He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

However, Chen Hao's expression remained unchanged, and he still shook his head:

"15%. I won't sign it even if it's less than that."

Zhao Ziming was completely speechless.

Looking at the author before him, who was excessively young yet astonishingly stubborn, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

Why is this person so stubborn?

10%!

How could he complain that the ratio, which is the dream of so many authors, is too low?

But he really couldn't bear to let the book go.

That premonition grew stronger and stronger—once the physical edition of this book is released, it is very likely to become a dark horse in the children's book market, and its sales will definitely be good.

After agonizing for a while, Zhao Ziming finally let out a sigh of relief, as if resigned to his fate:

"Teacher Haolin, your 15%... that percentage is really too high. I... I really don't have the authority to agree to it."

Okay, I'll take you to see our editor-in-chief, Zhou Kaiwen.

He is the head of our publishing house and Tongxin.com, and ultimately, he made the final decision on this matter.

"Is this alright?"

Chen Hao thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

"Please wait a moment, I'll go tell Editor-in-Chief Zhou and then take you there." Zhao Ziming said, and quickly walked out of the meeting room.

A few minutes later, he returned and said to Chen Hao, "Teacher Haolin, Editor-in-Chief Zhou has some time now, please come with me."

Chen Hao followed Zhao Ziming out of the meeting room, through the office area, and arrived at a door with a sign that read "Editor-in-Chief's Office".

Zhao Ziming raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Please come in." A deep, steady middle-aged male voice came from inside.

Zhao Ziming pushed open the door, stepped aside to let Chen Hao go in first, and then followed him in, gently closing the door behind him.

The office is much more spacious than the reception room, and the decor is more tasteful.

A man who looked to be in his forties, with a refined demeanor and wearing frameless glasses, was sitting behind a large desk, reading a document.

He looked up when he heard someone come in.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou," Zhao Ziming quickly stepped forward, pointed to Chen Hao, and introduced him.

"This is Teacher Haolin, Mr. Chen Hao."

Then he turned to Chen Hao: "Teacher Haolin, this is Zhou Kaiwen, the editor-in-chief of our Tongxin Culture."

Zhou Kaiwen's gaze fell on Chen Hao, a hint of surprise flashing quickly in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected "Haolin" to be so young.

But he quickly realized what was happening, put on a professional smile, stood up, walked around the desk, and extended his hand to Chen Hao.

"Professor Haolin, I've long admired your name! I never imagined you were so young and accomplished! I'm Zhou Kaiwen, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Chen Hao also extended his hand, shook hands with him, and said politely:

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, hello. I'm Chen Hao. I've heard so much about you."

"Please sit down, please sit down."

Zhou Kaiwen warmly invited Chen Hao to sit down in the guest chair opposite the desk, while Zhao Ziming sat slightly to the side.

Zhou Kaiwen returned to his seat, looked at Chen Hao, and smiled:

"I read every issue of Teacher Haolin's 'The Adventures of the Chen Family's Daughter in the Mountains and Seas,' it's really well written."

My daughter loves it too, and she keeps asking me every day what magical things "Sisi" has encountered.

To write such popular works with children, you must be a person with a very childlike heart and imagination.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, you flatter me." Chen Hao smiled slightly.

"It's just telling the stories I heard as a child in a new way."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Kaiwen changed the subject and got to the point:

"Zimo mentioned that you have some different ideas regarding the royalty rates for physical publishing?"

"Yes." Chen Hao nodded frankly.

"I hope the royalty rate is 15%."

Even though he already knew the number from Zhao Ziming, Zhou Kaiwen's smile still froze for a moment when he heard Chen Hao say it aloud.

He put down his pen, leaned forward slightly, and his expression became serious.

"Teacher Haolin," Zhou Kaiwen's voice remained steady, but carried a clear tone of advice.

"15%... to be honest, is too high. It's so high that it's a bit... illogical."

He paused, then continued, "In the domestic publishing industry, top bestselling authors typically receive royalties between 12% and 15%."

But those are all authors who have been tested by the market for many years and have a large and loyal readership.

For new writers, or writers collaborating for the first time, royalties are usually in the range of 5%-8%.

We're offering 8%, or even 10%, as Zimo just mentioned, which are already very generous, even exceptional, terms.

"You're asking for 15% right off the bat... that really puts us in a difficult position."

His tone was more seasoned than Zhao Ziming's, but the meaning was the same—impossible.

Chen Hao's expression remained unchanged. He met Zhou Kaiwen's gaze and calmly said:

"Editor-in-Chief Zhou, the royalty rate should be linked to the value of the work and the expected revenue, rather than simply looking at the author's qualifications."

Do you have the electronic data of "The Adventures of the Chen Family's Daughter in the Mountains and Seas"?

You can also estimate the potential market for physical books.

I think it's worth 15% royalties.

If your company finds this ratio unacceptable, then I can only express my regret and look for other partners who may better recognize its value.

After he finished speaking, he actually stood up again, his attitude clear—if they couldn't reach an agreement, he would leave.

Zhou Kaiwen frowned deeply.

He looked at the young man in front of him, his mind racing as he weighed his options.

reject?

The digital data for this book is so good that a physical copy is almost guaranteed to be a bestseller.

If another publisher snatches the author's work due to royalty issues, it will not only be an economic loss, but also a major blow to the author resources of the Tongxin.com platform.

If you can't even retain the most popular authors on your own platform, how will you attract other authors in the future?

promise?

Giving 15% royalties to a newcomer is almost unheard of in the industry.

Once this precedent is set, what will other authors think?

Cost pressures will also increase significantly.

Dilemma.

Seeing that Chen Hao had already turned around and his hand was on the doorknob, Zhou Kaiwen finally spoke, his voice a little more urgent than before:

"Teacher Haolin, please wait a moment."

Chen Hao stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him.

Zhou Kaiwen took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision. He looked at Chen Hao and said, word by word:

"A 15% royalty... is not entirely out of the question."

However, if you insist on this ratio, then you must agree to one condition—

Royalties are calculated based on the actual number of books sold, not the number printed.

He stared intently into Chen Hao's eyes, emphasizing his words:

"In other words, the number of books we print does not mean you will receive royalties based on the number of copies printed."

You only receive royalties for each copy we sell.

Unsold inventory does not count.

If you agree to this condition, then I can agree to a 15% royalty.