Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 409 Zhu Lin finally becomes a director

Inside the main room of the courtyard house sat a large group of people, all dressed in suits and ties, looking very well-dressed, their eyes gleaming with longing and admiration.

Liu Yimin looked at the generous gift that Ma Sai Dani had given him and nodded in satisfaction.

Masseed Dani introduced Liu Yimin to each of them: "John from HarperCollins, representing the UK's largest publisher; Hans from Bertelsmann, representing Germany's largest publishing group; and Pastore from Mondadori, representing Italy's largest publishing group, headquartered in Milan."

“They’re all from the biggest publishing group, aren’t they?” Liu Yimin laughed.

Marseille Dani proudly stated, "Because we Flammarion Publishing House is the largest publishing group in France, and the companies we do business with are the largest publishing groups in various countries."

This group is mostly from Western European countries, with very few from Eastern European countries; a Yugoslavian publishing house is among them.

In the 1980s, relations between the United States and the West and Yugoslavia became increasingly close. Driven by the need to contain the Soviet Union, the United States and the West provided Yugoslavia with a large amount of aid, and countless Western tourists brought a large amount of foreign exchange to Yugoslavia.

“Liu, I know you are also a poet, and I believe you will definitely win the Smederevo Castle Golden Key Award in our country in the future,” said Nikolić, a representative of the Yugoslavian publishing house.

The Smederevo Castle Golden Key Award is a very prestigious international poetry prize, awarded to only a handful of poets. To date, only six poets worldwide have received this award, and Zou Huofan was the first Chinese poet to receive it.

Liu Yimin shook Nikolic's hand and said politely, "Thank you for your praise. I hope to visit Yugoslavia in the future. Yugoslavia is a beautiful country, and you are the first Yugoslav I have ever met."

"Liu, I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration. I believe your book will sell very well in Yugoslavia. The people of Yugoslavia are looking forward to your work." Nikolic couldn't help but smile when he heard Liu Yimin's praise.

Liu Yimin asked everyone to sit down and brought out sample copies of the Chinese books published in the United States by China Publishing House, so that the representatives of these publishing houses could take a look and then decide which books to publish in their respective countries.

John from HarperCollins Publishers in the UK approached Liu Yimin when no one was looking and whispered, "Liu, everyone is here for 'Beloved.' We at HarperCollins are willing to publish all your works, but we would like to grant us publishing rights in multiple countries."

"You want to publish globally?"

"No, no, no, we primarily target global publishing in English-speaking countries, such as Australia and Canada."

After listening, Liu Yimin smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the other publisher representatives. This group included people from English-speaking countries. John, that old guy, wanted to dominate the market, not only securing publishing rights for English-speaking countries worldwide, but also exclusive publishing rights.

Inside the main room, a group of foreign-sounding noses frightened Liu Yu and Liu Lin, causing them to scream loudly. Yang Xiuyun took the two little ones to chat with Aunt Liang in the alley.

While the publishers' representatives were looking at the books, Massey Dani provided explanations, helped Liu Yimin promote the books, and also assisted these people in making their choices.

“Liu, exclusive publishing will be a great benefit to you. You won’t have to go through all the trouble of dealing with so many booksellers. We can also plan and publish your books as a series, with unified planning, which can increase the sales and influence of the books.” John pretended to select books while whispering to Liu Yimin.

Seeing that Liu Yimin had not yet agreed, he suggested that they find a time to talk to Liu Yimin alone.

"I can grant you exclusive publishing rights in the UK, but this is for a limited time. Whether to renew the contract after that is up to me."

Undeterred, John continued, "We can increase the royalty share."

"How much should it be increased?" Liu Yimin asked.

"Increase to 15 percent."

Liu Yimin stared at John's face for a while, a faint smile playing on his lips, making John's heart pound with anxiety.

“According to our intelligence, the contract you signed with France is far from reaching 15%,” John said, feigning confidence.

Liu Yimin shook his head and said, "That was before. Now, of course, it can't be like that. John, do you know what the royalty split I agreed on with the China Publishing House in the United States?"

"How many?"

"15 to 20 percent," Liu Yimin said, holding up two fingers.

John shook his head upon hearing this: "Impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible in this world. All your impossibilities can be answered by God, while the writer's impossibilities can be answered by his works. You are businessmen; as long as you can make money, someone will always pay a high price."

John was frustrated by Liu Yimin's words. He had thought that offering 15% of the royalties would win Liu Yimin's heart, but who knew that 15% was his bottom line.

Liu Yimin has granted exclusive publishing rights in various countries, but this is the first time that John has requested exclusive publishing rights in multiple English-speaking countries around the world.

Liu Yimin could choose a few countries for John, but certainly not too many. He would primarily select countries with small markets, where signing individual contracts would be too much of a waste of effort.

