Chapter 45: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Lin Weimin came to see Mark Meng today with the intention of asking him for some foreign exchange coupons to buy a bicycle. He has been in Yanjing for several months, and to go out he either takes the bus or walks, which is really not very convenient. It would be much more convenient if he had a bicycle.
Coincidentally, the two of them talked about the issue of bicycles in a few words, so Lin Weimin didn't have to speak deliberately.
Inviting a few foreign friends to Baodu Feng to eat Baodu is really a cost-effective thing to do.
Coming out of Baodu Feng, several people got on their bikes.
A few foreigners came out for a weekend trip. They didn't actually have anywhere in particular to go. They were just curious about the ancient capital of Yanjing, so they wandered around the city, glancing at every tree and blade of grass there.
When passing by a newsstand, Mark Meng stopped his bicycle. Seeing him stop, the others stopped as well.
"Old Ma, what's wrong?"
"Lin, are there any newspapers or magazines that publish your works here?"
Originally curious about his own work, Lin Weimin glanced at the newsstand and said, "It should be there."
He parked his bicycle, walked towards the newsstand, and soon found "Contemporary".
“Here’s one.”
Lin Weimin handed the book "Contemporary" to Mark Meng, and the others immediately came over curiously.
While the others were watching, Lin Weimin picked out the last issue of Zhongshan from a pile of magazines. "There is another novel published in this magazine."
The foreigners present were studying history and languages at Yanjing University. They probably knew the Chinese characters in the magazine, but it was beyond their ability to fully understand their meaning.
They flipped through the two magazines and soon found the three words "Lin Weimin". Looking at the magazines printed in lead type, they immediately felt great respect for Lin Weimin.
"Mr. Lin, you are so awesome!" Xiao Heiyangzi said admiringly.
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "You haven't even watched it yet, and you're saying this. It seems like you're just blindly worshipping me!"
"No, no!" Xiao Heiyangzi shook her head. "I know these two magazines. I've seen many of my classmates reading them. They are very famous magazines in China. It's a great achievement for you to be able to publish articles in such magazines, and you're still so young!"
Xiao Hei Yangzi's words made Lin Weimin feel a little proud. This girl is not only cute, but also speaks nicely. She has a bright future!
Several people talked for a while in front of the newsstand. Lin Weimin paid for a few copies of "Contemporary" and "Zhongshan" and distributed them to several people with a smile.
“This is my gift to everyone.”
Everyone was very happy when they received Lin Weimin's magazine. It's not the price that matters, but who gave it and its value.
For several foreign friends, meeting a young writer in a foreign country and receiving his works was a very special experience.
After riding their bicycles until the evening, they returned to Yanda.
Ma Kemeng and his friends invited Lin Weimin to have dinner at the Shaoyuan canteen. The Shaoyuan canteen for international students was much better than the ordinary student canteen. The differential treatment of international students in China started in the 1980s.
When they were about to part, Ma Kemeng asked Lin Weimin again: "Lin, have you finished the last novel?"
"Sorry, Lao Ma, I haven't had time to write yet."
Mark Meng was obviously obsessed with the mystery work, "I think you should really write it down."
"It would be best if it could be written, but the prerequisite is to have a channel for publication."
Lin Weimin talked about the same old problem again. Compared with most writers of this era, his utilitarianism is very pure.
But for Mark Meng, an old American, there is nothing wrong with Lin Weimin's attitude.
"Lin, I really think you can consider writing it and publishing it in a magazine in our country."
"That's not an easy thing to do."
Mark Meng nodded. "Of course it's not easy, but you can definitely try. You know, I'm learning Chinese now, and I can help you translate the manuscript."
"That's a good idea. Old Ma, how much would it cost to publish an article in a magazine in your country?"
"That's not necessarily true. Do you know Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine?"
"have no idea."
"Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is one of the longest-established and most widely circulated mystery magazines in the United States. I have seen their call for submissions. For a 5,000-word short story, the manuscript fee is between 500 and 800 US dollars."
Compared with the current domestic manuscript fee standards, this fee is still very high, especially considering the exchange rate factor. 5,000 words are almost less than 10,000 words. The current official exchange rate of RMB to USD is about 1.5:1.
That is to say, for a short mystery novel of about 10,000 words, Lin Weimin can get 750 to 1,200 RMB, which is more than what he got for his 80,000-word novella "The Hidden Corner".
If you exchange it on the black market, the number can be even higher, but overseas remittances must go through the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and can only be directly converted into RMB, leaving no room for manipulation.
Lin Weimin was a little moved.
"Okay, I'll write the last draft later."
"Great!" Mark Meng clapped his hands, "Leave the translation and mailing to me!"
"I can translate it myself, you just need to help me polish it."
"Oh, oh, it's settled."
Mark Meng finally told Tong Lin Weimin that he had asked him to write that mystery story. He inexplicably felt a sense of accomplishment and was extremely happy.
After saying goodbye to several foreign friends, Lin Weimin returned to the Institute of Cultural Research. It was already past seven in the evening.
During the holidays, there are teachers and staff on duty at the Institute of Literature and Research. The person on duty today is Xiaojing, who is the administrator of the institute's library.
The library in the institute is very small, consisting of only one room.
The office was deserted after the holiday. Xiao Jing was bored on duty tonight, and when he saw Lin Weimin coming back, he started chatting with him.
After chatting for a while, Xiaojing went to the bathroom to wash up, and Lin Weimin returned to the dormitory and spread out the manuscript paper on the desk.
He was itching to write a book about the royalties that Mark Meng had mentioned, and since he had nothing to do anyway, he decided to write it and see what happens.
The story is already in his mind, the key lies in the switching of languages. With Mark Meng's help in polishing it, Lin Weimin doesn't have to worry about the writing style, but at least he has to make sure that Mark Meng, the translator, can understand it.
Lin Weimin spent four days in his dormitory writing the story of "The Knife Out of the Sheath", and then came to Yanda again to find Mark Meng.
"Oh, man, you are so efficient." Mark Meng said in surprise after receiving Lin Weimin's manuscript.
"This is my usual style. Here is the first draft, and the rest is up to you to polish."
"No problem." Mark Meng agreed.
"Oh, there's one more thing."
"What's up?"
"About the translation fee."
"Lin, I did this purely because I hope to see your story published and let more people see it."
"No, no, no. There is an old Chinese saying that brothers should be clear about their accounts."
"Okay, so what do you think?" Mark Meng said helplessly to Lin Weimin.
"You can polish the translation of the article, add your name to the author's signature, and give you one-third of the royalties. How about that?"
Mark Meng nodded: "Very fair!"
"It's settled then."
“It’s a pleasure to work with you!”
The two held hands tightly and smiled.
(End of this chapter)
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