Chapter 632: Cast a wide net and catch more fish
In early May, according to the instructions of editor-in-chief Lin Weimin, the editorial department of Contemporary Magazine sent three editors, including editor-in-chief He Qizhi, to Shaanxi.
In recent years, first Lu Yao's "Ordinary World" and then Cheng Zhongshi's "White Deer Plain", Shaanxi literary circles have frequently made significant contributions to the Chinese literary world and have become the leading force in the field.
The first stop for He Qizhi and others when they arrived in Shaanxi was the Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles. As a provincial-level federation of literary and art circles, the conditions here are naturally not bad.
That evening, several leaders of the Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles specially hosted a welcome party for the Contemporary Magazine delegation.
Manuscript collection is an important part of editorial work. Almost every week, editors from all over the country come to Shaanxi to seek manuscripts from writers.
But this time, the efforts made by Contemporary Magazine to collect manuscripts seem unusual. The editor-in-chief He Qizhi is leading the team personally, and he has two capable subordinates under him.
Coupled with the unique influence of "Contemporary" in the domestic literary world, the Shaanxi Literary Association had to pay attention to it.
Lu Yao and Cheng Zhongshi also showed up at the welcoming banquet. The two have old ties with the Guowen Publishing House, and their famous works were all published and distributed through Contemporary and the Guowen Publishing House.
In addition to the two of them, Jia Pingwa and Jing Fu also came today.
He Qizhi kept Lin Weimin's instructions in mind, and when he saw the two of them, he immediately approached them enthusiastically to start a conversation, which made Jia Pingwa and Jing Fu feel a little nervous.
"By the way, why didn't Gao Jianqun come?" After having a good meal and a good drink, He Qizhi asked casually.
"Jianqun's father is sick, and he has been busy recently to finish his lost manuscript. He has no time." Jia Pingwa said.
He Qizhi made a point in his mind: Gao Jianqun's father was seriously ill, so he had to take the test... bah, he had to go visit him.
The next day, He Qizhi started his visit to collect manuscripts.
When it comes to compiling articles, one has to cast a wide net, catch as many fish as possible, and then select the best ones.
He Qizhi divided his targets into three types. One type was writers who already had famous works and were well-known, such as Lu Yao and Cheng Zhongshi, and the focus was on building relationships.
The second type is writers in their prime who are quite famous but whose works are less well-known and who lack a representative work. This type of writers is not only to maintain relationships, but more importantly to show the recognition and appreciation of Guowenshe and Contemporary Magazine for them.
They also promise some benefits, such as convenience in the publication of works and preferential treatment in royalties.
The third type is pure new writers. This type is much simpler. Young people have never had a full meal, so they can be kept full by just drawing big promises.
He Qizhi and others stayed in Shaanxi for a week, visited many writers in the province and achieved initial results.
After returning to Beijing, he ran to Lin Weimin's office to report.
After listening to his report on his experience in Shaanxi, Lin Weimin nodded and expressed his satisfaction.
He then asked, "Have you informed them about the novel seminar?"
"I have mentioned this to the leaders of the Literary Association and several writers who are the focus of attention. Everyone is very interested in this seminar."
"That's good! This time you go there just to lay the foundation. Try to go there again before the second half of the year's seminar to consolidate your relationship with everyone."
He Qizhi clearly heard Lin Weimin put emphasis on the word "feelings". He knew Lin Weimin, and he was a man who valued feelings.
"clear!"
When he just returned to work at the Guowen Press, Lin Weimin's mind would occasionally flash through his daughter's little face and waving hands while he was working, and he would always feel particularly warm whenever he thought of them.
He hadn't been to work for half a month and had a lot of work to do. He dealt with the urgent work first, and then reviewed the manuscript.
There are hundreds of books published in China every year, and almost every one of them needs to be reviewed by the editor-in-chief, as well as the responsible editor and the chief editor. When it comes to him, he only needs to grasp the general direction. Except for the key published books, most of the manuscripts are just glanced over.
He scanned the two manuscripts and picked up another one with a focused look. This was the second volume of "Emperor Yongzheng". He read the contents carefully.
After more than half an hour, Lin Weimin put down the manuscript.
He did not finish reading the manuscript, only the first 30,000 words, but he could clearly feel that the quality of "Emperor Yongzheng" was a step higher than that of "Emperor Kangxi".
He had this feeling when he read the first volume last year, but the feeling was even stronger this year because the writing had already been fully completed.
Last year, the first volume of "Emperor Yongzheng" was first published in "Contemporary", and received unanimous praise from literary critics and readers. It was believed that Er Yuehe's "Emperor Yongzheng" was a great improvement over "Emperor Kangxi".
Some people even compared "Emperor Yongzheng" with Lin Weimin's "Ming Dynasty 1566", believing that Er Yuehe's level is not inferior to Lin Weimin.
This statement has been ridiculed by fans of "The Ming Dynasty 1566" since its inception, and many critics have also written articles to refute it.
But we have to admit that the level of quality displayed by "Emperor Yongzheng" is well-received. Although it is not as good as "The Ming Dynasty 1566", it should be the first-class among Chinese historical novels.
Three months after the publication of "Emperor Yongzheng", Guowen Publishing House published a single volume of the novel. In less than half a year, it has sold nearly 300,000 copies, making it another undisputed bestseller.
Once the second or third volumes are completed, including the single volumes and the collection, Guowen Publishing House will surely make a fortune.
When Lin Weimin thought about the financial prospects of this novel, a happy smile appeared on his face.
