Chapter 150 Cultural Route
However, Chen Ziyan refused.
Xu Xiaoyin was puzzled and didn't understand why.
Chen Ziyan said, "Editor Xu, Yan He is just a young man, only nineteen years old. He can chat with young authors like Liu Jiazhen, but he doesn't have that much experience to share with established writers yet. Let's take it slow. I know you mean well, but you can't get fat overnight. If you put too much pressure on Yan He right away, he might make a mistake. After all, he's not a professional host."
Xu Xiaoyin then understood Chen Ziyan's intention.
So that's the reason.
She felt a little sad.
To be honest, putting aside the fact that Lu Yanhe is too old and might not be able to handle hosting a famous author, having a bestselling author in his live stream is definitely a very beneficial thing. Other book-selling live streamers would fight tooth and nail for this opportunity.
Of course, this is just wishful thinking. How many people actually read books on live streaming platforms these days? There are some, but none of them have much influence.
Watching someone read for hours is like watching a static image; how many people would actually watch that?
All I can say is that Lu Yanhe is quite capable.
Over the past year, his live-streaming educational activities have earned him a group of fans who are very tolerant of static image live streams.
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The day Lu Yanhe did a live stream with Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin was not something that could be accomplished by Lu Yanhe alone with just a laptop.
Jiangyin Publishing House set up a space in its building and installed live streaming equipment.
Behind the three people chatting was a backdrop with a literary feel, a thick wall of books, all published by Jiangyin Publishing House.
Lu Yanhe was taken to the publishing house by Chen Ziyan.
Lu Yanhe found it inexplicable. Who would have thought that his first job after the college entrance examination would be doing live broadcasts at a publishing house, even though the job didn't pay him anything?
He was wearing simple black pants and a white T-shirt, and he wasn't wearing any makeup.
Chen Ziyan said, "There's no need to make such a big fuss about you doing a live stream with two young writers. It's not good to compare them. It's fine if you just appear on camera simply, naturally, and generously. After all, you're a handsome high school heartthrob, so you should maintain a cool, ordinary look."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
He always felt a little embarrassed when Chen Ziyan praised his appearance like that.
Upon arrival, Xu Xiaoyin and Xu Mingyue greeted them.
A lounge was specially prepared for them.
Before Lu Yanhe could even sit down, Chen Ziyan dragged him off to greet Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin.
Their lounge was right next to his, so it was easy for them to say hello.
In fact, Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin are not very old; the former is only twenty-eight years old, and the latter is even younger, at twenty-six.
Of course, Lu Yanhe was just a little brother in front of them.
Lu Yanhe greeted them politely.
Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin didn't seem to be outgoing or generous people either. When Lu Yanhe bowed at a slight 30-degree angle, they both simultaneously dodged to the side, not daring to accept it.
After hiding, Liu Jiazhen stammered, "Don't be so polite. I... I should thank you for letting so many people know about my book and buy it."
Mingyin immediately replied, "Yes, the editor told me that many people bought our book because of your recommendation. Thank you."
Both of them were new authors and unfamiliar with this kind of setting.
All three of them were extremely polite.
Chen Ziyan watched the three of them exchanging polite greetings, knowing that these young people were all rather reserved.
She smiled and said, "How about I take a group photo of the three of you first?"
Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin immediately nodded and very proactively moved to the sides, giving the middle position to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe felt embarrassed and immediately went around to the side, letting Mingyin stand in the middle.
"Let's shoot it like this."
Chen Ziyan noticed Lu Yanhe's action and was very satisfied.
A person's character is reflected in these details.
The three of them had an outline for their conversation.
Xu Xiaoyin prepared an outline for them to avoid running out of things to talk about.
Once the live stream actually started, the three of them had an outline but didn't know what to talk about, and they felt very awkward.
Lu Yanhe was visibly tense.
However, the number of viewers in the live stream was quite large, with tens of thousands of people watching as soon as it started. This was mainly due to the homepage promotion on J-site, which attracted traffic, as well as the publicity from Jiangyin Publishing House, which made many people aware of the live stream event in advance.
Seeing that Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin were also somewhat uneasy, Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "I am the master, after all. I can't be too unworthy."
He took a deep breath and said, "Hi, I'm still not used to it today. I used to do live broadcasts by myself with a laptop, reading books and doing exercises. It's an honor to invite others to my live broadcast room for the first time. Today, I can chat with Teacher Liu Jiazhen and Teacher Mingyin about their new books, 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' and 'Star Orbit'."
"Those who have been watching my live stream should know that I read a book called 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' a few days ago. I bought it myself while browsing a bookstore. Afterwards, Xu Xiaoyin, the editor in charge of this book at Jiangyin Publishing House, contacted me and said that another novel she was in charge of, 'Star Orbit,' would be released this Thursday. She asked if I could help promote this new book. I felt embarrassed because my live stream doesn't have much traffic, but because I really like these two novels, I read them in the live stream."