Each publisher's representative had their own agenda. On the first day, apart from John secretly meeting with Liu Yimin, the others were selecting the novels they wanted to publish, and then waiting to negotiate with Liu Yimin privately.

“Liu, we are prepared to publish all of your novels,” said Nikolic, a Yugoslavian publisher.

After Nick Leach finished speaking, publishers in the other four countries also decided to publish all of them.

Liu Yimin said, "The royalty regulations in European countries are similar. My bottom line is 15%. The percentage varies from book to book. If you can accept that, we can discuss it further."

John observed the reactions of the others. The publishers from various countries were somewhat frustrated, but none of them refused. For them, making money was the top priority.

Stepping out of the main hall, the group requested to tour the courtyard house and experience the beauty of ancient Chinese architecture. Liu Yimin led them on a tour, explaining the symbolic meaning behind the courtyard house's structure.

After listening to one explanation after another, John gave a thumbs up and said, "Chinese architecture is so sophisticated, there are so many different explanations."

“Chinese people have always respected ‘etiquette’ throughout history. You can visit the Forbidden City when you have time,” Liu Yimin said.

After seeing the group off, Massey Dani stayed behind and explained to Liu Yimin the different publishing policies in different countries.

"The publishing policies in Western European countries are generally similar. A 15% royalty rate is the highest for ordinary authors and the lowest for well-known authors. Whether it can be negotiated higher depends mainly on the book's sales forecast."

"Beloved" and "Green Book" are definitely bestsellers, so I can negotiate a percentage of over 15%. For the rest, I think 15% is already a very high percentage."

Massey Danny emphasized that he told Liu Yimin these things from a friend's perspective, and that he was willing to increase the revenue share to 15% or more after the previous two publishing licenses expired.

Marseille Dani also shared his thoughts, expressing his desire for exclusive licensing in the French-speaking region, primarily Monaco, Luxembourg, and French-speaking countries in Africa, in addition to France.

Due to poverty, the scale of book publishing in Africa is extremely small. Individual licensing would be time-consuming, laborious, and unprofitable; having a French publishing company manage it would be a much better option.

Liu Yimin said, "In this way, the French-speaking countries will be re-licensed with France. The royalty split for the paperback editions of 'Green Book' and 'Beloved' will be 17%, for the hardcover editions 21%, and for the rest of the works 16%."

“How about 15% for the remaining works?” Massey Dani asked.

“My friends, I’m giving you the vast African market for just one percentage point,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

“The entire African book market is less than a third of the French market. Liu, we’ve only expanded into one-third of the market, and it will cost us even more to operate it,” Massey Dani said with a wry smile.

Liu Yimin denied Marseille's claims. He stated that their publishing house already had distribution channels in these countries, and their operations in the African market were likely limited to securing those channels.

Liu Yimin's books, once they entered these countries, added value to their distribution channels and helped to share their operating costs.

"My book has not only not increased your operating costs, but has actually reduced them."

After hearing this, Marseille Dani remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said that he needed to send a telegram to the French headquarters before he could make a decision. When he came, the highest price was 15%.

"Liu, my relationship with headquarters is that of an employer and employee, but with you, we are friends."

Massey Danny reached out and hugged Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin patted Massey Danny on the back and said, "My friend, I believe in you."

After Ma Sai Dani left, Yang Xiuyun waved goodbye to Aunt Liang and went back to her courtyard.

"Hey little sister, come visit again sometime!"

"Okay, I'll come whenever I'm free."

Yang Xiuyun carried one child and pushed another in a stroller. When they got home, she covered her nose and said, "These foreigners smell really bad. Open the windows in the main room to let in some fresh air."

Liu Yimin smiled and carried Liu Yu to open the doors and windows to ventilate the room, while explaining to Yang Xiuyun what they were there for.

“Mom, it’s too hot. You don’t need to go out all the time. Sit inside, enjoy the air conditioning, watch TV, and relax,” Liu Yimin said.

"It's a bit hot, but we can't just sit inside all the time. We need to take the two little ones out for some fresh air." Yang Xiuyun affectionately nuzzled Liu Lin's cheek.

That night, John knocked on the courtyard gate alone under the moonlight, wanting to discuss the authorization issue with Liu Yimin.

Liu Yimin looked at John and thought to himself, "This old guy is quite cunning!"

“Liu, I’ve come with sincerity this time.” John sat in Liu Yimin’s study, looking confident and composed.

Liu Yimin poured John a cup of tea: "Let me see your sincerity."

John hadn't given up on securing exclusive publishing rights in multiple countries, offering 18% of the royalties for *Beloved* in exchange for publication opportunities in several countries, while increasing the royalty share for the other novels to 16%. Liu Yimin said, "I've already granted the copyright of *Green Book* to another publishing company in your country; this book can only be given to you after its expiration."

