperate with his plan, most of these writers can be invited to the scene.

This is definitely a unique event in the history of Chinese publishing. Lu Jinbo even suspected that even if Zhang Chao published more novels in the future, the press conference would never be as grand as this one!

After all, "Hometown" has the strong support of the unrepeatable domestic and international public opinion storm. Take Japan for example, where can we find another governor of Tokyo to make Zhang Chao "angry to death"?

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chao rejected it outright, and the reason he gave hurt his heart: "Too mercenary! Can't we have a little more literary character?"

After receiving Zhang Chao's email, Lu Jinbo lost his guard and almost smashed his computer. He once "threatened" Zhang Chao, saying, "The venue has been rented, and many people have asked about their intentions. Is it appropriate to regret it now?"

Zhang Chao's reply was also simple: "If you insist on doing this, then I won't go to the press conference."

Lu Jinbo typed a line of words almost gritting his teeth: "Don't you care about the sales of "Homeland"? " and then sent it out.

Zhang Chao's answer once again broke through his defenses: "If I don't go, will it have a greater news effect? ​​Will sales be higher? The writer had a falling out with the publisher on the eve of the publication of the new book, and the writer was called Zhang Chao..."

Lu Jinbo: "...Tell me about your plan..."

Thinking about his experiences of the past few days, and looking at the children from the mountainous areas of Guizhou telling their stories on the stage, and the readers wiping tears from time to time in the audience, Lu Jinbo felt as if he was in another world.

What if everything went according to my plan? I guess the scene would be peaceful and full of laughter.

But in this world, the most touching thing is still tears.

Lu Jinbo could already imagine how high readers' expectations for "Homeland" would rise after today's press conference...

"For Wei Enze, 'hometown' is the yellow dog, terraced fields, rice, and the glutinous rice cakes and chili peppers made by his mother, without which he cannot eat; for Liang Ximei, 'hometown' is the silence of waiting year after year for the tractor carrying her parents to crush the mountain road;
Liang Dian did not say that "hometown" is the place where his brother never returned after he left; for Liang Housheng, "hometown" is the kite that his grandfather made for him...

So what is "hometown" or "homeland" in everyone's heart? "

At this moment, most of the children on the stage had spoken, except for a few who were too young and could not speak Mandarin fluently, so they did not speak.

Zhang Chao's words triggered everyone's reflection. Facing the clear eyes of the children on the stage, the softness in everyone's heart was gently touched.
Lu Jinbo thought of his hometown, a small village in Pingdingshan, Henan. Since he was a child, in addition to studying, he also had to help his family with various farm work, such as collecting firewood, cutting grass for pigs, and harvesting grain... He was proficient in everything. If he had not been admitted to university, he believed that he would also be a good farmer...

Intern reporter Gu Lin thought of the alleys of Shanghai. She was born and raised there, with the fragrant wontons, red brick houses, European-style buildings... and of course the clothes drying poles woven into a net above her head, and her mother calling at mealtime...

Yang Weihua beside her was a native of Yanjing. He was born under the old pomegranate tree in a courtyard and grew up in the hutongs. However, with the rapid development of Yanjing in recent years, the courtyards have been demolished and renovated, and his childhood memories have become more and more vague. Sometimes he can't even remember what the old neighborhood looked like...

As this emotion fermented, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became gentle and sad - no matter from the city or the countryside, "hometown" is an indelible mark on everyone's spirit.

Zhang Chao said slowly: "My new novel describes the interweaving of identities, memories and realities of three generations of immigrants in Fuhai. I hope to find a different path in the gap of traditional "rural novels".

During the long passage of time, people's memories will become blurred, distorted, fissioned, and even crazy...but everything leads to a simple fact - when the children in the city are discussing starships, the children in Shree Village are also counting the starlight leaking through the barn roof to learn to read.

This is not backwardness, but the most precious ability of our nation - whether we stay or leave, every step we take can grow out of our hometown.

