A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

March 22nd, Wednesday.

During his lunch break, Lin Shubai's phone rang.

The words "Zhou Mingyuan" appeared on the screen.

Lin Shubai answered the call, but before he could even speak, the other end erupted in chaos.

"Kobayashi! I have good news for you!"

Zhou Mingyuan's voice was so loud it sounded like he was on speakerphone, and Lin Shubai instinctively moved the phone away from him.

"What good news?"

"The Little Prince has sold over 100,000 copies! 100,000! Less than two months after its release, it has already surpassed 100,000 copies!"

One hundred thousand.

He knew "The Little Prince" would sell well, but he didn't expect it to sell 100,000 copies so quickly.

"Kobayashi? Are you still there?"

"Mr. Zhou, what is the specific number?"

"More than 103,600 copies, and it's still rising. The distribution department said that this week's shipments are even higher than last week's, and there's no sign of slowing down. The Xinhua Bookstore system sold more than 40,000 copies, private channels sold more than 30,000 copies, online bookstores sold more than 20,000 copies, and there are several thousand more copies purchased in bulk by schools and libraries."

"Also, the online bookstore is starting to urge us for signed copies again. The last batch of 500 sold out incredibly fast. Do you want to sign another batch this time? 800? 1000?"

Lin Shubai looked down at his right hand; he still remembered the soreness he felt when he signed those five hundred books.

"Eight hundred, I'm afraid my hands will break if I ask for a thousand."

"Okay, I'll have the distribution department arrange it." Zhou Mingyuan said, then suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, how's your book, *Hugo in the Clock Tower*, coming along? You said last time you had a classmate draw the illustrations, how's the progress?"

"I'm almost finished writing it. The text part is fine, but the illustrations are progressing slower than I expected. My classmate still has to attend classes."

Zhou Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then asked, "How's your classmate's drawing skill?"

"It's great. She drew the cover of 'Hope,' and even the principal said it was good."

"Okay, let her take her time drawing. No rush. Once you've finished writing and drawing, send me the manuscript to take a look. If 'The Little Prince' sells well, you'll have more leverage for the next one. You can negotiate the first print run, royalties, and promotional resources. But first, make sure the quality is good. Don't ruin the story just to rush the schedule."

"I know."

Meanwhile, the internet was in an uproar.

The publisher released a press release at 10 a.m. - "The Little Prince's sales surpass 100,000 copies, marking the fastest growth rate in children's book sales in nearly five years". Within just two hours, the news appeared on major book forums, social media platforms and literature websites.

Banyan Tree Forum:

At 10:20 AM, the "Old Tales of Pen and Ink" forum posted a pinned thread with a single-line title: "Lin Shubai's 'The Little Prince' Surpasses 100,000 Copies, What Do You Think?"

On the second floor, "Deep Sea Fish" grabbed the sofa: "How do you see it? Look with your eyes, but this number is really frightening. Less than two months after its release, 100,000 copies sold."

On the sixth floor, "Literary Novice": "The comment upstairs that '100,000 people have been moved by it' is really well said. I'd like to add some data—there are already over 8,000 short reviews of 'The Little Prince' on Douban, and the rating is consistently at 9.1."

As you scroll down the thread to the thirtieth floor, the discussion begins to shift in another direction.

On the 35th floor, a netizen with the ID "Publishing Insider" posted a long reply: "I work in distribution, so let me say a few words from an insider's perspective. The value of Lin Shubai's '100,000 copies' is much higher than you think."

First, children's books usually have a long sales cycle. It is normal for a children's book to sell for two or three years. However, "The Little Prince" broke 100,000 copies in just two months, which shows that its momentum is still going up and has not yet peaked.

Secondly, children's books have a very low repurchase rate—parents buy one for their child, and once it's finished, they don't buy a second one. But *The Little Prince* is different. In my data backend, I saw many orders of "one person, multiple orders," with one person buying three or four copies to give to friends, colleagues, and relatives' children. This shows that the book has transcended the scope of "children's books" and become a kind of "social gift."

Third, I boldly predict that by the end of this year, the total sales of "The Little Prince" will exceed 200,000 copies. I'm making this prediction on paper.

This reply was followed by dozens of comments.

Floor 36: "Worshiping the industry guru."

37th floor: "Followed, will come back to dig up this old post at the end of the year."

Floor 38: "Two hundred thousand? I think it's more than that. The book's reputation is still building, and summer vacation is the peak sales season for children's books. I bet three hundred thousand."

The 39th floor replied to the 38th floor: "What are you betting on?"

40th floor: "I bet a bag of spicy strips."

Floor 41: "Okay, I got it."

Floor 42: "100,000 copies is impressive, but I'm more interested in his book 'Four Generations Under One Roof.' It's a million-word novel about the War of Resistance against Japan, published by People's Literature Publishing House, and I heard that Han Mo wrote the preface. This kind of treatment doesn't seem like something a high school freshman should receive."

Floor 43: "I'm waiting for that book too. No matter how well a fairy tale is written, I always feel that the name 'Lin Shubai' is a bit too soft. If he can write a good book about the War of Resistance against Japan, then he will truly have established himself."

Floor 44: "Your expectations are way too high. He's only sixteen and has already published two best-selling books, isn't that enough? Does he have to write 'Four Generations Under One Roof' to prove himself?"

Floor 45: "It's not that the requirements are high, it's that the expectations are high. His previous works have whetted everyone's appetite, so naturally everyone wants to know if he can go any further."

50th Floor: "Does anyone know roughly when it will be released? I've already reserved a spot on my bookshelf."

The person on the 51st floor replied to the person on the 50th floor: "I heard it's almost the end of March or the beginning of April."

52nd Floor: "Isn't it next week? Looking forward to it."

53rd Floor: "Don't jinx it. What if it backfires? A newbie writing a million-word novel has a high chance of backfiring."

The 54th floor replied to the 53rd floor: "So what if he messed up? He's only sixteen. He has plenty of time to start over. What were you doing when you were sixteen? You're already worrying about him."

At 6 p.m., "Old Stories of Pen and Ink" posted a new thread.

What should we expect from Lin Shu-pai?

The main text is short: "This morning, everyone discussed the news that 'The Little Prince' had sold over 100,000 copies. This afternoon, I calmed down and thought about a question: Lin Shubai is only sixteen years old this year, and he's still in his first year of high school. What will his next book be? 'Four Generations Under One Roof' has already been submitted, and I heard that sample copies are already out. This person's creative trajectory is completely unpredictable. You think he'll continue down the path of fairy tales, and then he suddenly gives you 'Life on a String.' You think he's going to settle on realistic themes, and then he writes 'Night on the Galactic Railroad.' Just when you've gotten used to his science fiction short stories, he turns around and releases 'The Little Prince.'"

He's not 'transforming,' he's 'expanding.' With each new genre he writes, his territory grows larger. What will he be writing when he's twenty? I don't know, but I'm curious to see."