1980 My literary era

The next day, Lin Weimin made a long-distance call to Tao Huimin on the phone of a public, economic and private company. Before he could talk about the job transfer, Tao Huimin told him the news.

"Changying Studio asked you to make a movie?" Lin Weimin's voice was slightly surprised.

"Well, it was recommended by director Zhang Junsheng of "Five Women's Birthday Wishes"."

Tao Huimin was talking about the movie version of "Five Women's Birthdays". She spent most of last year filming "Five Women's Birthdays" at Changying Film Studio. Changying Film Studio used this film as a gift film for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"What's the name of the movie?"

"'Beautiful Prisoner', a film directed by Yu Zhongxiao and Lu Jianhua, is an anti-Japanese themed film."

Lin Weimin didn't have the slightest impression in his memory. It seemed like there was no splash.

"Do you want to act?" Lin Weimin asked.

Tao Huimin hesitated, and after a while she said, "I want to go!"

"Why? I wanted to recommend you to interview with the crew of "Dream of Red Mansions" before, but you were a little reluctant." Lin Weimin said puzzled.

Tao Huimin said, "Before, I didn't think clearly before. After I came back from Yanjing, I thought about it. There is no Yue Opera troupe in Yanjing. If I still sing Yue opera, I'm afraid it would be difficult to be transferred to Yanjing. If I change my career to act. If it’s a movie or TV series, it’s easy to mobilize.”

During Tao Huimin's trip to Yanjing years ago, the taboo between the two was broken. The girl matured at a rapid speed and began to think about their future.

She never considered changing Lin Weimin in the past, but chose to accommodate him.

"That's fine. I also communicated with the leaders of Renyi today and I can transfer you to Renyi or Peking Opera."

After thinking about it, Tao Huimin said, "Let's wait until I finish acting in this movie, so that I can have the qualifications."

"Okay, listen to you!"

My girlfriend looks like a little white flower that is harmless to humans and animals, but actually she has the right idea in her heart!

Then the two of them chatted some more about each other, and then hung up the phone reluctantly.

Returning to the office, in the afternoon, someone came from the front building and asked Lin Weimin to contact Yuehehe, that is, Leng Jiefang. The agency planned to publish his "Emperor Kangxi: The First Secession of the Palace".

Lin Weimin thought it was too slow to write a letter, so he went straight to the phone.

Er Erhe works in the NY city government and is easy to contact.

After making the call, I waited for a long time before receiving a call back from Yue Erhe.

Lin Weimin told him on the phone that the Chinese Literature Society was going to publish "Emperor Kangxi: The Initial Administration of the Palace", and Yue Hehe was ecstatic.

"is this real?"

"Of course it's true! The company asked me to ask for your opinion. Are you okay with it?"

"No problem, no problem, no problem!" Er Erhe was so excited that he was a little incoherent.

After waiting for a while, Yue Erhe hesitated and asked another question, "Teacher Lin, what about the royalties..."

How could Lin Weimin not understand what he meant, and said: "Publishing is the fee for publication, and publishing is for publication, so there is no difference. Moreover, the fee for publication is the basic fee plus the fee for the number of prints, which should be higher than your fee for publication. , I can’t say the exact number, it depends on the volume of orders.”

Er Erhe was overjoyed again and thanked her for a meal on the phone.

"Okay, okay, it's because you wrote the novel well, it has nothing to do with me. By the way, how is the second part of the novel going?"

Teacher Lin is always dedicated to his work.

Isn’t it dereliction of duty to call the author and not urge the manuscript?

"Still sorting out the information, I just wrote the opening chapter of 20,000 words!"

Lin Weimin pondered and said: "This efficiency is a bit slow! Jiefang, readers are waiting for your novel, we can't let the readers down!"

Lin Weimin's sincere words made Er Erhe feel a heavy responsibility, "I understand, don't worry, Teacher Lin, I will write the novel as soon as possible."

"Well, okay, I believe you!"

Tan Chaoyang shook his head. He really couldn't figure out how Lin Weimin, with his deceptive style, could discover so many outstanding writers?

"Boss, if nothing happens, I'll go back to the office."

Lin Weimin didn't take Tan Chaoyang's weird look into his heart. The old man was wondering what kind of work to arrange for himself.

When I returned to the office, there was a registered letter on the table. It was from Lu Yao and my colleagues helped collect it.

