Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 49 (Additional Update) Unreal Sales

(Chapter 46 has been banned, so the detailed interview process can only be skipped to avoid further trouble. Please forgive me. The main content is that after a certain incident, Zhang Chao was put in a position opposite to what he expected by public opinion. In order to make his position clear, he chose to participate in the "Three Generals" program. Therefore, I specially added another chapter.)
"Director, please come here quickly." A young editor of "Huacheng" came to the office early in the morning and hurriedly called Zhu Yanling over, holding a DV in his hand.

"Look, this is what I recorded last night." The young editor imported the content from the DV into the computer and started playing it.

"Huh? Is it Zhang Chao?" Zhu Yanling was surprised.

In the picture, Zhang Chao is holding a sample book of "Young Like You" which was sent to him a few days ago, and is chatting with two media and cultural celebrities, Dou Wentao and Xu Zidong.

"The theme of the book "Youth Like You" is not revenge, but redemption..."

"Maybe it's a habit I developed when writing novels. I pay special attention to details. From this report on the case, I discovered several details that were overlooked..."

"Fighting violence with violence is not desirable in itself, not to mention that the real perpetrators were not those four students..."

"Children are not yet able to control their animal instincts. This ability is gradually acquired during the process of growth and education..."

"That's why I said that my book, "Youth Like You," is also a victim - it was not the murderer who has been caught who harmed it, but the people who misinterpreted it..."

Before Zhu Yanling finished reading, the phone on her desk rang, and Zhu Yanling had to hurry to answer it.

"Hello, I'm Zhu Yanling from Flower City."

"Hello, I'm Lin Changhuan from the purchasing department of Guangdong Xinhua Bookstore. When will your book "Youth Like You" be released?"

"'Young Like You'? It will be released in the middle of next month."

"It's too slow. Can it be faster? Is it okay at the end of this month? Or the beginning of next month?"

"...!? We will definitely do it as soon as possible. How much do you want?"

"Our previous intention was 2, but now I need 4... No, just send me 5 copies."

"Why, so anxious all of a sudden?"

"Hey, Editor Zhu, please watch TV. Zhang Chao went on the show 'Three Generals' with a book in his arms, and it set a record for viewership. We have been unable to receive calls for book orders since yesterday..."

Zhu Yanling hung up the phone with mixed feelings. In early March, she told Zhang Chao in an email that she was in close contact with the distribution channels. Unexpectedly, Zhang Chao appeared on a talk show, and the distribution channels took the initiative to contact her closely.

After a while, another call came in. It was from Popular Bookstore, which was established just two years ago. The other party also asked to double the subscription of "Young Like You".

The most surprising thing was that Bei Tasman, the purchasing manager of the other party, wanted to buy 8 copies of "Youth Like You" in one go. Zhu Yanling was shocked by Bei Tasman's courage.

Beitasman is a well-known membership-based bookseller abroad. It has opened very few physical bookstores and mainly organizes sales in the form of "book clubs."

It would regularly mail book catalogs to members. After choosing a book, consumers would go to the post office to remit money, and then wait for the book to be mailed. Because there were generally no discounts for buying books at that time, and Tasman could save a few dollars, it did attract many people to buy books by mail.

At that time, there were very few ways to buy books in China, and the mail-order method of books like the Bei Tasman Book Club was very advanced. Bei Tasman entered the domestic market in 1995, and by 2001 it had more than 150 million members. By 2003, sales exceeded 1.5 million. In 2004, Bei Tasman was in a period of rapid expansion. The demand for high-quality books was very strong, and they dared to spend money, so they swallowed up 8 books in one go. This means that for every 20 members, one must buy in order to sell out.

But Beitasman clearly has this confidence. As a membership-based bookstore, their user profile is very accurate, which is the basis for their purchasing decisions.

Its purchasing manager said that "Youth Like You" will be the company's most popular new book in the next quarter, and hopes to contact Zhang Chao through Huacheng Publishing House for a promotional interview. If possible, Zhang Chao can sign several thousand books as a reward and mix them with the unsigned editions for sale. This will definitely greatly stimulate sales.

One morning, Zhu Yanling didn't review a single page of the manuscript. She just answered the phone, answered the phone, and answered the phone. Like an emotionless robot, she numbly wrote down the various requirements of various channel dealers.

There are seven or eight companies that want Zhang Chao to appear and sign books.

At noon, she was finally able to put the phone down. Zhu Yanling felt her ears buzzing. She had seen a wide range of different people, young and old, speaking Mandarin with different accents.

When I looked up, I saw that all the editors in the office were staring at me with complicated expressions, including envy, admiration, curiosity, and even some jealousy.

Even though Zhu Yanling had been working at Huacheng Society for twenty years, she couldn't help but blush and said, "Why aren't you guys going to eat? Why are you staring at me?"

At this time, Xiao Jianguo's deep voice sounded behind her: "Don't rush to eat yet, count how many orders have been made now?"

Zhu Yanling had no choice but to sit down and do the calculations. The addition of five pages was not difficult to calculate, and she quickly came up with the result, but she couldn't believe her eyes. So she went to borrow another calculator, pressed buttons on it for a while, and finally pressed the "=" sign.

Soon, the calculator's emotionless, programmed female voice resounded throughout the office:

One million and nineteen thousand

The whole office fell into a deathly silence. Xiao Jianguo was the first to speak:

"One million and ten thousand? Nine thousand? Isn't that one million and two thousand? How much is the first print we promised?"

"Four hundred thousand copies." Zhu Yanling replied.

"Wow! We're rich!" Thunderous cheers broke out in the office of Huacheng Publishing House at this time, and the young editor even threw his hat onto the ceiling.

Everyone applauded Zhu Yanling and Xiao Jianguo enthusiastically, even Wang Hongzhao's palms turned red from clapping, and everyone praised the two sincerely. To have a promising new literary talent like Zhang Chao under his wing and to have a successful start was like bringing home a golden pig.

The haze that has shrouded Huacheng Shetou for more than ten years seems to have been blown away in an instant - who dares to say that we are a money-losing company?

Xiao Jianguo waved his hand and said, "I'll treat you at noon today!"

A young editor excitedly asked, "Panxi? Nanyuan? Taotaoju? Or, White Swan?"

Xiao Jianguo glanced at the young man and said, "In the company cafeteria, I'll ask Chef Li to add a dish for you. It's mine."

For a moment, the joyful laughter shook the windows.

(End of this chapter)