Chapter 555 Do I look like an embarrassed person?
The seven words "National Literature Publishing House" are a golden signboard in the Chinese literary world, not only for authors but also for editors.
Wei Junyi, editor-in-chief of Guowen Press, once said, "Editors of Guowen Press should understand ancient and modern Chinese and foreign literature. Guowen Press is a place to train writers, translators, publishers, and theorists."
The fact is indeed as she said. In the Guowen Publishing House, if you walk into an editorial office and ask one or two old comrades sitting by the window or at the door of the office, they may be the place that can be called "home".
There has always been a tradition of "passing on knowledge, helping others and mentoring" among the editors of Guowen Publishing House. When newcomers come to the publishing house and intern in the proofreading department, they will be assigned to learn from the senior editors, just like state-owned factories will find masters for young workers.
Young editors follow the old editors and not only learn professional knowledge, but also learn how they deal with writers and how to accompany writers in their growth.
In such an environment, the young generation of editors trained here naturally stand out in China's publishing industry, and it is not surprising that they become the hot cakes that other publishing houses are vying for.
Everyone felt sorry for the people who passed away, mostly because of the business.
The editors who can be poached must be the backbone of each editorial office and will surely be famous figures in the publishing industry in the future.
But it is not certain if you leave. Publishing houses outside are more concerned with economic interests. They may make money faster than Guowen Press, but their achievements may be limited.
Guo Xugang's departure gave the employees of Guowen Press some topics to talk about in their spare time, but it did not cause any waves here.
As one of the heavyweights in the domestic publishing industry, there is no shortage of editors here, let alone good editors. Even if one person is poached from outside, Guowen Press can still train more people. This is the foundation.
On the second Friday of October, Lin Weimin received a call from Arthur Miller in the United States, announcing that the copyright of "The Kite Runner" had been sold to the United Kingdom and Canada.
In fact, since the play premiered on Broadway, production companies from several English-speaking countries have hoped to obtain the copyright of the play. However, Arthur Miller and Lin Weimin discussed it at the time and decided not to rush to sell the copyright in order to maintain the influence of the play and for better negotiations.
Today, four years have passed since The Kite Runner premiered on Broadway and has entered a period of decline.
This drama has won the love of millions of viewers in the United States, and its influence has already spread to many English-speaking countries. It is the perfect time to operate copyright development.
On Broadway, copyright operation is a professional and complicated matter, and Lin Weimin has never asked much about it.
In addition to "The Kite Runner", the copyright of "The Intouchables" was also bought by a British production company. Two countries, three copyrights, after deducting the share of Arthur Miller's copyright management company, Lin Weimin can get a share of up to 2.8 million US dollars.
If the copyright operation of Lin Weimin's works can continue, it will be another gold mine that is no less than theatrical performances and novel publishing.
A few days later, Cheng Zaochun called Lin Weimin to his office.
It had been a long time since he had been called by his leader to have a heart-to-heart talk, so Lin Weimin felt quite cordial when he suddenly walked into the office.
"Leader, what do you want from me?"
"Is there nothing I can do to talk to you?"
Lin Weimin gave him a look and said, "We are all thousand-year-old foxes, so don't play Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio with me."
Cheng Zaochun coughed lightly to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Recently, Wang Shuo's collection of essays seems to be selling well!" Cheng Zaochun took the initiative to start the topic.
"Yes, Huayi is very brave and will print 200,000 copies for the first time."
Cheng Zaochun nodded, "You are familiar with Wang Shuo, do you have any plans to print more?"
"It's still early. It's only been on the market for more than half a month. How can it be that fast? But looking at the current situation, 200,000 units will definitely not be stopped." Lin Weimin said.
Cheng Zaochun looked thoughtful. After a while, he asked, "Recently, the contracts for two of your novels are about to expire."
Lin Weimin asked in surprise: "Which one? I haven't noticed it yet."
Cheng Zaochun looked at him speechlessly and should have known not to mention this matter.
"Insidious and The Hunt."
"The company plans to renew my contract?"
"nonsense."
Lin Weimin leaned back on the sofa and said, "Well, this matter..."
Cheng Zaochun had guessed his reaction a long time ago, and felt annoyed, but still said: "The publishing house plans to increase your royalties..."
"Are you still bringing it up? Isn't that a bit bad?"
Cheng Zaochun didn't think that he was kind and didn't want the Chinese Literature Society to spend money. "What do you mean?"
"Wang Shuo has already received the royalties." Lin Weimin said quietly.
Cheng Zaochun was silent for a long time, "Weimin, you are one of our Guowen Society's own..."
"Leader, this is what you did wrong." Lin Weimin refuted Cheng Zaochun seriously, "Brothers should settle accounts clearly! No one in China took royalties before, so I didn't say anything. Now someone is taking it, you can't let me take the thousand-word manuscript fee? Wang Shuo can take this royalty, but I can't?"
Lin Weimin had prepared these words a long time ago, and he spoke them fluently. Shuozi had been asked to sell it. If I don't take the royalties, how can I be worthy of Shuozi?
"Royalties are a new thing, so we still have to be cautious."
"I have received royalties from overseas for many years and have never heard of any problems."
"I can't make the decision on this matter alone. I have to hold a meeting to discuss it before making a decision."
"Then you can hold a meeting to discuss it. I will sign the contract after you have finished your discussion."
…
Cheng Zaochun said something, and Lin Weimin retorted. Cheng Zaochun fell silent again, staring at Lin Weimin.
