Chapter 95 Negotiated Publishing
Shuanghe Town entered a vigorous construction period. Under the organization of village and town cadres, the people of the town cooperated with the construction team to build bridges and roads.
The infrastructure maniac nature of the Chinese people was clearly revealed at this moment, and the progress of the project was developing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It can be said that it looks different every day!
Under the leadership of the new factory managers, the two companies have resumed work and production, and everything is developing in a positive direction.
Before we knew it, it was already early July and Pei Qianqian officially had her graduation ceremony. Qi Tongwei rushed back to Handong University to accompany her to witness this special moment.
Of course, another important thing is to discuss the publication of The Da Vinci Code with the publisher from the Ugly Country.
After the graduation ceremony, Qi Tongwei and Pei Qianqian held hands, walked to every corner, and recalled their campus life at Handong University together.
"Qianqian, you have graduated now, what are you going to do next? Do you want to start a business now, or accumulate two years of work experience first?"
"I haven't thought about it yet." Pei Qianqian shook her head. She was also very conflicted. "Tongwei, what about you? What do you want me to do?"
Qi Tongwei smiled and ruffled her hair. "No matter what decision you make, I support you. Now you have to ask yourself if you are ready to start a business."
Qi Tongwei knew how difficult it was to start a business. Even with his own help, it would be very tiring at the beginning. Sometimes he really didn't want Pei Qianqian to start a business.
"Thank you, Tongwei." Pei Qianqian leaned on Qi Tongwei's shoulder, "I will think about it carefully."
The two walked quietly, enjoying this rare leisure time.
"Time flies so fast, we graduate in the blink of an eye." As the lights came on, the two finally left the campus, Pei Qianqian said with emotion.
Qi Tongwei nodded in agreement, and the two held hands and returned to Pei Qianqian's rental house, where many traces of their love were left.
Today's separation from her classmates infected Pei Qianqian. In order to drive away the sadness of parting, she let go of her reserve and appeared particularly proactive, allowing Qi Tongwei to enjoy himself like an emperor.
The next day, Qi Tongwei and Pei Qianqian went to the cafe opposite the Handong Provincial Publishing House early in the morning to discuss the publication of the novel.
The manuscript of this book was completed some time ago. Qi Tongwei sent it to the editor-in-chief Bai Jie, who highly praised it.
The female editor's main job is to publish foreign language books. She believes that Qi Tongwei's book has the potential to be a big hit in Europe and the United States.
So she sent part of the book to her college classmate who was studying in the United States. After reading it, he was very impressed and said he must sign his book.
They had invited Qi Tongwei to discuss the contract some time ago, but because Qi Tongwei had something to do, he was unable to come until recently when they agreed on a time.
"Mr. Qi, I think you should quit your current job and focus on writing.
I think with your talent, you can definitely become a great writer." Bai Jie didn't understand Qi Tongwei's behavior.
"Editor-in-Chief Bai, you're too kind. I really like my current job and I can just treat writing as a hobby." Qi Tongwei smiled and rejected her proposal.
"That's a pity. Well, let's talk about the contract." Bai Jie shook her head regretfully.
Then he said happily: "My classmate works at HarperCollins Publishing Group. I recommended your novel to her. She admires your talent very much and is willing to publish your work."
"I made an appointment with her at 9 a.m., and she will be here soon." As he was speaking, a foreign woman about meters tall came in from the door.
The sexy and elegant outfit instantly attracted everyone's attention, and Qi Tongwei was no exception.
Pei Qianqian whispered "vixen" and then twisted Qi Tongwei. Feeling the pain, Qi Tongwei withdrew his gaze, which made Pei Qianqian beside him very satisfied.
"Hi, dear, I guess this must be Mr. Qi Tongwei. My name is Julie." Qi Tongwei and Pei Qianqian were stunned by the standard Mandarin. What Bai Jie said was absolutely right. This person is truly an expert on China.
"I'm Qi Tongwei, hello Ms. Julie."
After exchanging pleasantries, Julie got straight to the point: "Mr. Qi, I've read all your works. To be honest, you really surprise me. It's hard to imagine that a Chinese can write authentic English works."
"Yeah, I didn't expect that I would be successful. Here I want to thank my girlfriend. She helped me find the information, which made my writing more textured." Qi Tongwei shrugged.
"From your works, we can see that you are not only a great writer, but also a great social practitioner." Then he talked about Qi Tongwei's rise as a great power.
"Thank you for the compliment. I am also standing on the shoulders of giants." Qi Tongwei gave Bai Jie a wink. He didn't want to continue talking nonsense.
"Julie, shall we talk about publishing first?" Bai Jie interrupted Julie who was in the middle of a conversation. She knew her friend, who would talk nonstop and would basically not stop unless they didn't agree with the topic.
"Okay." Julie stopped talking regretfully and returned to her serious look. Her temperament was completely different from before, and there was a sense of contradiction.
"Mr. Qi, our HarperCollins Publishing Group is preparing to publish three of your works, namely The Rise of Great Powers, The Qin Empire and the latest The Da Vinci Code. The copyright is 8% after tax. What do you think?" Julie was very sincere.
Seeing Qi Tongwei frowning, Julie explained: "For newcomers, this is already the highest treatment. We usually give newcomers 5% royalties."
Qi Tongwei was confident in The Da Vinci Code and immediately suggested, "Ms. Julie, why don't we make a bet?"
"How does the bet work?" Julie asked curiously.
"As far as I know, the standard for best-selling books in your country is 4 copies a week, which is 200 million copies a year, and writers of best-selling books generally receive 12%-15% royalties.
We determine the royalties based on the sales of the book. If the circulation is less than 50 copies, I will only take 5% of the royalties;
Between 50 and 100 million copies, I get 8% royalties
Between 100 million and 200 million copies, I get 10% royalties;
I will get 200% for sales above 12 million, and 100% for every additional 1 million, up to 15%. What do you think?" Qi Tongwei thought for a moment and said.
"Mr. Qi, I admit that you are an excellent writer, but after all, your fame is limited. It is difficult to surpass one million copies. Two million copies may..." Julie shook her head and said nothing more.
Although she admired Qi Tongwei, she didn't believe that the sales of Qi Tongwei's works could exceed one million copies, and thought he was just daydreaming.
"Isn't this perfect? Everything depends on sales, and no one of us will suffer a loss." Qi Tongwei responded with a smile.
"Mr. Qi, I admire your confidence. In that case, shall we do as you say?" Julie agreed after hesitating for less than three seconds.
"Don't you want to ask your superiors?" Qi Tongwei asked in surprise.
"No need. I am also one of the shareholders of the publishing house, so I do have some rights." Then, Qi Tongwei and Julie signed a draft agreement.
When she returns to the Ugly Country, she will fax a formal contract in both Chinese and English.
After the signing was completed, Qi Tongwei treated them to a dinner. At the dinner table, Julie said that Qi Tongwei would be contacting a publishing house and needed to find an agent.
Qi Tongwei looked at Pei Qianqian. His girlfriend was worrying about whether to work first or start a business first. Isn’t now the perfect time?