Chapter 24 My dream is to become a super-profitable best-selling novelist!

Chapter 24 My dream is to become a super-profitable best-selling novelist!

Chapter 24 My dream is to become a super-profitable (emphasis) best-selling novelist! (Please read on)

The next day.

For the first time, Kitagawa Hide took off his washed-out security uniform and put on his only suit.

The tie was an imitation of a famous brand that Yumeko bought from a thousand-yen discount store, but she had never used it before. Today, she finally tied it around Kitagawa Hide's neck with her own hands.

Mengzi stood on tiptoe to help him straighten his collar, smoothing out the wrinkles on his white shirt again and again, carefully and seriously.

Looking down at his childhood sweetheart's face that was so cute that it was unfair, Kitagawa Hide couldn't help but think of what happened two months ago.

The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was also her. At that time, she was standing on tiptoe with her hands on her neck.

But at that time her expression was ferocious and tense. In order to pull him back from the brink of death, she used all her strength to untie the thick hemp rope around his neck.

"Okay, very handsome!" After patiently tidying it up again and again, Kitagawa Hide's sweet wife finally breathed a sigh of relief, put down her raised heels, and praised her lover in person without shyness.

"Thank you, Mengzi-chan. I'm off now." Kitagawa Hide took advantage of her unpreparedness and lightly touched her blushing face with his lips. Then he quickly ran to the entrance, turned his head and smiled at her before opening the door, "Wait for my good news~"

"Yeah! Xiujun, fignting!" Mengzi raised her slender little fist, placed it in front of her body, and waved it gently.

After leaving the house, Kitagawa Hide rushed to the subway entrance as fast as he could. For today's conversation, he even called his colleagues at the record company through the administrator's office downstairs in the apartment building in the middle of the night and asked them to help him take a day off.

He would spend a whole day to completely resolve the matter, and even prepared a "trump card" in order to let the top management of Kodansha see his determination.

During negotiations, when you take the lead in showing your powerful and unrivaled momentum, the other party will become a little weaker and will unconsciously follow your pace.

Because he had left home early, the subway was not crowded yet. Kitagawa Hide did not rush into the station. Instead, he went to the convenient bookstore next to the entrance and exit to check the sales of "Gunzo".

Sure enough, even a convenient bookstore that mainly sells comics and newspapers recently put the hot-selling "Group Portrait" on an advertising stand where everyone can see it.

However, after the book was sold out in the first half of the month, leading to the embarrassing situation of being criticized by readers, Kodansha learned its lesson this time and printed a lot more copies.

At least now readers entering and leaving bookstores no longer have to worry about hearing words like "Sorry, this is the last one."

"Give me a copy of the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, thank you." Kitagawa Hide shouted to the clerk, and soon got a large newspaper worth 100 yen.

The Yomiuri Shimbun is Japan's largest newspaper. Last year, its daily circulation exceeded 1000 million copies. It is now the largest channel for Japanese people to learn about social hot spots and various types of news.

In other words, if you see your name or deeds related to yourself in the Yomiuri Shimbun, then congratulations, you will become a household name in Japan overnight!

Like many office workers, Kitagawa Hide reads a newspaper while taking the subway, searching for useful information in the newspaper and checking to see if he is on the list.

Unfortunately, the main section of the Yomiuri Shimbun was almost completely occupied by the Tokyo subway sarin gas incident a while ago.

Everywhere there were negative news criticizing the government for its inaction, people committing suicide here and there, and some companies finally failing to withstand the impact of the bursting bubble and going bankrupt.

Even the entertainment section in the newspaper was filled with gossip about celebrities committing suicide by cutting their wrists.

The only piece of news related to the literary world was that the winner of the last year's Group Portrait Newcomer Award, single mother Mayumi Aso, was photographed entering and leaving a brothel late at night, and she was suspected to have changed her career to become a prostitute.

No wonder Japan's society is so lifeless now. Everyone looks like they can't wait to commit suicide. Even the largest newspapers are spreading negative energy. How can people not be depressed living in such a depressing environment?

This also indirectly reflects why the Ministry of Education is so anxious.

The entire country is on the verge of collapse, but the consortiums that control the economy and social resources are still thinking about how to exploit the people and make money by squeezing them.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was helpless in the face of large conglomerates like the Yomiuri Shimbun Group, and could only put pressure on secondary media companies such as Kodansha, trying to find someone to help quickly boost the "vitality" of the people.

"In other words, I can afford to delay it, but they probably can't." Thinking of this, Kitagawa Hide felt more confident, and then followed the flow of people into Kodansha.

The person on duty today was not Yudai Hashimoto, but a security guard he was familiar with.

Now Kitagawa Hide has become a "legend" in the eyes of the Kodansha security team. When the security uncle saw it was him, he smiled warmly and saw him in with a salute.