"It was thanks to editor Xu Xiaoyin's help that this exchange activity came about." After saying so much, Lu Yanhe gradually relaxed, and his nervousness was not so intense anymore. "First of all, let me welcome our two writers, Mr. Liu Jiazhen, author of 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records,' and Ms. Mingyin, author of 'Star Orbit.'"
Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin waved to the camera mechanically.
In the live chat, many people were talking about the awkwardness and unease of the three of them.
The main problem is that these three people made it too obvious.
Lu Yanhe's situation improved slightly, but Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin remained the same.
Following the outline of their conversation, Lu Yanhe began to pose questions: "When did you two start writing novels?"
Liu Jiazhen immediately turned to look at Mingyin.
Mingyin was also looking at him.
"You go first."
"Why don't you go first?"
Lu Yanhe had no choice but to say to Liu Jiazhen, "Why don't you go first?"
Liu Jiazhen opened his mouth and said, "Ah, I'll go first."
A group of people in the live chat were stunned at first, then burst into laughter, flooding the screen with "hahahahahahaha".
Many of the viewers of this live stream have read works like "Nineteen Years of Criminal Records" or "Star Orbit," and while they may have various imaginations about the authors, few would imagine them to have such personalities. Their writing, whether austere or refreshing, is unique, which is a common misconception among readers. Because they are moved by the works, they idealize their image of the authors.
However, Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin were unexpectedly introverted. Especially when several introverted people came together, the effect they created made many people feel as if they were seeing themselves greeting strangers.
Human psychology is strange; people may not want to see others perform so perfectly, especially newcomers and young people.
Their exposure of these social shortcomings actually made them seem more approachable to everyone.
After the exchange, Lu Yanhe simply followed the outline and talked to them about the story of his creation.
Finally, he earnestly recommended these two novels to everyone.
The live stream event was then considered over.
Xu Xiaoyin said happily, "During the one-hour live broadcast just now, more than 10,000 people clicked on the sales links we posted in the comments section for 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' and 'Star Orbit'. 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' sold more than 7,300 copies, and 'Star Orbit' sold more than 12,000 copies because it is a new book that was just released."
In today's publishing market, these sales figures would be enough to make these two books bestsellers.
Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin both showed expressions of shock and surprise upon hearing the sales figures.
Especially in Liujia Town, "Nineteen Years of Criminal Records" has been on the market for several months. In the first few months, sales were not impressive, with only a few thousand copies sold. The first printing of the first print run was not even sold out. However, since Lu Yanhe read the novel in the live broadcast room, the sales of the novel have started to pick up again after being in a slump.
Especially this week, including today's sales, a total of more than 20,000 copies have been sold, more than double the initial print run.
Xu Xiaoyin felt like she had found a treasure.
Initially, I just thought that I could use Lu Yanhe's live stream to promote these two books. I didn't expect that as the cooperation deepened, today's live stream would bring such a good market response.
The main reason is that the new people who were redirected to Lu Yanhe's live stream from J-site today.
Lu Yanhe gained many new fans, and Jiangyin Publishing House sold more than 20,000 books, a win-win situation.
A thought flashed through Xu Xiaoyin's mind, and she came up with more ways to cooperate in the future.
This dialogue event with the author can be continued.
Perhaps in the future, when her authors publish books, they can use this approach for pre-publication promotion. Of course, firstly, Lu Yanhe must like the book and be willing to do this kind of promotion.
At this moment, Mingyin also asked Lu Yanhe softly, "Can we become friends?"
“Of course,” Lu Yanhe said immediately, then looked at Liu Jiazhen, “Let’s add each other as friends, Teacher Liu, I’m one of your readers.”
Liu Jiazhen quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't call me Teacher Liu, I'm not worthy."
The person looked terrified.
"Just call me by my name."
"Brother Jiazhen," Lu Yanhe added, referring to him as "brother."
"I... fine, you have to call me that." Liu Jiazhen scratched his head.
Lu Yanhe could tell that Liu Jiazhen was still somewhat uncomfortable with this honorific form of address.
Xu Xiaoyin asked, "If you all have time later, how about we have a casual meal together?"
Chen Ziyan was keen to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship with Jiangyin Publishing House, so she nodded and said, "Okay."
It was said to be a simple meal, but it was anything but casual.
Editor-in-Chief Liu Cheng also came.
Liu Cheng had just returned from a business trip out of town and arrived at the hotel with her suitcase.
Upon meeting, Liu Cheng greeted him, "Hello, Yan He! What a coincidence! I'm classmates with your homeroom teacher, Liu Qin, did you know?"
Lu Yanhe nodded with a smile and said, "Teacher Liu told me."
Liu Cheng is a very cool and capable woman.
She and Chen Ziyan are quite similar in some aspects of their temperament. However, although they are similar, Chen Ziyan is more of an elite and refined style, while Liu Cheng looks more forthright and has a sense of intimacy.
Liu Cheng first exchanged a few pleasantries with Lu Yanhe before going to congratulate Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin.
