Chapter 310: Differences in Treatment Overseas

Chapter 310: Differences in Treatment Overseas

Chapter 310: Differences in Treatment Overseas

In Baitongshe.

The former Christmas magazine and Shirahama Publishing House merged to form Shirahama Christmas Joint Publishing.

"President Mai, Vice President..." Secretary Sanmu seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"If God wants to destroy a person, he will make him crazy," said President Mai. "He is also risking everything."

"But if we use all the publicity resources of the publishing house on one book, we..."

Secretary Sanmu's words were interrupted by President Mai, "Vice President Sato has his own ideas."

What happened? Sato had failed to get Gu Lu to write for him, but now he learned that the Japanese version of the new book was going to be released. He went against all odds and bought the publishing rights from Yao Xiaoju at a 15% stamp duty.

Even though 8% is much lower than the 14% in China, we have already explained the difference between the royalty rate and stamp duty. The stamp duty for Japanese authors is 11.5%-%. The stamp duty for The Little Prince is %. Sato is directly paying the same as a super best-selling author.

As the president, Mai would definitely not make any move. If it worked, he was the president and had a share of the credit. If it failed, it was the vice president's willful behavior. Anyway, the publishing house only lost money, and Mai had to endure the vice president's almost overthrowing power.

So what is the promotional capacity of Hakutosha? The book has not yet been released, but posters have been posted in stores such as Yurindo, Yaguchi Shoten, and Maruzen.

[The Prince at That Time, author Gu Lu, new work is coming soon]

[One million people were moved, one liter of tears, Gu Lu moved people’s hearts]

[Genius Gu Lu once again contributes a masterpiece]

Posters like this have sparked quite a bit of discussion.

For example, on the anonymous forum 2CH, a lot of people participated in the discussion.

"That talented Chinese writer Gu Lu who plays basketball really well? Millions of people were moved? Has he switched from writing fairy tales to writing pure romance novels?"

I have to clarify that Neon’s pure love is a relatively simple love story, not the name given to danmei by green sites.

"That shouldn't be the case. No one understands pure love better than us Japanese authors. Even talented writers don't have an advantage."

"I heard it's a science fiction work. Gu Lu's science fiction short stories are also very exciting, especially "Supporting God", which caused a sensation."

"Science fiction, a liter of tears? Did the publisher get the wording wrong? The value of science fiction is that it shocks people and is a prediction of the future."

"Having seen 'Love in the Center of the World', I was not impressed. But I am still looking forward to the famous science fiction by the genius Gu Lu."

"Crying Out Love in the Center of the World" is a work by Kyoichi Katayama. Whether it is the Earth or the parallel world, it is a legendary work in the pure love circle and has set a record for single-volume sales. How exaggerated is it? The book was launched in March and sold 306 million copies in June.

The discussion on the forum ends here, and the effect Sato wanted to achieve has been achieved anyway.

However, the effect that Gu Lu wanted to achieve was far from what he wanted. He toured the new home. There was nothing wrong with the interior decoration, but he was very dissatisfied with the master bedroom.

"Uncle Niu," Gu Lu said, "My design is that the wardrobe will be built-in and placed here, so we need to reserve space here in advance."

The contractor, Lao Niu, looked like a tiger and was quite fierce, but he seemed to speak honestly.

"Xiao Gu, we have been doing renovations for many years and have experience. It's better to put it here." Lao Niu said, "If you don't believe me, ask other people."

The workers working nearby nodded, confirming what the contractor said.

The current situation is that it seems that if Gu Lu disagrees, he is ungrateful.

This kind of thing always happens. It's a nightmare and hard to refuse.

If it were in the past, Gu Lu might have really swallowed his anger, but it’s different now!
"Uncle Niu, this is not a question of whether it is good or not. If you think this plan is good, you should tell me before finalizing it and we can discuss it." Gu Lu said clearly, "Instead of making changes without my consent after we signed the contract."

Gu Lu questioned, "Uncle Niu, you said you have many years of decoration experience. It's inappropriate to do things like this for many years, right?"

The series of words made Lao Niu choke a little, but he still insisted, "This is better."

"We signed a contract. Uncle Niu, I think there are two options now. The first is to change it immediately. I will extend the acceptance date by two weeks." Gu Lu said, "The other option... I think it's better not to make it so serious unless it's necessary."

"Two weeks isn't enough..."

"I understand that Uncle Niu and the other uncles have worked hard. According to the contract, if the acceptance period fails, I can sue." Gu Lu said, "I understand you, so I will postpone it for two weeks. If it really doesn't work, I will have to go through the procedures in the contract."

"No, no, it won't be necessary. If we work faster, we can finish it." Lao Niu said immediately.

"Then I'll trouble you uncles."

Gu Lu thanked them and left. He really didn't understand why they didn't follow the construction drawings and instead wanted to do it on their own.

Is it because he is young and easy to fool that you choose a simple construction plan?

He couldn't figure it out, but his originally happy mood was affected.

What a coincidence! Another classmate is also in a bad mood.

Zhou Lin went home and picked up her phone. It had been two days and her father hadn't replied to her message. Even if he was very busy, he would have seen it in two days.

She had already prepared a psychological defense mechanism for being criticized, and that feeling was like lying in a bathtub and taking a leisurely bath.

Now - I fell asleep while taking a bath, and then I drowned in the bathtub, feeling a little suffocated, and even had difficulty breathing.

Why didn't he scold her? Was it because it was so bad that it wasn't worth his time? This thought made Zhou Lin feel very uncomfortable.

