Chapter 2525 [Three updates]
"It's really Ximeng!"
Li Ang only read the beginning and immediately confirmed that it was "The Years I Was a Constable in the Song Dynasty". Ximeng's first 40,000 words of works are quite personal. She basically keeps each chapter at just over 3,000 words. The first 40,000 words are exactly 12 chapters, and this one starts with 'Chapter 13'.
Ximeng writes at a fast pace. This chapter has already concluded the first case, but soon, at the end of the chapter, the foreshadowing of the first case slowly draws out a suspense, and the next chapter enters the rhythm of the second case.
Li Ang couldn't help but pat his thigh after reading it: "Jiang Meng's pace control is really not like a newcomer!"
Bao Huixin also said after reading it: "Maybe it was published in other places before, and this time she changed her pen name to write martial arts and submitted it to us." Bao Huixin also said quickly after reading the manuscript: "I will find someone to proofread it first. She left an email this time. You should send her an email to urge her to submit the manuscript. This time, we can't let it go unpublished like the previous two issues!"
Li Ang quickly copied Jiang Meng's email address.
In other words, even their own magazine doesn't have an email address. It's true that few people use email these days, and even fewer people use MSN. Penguin account has not come out yet. The only way they can contact the author is by phone or letter.
But in the 1980s, the magazine was so popular that they received countless calls every day. They even arranged two staff members to be telephone operators, but it was not enough. The phone was ringing all day long, and there was almost no quiet time. Later, they simply removed the phone number from the magazine, leaving only the submission address and the address for readers' letters, but there were still many old readers calling every day. It
was not until they could not contact Ximeng that they realized that the phone number was too important!
They could not contact Ximeng, but if they had left the phone number in the magazine before, at least Ximeng could contact them through the reader's phone number, and would not be as passive as now.
He quickly applied for a Yahoo email account, thought about it, and quickly told the typesetter to add the Yahoo email address and their phone number in the address column for the third issue.
After the third issue was proofread and typed, it was quickly sent for the first print run. Due to the popularity of the first two issues, they printed 300,000 more copies this time.
The sample issue for Meng was also sent to her according to the new address she left.
Then they waited for the market response to the third issue.
This work by Meng Meng is different from the current martial arts novels, which usually use revenge, falling off a cliff, martial arts secrets, and legendary grandfathers to teach martial arts. She is a female protagonist who travels through time and space, and slowly opens up the city and court of the Song Dynasty to the readers through the perspective of the female protagonist, just like the scroll in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". The writing is delicate and there is no lack of the excitement of martial arts novels, which makes readers feel very involved.
At this time, "A Step into the Past" had not yet come out, and "Love Across Time and Space" had not yet been introduced to the mainland. The market for time-travel novels was blank.
It can be said that the article "I am a Constable in the Song Dynasty" completely took advantage of this blank market. Coupled with the huge readership of the "Wuxia" magazine accumulated over a long period of time and the popularity of "Judge Bao", "I am in the Song Dynasty" became unprecedentedly popular. The most direct effect of "Wuxia" was the rapid increase in sales.
After the popularity in the 1980s and the decline today, the phone number of "Wuxia" magazine was once again bombarded by readers.
Li Ang wiped his sweat and said to the only two old guys: "It's a pity that they still remember our reader hotline."
It hasn't been long since we left the phone number, and there are still so many calls.
Even with the previous two issues, the popularity of this issue still exceeded the expectations of Li Ang and Bao. Even though they had experienced a glorious monthly sales of more than 3 million, they were no longer the only ones in the martial arts market.
"The Nanshi branch called and wanted 150,000 copies."
Another editor also knocked on Li Ang's office: "The Shanghai branch wants 200,000 copies."
"The first print run is already 800,000 copies, isn't that enough?" Bao asked. She was afraid that the copies would not be sold and would be piled up in the warehouse.
Li Ang was the man who founded and built the glory of "Wu Xia". He immediately said decisively: "Call the printing factory and print 500,000 more copies of this issue, and 100,000 more copies of the first two issues."
Several editors took a breath of cold air.
You know, their total monthly sales had already dropped to 500,000 copies.
"Add more."
With the large-scale distribution of the latest issue of "Wu Xia" magazine, the sales popularity of the Shanghai and South City branches is also radiating to the surrounding areas.
Wucheng, where Jiang Xi is located, is within the radiation range of South City and Shanghai City, but at this time they have already started military training. She can't leave the school and can't feel the popularity of "Wu Xia" at all.
It's really that the management of No. 1 Middle School is too strict.
Except for the day students, the school was completely closed. Even to buy breakfast, the students had to stand at the iron gate and hand money to the vendors selling pancakes, rice balls, glutinous rice, and steamed buns outside the gate, shouting "what I want", and then pass through the iron gate to pay for food. They
couldn't even get out of the school gate, let alone buy magazines.
Moreover, the girls in No. 1 Middle School were all the best at taking exams. From the first day Jiang Xi came to the dormitory of No. 1 Middle School, the first thing the girls in the dormitory did when they arrived in the new environment was not to get to know each other, but to
take exams. When the military training instructors came to Dormitory 610, the eight girls in the dormitory were all sitting or lying on their beds, reading books, or calculating something with pens.