“We can handle it. In fact, that publishing company is one of our subsidiaries. After we finalize the copyright, the group will purchase the copyright of ‘Green Book’ from the head office through internal channels.”

John smiled slightly, as if he knew Liu Yimin would say that.

"Besides the UK, you can publish in Malta in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, and other countries in Oceania. I see that your publishing network in these countries is very strong, and I believe you can achieve success in these countries."

In addition, the royalty rate for the paperback editions of *Green Book* and *Beloved* is 18%, and for the hardcover editions it's 22%, while the royalty rate for the remaining books is 17%.

Compared to French publishers, Liu Yimin increased his investment by one percentage point in each country. The reason for this is related to the economic levels of these countries.

"Liu, you're a robber! That's way too high!" John almost jumped up.

Liu Yimin gestured for John to calm down: "Robbers? Who can compare to you? How much have you stolen from us? You're a businessman, you should know that you've made much more money. Also, you can't sell in Hong Kong."

"why?"

"Because this is not your place!"

John argued for a few minutes and then fell silent. Hong Kong didn't have a large share of their overall publishing market, and residents were still used to reading Chinese newspapers and books.

John, like Danny Marseille, said he needed to go back and think about it.

Liu Yimin, with his arms crossed, said, "I hope it won't take too long. The China Publishing House in the United States has already applied to me for the publishing rights in English-speaking countries worldwide. You know, emotionally speaking, I would prefer the China Publishing House."

“Their distribution channels are not as good as ours, so you won’t hand it over to them.” John believed that China Publishing House had influence in the United States, but its influence in Europe was weak, and its sales channels were not numerous. Given Liu Yimin’s shrewdness, he would not hand it over to China Publishing House.

“Even without China Publishing House, there are other publishers in Britain. Moreover, if China Publishing House wants to sell in Europe, it doesn’t necessarily have to establish its own channels; it can also cooperate with other publishers.”

John said he would go back now and try to contact headquarters immediately.

Next, Liu Yimin discussed the details of royalties and specific profit-sharing plans with representatives from various countries. Most of the representatives wanted to publish in their own countries and did not have the same appetite as John and Massey Daniel.

They all wanted Liu Yimin to lower his standards, so that they wouldn't all come in happily only to leave shaking their heads.

However, after Massey Dani announced the formal signing with Liu Yimin, the other representatives clearly began to panic. They had received word that other publishers also wanted to come to China to discuss cooperation.

With a leader in place, and with Marcey Dani helping Liu Yimin lobby, they stimulated others by talking about the sales of "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

"If 'Beloved' can be as popular as 'One Hundred Years of Solitude,' Liu's other works also sell very well in France and the United States. If you don't achieve any results during your trip to China, I don't think you can explain it to the company."

"Marseille, it's not that we don't want to sign, it's just that the price is too high."

"Is that high? Well-known authors can all get that much." Marseille told them how she got the contract and secured her position as the editor of the publishing house's China division, relying on sincerity.

"Liu understands our publishing rules very well. Another editor thought he didn't, so he has since left the company, while I stayed."

As employees, these editors are naturally concerned with their own interests, and performance is the foundation for their survival in the company.

"I'll go and negotiate with headquarters again!" an editor said.

Pastor, the representative of the Italian publishing group, rose from the crowd, ready to sign a contract directly with Liu Yimin. He had already obtained authorization; he simply wanted to see if having so many people could drive down the price.

Seeing that they can't get their hands on the deal and might even lose it, they're extremely eager to sign the contract.

The others felt even worse seeing their teammate trying to take advantage of the situation.

Following the signing of the contract by Massey Danny, John from Harper's Group in the UK also signed a contract. These two publishers, as the biggest beneficiaries of this deal, obtained exclusive rights in more than five years and multiple countries. The contract specifically states that Liu Yimin has the final say on whether or not to renew the contract.

Many authors easily overlook one point when signing exclusive copyright contracts: who holds the initiative to renew the contract? It's easy to lose that opportunity if you're not careful.

Italy signed a contract with Liu Yimin after Britain. In the following period, Liu Yimin was either signing documents and putting his fingerprint on them, or on his way to do so.

Except for Denmark, which failed to sign a contract, all others were completed.

Zhang Guangnian of the Writers Association congratulated Liu Yimin over the phone and hoped that Liu Yimin could act as an introducer to allow representatives of publishers from these countries to investigate the Chinese publishing market and expand the scale of domestic books published overseas.

“Fengzeyuan, right? These foreigners have been clamoring to eat at Fengzeyuan ever since they arrived. I’ll be hosting them for dinner there tonight. You should come too.”