Kitagawa Hide, dressed in formal attire, was more dazzling than a star. When he stood downstairs, he immediately attracted a lot of people's attention. Fortunately, he is still in the period of "the book is famous but the person is not", and not many people know him.

"Kitagawa-san, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Saito Rena ran over anxiously with big dark circles under her eyes, and it was obvious that she had not slept well.

"I just arrived too." Kitagawa Hide followed her into the elevator skillfully, and then adjusted his appearance in front of the elevator door.

Saito Reina, who was standing by, could clearly feel the "unstoppable" aura emanating from him, and immediately gained confidence: "Mr. Kitagawa, I have roughly told Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu about your needs. They are willing to talk to you in person. Please speak freely!"

"Thank you, Mr. Saito." Kitagawa Hide gently waved an envelope wrapped in newspaper, and also boosted her morale, "Please don't worry, I have prepared a 'trump card'."

Saito Rena glanced at the envelope in confusion, wondering what "trump card" there was that could make Kitagawa Hide firmly believe that he could quickly turn the situation around. Judging from the size and shape, at least it wasn't a machete, that was good.

Because high-level meetings involving copyright did not allow writers' editors-in-chief to attend, Rena Saito could only send him to the door of the meeting room and watch him go in alone. She just sat there and prayed silently that everything would go well.

As he walked into the conference room, Muramatsu Tomomi and Yasuhara Akira, who had been waiting with smiles on their faces for a long time, immediately stood up and shook hands with him.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kitagawa. I'm Tomomi Muramatsu, the editor-in-chief of the editorial department of Gunzo." Although he had heard of him from Rena Saito a long time ago, when he saw Kitagawa Hide in person, Tomomi Muramatsu was still shocked by his young and handsome appearance.

She looks like an idol who just debuted, with a harmless smile on her face, and her smile has a kind of beauty that can melt your heart.

He doesn't seem like a tough guy at all who would dare to come to Kodansha's top management for a face-to-face meeting over copyright.

Akira Yasuhara and Hide Kitagawa met once, but it was very unpleasant. At that time, he mocked him to his face as a "little security guard" who could not write a good book, and threatened that Yomiuri Okamoto would definitely win the award.

Even though he had been slapped in the face, he was not embarrassed at all and shook hands and greeted Kitagawa Hide with the same enthusiasm.

Thinking that Tanaka Aoi who had been pestering him last night was most likely instigated by him, his expression at the moment looked as if nothing had happened.

Kitagawa Hide couldn't help but look up to him. He was a ruthless man, no wonder he could sit in this position.

After the three of them introduced themselves to each other, Kitagawa sat down and heard Muramatsu Tomoshi say with a smile, "Teacher Kitagawa, thanks to you, the sales of Gunzo is expected to exceed one million copies this month. This is a historic event."

"If it weren't for Mr. Saito and everyone in the editorial department, I wouldn't have been able to go from being an unknown person to being recognized by readers." Kitagawa Hide responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"It's mainly because your novel is so well written. To be honest, after working in the editorial department for more than ten years, this is the first time I've seen a new author's new work create such a sensation in the industry."

Muramatsu Tomoshi continued to smile and complimented him one after another.

"If the paperback edition can be successfully published, I believe that Mr. Kitagawa will win the Akutagawa Prize in the first half of the year."

"The prerequisite is that it can be published in a paperback edition, Editor-in-Chief Muramatsu. I remember that the Akutagawa Prize has not been awarded to works serialized in magazines and newspapers for many years."

An Yuanxian, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. When he smiled, he looked like a "smiling tiger", which made people feel very uncomfortable.
"Oh, by the way, does Kitagawa-sensei know about the Akutagawa Prize?"

"I've heard a little bit about it." Kitagawa Hide knew this, because he studied these things when he was a graduate student in his previous life. Soon after he decided to become a plagiarist, he studied all the awards in the current Japanese literary world.

This Akutagawa Prize is exactly the same as the one in memory, but it is not awarded to commemorate the great writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke, but a great writer named Akutagawa Momo, whose fame is similar to the three great writers in the original history, but the quality of her works has declined a lot.

The Akutagawa Prize here is also awarded twice a year. It is judged by the editorial department of Bungeishunju, one of the five major pure literature magazines. It is a non-public fundraising award (the editorial department selects the works themselves and does not accept submissions).

The only works that can be shortlisted for the Akutagawa Prize are new works by new artists of the year, and most of them are award-winning works of various new artist awards.

In other words, winning the Akutagawa Prize means that you will successfully ascend to the throne from a bunch of rookie kings, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is a step to heaven.

Among the newcomers discovered by the editorial department of "Gunzo", the last one who could achieve this achievement was the old brother that Kitagawa Hideya gradually became familiar with - Oshima Hikaru.

"Then Mr. Kitagawa should understand the value of the Akutagawa Prize. If you can win it, your name will surely be in the hall of pure literature." Yasuhara Akira said excitedly.

This is not only the path to fame that countless writers dream of, but also the explosive start that editors like them desire.