Although there is a phone, if there is nothing important, the two people still mainly write letters. This is also the normal communication for most people in this era.

After opening Lu Yao's letter, apart from the routine greetings, Lu Yao's main topic was to discuss with Lin Weimin the novel he was conceiving.

Regarding the title of the book, Lu Yao wrote two long articles, which seemed quite tangled.

He originally titled this novel "Loess, Black Gold, Big City". As a result, a friend went to visit him some time ago. He heard his friend talking about a novel that the other person was writing, and he thought that the novel was about The name is more in line with his novelistic temperament.

It's called "Going to the Big World."

"That's what I told him, 'Don't use this title.' 'Your novel is immature and has little chance of success. Please give me this title, because this title is right for me. The main theme of the novel'..."

Lin Weimin could feel Lu Yao's cunning and pride through the paper.

Those who are close to vermilion are red, those who are close to ink are black.

After hanging out with Teacher Lin for a long time, Lu Yao also became proficient in using the KTV method without even realizing it.

We end up becoming what we hate!

After reading the letter, Lin Weimin spread out the letter paper and replied.

It's called "Going to the Big World", which is a ridiculous name. It's called "The Ordinary World", as Teacher Lin said.

Then Teacher Lin couldn't help but click on Lu Yao.

I haven’t written a few words of the novel yet, and I’ve thought of a bunch of names. Is it useful?

After replying to the letter, Lin Weimin suddenly received a notice from the company, stating that people from the foreign affairs department would accompany people from Random House to come to him tomorrow.

Lin Weimin was puzzled. Why couldn't we talk about something over an international distance and why we had to fly across the Pacific Ocean?

The next morning, Lin Weimin met his old friend in the office in the front building of the Chinese Literature Society.

"Mr. Williams, long time no see!"

Lin Weimin and Qiao Sen hugged and exchanged greetings like old friends.

Qiao Sen called him with good news. Last year's print run of "Farewell My Concubine" had been sold out, and Random House planned to print more copies.

"Lin, Farewell My Concubine is gradually becoming a best-seller. This is a successful attempt."

Qiao Sen couldn't help but feel a little proud on his face as he spoke. It was his decision to introduce "Farewell My Concubine". Now the sales of the novel have achieved good results, which shows that his work has achieved results.

"This is all your credit." Lin Weimin said politely.

"Thank you!" Qiao Sen accepted Lin Weimin's compliment unceremoniously.

Damn, Americans, they always feel so good about themselves!

but……

Lin Weimin felt that Labor Qiaosen would not go all the way to go all the way just for a stamping matter.

After he asked the question in his mind, Qiao Sen couldn't help laughing and said: "Of course it can't be just because of the printing, but this matter also has something to do with "Farewell My Concubine"."

Qiao Sen did not sell it, and said: "The sales curve of "Farewell My Concubine" over the past year has allowed the company to see the potential of your works in the American market, so I came here to see if I can introduce some more. Your other novels.”

After Qiao Sen said this, he clearly felt that Lin Weimin's attitude seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

Lin Weimin looked at Qiao Sen with a smile on his face. How could he be that shameless American guy?

This is a boy who is spreading wealth under the God of Wealth!

Lin Weimin's attitude became visibly friendly, causing the comrades in the foreign affairs department next to him to look askance.

Teacher Lin, so true!

"Does your company have any goals? Qiao Sen, you have to know that I have written a lot of novels in the past two years."

Qiao Sen smiled and said: "Keith told me that your efficiency in writing novels has always been amazing. In your country, you are also nicknamed 'Quick Gunner'. Am I right?"

Lin Weimin glanced at the comrade next to him, "Ahem, it doesn't matter if you are a quick shooter or not. When do you have time, can I introduce my works to you?"

Qiao Sen's face showed that look of needing to be beaten again, "Lin, you underestimate us professional managers. If I want to do business with you, can I not understand it in advance?"

oh?

Lin Weimin was a little surprised and made some inquiries in advance.

This is better and saves some effort.

Qiao Sen directly took out the book list he had made, and Lin Weimin took a look at it.

"Horse Trapper", "Chasing the Murderer", and "The Lover" were all as he expected.

The espionage trilogy, "Insidious", "Cliff", and "The Wind" are all about the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation. Lao Mi has no interest in this stuff.

"If You Have Something to Say" reflects domestic urban life in the 1980s, and it is even less likely that Lao Mi will be interested in it.

It seems that these three are the most suitable.