This is also the first time that I have asked a question in my work: What is "hometown"? At least in this novel, the answer is that "hometown" is the thousands and thousands of roads home and away from home, and the tenacity to hold on to the soil and keep moving forward even after being broken.

Some people may think this is a bit too ‘grand narrative’, or some people may think this is a bit of an exaggeration of myself, but this is my most sincere thought. ”

After Zhang Chao finished speaking, he and the children turned around. One of them pulled a corner of the red cloth that covered the raised part of the background curtain. With a strong pull, the red cloth fell down, revealing two large characters in light gold:
"Homeland".

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "This is the title of my new novel, Hometown. I have just told you what kind of novel it is - children, you can go down and have a rest first."

Liang Ximei and the other children bowed to everyone, and then walked away one by one.

Zhang Chao watched them leave before turning around and saying, "Okay, now it's media time. Feel free to ask any questions you have."

Gu Lin stretched her body almost immediately, raising her hands high, as if she was the study committee member of the class. Zhang Chao also noticed her and gave her the first chance to ask questions.

Gu Lin was ecstatic, but remembering her master's warning, she suppressed her excitement and asked calmly, "Teacher Zhang Chao, I am Gu Lin, a reporter from the Beijing Times. What I want to ask is that Hometown combines science fiction with rural themes. This contrast is refreshing.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​using science fiction to deconstruct the traditional topic of "hometown"?

This question is quite routine. Zhang Chao said easily: "In my concept, 'hometown' is not a fixed geographical coordinate, but a fluid and dynamic spiritual world, just like the daily life of the children in Shilei Village and Yanjing - both seem far away, but in fact they both contain imaginations of the future and adherence to roots. The 'futurity' of science fiction can precisely amplify this sense of contradiction between time and space, allowing readers to see how the immigrants in Fuhai reconstruct their spiritual hometown in the fission of memory."

Gu Lin wanted to ask more, but was pulled by Yang Weihua, so she had to sit down with a sense of unsatisfied desire.

Yang Weihua pointed at the other reporters who were staring at him eagerly and said with a smile, "If you keep asking, aren't you afraid that others will eat you up?"

Only then did Gu Lin ask with a guilty conscience: "Master, was the question I just asked qualified?"

Yang Weihua did not comment, but said: "Listen carefully to what others ask."

At this time, another reporter's question has entered the main topic: "...this time you did not follow the normal new book release process, insisting on letting these children from the mountainous areas of Guizhou become the protagonists of the press conference. Are you deliberately creating 'suffering marketing'?
Or do you think this kind of emotional kidnapping can continue to drive sales?"

After hearing this, Gu Lin couldn't help but be shocked and looked at her master. Yang Weihua waved his hand and told her not to speak and listen to Zhang Chao's response.

Zhang Chao said: "If suffering needs to be 'manufactured', it just shows that our creation has long deviated from reality. These children are not props, their stories themselves fit the spirit of "Homeland".

It can be said that if I had not had the experience in Shilei Village, I would not have such a deep feeling for the history of Chinese immigrants and Chinatown. The writer Chen Cun has a very interesting short story called "To My Son", in which he uses the tone of a father to guide his "future son" to participate in labor and experience life in the rural area where he once worked in the production team.

There is a sentence in it that I find very interesting - 'You have to stop yourself from drifting, you have to have something to hold yourself down. Maybe borrowing from your father is not enough, you have to find it yourself.' - The reason why I went to Shilei Village instead of my familiar hometown was that I wanted to use distance and unfamiliarity to "hold" myself down.

Fortunately, I got more than just a piece of cake.

So rather than saying I'm marketing, I choose to let the work be honest with the readers and let them see what makes this work.

I know what you expect from a "new book launch". But I think that if literature needs to rely on celebrity endorsements rather than content resonance to win readers, that is the real kidnapping. "

Zhang Chao's brilliant answer won applause from the audience. The reporter who was "refuted" by him did not show any anger, but sat back with a happy smile.

