Chapter 42: Talking about monsters seeing ghosts
The reason why Teacher Ke suddenly changed her mind and refused to sign her name on Li Ye's "The Lurker" was because Wen Leyu gave her a manuscript of a new novel last night.
When Wen Leyu wanted to learn how to write novels from Li Ye, Li Ye chose the "co-creation" model for real-time teaching, and asked Wen Leyu to provide the story background and character materials for the new novel.
Of course, the materials were provided by Teacher Ke, and on the same day after the materials were provided, Teacher Ke started writing himself.
She wanted to try her skills and see if she could write a novel like "Insidious".
Teacher Ke is a person who is proud of herself and is no novice when it comes to literary writing. She believes that with Li Ye's "The Hidden" as a reference, she will be able to write something of this kind.
Teacher Ke's writing went relatively smoothly. After all, he was a college student in the 1960s and had published literary works before, so there was absolutely no problem with his writing skills.
Moreover, among the materials she prepared, many of the stories of the prototypes of the characters were told by the elders in her family. Now, narrating them in words is just an interpretation.
Teacher Ke wrote more and more fluently, and soon he wrote a good-looking beginning.
After reading it carefully several times, she felt a little confident and proud, and planned to let Li Ye take a look at it in a few days so that they could "learn from each other".
We are working together! Of course we have to work together.
But unfortunately, before Teacher Ke had the time to give the manuscript to Li Ye, Wen Leyu took Li Ye's manuscript.
After reading it, Teacher Ke sat with it for an entire night again, just like when he first saw the manuscript of "The Hidden".
If you compare yourself to others, you will die; if you compare goods, you will be thrown away.
The same character material, the same story background, but the works written are completely two different things.
If we must make a comparison, Mr. Ke’s story is like a pot of salted water stew, lacking in flavor and barely enough to satisfy hunger.
The story written by Li Ye, however, is a stir-fried meal of meat and vegetables, which is colorful, fragrant, delicious and nutritious.
The missing ingredients and cooking methods were all Li Ye's own additions.
Teacher Ke’s story is actually an “accounting novel” with beautiful writing but a bland plot, while Li Ye’s story is a literary novel with a rich plot.
As the sky outside the window gradually brightened, Teacher Ke laughed at himself.
She now finally understood how careless and presumptuous it was for her to ask for a co-authored signature.
Li Ye doesn't need her help at all. Her help will only cause trouble.
Although Mr. Ke really had no other options at the time and was unwilling to give up even for a straw, is this really a tenable reason?
And looking at the manuscript in her hand, Teacher Ke could feel that Li Ye was really helping her.
This novel, tentatively titled "Deserter in War", is a "high-end custom-made book" that meets Mr. Ke's wishes in every aspect.
Although it is just a beginning, the warriors who shed their blood for the light are vividly described by Li Ye using various techniques, which will leave a deep impression on people at first glance.
And this is very important.
When the book is finished, Teacher Ke will show it to some people. As long as they have an impression of it, her forgotten husband will surely be remembered again.
It can be said that Teacher Ke never explained to Li Ye what she needed, but Li Ye accurately gave her what she desired and needed most.
Treating others with sincerity is mutual.
Teacher Ke immediately decided to apologize to Li Ye.
She showed her previously published works to Dong Yuejin and admitted her own shortcomings, which was a disguised way of elevating Li Ye's literary level.
After all, Li Ye is still too young and can easily be looked down upon.
Teacher Ke did not feel ashamed when he humbly admitted his shortcomings in front of Li Ye's parents. He even felt that it was appropriate.
Teacher Ke has witnessed the changes in her daughter. It is possible that something might happen between her and Li Ye in the future, but she must not let other people's parents gossip about her!
.
"I offer a toast to both of you and congratulate you on raising a good son and grandson."
Teacher Ke picked up the wine glass and toasted Li Zhongfa and Li Kaijian in a very formal manner.
"No, no, the child is still young, we still need you, Teacher Ke, to teach us more!"
Li Zhongfa and Li Kaijian were also familiar with the occasion, so they were not reserved at the moment and were toasting each other. The atmosphere in the box was very harmonious and warm.
And because of Teacher Ke’s intervention, everyone finally came up with explanations for some of the questions.
Li Ye is still relatively young, and writing spy stories like "The Hidden Man" lacks persuasiveness.
But now Teacher Ke was standing on the side and accidentally filled in this flaw. Everyone was serious. It was Teacher Ke who narrated a lot of stories to pave the way for Li Ye.
After a while, Li Ye saw Dong Yuejin's face gradually turned red and sweat started to form. He knew that his alcohol tolerance was average. If he got drunk, there would be no way to talk about business.
When discussing things at the dinner table, it is better to be between "slightly tipsy" and "drunk", because when you are drunk your words will not count, and when you are sober your words will not count.
So Li Ye found an opportunity to interrupt and ask, "Editor Dong, when you came this time, did the publishing house tell you about the remuneration?"
Editor Dong was well prepared and said confidently, "Of course, Mr. Li Ye, the quality of your novel is still good. I have helped you get a remuneration of 5 yuan per thousand words, which is already very high among new authors."
"Five yuan?"
Li Ye was obviously a little disappointed. The national regulations stipulate that the salary is 3-10 yuan per thousand words. A new author can get 5 yuan per thousand words for his first book, which seems to be not low.
But for a book like "Insidious", only 5 yuan per thousand words is really not high.
Li Ye pondered for a few seconds and asked again: "Editor Dong, what is the royalty rate? What percentage?"
"Royalties?" Dong Yuejin was stunned and asked Li Ye: "What royalties?"