It’s not easy for the Chinese Literature Society to have such a big business!
Maternity leave is over and work is back on track.
Lin Weimin's family is filled with laughter because of the happy boy Xiao Doubao.
That evening, Han Zhuangzhuang and his family of four arrived.
"The child is clamoring to see her aunt." Yin Geli said.
Including the time she spent studying abroad, Yin Geli has lived in China for more than ten years, and her Beijing dialect is more fluent than Lin Weimin's.
She teaches at the university and, because of Lin Weimin's relationship, occasionally takes on some translation work for the Guowen Publishing House, so her income has always been good.
"Diugong, Diugong, why is Gugu always sleeping?"
Little Nannan glanced at Xiao Doubao and saw that she was still sleeping, so she ran to Lin Weimin and asked him.
"Because my aunt can't run or jump now, she can only play in her dreams. She can dream about anything."
The little girl immediately showed an envious expression, "I want to dream too, I want to sleep."
Lin Weimin smiled and said, "You are a big kid now. You can play by yourself now. You don't need to sleep so much."
Little Nannan looked at Lin Weimin in confusion, feeling somewhat unwilling, and ran back to Yin Geli.
"Mom, I want to sleep."
Yin Geli didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Let's go home and sleep at night, okay?"
"Yes!" Little Nannan nodded solemnly.
Han Zhuangzhuang talked to Lin Weimin about Zhang Yimou's movies.
He just finished filming "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" a few days ago, and the film has now entered post-production. As early as the beginning of the filming, Zhang Yimou had already received an invitation from the Venice Film Festival Organizing Committee, and "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" has already reserved a shortlisted seat.
There are still more than three months until the film festival at the end of August, so the time now is just enough for post-production.
"Yimou was aiming for the Golden Lion this time. He still felt a little regretful when he won the Silver Lion last year."
In 1987, Red Sorghum won the Berlin Golden Bear; in 1989, A City of Sadness won the Venice Golden Lion; in 1990, The Year of the Zodiac won the Berlin Silver Bear; in 1991, Raise the Red Lantern won the Venice Silver Lion…
In just a few years, Chinese-language films have frequently appeared on the international film scene, not only winning honor for the Chinese-language film industry, but also establishing close ties with the international film scene.
"These past few years should be the best time for Chinese-language films in the international film scene, with many talented people emerging and a relaxed environment," Lin Weimin sighed.
After talking about Zhang Yimou's movies, Lin Weimin asked about "Farewell My Concubine".
Han Zhuangzhuang has signed a contract with the crew and has been confirmed to play the role of Duan Xiaolou.
"I heard that Gong Li is still in communication with Xu Feng. Her current salary is too high. Even with a discount, it will still be 1 million dollars."
"Her acting in Yimou's movies isn't that expensive, right?"
Gong Li is now the most famous actress not only in China, but also in the Chinese-speaking world. Let alone 1 million dollars, 2 million dollars is enough for her.
However, when she worked with Zhang Yimou, her pay was severely discounted and she couldn't even get 500,000 dollars.
On the one hand, this is because Zhang Yimou is Gong Li's mentor. On the other hand, Zhang Yimou's films have won the Golden Bear and the Silver Lion, and will definitely win more major awards, which will also be a bonus for Gong Li's own acting career.
But it was different working with Cheng Kaige. The two of them didn't have much of a personal relationship, and Cheng Kaige hadn't proven himself at any of the three major European festivals, so he certainly wasn't willing to compromise on pay.
Gong Li's pay at that time was not that high. It was mainly because of the Oscar bonus for "The Last Emperor" that her fame skyrocketed and her pay was directly in line with international standards.
"Can Cheng Kaige be compared with Yimou?"
The expression on Han Zhuangzhuang's face looked like he deserved a beating when he said this.
"If you look down on Cheng Kaige, don't act in his movies!"
Han Zhuangzhuang licked his face and smiled, "I don't want to either. Who asked them to pay so much?"
"How much did you give me?"
"300,000-meter sword."
"That's a lot."
The crew of "Farewell My Concubine" is wealthy, and several of the main actors have a certain degree of international fame, so it would be unreasonable not to pay them high salaries.
When Han Zhuangzhuang talked about the film pay, a smile appeared on his face.
When he starred in Zhang Yimou's "Qiu Ju Goes to Court", his salary was 200,000 RMB. But when he starred in "Farewell My Concubine", his salary tripled to 300,000 RMB.
"After all, it's a big investment, and Yimou is not good at this. People are rushing to invest in his movies, but he is stingy and unwilling to ask for more."
Lin Weimin joked: "You kid, you're going to 'rebel' after you get the money!"
"Hey, what's that? Zunlong wants 2.6 million Mi Dao!"
"Xu Feng gave it to you?"
"No. I heard that John Lone's agent is making trouble and has put forward a lot of additional conditions. Xu Feng was not optimistic about John Lone playing Cheng Dieyi in the first place, and she has been contacting Leslie Cheung recently."
In Lin Weimin's memory, Zun Long's agent was indeed very good at making trouble. Zun Long originally wanted to star in "Farewell My Concubine", but was ruined by this agent.
Two thousand years later, Zun Long filmed three TV series in China, the most famous of which is "Kangxi Private Visits 5".
A movie star who made a name for himself in Hollywood returned to China to act in TV dramas, and his status collapsed. It was all thanks to that agent.
A good agent can make a superstar famous, or ruin him.
It is much easier to destroy something than to make it famous!
(End of this chapter)
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