"it is good!"

During the Republican era, foreigners living in Yenching recognized established restaurants like Fengzeyuan and Quanjude, and their reputations spread after they left.

Fengzeyuan was able to regain its original name in the 70s because foreign guests wanted to eat there. The old signboard was burned, so they simply wrote three characters on paper and pasted them onto the new signboard.

That evening, at Fengzeyuan. Liu Yimin led the group of foreigners to sit in a side hall of Fengzeyuan, with Zhang Guangnian following closely behind.

"Delicious, really delicious!" John said, giving a thumbs up. "If I stay in Yanjing for too long, I won't want to go back to eating British food."

Zhang Guangnian explained the intricacies of the meal to them. After listening, they all felt that they were not eating food, but rather consuming culture, and their expressions of reverence deepened.

"It's not easy for you to come to China, so you should do more research on Chinese books. In recent years, our country has produced many excellent novels, and I believe they will be popular with readers around the world."

Marcel Dani honestly stated, "Currently, apart from Liu's novels, the others have a significant impact, but their sales are not high."

“With such a large group of writers in China, there will always be books that can stand out in the market.” Zhang Guangnian wanted to boost publishers’ confidence.

Finally, at Zhang Guangnian's enthusiastic invitation, they decided to stay in Yanjing for a few more days. The Writers Association led the formation of a European publishing delegation to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Chinese publishing market.

As they walked out of Fengzeyuan, Zhang Guangnian said to Liu Yimin, "These foreigners are really hard to deal with; they won't act until they see a clear benefit."

"They're businessmen, you can understand. They have to consider both their own interests and their boss's interests. If they can actually take away a few best-selling books, it will be a huge achievement for them."

The following day, instead of going to investigate the market with representatives from the Writers Association and European publishing companies, Liu Yimin went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre and handed over the script adapted from "Beloved" to Lan Tianye.

"So fast! I thought it would take much longer!" Lan Tianye was a little surprised by the speed of the adaptation of "Beloved".

"I'm on vacation now, so I have plenty of time to revise it."

Lan Tianye took the script to Su Min, and the two of them found a place to study it in depth. When they saw "The Stage," their hearts skipped a beat. They felt that they had talked about adapting "Beloved" a bit too early, otherwise they could have competed for "The Stage."

Now that everyone in the academy knows that the two of them are going to adapt "Beloved," it's no longer appropriate for them to compete for "The Stage."

The two only asked that their buttocks not be exposed after the performance of "Beloved".

Liu Yimin walked into the rehearsal room, where Zhu Lin was rehearsing the Beijing People's Art Theatre's play "Good Luck Building". The script was written by a playwright in the editorial department of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and Zhu Lin was the director of "Good Luck Building". This was also her first time directing.

"Good Fortune Building" was playwright He Jiping's first stage play. At that time, He Jiping had just graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, and her style was still relatively immature. This play originated from her visit to her family. He Jiping's father lived in Hong Kong, and in 77 she was finally allowed to visit him, allowing her to experience life in Hong Kong firsthand.

"Lucky Mansion" tells the story of the people and customs of Hong Kong and has created many classic Hong Kong faces.

Because many directors had never been to Hong Kong and their styles were still immature, they were unwilling to take on the role. Zhu Lin had been to Hong Kong, and since this was her first time directing a play entirely on her own, she saw it as an opportunity and volunteered to take on the role.

The new director and the new screenwriter hit it off immediately, and the two rehearsed enthusiastically.

After Liu Yimin walked in, Zhu Lin and He Jiping were discussing the actors' movements. Upon seeing Liu Yimin, He Jiping quickly greeted him: "Professor Liu."

"Teacher Liu."

How's your rehearsal going?

"It went very smoothly. Director Zhu has been to Hong Kong and knows the characters' appearance, speech, clothing, and props. They are all very Hong Kong-style," He Jiping praised.

Zhu Lin said with a smile, "He Bian will definitely become a great screenwriter in the future. His first play is already quite impressive. I think it will be a big hit after rehearsals are completed!"

He Jiping later moved to Hong Kong, where he wrote many classic works and served as the director of classic film and television works such as "New Dragon Gate Inn", "The Legend of the White Snake" (Zhao Yazhi version) and "The Warlords".

“The movie ‘Lucky Mansion’ will definitely be a success. Nobody has ever been to Hong Kong before, and everyone is eager to see it. Once it’s released, there will definitely be a huge audience rushing to see it,” Liu Yimin said.

He Jiping breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and Zhu Lin confidently declared, "We'll make sure every show sells out."

"I'll fill in any empty seats for you guys. If no one's watching, I'll just sit on a stool by the door and buy tickets every day," Liu Yimin joked.

(End of this chapter)