Lin Weimin was not at all flattered. The two looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Cheng Zaochun couldn't help but said, "I can give you royalties. I heard that Wang Shuo got 10%, which is not a low share."
Lin Weimin shook his head. "No, I get 15% when I'm abroad. I can't be at a disadvantage when it comes to my own people, right?"
"Weimin, you have to understand the society. It's not easy for the society. The market competition has been fierce in the past two years, and the development of the society is not like in previous years."
In order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, Comrade Lao Cheng seems to be using all kinds of tricks.
"Leader, we have to be conscientious. My novels have been published by the publishing house over the years. For a novel collection like Wang Shuo, Huayi can pay him 100 yuan per thousand words, and now he has received royalties. If I go to those publishing houses outside, what price will they give me?"
"Yes, yes, we all see the contributions you have made to the company over the years. 11%, how about 11%?"
Lin Weimin finally understood that it was not that Lao Cheng did not want to pay royalties, but he wanted to keep his share of the royalties as low as possible.
Wang Shuo has already received royalties, so Lao Cheng and the publishing house should also know that it is a general trend for him to receive royalties in the future. Even if the publishing house does not give it to him, he can still get royalties by cooperating with an outside publishing house when the contract expires.
But if it really comes to that, it will be difficult to step down, so it is better to take the initiative to talk to myself as soon as possible.
However, Mr. Cheng is a petty person and wants to save some money, so today's drama happened.
"11% is definitely not acceptable, it's too low."
"Wang Shuo is so popular, but he only gets 10%."
"He found it himself. He was too shy to negotiate the price with the publisher. Do you think I look like someone who is embarrassed?"
Cheng Zaochun remained silent more times that day than in the whole year. Negotiating with such a shameless opponent not only tests one's intelligence and courage, but also one's patience.
The two argued for a long time, and finally the royalty sharing ratio was set at 13%, which was barely acceptable to both parties.
"Let's agree that all future contract renewals will be based on this standard. You can't raise the price again." Cheng Zaochun warned worriedly.
"I know, I know!" Lin Weimin said unhappily.
Leaders have evil hearts. They don't think about anything else all day long but how to sacrifice the interests of their employees for the benefit of the company.
Cheng Zaochun had someone bring a new contract on the spot and asked Lin Weimin to sign it.
It’s better to finish the job early and put two books in pocket.
After spending half a day in Cheng Zaochun's office, Lin Weimin was about to go back to the back building when he ran into a familiar face.
"Xiao Guo?"
"Teacher Lin!" Guo Xugang looked at Lin Weimin with a somewhat evasive look.
Guo Xugang had just left the Guowen Press this month and joined a publishing house outside. Lin Weimin asked with a smile, "Are you coming back to visit?"
Guo Xugang pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No."
"Then you are..."
Guo Xugang looked at Lin Weimin with a pleading look on his face, "Teacher Lin, can you do me a favor?"
Seeing his expression, Lin Weimin knew that something must have gone wrong at work, so he pulled him aside and asked, "What's going on? Are you unhappy with your work?"
When talking about work, Guo Xugang was in low spirits and described in detail what happened when he went to the new unit.
Guo Xugang is a French translator at the Guowen Publishing House. French literature ranks second in world literature, and no one dares to claim first place. There are so many famous works, so Guo Xugang's professional ability has been honed very well over the years.
This time when he went to the new unit, his salary increased significantly compared to that in the Chinese Literature Society, and the benefits were also good. He thought he could do a great job, but he didn't expect the situation to be somewhat different from what he expected.
The new unit pays more attention to the efficiency of employees and the benefits that can be created. The work pace is much busier than that of the Guowen Society, but this is not the most critical thing.
The most crucial thing is that the editorial department did not treat literature with piety. Everyone just regarded it as an ordinary job. Guo Xu had just been in the unit for half a month and had argued with the editor-in-chief two or three times over several translation issues.
The editor-in-chief paid more attention to efficiency, while he was used to working in the Guowen Press and paid more attention to the accuracy and charm of the translation.
After leaving the big family of Guowen Society, Guo Xugang immediately felt the coldness of the world.
"The work there was so perfunctory that it made people feel guilty. There was really no humanistic spirit at all. Everyone was doing their own thing, and there was no harmonious, literary, or humane relationship at all. I regretted it after I went there for a few days, but I didn't dare to come back because I knew I had done something wrong..."
When Guo Xu first spoke, his eyes were red and he acted very awkward, like a child who ran away from home, couldn't make it out there and came back on his own.
Lin Weimin patted his shoulder and said, "What does it matter? You have been in the community for so many years, you must have gotten used to the environment here. If you are not used to being outside, just come back."
Guo Xugang said ashamedly: "I was bewitched by the devil, in order to make more money..."
"Don't say that!" Lin Weimin stopped him and said earnestly, "Who doesn't want to make more money? Your choice is impeccable. Our Guowen Society is not a bandit's den. You can only enter but not leave."
Seeing that Guo Xugang's face was becoming more and more ashamed, Lin Weimin said, "Let's not talk about it anymore. I'll take you to find Lao Cheng. He will definitely be happy to know that you are coming back. You are a member of our Chinese Literature Society!"
Guo Xugang followed behind Lin Weimin, and tears fell uncontrollably because of Lin Weimin's words, "You are a member of our Chinese Literature Society."
I've only updated twice today. It's hot, and I have toothaches and cervical pains. I feel uncomfortable.
(End of this chapter)
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