I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 31 It's erotic, it's melodramatic, but it's a good novel.
"An inspirational fighter challenging the old order?"

Anyone who knows Logan would feel as if they'd gone blind upon seeing such a headline in the newspaper.

It wouldn't be accurate to say he's not inspiring at all.

It's quite inspiring to see a small newspaper achieve such popularity.

But if you say he's doing this to challenge some damn old order, people who know him would probably laugh themselves to death.

This guy is simply ruthless and unscrupulous.

The problem is, this bastard really dares to say it, and people really dare to believe it.

After being broadcast on the radio, the Logan case has attracted widespread attention, and local Chicago newspapers have immediately compiled a list of the parties involved.

There's not much to say about Reverend Edward; he's just an old bunch of... well, no, a rather prestigious conservative.

Logan's story is quite legendary. In just two months, he transformed a tabloid with a circulation of less than 5 into a major newspaper with a stable daily circulation of 20, ranking among the top five local media outlets in Chicago.

During this period, he also invented the Victoria's Secret bra, which caused a sensation across the United States—the media even found Logan's patent number for the Victoria's Secret bra.

It's clear to everyone now that while it's hard to say how long the "lingerie debate" will last, the acceptance of Victoria's Secret bras is definitely getting higher and higher.

what does this mean?
Whether it's the newspapers or the underwear, the popularity means this kid is becoming rich!
In America, not everyone finds the story of a poor student getting into a prestigious university inspiring, but everyone finds it incredibly inspiring when a poor person—well, at least not rich—becomes rich in a short period of time through their own efforts!
Even Richard, when discussing the publication of "Fifty Shades of Grey" with publisher Halsey, was asked if Logan had any intention of writing an autobiography.

"What?" Richard's vision went black for a moment, and his brain stopped working for a split second.

No way, you guys are really that easy to fool!

If you're that easy to fool, then I won't be polite!

Yes, Fifty Shades of Grey, which is still being serialized in The Sun, is ready for publication and sale.

What does the lawsuit against The Sun have to do with his publishing of novels?

Are the expensive legal teams they hired just sitting around doing nothing?
Richard wasn't most concerned about royalties or the initial print run; he only made one small request: "I hope your publishing house can encourage literary critics to recognize the literary value of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'."

“This…” Halsey’s wrinkles around his eyes seemed to reveal his difficulty.

He was certainly aware that Fifty Shades of Grey was involved in a lawsuit, and that critical acclaim for its value would help him win the case.

But you don't even look at what your novel actually says.

To put it bluntly, it's just a pure erotic novel!
Such novels are very popular in the market—as evidenced by their bestseller status in The Sun—but are rarely well-received by critics.

Halsey only wanted to jump on the bandwagon and make some money; he had no intention of putting much effort into the other party's lawsuit.

“Hmph! You think I’m only doing this to win my own case?” Richard chuckled briefly, then continued, “I’m doing this for the sake of the entire publishing industry.”

"Don't you want to break free from the constraints of the Comstock Act?"

“You mean…” Halsey’s eyes flickered.

In this era, no publisher could escape the repression of the Comstock Act.

This law prohibits the trade and dissemination of obscene works and immoral items, and the scope of the prohibited sales is very broad.

Similarly, a major problem encountered in the application of the Comstock Act is the broad definition of "obscenity".

What constitutes "obscenity"?
American law makes almost no provisions on this, so most courts rely heavily on past precedents.

"Halsey, you're a New Yorker, so you should know best that not long ago one of your colleagues in New York published a book that skirted the line of legality, but the court ruled that its literary value outweighed the charges."

Richard paused meaningfully. "That was just a low-profile case. Ours, on the other hand, will turn the courtroom into a public stage, attracting media attention across the United States. The impact will be unimaginable."

"Do you think that if we win this nationally high-profile case, it could change the definition of 'obscenity' in most courts across the United States?"

"And to what extent can your publishing industry expand the range of books you can publish?"

That would definitely make them a fortune. Their eyes met briefly in the air before separating, each with a knowing, dark smile in their eyes.

Halsey's attitude became more positive: "Our words alone won't influence many critics."

"This is something that should benefit the entire industry, and more publishers should be mobilized to help."

Richard smiled slightly. "I chose you as the publisher because of your outstanding reputation in the industry. I suppose you have a way."

Halsey smiled, his eyes narrowed, quite pleased with Richard's praise.

But he quickly stopped laughing. "Even so, your novel is too... explicit. The reason our New York counterparts won their cases is because their novels only skirted the line."

And "Fifty Shades of Grey," damn, it sparked a lot of excitement!

Richard disagreed, and patiently advised, "You can say it this way—"

"Fifty Shades of Grey does indeed make no secret of sex, but the author decided to use this style to serve the literary expression of the book."

"This is simply the author's natural and habitual language in trying to depict the protagonist's physical and mental journey. None of the explicit sexual content in the book is vulgar for the sake of vulgarity."

"This is a sincere and honest book."

Halsey had already pulled out his pen and notebook and was taking notes like crazy.

He took notes while casting admiring glances at him.

You can say such shameless things with such sincerity. No wonder you are the author of "Fifty Shades of Grey".

Richard didn't want to say that it was all influenced by a certain person.

After witnessing someone's various shameless methods, he realized a truth—shamelessness may be shameless, but it's really effective!
And here we are, a Py trade, got it!

……

Beyond publishing books, Jeff Hackman, beloved by listeners, also brought Logan to the radio station and then "brought" the content of the "Open Sun" newspaper, which had been sued, to his radio show.

How to describe his narration of "Fifty Shades of Grey"? Those explosively erotic contents became beautiful and captivating in his words.

Richard exclaimed upon hearing this, "Where did Logan find such a genius?!"

If attribute points were allocated, this single narration of "Fifty Shades of Grey" would increase its literary value by +10 +10 +10...

Logan also felt that just because Anne recommended such a remarkable person, giving her 1% of The Sun's shares wouldn't be unreasonable.

Okay, I'll give you 0.1%, that's the most I can give.

With the support of publishers behind the scenes, "Fifty Shades of Grey 1" received considerable support from the "great scholars," or rather, the literary criticism community, as soon as it was released.

Some praised the book from a feminist perspective, saying, "The book is progressive; at least it aptly depicts the hidden sexual fantasies of contemporary women..."

Some take a deeper intellectual approach, stating that "the author depicts the psychological nature of submission and domination, and explores desire and self-discovery within power relations, etc..."

Even the novel's title can be interpreted in depth: "On one hand, it metaphorically represents the complex and ever-changing personality of the male protagonist; on the other hand, it also implies that human nature is not simply black and white..."

To sum it up in Logan's words, "It's erotic, it's melodramatic, but it's a good novel!"

The most interesting thing is that Chicagoans feel their skulls tremble just looking at it.

Again?

This familiar tune, just as shameless as ever, is typical of The Sun!
That woman is shameless!

……

(End of this chapter)