Chapter 811: The Tea Has Gone Cold Before the People Left
The leaders of the agency were generous in praising Lin Weimin. The "Collection of World Literary Classics" has received special attention from the agency since the project was launched, and has been one of the key publications that the agency leaders have paid attention to in recent years.
Now that it has been successfully published, it is truly a great and joyful event.
Guowen Press is a subordinate unit of the Press and Publication Administration. Their achievements are also the achievements of the administration.
So the attitude of the leaders in the agency was not surprising, but less than half a day later, another call from the leader of the cultural department came to the Guowen Publishing House.
The general idea was similar to that of the leaders in the agency. They all congratulated the successful completion and publication of the "Collection of World Literary Classics", mentioned the important role of this series of books in the field of Chinese culture, and finally praised the staff of the Guowen Publishing House from top to bottom.
The publication of key books is indeed a major cultural event, so it is understandable that the leaders of the cultural department called to congratulate.
As a result, two days later, when the "Collection of World Literary Classics" was in the process of being printed and bound, Guowen Press actually received a call from the leader of the Ministry of Rites.
This call was communicated in advance and the leadership of the Guowen Society gathered in the conference room.
During the call, the leaders of the Ministry of Rites not only congratulated the Guowen Publishing House on its achievements, affirmed the important role of this series of books by the Guowen Publishing House in the fields of culture, publicity, and publishing, but also brought congratulations and earnest instructions from the top leaders.
"Guowen Publishing House is a place where good books are published. Good books need people to recognize, edit and approve them. I hope you can continue to work hard and strive to be the vanguard of the vigorous development of our country's cultural undertakings!"
After hearing the congratulatory speech from the senior leader of the Ministry of Rites, the many leaders of the National Literature Society present were all delighted.
When a series of books was completed and published, the senior leader personally came to inquire about and congratulate us. This was a treatment that only happened when the "Complete Works of Lu Xun" was published that year.
They were so excited that they could receive such an honor that they burst into warm applause.
Lin Weimin sat aside and listened quietly to the conversation on the other end of the phone, but his heart did not experience the same ups and downs of emotions as the people present.
It wasn't that he was unhappy, but he was already filled with joy because this series of books, which he had personally decided on, had been successfully completed, and the congratulations from outside were just like icing on the cake.
Within three days, leaders from the three W departments called to congratulate us one after another, and the top leader also sent a message, which greatly encouraged everyone in the Guowen Publishing House.
After the call from the Ministry of Rites leader arrived, reporters from several major national media outlets in China also arrived at the Guowen Publishing House almost at the same time and conducted detailed interviews before and after the publication of the "Collection of World Literary Masterpieces".
CCTV, People's Daily, Guangming Daily...
The concentrated coverage by several central media outlets made the name of "World Literature Classics Collection" spread across the country in a short period of time.
Prior to this, due to Lin Weimin's hunger marketing strategy, the "World Literature Classics Collection" was published at a fixed rate of 3,000 copies per month. Now, four years after its publication, the earliest volume of the book has only sold over a hundred thousand copies, and the last two volumes have sold less than 30,000 copies on the market.
Moreover, these series of books are almost always sold out by book lovers and book collectors within a few days before they are released on the market. It is actually very difficult for ordinary readers to buy them, and most of them have only heard of them but have never seen the books.
But more people are unfamiliar with this series of books. They have never seen the books in bookstores, so naturally they have no idea about it.
Thanks to the extensive coverage by these central media, many local media also followed up with reports, and the name of "Collection of World Literature Classics" became popular among the nation.
Such a large-scale report was actually for a series of books, and the news report also mentioned the importance that leaders of various central departments attached to this series of books.
This naturally attracted the attention of many potential readers.
"The Great Wall of China's publishing industry", "The Three Gorges Project of modern publishing history", "The cornerstone series of Chinese literature"... All of a sudden, countless compliments poured into Guowen Publishing House and the "World Literature Classics Library".
From the political circle to the cultural circle, from the central government to local governments, from leaders to the masses, the "Collection of World Literature Classics" is exerting the dominance of this national-level library in a sweeping manner.
Just as many domestic media were reporting extensively on this series of books, the last volume of "World Literature Classics Collection", "American Literature", was officially published and landed on the shelves of bookstores across the country.
Now that the "World Literature Classics Collection" has been completely published, Guowen Publishing House has finally increased the printing volume, printing a total of 50,000 sets of the series, including several thousand more sets of the "American Literature Volume".
Due to the special scale of this series, "World Literature Classics Collection" is only sold in physical bookstores, and local post offices, newsstands and sales outlets only accept pre-orders.
Leaving aside the slight delay in pre-orders at post offices, newsstands and sales outlets across the country, the entire set of "World Literature Classics" consists of 15 volumes covering more than 200 important literary works from 36 countries around the world.
In a bookstore with open shelves, at a glance, the entire shelf is filled with beautifully bound and uniformly arranged series of books, which is a spectacular sight.
The day the new series of books was put on sale, it triggered a buying frenzy in bookstores across the country, especially among students and civil servants.
The student group is easy to understand, as this stage is when they read the most and read the most.
The civil servants' enthusiasm for the "Collection of World Literary Masterpieces" is entirely due to the reason that "what the superiors like, the subordinates will follow."
Just like "The Ming Dynasty 1566" was said to be a bedside reading for the elderly, "God Bless America" was personally reviewed by the top leaders.
However, for a large series of more than 200 volumes, even the paperback version is priced at more than 1,599 yuan per set, and there are actually not many readers who can afford this amount of money all at once.