Gu Lin looked at the master with a puzzled look on his face. Yang Weihua sighed and said, "You are still too young. The question just now was not a 'provocation'. Instead, it asked the answer that the general public wanted to know, and it was even equivalent to helping Zhang Chao out of trouble.

This kind of question may seem sharp, but it is actually very tactful. There is a tacit understanding between the questioner and the answerer. "

Gu Lin nodded, not quite understanding. At this time, another reporter was called to ask: "In your conversation with American writer Li Yiyun, you repeatedly used 'writing in your mother tongue' and 'national sentiment' to suppress her. Now you have written a novel that reflects Chinese immigrants and Chinatown.

Is this a deliberate attempt to create a personal label of "patriotic writer" to cater to readers' emotions in exchange for sales support? "

This question also made Gu Lin's scalp numb, but Zhang Chao did not show any displeasure. He just replied calmly: "The battle of literary concepts is not a boxing ring, so the word 'suppression' is not accurate. I prefer to call that process - 'eliminating differences'.

But I can confirm that behind the choice of language is the struggle for cultural discourse power. When Ms. Li Yiyun writes about the alienated image of China in English, I will choose to defend the accuracy of the narrative in my mother tongue.

If this is interpreted as a ‘patriotic label’, then I hope more writers can have this ‘label’ – so that Chinese is no longer a vassal castrated by translation, but the backbone of local experience.”

Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his master pitifully. Yang Weihua could only explain: "Although this question seems to be 'aggressive', it is obviously within the framework set by Zhang Chao..."

The Q&A session ended in just 20 minutes - if it hadn't ended, the hundreds of readers behind would have "rebelled".

As the conference sessions unfolded one by one, readers' emotions were gradually aroused. At this moment, they could no longer control their inner anticipation and just wanted to read "Homeland" as soon as possible.

The book signing session has officially begun!
These readers, including almost all the reporters on the scene, paid 29 yuan in advance and could receive the books directly from the staff - this was Zhang Chao's insistence, new books must never be given away, only sold; even if his teachers or friends wanted a copy, he would buy it with his own money and give it to them.

Although Lu Jinbo was a little confused - after all, organizing these readers from all over the country, reimbursing their tickets and one night's accommodation, and the travel expenses for the reporters, all added up to far more than the 29 yuan price of the book - he still did it.

Under the guidance of the staff, the reporters in the front row made way for two passages, readjusted their cameras, and began to film Zhang Chao signing his autograph.

The crowd at the scene was seen surging forward in an orderly and repeated manner like waves, and finally turned into two streams rushing towards Zhang Chao who was in the center.

Many readers had tears in their eyes or red eyes, obviously they had just cried; but when facing Zhang Chao, they could not help but feel joy and excitement in their hearts, smiling through their tears, with extremely complicated emotions.

Even though Zhang Chao was already familiar with autographing, he did not expect the effect of tonight's press conference would be so good, so while signing autographs, he also had to comfort his readers.

It seems that "hometown" is indeed the pure land that can touch people's hearts the most - I just wonder if they will still think it is a "pure land" after watching "Homeland"?
Seeing this scene, Lu Jinbo felt relieved.

The first print run of this book was a record 150 million copies, and the royalties were also a record 25% - if the sales were the same as Wang Shuo's new book, his "Guomai Culture" would probably never recover.

But now it seems that this will not happen.

With his natural controversial nature and ability to stir up trouble, Zhang Chao used unique marketing methods to transform pure literary works disguised as science fiction from simple book sales into emotional resonance.

What Zhang Chao sells is not a book at all...

Lu Jinbo believes that once the news of today’s press conference comes out, the sales of “Homeland” will reach an unprecedented peak within a week!
But the development of things far exceeded his imagination...

(End of this chapter)