Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

"A Magazine's 'Short-Message Revolution': The Bluebird Takes Flight, Is It the Eve of an Earthquake for the Traditional Publishing Industry?" -- With Guangdong Mobile's bidding imminent, this "wild grass" publishing house may become the biggest variable.

This report by reporter Yang Zheng is divided into three sections. The first section is titled: The “Aphasia” and “Bleeding” of the Traditional Publishing Industry.

Han Fei browsed through the report. Yang Zheng claimed that the average circulation of traditional literary journals had fallen from more than 100,000 copies in the 1990s to 10,000 to 20,000 copies today, while Qingniao's "New Rural Fiction Special Issue" sold tens of thousands of copies in just two weeks after its launch, and is still growing.

Yang Zheng also quoted the views of several literary figures in the report.

"That's not literature, it's garbage," an old author who claimed to have terminated his contract with Qingniao said indignantly over the phone. "Ten years ago, something like 'Borrowing Seeds' wouldn't even be considered internal material."

But another veteran publisher, who wished to remain anonymous, frankly stated: "Despite the criticism, you have to admit that they've found a way to get readers to pay. We're still talking about 'literary dignity,' while they're already talking about 'paid conversion rates.'"

One veteran editor also commented, "If the Bluebird publishing model proves successful, who would still be willing to publish novellas in the future?"

In contrast, a young editor stated: "Qingniao has simply moved a similar approach to 'Story Club' to mobile phones. In essence, it's still 'we give readers what they need.'"

Han Fei took a sip of coffee and felt that no matter how objective Yang Zheng's report was, this part would inevitably attract criticism from the industry towards Qingniao, and might even provoke some veteran authors who adhere to literature to organize a joint boycott.

He flipped through the newspaper and read the second section: Guangdong Bidding – Qingniao's "Regular Entry Ticket".

Regarding this matter, Yang Zheng interviewed an SP industry analyst who wished to remain anonymous: "Qingniao is one of the few non-internet companies that can simultaneously meet all three criteria. Although Tencent and Netease are large in scale, it will be difficult for them to produce materials of equal scale in terms of 'own copyrighted content' and 'review mechanism' in the short term."

However, analysts also pointed out: "If Qingniao wins the bid, it will mean that China Mobile has officially endorsed its content model. This is a signal to the traditional publishing industry: the value of content is no longer determined by editors or critics, but by users' clicks and phone bills."

The third section is the conclusion, where Yang Zheng expresses his personal views on Qingniao:

The rise of Qingniao is like a wild grass that sprouts from a crack in the rock. It is not refined, not elegant, and even somewhat rough, but it lives tenaciously and has torn a hole in the frozen soil of the traditional publishing industry.

In this gap, some saw hope, some saw crisis, and some saw business opportunities.

The bidding announcement from Guangdong Mobile may well be the beginning of the formal recognition of this loophole.

Han Fei put down his newspaper, finished his coffee, left a banknote on the table, and stepped onto the street. He lit a cigarette, squinted, and gazed at the azure sky.

He returned to his car, got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and thought to himself that he could now add Yang Zheng to the list of "friendly media."

......

Upon returning to the publishing house, Han Fei's first action was to call Ma Yongxing.

"Mr. Ma, the report has been accepted. The hideout can be withdrawn now. The next step is to follow proper procedures and media coverage. Having people guarding it there is riskier than beneficial. If they discover it or law enforcement happens to be there, it will be difficult to explain."

"That's true," Ma Yongxing said. "Those guys haven't made a move these past few days, so they should have sensed something's wrong. But I think it's too early to completely withdraw now. Otherwise, I'll have someone move the surveillance positions further away, so if they move overnight, at least we'll know where they are?"

Han Fei thought for a moment: "That's fine, but don't stay in the village. Just keep an eye on things from a distance at the outer intersection. And make sure to tell the brothers that if they see any signs of the other side moving or destroying evidence on a large scale, don't stop them, just notify me. Also, if you see law enforcement vehicles coming, retreat immediately, don't be mistaken for accomplices. I don't want your men to get into trouble because of this."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. That's all for now. I'll make the arrangements and contact you again if I get any updates."

Han Fei hung up the phone and began discussing the media briefing with Zhang Ruiyi. Zhang Ruiyi took out her notebook. She had only had it for less than a week, but it was already more than half full. She flipped to a page and showed it to Han Fei. It was densely filled with headings, timelines, a list of media representatives, and a Q&A template. Han Fei noticed a horizontal line drawn in pencil under the words "Media Briefing," and it had been drawn at least twice.

"I've been thinking about the briefing all morning," Zhang Ruiyi said. "If it's too big, it might get out of control; if it's too small, it won't be very useful. My initial idea is to limit it to five or six media outlets, with one reporter from each covering culture or the rule of law, preferably someone with a positive reporting record or at least no malicious intent."

"Hmm," Han Fei said, looking at the list of media outlets on his notebook, "You've thought this through very well. The first one is the *Shanghai Morning Post*, isn't it?"

"Yes, they published two articles in a row, with a stable perspective and without being sentimental, which shows they already have basic trust in us. This is the core team, and we have to invite them over."

Han Fei nodded: "Then what are the reasons for inviting the other families?"

Zhang Ruiyi took the notebook from Han Fei, pointed to the names on it, and said, "I've looked into the culture editor of Xinmin Evening News. He used to cover the publishing industry, so he's familiar with topics like illegal publications. Although he hasn't written about us, his style is upright, and he won't do anything reckless. Wenhui Daily's culture news is more traditional, so they might have some opinions about us, but reputable newspapers have high standards and will verify information repeatedly before reporting. We have the official acceptance receipt, so they dare to write about us. And if we can get them to publish it, it carries a different weight."

"Why is there a question mark next to this Southern Weekly?" Han Fei pointed.

"Southern Weekly..." Zhang Ruiyi looked up from her notebook. "The impact is huge. If their reporters come, the reports will create nationwide public opinion pressure. But at the same time, the risks are also great because their reporting style is sharp and they like to dig deep. If they follow this line and find out the details of our cooperation with China Mobile, or our contact with Tencent, it might be hard to control."

Han Fei hesitated for a moment: "Then let's not invite them proactively for now. Let them see the reports from other media outlets and make their own judgment. If they have any ideas, they will come to us. We'll decide whether to cooperate then."