Li Ye was also stunned by the question. He thought for a while and said, "It's the payment based on the number of copies printed. Didn't Guo Jia restore the payment based on the number of copies printed in 1980?"
Dong Yuejin looked embarrassed and said, "I really don't know about this."
Li Ye frowned. He didn't know whether Dong Yuejin really didn't understand or was just pretending to be stupid.
Because when he was writing online articles in his previous life, he envied the high royalties of those great writers and once accidentally read about the royalties for growing flowers.
Royalties were introduced to this land in the 1920s. Hu Shi and others lived a very comfortable life in the imperial capital, where "it was difficult to live," relying on royalties.
In 1980, Guo Jia restored the long-interrupted royalties and established a royalty ratio of "5% basic remuneration per 10,000 copies". Later, the ratio increased repeatedly, and even Han X received 20% of the royalties.
But what Li Ye didn't know was that although Guo Jia's regulations were regulations, the actual implementation of this policy that was beneficial to the author was not until "Shuo Ye" appeared out of nowhere.
But Li Ye now had no idea about this. He thought he had remembered it wrong.
So Li Ye asked tentatively: "Editor Dong, the standard for manuscript fees in 1980 was 3-10 yuan per thousand words for original works and 2-7 yuan per thousand words for translations?"
Dong Yuejin was also embarrassed and nodded, "Yes, that's correct, but I'll check with the publisher about the print run and remuneration."
That means he remembered it correctly. For a moment, Li Ye felt a little uncomfortable, and the smile on his face obviously became colder.
In fact, Dong Yuejin was also in a difficult situation. Although "The Hidden Corner" was indeed a rare good work, the status gap between the publishing house and the author could not be narrowed until the results were seen.
Dong Yuejin is a very kind and tolerant editor to new authors like Li Ye.
In this era, there are many people like Feng Bo of Dahe Publishing House.
When Li Zhongfa and Li Kaijian heard this, they felt uncomfortable. It turned out that the highest was 10 yuan and the lowest was 3 yuan, but you only gave my grandson 5 yuan, and you also cut the subsequent profits?
Li Zhongfa laughed out loud and raised his glass to toast: "Come on, come on, Editor Dong, let's have a drink. Children like to argue, don't take it seriously. We are not writing books for the sake of money, right?"
Li Kaijian, a former scout, took advantage of the time when the two of them were drinking to quietly take back Li Ye's novel manuscript and put it tightly into his bag.
[You want to buy my son's treasure for more than a thousand yuan? Is that a lot of money? ]
Hao Jian's hemp candy business is surprisingly prosperous. Jin Peng came to report him a few days ago and estimated that the profit share of this latest batch may be as high as three thousand yuan.
Therefore, the Li family's emphasis on money is no longer the same as before.
Dong Yuejin was drunk by the father and son of the Li family. He took the bag in a daze and tried to find the contract to confirm the publication with Li Ye. Only then did he realize that the manuscript he had not finished reading was missing.
This is like being in the middle of watching a TV series and then the power and internet go out, leaving you feeling frustrated and uncomfortable.
However, this also indirectly reminded Dong Yuejin that even though he was a senior editor, he could be so intrigued by this novel. What would it be like if ordinary readers read it?
It can be said that the second half of Li Ye's manuscript far exceeded Dong Yuejin's expectations, and also made him determined.
["Lush" is a good book, you must definitely get it! ]
He took out the contract and said to everyone with a smile: "We have had a drink and a meal, it's time to talk about business! This is the publishing contract for "The Hidden" from the publishing house. Mr. Li Ye, take a look."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Li Kaijian hugged Dong Yuejin and said affectionately, "Editor Dong finally came to drink some water, you have to let us treat you for a few days. We have to continue drinking tonight."
Dong Yuejin smacked his lips, knowing that this matter was going to get into trouble.
However, he is also a responsible person, and he immediately said: "Don't drink any more. Drinking will delay your work.
I will call the publishing house later to report and try to get a higher fee. Is that okay with you?"
Li Kaijian was stunned for a moment, then he put his arm around Editor Dong's shoulder and patted him hard, saying, "Old Dong, you are a quick-witted person. No matter what, I'll make friends with you."
. . .
Dong Yuejin left the restaurant, resolutely refused Li Kaijian's continued hospitality, and went to the post office to make a phone call.
The phone call process was not smooth. The publishing house was very dissatisfied and claimed that "there is no precedent for this."
Later, after Dong Yuejin said that "Dahe Publishing House intends to intervene," the editor-in-chief said to him: "If you are willing to take all the responsibilities, then go ahead and do what you want."
This sentence carries a lot of weight. If Dong Yuejin insists on making an exception, unless the novel "The Disguiser" becomes a huge hit, Dong Yuejin's future career prospects will be affected.
Dong Yuejin walked around the county town depressed, and the more he thought about it, the more upset he became.
By this time, the alcohol was taking effect and it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. He had no choice but to stay here and think carefully tomorrow before talking to Li Ye.
When he walked into the Qingshui County Guesthouse, he saw a young man in front of the counter. While checking in, he asked how to get to the County No. 2 Middle School. He also asked questions like how old the children in the repeat class were generally.
Dong Yuejin became interested and leaned over to take a look at the other party's letter of introduction. Although he was nearsighted and could not see clearly, he could see the three words "Publishing House" on the big red seal.
[The monster is like seeing a ghost. 】
Dong Yuejin shuddered and sobered up.
He quietly stepped back, walked out of the guesthouse, and ran towards the county’s No. 2 Middle School.
(End of this chapter)
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