It's impossible for anyone to resist such temptation, right?

"My dream is to become a super-profitable and best-selling novelist." Kitagawa Hide interrupted him directly.

And “super money-making” is pronounced with emphasis.

"What?" An Yuanxian's expression froze.

Muramatsu Tomoshi was also confused by these sudden words.

At this point, Kitagawa Hide has already roughly figured out Kodansha's routine.

Muramatsu Tomoshi and Yasuhara Akira, one plays the good guy and the other plays the bad guy.

When you enter the door, one person compliments you first, then keeps hinting that your achievements after publication will be limitless, and then another person gives you a wake-up call.

If you don't publish it, you will have no hope of winning the Akutagawa Prize this year.

But the problem comes back to publishing, which requires signing the contract given by the Ministry of Culture.

If an ordinary new writer were to be praised and criticized like this, he really wouldn't be able to bear it.

But Kitagawa Hide is different.

His goal is clear in his mind. Don't tell me that you can become a god by winning a literary prize. There are a lot of writers who have become unknown after winning the Akutagawa Prize, and there are also many who make money without winning the prize.

Money, let’s be practical and talk about money.

Without money, even the Nobel Prize is useless.

Don't tell me about any awards that bring honor. I hope to join the Ministry of Education, the Academy of Literature, and major literary societies in the future. Kitagawa Hide has no interest in breaking into Japanese politics and currying favor with politicians.

Make money, make money, make money, the first and foremost goal is to make money.

Once you have an economic foundation, we can talk about other things.

Moreover, even if we take a step back, a literary giant is not crowned by the Ministry of Education or those so-called official organizations, but must be recognized by the nation and the people of the world.

"What I mean is that I write novels to make money. I am very grateful that your company is willing to publish my book, but I cannot accept this almost exploitative contract."

Beichuan Xiu said slowly in a calm tone, and without waiting for them to react, he continued to attack them face to face.

"I have no objection to the Agency for Cultural Affairs' desire to publish "Hear the Wind Sing" and use it to inspire the people. But I hope to get a reasonable royalty contract, and on this basis, I am willing to cooperate with the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the greatest extent possible."

"Teacher Kitagawa, do you know what you are saying?" An Yuanxian could no longer sit still. He was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night because Tanaka Aoi didn't bring any good news last night. But then he thought, this is also a good thing.

As long as he can help the Ministry of Culture deal with this young man, he can still use external forces to continue to compete for power with Muramatsu Tomoshi.

So early this morning, when he heard that Kitagawa Hide was coming in person for a meeting, he volunteered to be one of the persuaders.

But he still overestimated the young man.

Should we say that the security guard is worthy of being a security guard? Would he rather give up such a good opportunity to earn a little profit?
To be able to write a novel like this, must it be that good things are suddenly coming out of your ancestors’ graves?

"I know what I'm talking about." Kitagawa Hide nodded with a firm look on his face.

"Your behavior may make the Ministry of Culture dislike you, and you will not be able to publish the paperback edition, so you will definitely not be able to win this year's Akutagawa Prize. You cannot afford these losses in the future."

An Yuanxian was almost about to point at his nose and yell at him. He felt that Beichuan Xiu was too short-sighted.

Even if you have to pay, it’s better to choose a buyout contract that most newcomers prefer than a royalty contract!

Royalties refer to the compensation that others need to pay you when they use your work to make a profit, and are also considered part of the remuneration.

This is an exclusive right for top writers, because electronic royalties do not exist yet. Most royalties come from physical books, film and television adaptations, and peripheral merchandise. Only if your popularity is high enough can you enjoy this benefit.

Kitagawa Hide chose this, which means he believed that the novel would sell well after it was published in physical form, and the money he earned this way would naturally be more than that from a buyout contract.

Where does his self-confidence come from?

On this point, An Yuanxian agrees with his self-awareness.

A security guard who is completely obsessed with money.

"Teacher Kitagawa, I feel your determination." Muramatsu Tomoshi didn't react that much. Although his first impression was that Kitagawa Hide was a bit too arrogant and confident, combined with his words after he came over, it was not difficult to understand.

"If you insist on a royalty contract before agreeing to publish, you can talk to the Ministry of Culture."

Muramatsu Tomoshi paused and said word by word,

"But I hope you understand one thing. If you ask the Agency for Cultural Affairs, you must be prepared to not win the Akutagawa Prize, your paperback sales may plummet, and you will completely offend them."

"I understand. I also know the difficulty your company is in, so I will give you some confidence."

Kitagawa Hide knew that whether the contract could be finally concluded would still depend on Kodansha, so he took the initiative to throw out the "trump card" he had prepared.

He took out the envelope and slowly pushed it in front of the two of them.

"This is the second part of the Youth Trilogy. It is part of the manuscript of Pinball in 1973. Oh, it can be said to be the sequel to Hear the Wind Sing."

(End of this chapter)