Although the story of "Horse Tamer" is set during the Anti-Japanese War, this thing is covered in the skin of the Mongolian people. For Lao Mi, it has an exotic feel. They just like this. If it is translated, the values ​​​​are probably the same as theirs. Right taste.

"Lover" is the same routine. In Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, China was still called the Far East by Lao Mi. It was a land of luxury, men and women having sex. Qiao Sen said that the slogan of this novel is that it is the Chinese version of "The Great Gatsby".

Lin Weimin has no objection. You pay, you are the boss, and everyone listens to you.

Teacher Lin showed no integrity in front of money.

As for "Chasing the Murderer", it is the most special one among Lin Weimin's novels.

The style of this thing was too unique, and the narrative method of the story was even more abnormal. Qiao Sen asked the translator to translate it for him several times. He didn't fully understand the entire novel, but he only roughly knew the plot of the novel.

This difficulty in understanding the narrative adds to Qiaoson’s interest in this novel.

"Your novel is very interesting. It's a genre I've never seen before." Qiao Sen summed up his feelings about "The Pursuit of Murder".

"Believe me, it won't let you down!" Lin Weimin said firmly.

In fact, he didn't know if this novel would work in Laomi's market.

Anyway, if you can publish a book, it’s a book. If you don’t make money, you won’t make it in vain!

I am honored to earn foreign exchange for my country!

Because of Qiao Sen's advance preparation, the matter was discussed quickly, but when it came to the royalties, it got stuck.

Qiao Sen reported the royalty price to Lin Weimin this time, but it was not too high, 8%.

Lin Weimin's requirement is 10%, and as sales increase, the royalties will also increase to a maximum of 13%.

The 13% royalty is basically equivalent to the current standard of royalties for first-line writers in the United States.

"Lin, your offer is too outrageous, it's impossible!" Qiao Sen rejected Lin Weimin with a look of embarrassment.

"Nothing is impossible. Qiao Sen, my friend. I think you should also understand that the reason why your company found me again is simply because I created value for you.

If you feel that this quotation will not make you any profit, then forget it. But I will not give up my idea, these works are my children, they deserve a higher price! "

In Qiao Sen's eyes, Lin Weimin at this moment was less like a parent and more like a human trafficker who abducted children. He was simply evil-hearted.

The two fought for a long time, but neither could convince the other, so they could only shelve the dispute.

Lin Weimin graciously invited Qiao Sen to have lunch, which made Qiao Sen feel a lot better.

Going out in a car, Lin Weimin also enjoyed the treatment of foreign guests.

Lin Weimin's treat this time was the same place, Tan's cuisine at Yanjing Hotel.

When passing by the coffee shop, Lin Weimin took a special look. The handsome Li Chunping had long disappeared. He might have been living a sweaty life in a foreign country.

After dinner, Lin Weimin and Qiao Sen said goodbye.

When we met again the next day, it was still a tug-of-war, but this time Qiaosen raised the royalties by one point, reaching 9%.

But Lin Weimin insisted on the 10-13% tiered royalties and refused to let go.

Qiao Sen frowned and said, "Lin, you are too stubborn. This makes me very embarrassed. You have to know that we at Random House have no shortage of good sources of works."

Lin Weimin didn't take his threat to heart. We are all foxes with thousands of years of history. What kind of chat is this?

You traveled all the way to China, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, how can you go back empty-handed?

"Qiao Sen, I want the royalties to share the risk with you. You should also know that based on the sales of "Farewell My Concubine" in the United States, it is not excessive for me to ask for a 10% royalty."

"But the maximum royalty you want is 13%." Qiao Sen argued with reason.

"That has a prerequisite, more than 500,000 copies, right? I have already inquired that in the American publishing market, 100,000 copies are already considered best-sellers. Besides, my request is for an increase in royalties after 500,000 copies, not ?"

Qiao Sen was silent.

Frankly speaking, if Lin Weimin's request were placed in the United States, it would actually be reasonable.

But the difference is that he is a Chinese writer.

Qiao Sen smiled bitterly and said: "Lin, if you act like this, it will be really difficult for me to do business when I go back!"

"But you can still get a job, right?" Lin Weimin smiled.

The bitter smile on Qiao Sen's face became even thicker, "You are a good negotiator!"

"Each other!"

Lin Weimin stood up and extended his hand, and Qiao Sen also stood up.

“Happy to work with!”

“Happy to work with!”