The backyard of Shangmo Bookstore.
The movable type printing equipment occupied nearly half of the house. Each type mold looked extremely neat and exquisite, and the type mold was connected to the ink sac, which could be automatically filled with ink. The type mold was inlaid on the type plate. Some commonly used characters had several backups, and the uncommon ones were basically complete.
It even has a joystick, which makes it extremely easy to operate. If a steam engine is added to it for further modification, it can even print automatically.
Ying Wuji couldn't help but marvel. He didn't expect that the Mohist Guild could complete such a huge task in just two days.
And there are three sets!
He even sent some more trustworthy Mohists, on the one hand to earn wages, and on the other hand because he really wanted to make friends with Ying Wuji.
Zhai Yun rubbed his hands, looking eager to try: "Sir, when do we start?"
Ying Wuji smiled and said, "The ink and paper are already prepared, we can start now."
Anyway, all paper shops are his property now. He can call on them at any time. There is no problem with when the payment for the goods will be settled. The ink has also been prepared early. After so much investment in the early stage, he can finally open for business.
Zhai Yun asked, "Which book should be printed first?"
Ying Wuji directly took out a booklet from his bosom and said, "Let's get Lan Lingsheng's "Strange Tales of Mountains and Seas" first. Lan Lingsheng has been quite popular recently. Let's take advantage of his popularity and make a fortune."
When seeing "Strange Stories from Mountains and Seas", Zhai Yun subconsciously showed a look of disdain.
Although there are hundreds of schools of thought today, there is still a chain of contempt. As the only school that is not among the top ten, novelists are naturally at the bottom of the contempt chain, inferior to doctors and farmers.
However, he did not say much, because "Strange Stories from Mountains and Seas" was indeed quite popular. Not only did young men and women from wealthy families like these curious contents, but many students among the common people also liked these things. The first two volumes were widely circulated and copied, and the new volume was in short supply.
Many people from wealthy families even came to Jiangcheng specifically to buy a copy.
It's perfect to use it to make money.
Seeing Zhai Yun's strange expression, Ying Wuji couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhai, what do you think?"
Zhai Yun had a complicated expression. "This book lacks philosophical thoughts. It is just a mixture of street talk and existing monsters and demons in the world. It can be sold for a good price. If people's wisdom is enlightened, my Mohist school of thought can also be like this, and the Mohist Guild will not be so short of money."
Tsk tsk.
Even if people become more enlightened, Mohist works cannot be more popular than this!
Ying Wuji didn't have the heart to expose this matter. After all, who doesn't want to make money? Isn't it said that Li State is a cultural power that even has the awareness of copyright protection? They have no control over copies made by the public, but for books sold in bookstores, they will give a commission to the authors for every copy sold.
The average price of a book nowadays is less than one guan, or about 800 wen. Considering that the average monthly income of ordinary people is less than two guan, it is undoubtedly a luxury.
According to market prices, paper costs fifty cents and transcripts cost three hundred and fifty cents, for a total profit of four hundred cents, of which twenty percent goes to the author, or eighty cents.
As long as twenty-five copies are sold, the author will take two taels of profit.
If the author is alive, the money will be sent directly to the author after deducting taxes, and it will also be sent to his descendants fifty years after his death.
If it is a classic book by a hundred schools of thought, most of the authors have passed away, and the commission profits will be sent to the nearest academy.
Ying Wuji also slapped his thigh: "I'm afraid I'm going to be screwed by Lan Lingsheng this time!"
He also thought about copying books himself. He had read "Strange Tales from Mountains and Seas", which were all folk talks. They were interesting, but the story was much worse. If he really copied "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", he would be ten blocks away from the original. However, he urgently needed to make quick money to make his money back, so the best way was to take advantage of Lan Lingsheng's opportunity.
Zhai Yun also acquiesced to this result: "He is lucky! There will be a grand gathering of 100 schools of thought next month, and many students from various countries have already come. We should work harder to print the book, and you can also make some money during this time!"
"Thank you, Brother Zhai!"
Ying Wuji couldn't help but sigh that each of these Mohists were hardworking and skilled at enduring hardships. He didn't know this before, but later found out that Zhai Yun was the deacon of the craftsman department of the Jiangcheng branch. It was really not easy for such a big shot to have no airs and be so dedicated to his work.
But that's right. When we talked about it before, the salary had already been changed to piecework. One copy of a book was worth ten coins. Under the current circumstances, three sets of movable type could easily print a thousand copies a day, which would be thirty thousand copies a month. If we work harder, each person could earn far more than fifty taels.
This guy's salary is higher than that of a thousand households, so he must be making a lot of money, right?
The Mohists quickly took action.
Ying Wuji finally had some free time and returned to the bookstore. The store was still deserted with few customers buying books. If this continued, he might not be able to sell out all the books in a year.
The maid Bai Zhi was playing chess with Wu Dan, and she defeated the young master of Wu State so badly that he was thrown into disarray and cried out in pain.
Wu Dan saw Ying Wuji coming out, and he quickly messed up the chessboard with his fat right hand: "No more, no more! This game is a draw!"
Bai Zhi refused to accept the defeat: "You are obviously about to lose! Stop playing dirty and give me the money. I still have to support the young master!"
"Don't make trouble. I want to discuss serious matters with your young master."
Wu Dan waved his hand and looked at Ying Wuji: "Brother Wuji! How are my Mohist friends? Are they reliable?"
Ying Wuji smiled and nodded: "Not bad! From now on, you will get 10% of the store's profits!"
“Is this true or false?”
"That must be true. Where's Sister Hua Chao?"
"Isn't that in the counting house?"
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