Therefore, many readers who rushed to buy the books mostly bought in groups, and many bookstores also received reservations from many schools. One or two sets of books were still acceptable to schools.
Before this large-scale sale, the "Collection of World Literature Classics" was prohibited from being sold separately, and bookstores in various places sold it by volume at the suggestion of Guowen Publishing House.
After all, there are many books and their popularity varies. They are all complete sets of books. If there are only some incomplete series left after they are sold, it will not be a good thing for the bookstore.
When the "World Literature Classics Collection" was first released, many readers complained about the operations of Guowen Publishing House and bookstores. However, after a few years, they have all adapted to it. The worst that can happen is that they can just buy the books together.
In this way, you can also meet some new friends and promote communication among book lovers. Because of the operation of the World Literature Masterpieces Library, a number of book clubs have been established in many places across the country. Everyone reads, communicates, and shares what they have, which makes it more fun.
Throughout April, the Chinese literary world and book market were permeated with the whirlwind created by the "Collection of World Literature Masterpieces", which became popular all over the country.
The 50,000 sets of the complete set of "World Literary Classics" printed in its first entirety are selling at an astonishing rate. Before May, all 50,000 sets were sold out.
"World Literature Classics Collection" is different from ordinary books. It is huge in scale and expensive in price. A set of books is priced at 1,599 yuan, and the hardcover version is as high as 4,999 yuan.
If calculated by the number of copies, this series of books achieved a terrifying sales volume of 10 million copies in just less than a month.
This is due to the quality of the series itself, as well as the reputation and brand effect formed over the years, but the most crucial factor is the high praise for the series from leaders at all levels and its media coverage.
In the past month, 50,000 sets of books were sold, with a total value of 89 million yuan.
Including the sales of other books published by Guowen Publishing House that month, the release of a set of "World Literary Classics Collection" directly brought Guowen Publishing House's monthly highest sales to 116 million yuan.
You should know that the annual sales of Guowen Publishing House in the past two years was only about 400 million yuan, which averages out to more than 30 million per month. Now the monthly sales have doubled and are even higher.
When the news came that 50,000 sets of the series had been sold out, everyone at the Guowen Publishing House was excited but also shocked.
You should know that the annual sales of the domestic book market is only over 10 billion yuan. According to the sales trend of the "World Literary Classics Collection", by the end of the year, a set of books may occupy 1 to 2 percentage points of the entire domestic book sales market.
A series of books VS a country's book market is like an ant trying to shake a tree, but the "World Literature Classics Collection" is just like an ant trying to shake a tree, but it can really shake off a few leaves.
The complete collection of World Literature Masterpieces was published and put on the shelves for the first time, creating an unprecedented achievement in the history of Guowen Publishing House.
In the impression of many employees of Guowen Press, the last time there was such a craze was when the sales of "Spirited Away" and "Wasted City" soared.
The last time was in 1987 when the news that Lin Weimin won the Prix Goncourt reached China. That time, Lin Weimin's award triggered a frantic rush for his works by a large number of readers in China.
Compared with the previous two book sales booms, the launch and sales of "World Literature Classics Collection" brings a greater sense of accomplishment after tremendous hard work.
All the colleagues of Guowen Press have worked hard for four years to sharpen their swords, and the hardships they have endured during that period are beyond the imagination of outsiders.
Now that the series has been published as a whole and reaped such fruitful results, how can we not be overjoyed and shed tears of excitement?
That afternoon, Lin Weimin was sitting in Cheng Zaochun's office.
When the good news came, Cheng Zaochun had a happy smile on his face, but behind that smile, there was a kind of reluctance and unrestrainedness.
"I never thought that the sales of such a large series like the World Literature Masterpieces Collection would be so outrageous!"
Lin Weimin said cautiously: "The sales this month are somewhat special, mainly due to the reports from the leaders and the media. When this trend passes, the sales should enter a stable stage and will not be as exaggerated as it is now."
"I'll be very happy if I can get one month. The report at the end of the year will definitely look good. You, the future president, are off to a good start!"
"What do you mean by future president? You can only hold this position for another half a month. Old comrade, don't cling to power and plan more for your retirement life."
As soon as Lin Weimin opened his mouth, he sounded like a "traitor", and Cheng Zaochun's face turned dark uncontrollably.
I am stepping back to the second line, not retiring.
You are not the president anymore, but the editor-in-chief. You better behave yourself, boy.
Cheng Zaochun's anger no longer posed any threat to Lin Weimin. He even walked up to Cheng Zaochun and said, "Get up for a moment."
"What for?" Cheng Zaochun asked.
"You get up first."
Cheng Zaochun stood up in confusion, and Lin Weimin sat down on his chair, leaned back, put his hands on the armrests with a satisfied look on his face.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! I've been looking forward to this day since the day I joined the club. Finally, I've got this seat!"
The corner of Cheng Zaochun's eyes twitched. What a black-hearted traitor!
"Look at your achievements. Are you dreaming of becoming a president?" He couldn't help but said sarcastically.
Lin Weimin crossed his legs and said, "Vulgar!"
"Do you know what it means to educate the people? Is our Guowen Press an ordinary publishing house? Is the position of president something that ordinary people can hold? I wouldn't even trade it for a minister!
You, you are becoming less and less aware as you get older. Let Old Zhou give you a good lesson later. Don't just sit around doing nothing all the time."
Before taking office, Lin Weimin had already set his sights on success.
The tea has gone cold before the person leaves.
(End of this chapter)
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