"Our two emerging writers from Jiangyin have become instant sensations this time!" Liu Cheng said with a smile. As the editor-in-chief, she was naturally delighted to have introduced two very promising new writers. It was already a great stroke of luck to discover one emerging writer with market potential, let alone two. Based on the current trend, both of their books could potentially sell over 100,000 copies within a year—provided, of course, that subsequent sales don't collapse.
Liu Jiazhen, being a bit more worldly, immediately said, "Thank you for your support, editor-in-chief and editor Xiaoyin."
Liu Cheng: "Xiao Yin really supports you. As you know, it's very difficult for new writers to publish books these days. It's always hard to get approval. For the sake of your two books, Xiao Yin argued with different people at the book selection meeting and fought for her rights to get the opportunity to publish. After that, she asked distributors, marketing departments, and media friends to do her work one by one, which is how these two books came to be."
Liu Cheng did not take all the credit for herself.
She added, "Of course, the most important thing is to thank Xiao Lu. He single-handedly boosted the sales of these two books. Now, the search volume for these two books on various platforms has increased more than tenfold. I believe that with the quality and reputation of these two books, this hot sales trend will continue. Come on, let's have a toast to celebrate!"
Because some people were driving and others weren't drinking, the meal ended up with everyone drinking beverages instead of alcohol.
Chen Ziyan originally wanted to use this meal to get to know the people at the publishing house better, but halfway through the meal, Liu Cheng suddenly brought up another piece of news.
“In the past few days, several film and television companies have inquired about the film and television rights to these two novels, wanting to discuss developing them into film and television dramas,” Liu Cheng said. “Actually, when the manuscripts were completed, some film and television companies that we often work with reviewed them, but nowadays film and television companies are more focused on big IPs and have more concerns about novels by new authors. Although they are somewhat interested, they are still not firm. I would also like to ask, from your perspective, are these two novels suitable for adaptation into film and television dramas?”
Chen Ziyan hadn't actually read both novels from cover to cover; she'd only skimmed through them to get a general idea of what they were about. When Liu Cheng suddenly asked her this, she thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there's a lot of luck involved in adapting a film or television series. Many stories we thought were unsuitable for adaptation turned out very well, while many that we thought were perfect ended up being terrible. The key is whether the company and the person adapting the story truly love it, or if they're just buying the rights because it's popular and the sales figures look good. The person adapting it is the most crucial factor."
Upon hearing this, Liu Cheng nodded.
"You're a large publishing house, you must sell many film and television adaptation rights regularly, right?"
“Yes, there is a dedicated department to handle this matter, but many people I know, who know that I am the editor-in-chief of the novel department, have come to ask me for my evaluation of these two novels.” Liu Cheng sighed. “The problem now is just as you said, they haven’t even read the novels, they don’t have the time, they are too busy, so they judge whether they are suitable for adaptation based on various data indicators.”
"There's no way around it; every industry has its share of opportunistic people," Chen Ziyan said. "Judging from the reader feedback on these two novels so far, I personally don't think we should rush to sell them. A story with high word-of-mouth will gradually gain recognition from more and more film and television companies as its reputation spreads. Each company has a dedicated IP acquisition department. Initially, they look at the data, but as the word-of-mouth grows, more film and television professionals may learn about the book and read it. Perhaps we'll encounter a famous actor, producer, or director who has a strong desire to adapt the story. If we entrust the story to them, the success rate will be much higher. If that's not the case, then it will be a bidding war among various film and television companies, and whoever has the best overall conditions will get it."
Liu Cheng nodded.
Chen Ziyan thought that Lu Yanhe's live streaming room could really be kept going.
Look, thanks to Lu Yanhe's promotion, both "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" and "Star Orbit" have become bestsellers, and negotiations for their film and television adaptations have begun.
There will be other books later.
Through this connection, Lu Yanhe was able to get to know more and more people in the publishing and film and television industries.
For example, if we invited two authors today, and the film and television rights to those two novels were sold, could we then invite producers and buyers to the live stream to discuss their ideas and opinions on adapting the stories into films and television series?
For film and television projects, this is also a form of publicity, and even a major one – both original works took off in Lu Yanhe's live broadcast room, and no film and television company would miss this place with the highest number of original readers.
Various ideas spun in Chen Ziyan's mind.
This was a completely new approach that Chen Ziyan had never tried before in all her years as an agent.
Artists like Lu Yanhe who can follow this path are extremely rare, perhaps one in a hundred.
Lu Yanhe is still very young and in no hurry to strive for status. Before he turns thirty, he has plenty of time to take an unconventional path.
For example, what kind of cultural route is now subtly emerging?
Anyway, nobody in the entertainment industry is going down this path now.
This is going to be solid, practical information.
After the meal, everyone said goodbye with smiles on their faces.
Chen Ziyan took Lu Yanhe to the parking lot, intending to send him home and review his performance during the live stream with him in the car.
"What a coincidence." A voice suddenly came from the side.
(End of this chapter)
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