Looking at this dormitory, which was completely different from other freshman dormitories, the two instructors didn't know how to break this thick atmosphere of study.
The chief instructor and the female instructor looked at each other, and it was the female instructor who spoke first: "Hey! Everyone, get up. I'll tell you how to tidy up your room and the drill tomorrow morning."
The girls raised their heads from their books, and those who were practicing math problems also put down their pens.
The instructor saw that seven female students had either stood up or opened their mosquito nets, except for the girl sitting closest to the window, whose mosquito net did not move at all. He thought that girl had fallen asleep, so he walked over with serious steps and knocked on the edge of the bed above the girl, saying, "Get up."
Then the girl, who was completely immersed in her own work and couldn't help writing, looked up blankly and looked at the instructor through the mosquito net.
Until the instructors finished teaching housekeeping and left, two instructors sighed as they went downstairs: "No. 1 Middle School is worthy of being a key high school, the students are just different."
The chief instructor had a serious face, but his steps were quite brisk as he went downstairs: "I was embarrassed to disturb them just now."
The lights were not turned off at this time, and Jiang Xi saw that there was still plenty of time, so after the instructors left, he went back to finish the chapter at hand.
After the military training tomorrow, I will be exhausted every day and won't have time to write. I have to write more before the military training starts. After
finishing this chapter, Jiang Xi stretched his neck, put down his pen, and came out of the mosquito net to wash up. When he turned around, all the girls in the dormitory were studying with books in their arms, and no one was chatting.
She stretched her limbs gently, fearing that she would disturb the studies of other roommates. She went to get the basin and toiletries quietly, picked up the kettle and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
However, she didn't know that after she went out with the kettle, the other seven girls in the dormitory all raised their heads and looked at the door that she closed gently, and they couldn't help but sighed.
Oh, this dormitory is too crowded.
Guangshi.
Director Li had checked his mail more than once to see if there was a reply. He checked again several times, but still hadn't received a reply. Director Li couldn't help but complain to Editor-in-Chief Bao: "What's wrong with this Ximeng? She left an email address but didn't reply? She didn't even call."
He paced back and forth anxiously in the office: "Have you sent her the sample issue of this issue?"
Editor-in-Chief Bao nodded.
"Then is there a reply from her?" Director Li asked.
"No."
This time, Ximeng sent a manuscript of 45,000 words. Even if they used it sparingly and published 15,000 words per issue, this amount of manuscript would only be enough for three issues. If it was the same as the previous two issues, the manuscripts were all sent out, but Ximeng's new manuscript had not been sent in, and they couldn't find Ximeng, then there would be a vacancy in the magazine, which would be a problem.
Unfortunately, their royalties are all paid at the end of the month, and Xu Meng has no way of knowing whether his manuscripts have been accepted through his royalties. He really doesn't want to reduce the number of articles he publishes, but just wants to take advantage of the popularity of this article and Justice Bao to publish more, so that the popularity of My Song Dynasty can continue to ferment and drive the sales of Wuxia.
Once Justice Bao ends and the popularity of My Song Dynasty doesn't rise, it will be difficult to increase the popularity later.
"How about this, you ask Wang Yong to go to Wucheng and find Ximeng as soon as possible. After finding him, ask him not to come back for the time being, and rent a house near Ximeng's home, or find a guesthouse to stay in, and specifically urge Ximeng to write articles, and send them to us as soon as they are finished. It is really scary to rely on Ximeng to send some articles every time."
In fact, Ximeng is already the fastest and most diligent author of their magazine. He sends tens of thousands of articles every time, but it is really not enough to make up for the consumption.
They all guessed that Ximeng was a high school teacher, and the high school teacher was about to start school, and they were really worried that Ximeng would not have time to write.
Unless he was a physical education teacher.
Wang Yong, who was arranged to go on a business trip by his leader, asked Director Li, "Director, should we raise the royalties for Meng?"
Some of the old authors of their magazines were paid 100 yuan or 150 yuan per thousand words, and 40 yuan per thousand words, which was really too little for the popularity of "Wu Xia" in the past few issues.
Director Li thought for a while and said, "Let's wait until the monthly total sales of the third issue are fully counted."
Wang Yong did not delay after receiving the instructions from his leader. He immediately packed his bags and took the train to Wucheng.
Wucheng was still a county at that time, and the high-speed rail station had not been built yet. Wang Yong had to take the train to the neighboring city first, and then transfer to Wucheng. The distance was more than 1,300 kilometers. Along the way, Wang Yong also saw the hot sales of their "Wu Xia" at the train station.
It took him nearly a day to get to Wucheng. He stayed in Wucheng Guesthouse for one night and went to Wucheng No. 1 High School the next day to look for Jiang Meng.
He took his work ID and magazine sample and found the gate of Wucheng No. 1 High School according to the address Jiang Meng left. He asked the gate: "Hello, I'm here to see Teacher Jiang Meng."