[The teacher made a mistake, I was not disqualified.] Zhou Lin planned to send this message, but deleted it.

Ignore it, who cares! Zhou Lin took a deep breath, and slowly got up from the bathtub. After a while, she was ready.

She went to the study and began to collect information about Model United Nations.

The question bank for the Southwest Model United Nations Conference has been released. There are so many questions and no one knows which one you will get in the end, so you need to have an impression of it.

In terms of study, it is true that Zhou Lin can do well in the exam as long as she works a little harder. Therefore, she spends more time on Model United Nations.

Another day has passed, and today is the last day before Gu Lu takes leave.

Morning reading time.

"Did I forget something?" Gu Lu stared at Qi Caiwei for a long time, but couldn't remember what he had forgotten.

I can’t remember it again.

Forget it, that's how human memory works. You can't dig it out when you want to dig deep, but it pops up again when you don't pay attention to it in your daily life.

I was going to the UK for a book signing event, and only two people in Class 10 knew about it.

After all, the whole class knew that Gu Lu was a low-key person. He also tried to let the whole world know about his low-keyness.

Because the new campus of No. 8 Middle School is about to be put into use, there are also plans for the old campus.

First, the canteen was reformed, and then during the summer vacation, the student dormitories seemed to be updated.

To be honest, Qi Caiwei didn't feel the update very much. The only thing she wanted to praise was that the shower head finally stopped splashing water everywhere.

[Qi Caiwei: I have too much homework today. I envy you for another day!
Qi Caiwei: Our dormitory manager seemed to be in a particularly bad mood today and was very strict in checking the dormitories.

Qi Caiwei: Ah, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is really difficult to understand. I read it for a week and the progress was too slow.

Master Gulu: I agree. You should read this book slowly. If you don't gain anything, you don't need to write a review.

……

Qi Caiwei: The steamed pork with rice flour in the evening was really delicious, but it was a bit greasy after eating too much. I didn’t control my eating habits and I have to lose weight again.

Qi Caiwei: I don’t like “The Human Stain”. It is the book I hate most in Philip’s American Trilogy. I can write my review of it tomorrow.

Master Gulu: Oh? I’m looking forward to it.]
She quietly took out her hidden cell phone. Qi Caiwei had already climbed onto the bed and lowered the mosquito net.

Such behavior is very common. There are six people in their dormitory, and they hid seven mobile phones.

CC looked at the chat records between herself and her deskmate and she found a pattern. It seemed that apart from talking about the book review, they ignored other topics.

Why are you so busy after school? She was a little angry, but then she thought that others were not obliged to reply.

After thinking about it carefully, it was still me who kept bothering her. Qi Caiwei's temper disappeared, and she sent a message: Good luck, be careful when going abroad! I saw on the Internet that Britain seems to discriminate against Chinese people.

Gu Lu's second trip abroad was also a breeze, and he had no problem packing and preparing the things he needed. There were no direct flights from Fog City to Neon, but there were direct flights to London every three days.

Yao Xiaoju and Haiqiao Books arranged the time of the book signing event together, and it was also very well planned.

At Jiangbei Airport, Gu Lu and the teacher picked up their tickets.

Why didn't the other party buy first class for me? If there is no first class, at least business class will do, teacher Zhang Hanli thought.

He has lived in the UK for several years and knows very well that gentlemanly manners are all about treating people differently.

But he didn't say anything. Zhang Hanli was also worried that Gu Lu, who had never experienced setbacks, would be hit hard.

Typically not understanding Gu Lu, Teacher Zhang only thinks that Gu Lu's writing career from the third year of junior high school to the second year of high school was a triple jump with "The Little Prince", "Flatland" and "On Young China".

Flying directly from the foggy city to London, departing at 12am and arriving at London Heathrow Airport at 5pm, the whole journey is estimated to be hours and minutes. It is also a bit strange that flying from London back to the foggy city only takes ten hours. Why is it so much faster?

"It's been a while since I took such a long flight." Zhang Hanli looked at his wrinkled clothes. He was in his thirties and had gained some weight, but he still took out the suit that he had kept in the bottom of his suitcase.

I was careless, Zhang Hanli thought. I must iron my clothes carefully when I get back to the hotel. I must not embarrass the school when I am away from home.

Yao Xiaoju came to pick him up at the airport, and next to him was Mok, the editor of Puffin Books, holding up a sign that read [Chinese Writer - Gu Lu].

"Brother Gu, was the journey tiring?" Yao Xiaoju stepped forward.

"I feel like a tissue wiping a runny nose right now," Gu Lu replied, "I'm so tired."

Even so, Gu Lu did not forget to introduce the teacher next to him, "This is Teacher Zhang. The school was worried that I might have some problems traveling, so they asked Teacher Zhang to accompany me."

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Zhang." Yao Xiaoju greeted.

Zhang Hanli also responded immediately.

A group of people got in the car.

Mok, the editor of Puffin Books, said, "Yao, is he Gu Lu? He is truly a genius, and The Little Prince is the most unique fairy tale I have ever read. Can you get me an autograph?"

Yao Xiaoju translated the foreign editor's words and told Gu Lu.

"Signing is no problem, thank you for your support." Gu Lu thanked him.

Mok had really been observing this Chinese man. You could say it was admiration, but there was no such thing in his eyes. It was more of curiosity, a little like looking at a rare animal.

Due to language barriers, the middleman Yao Xiaoju conveyed a few words and the two men stopped talking.

Feeling bored, Gu Lu took out his cell phone and saw CC's message.

Discrimination - Regarding this point, Gu Lu is still looking forward to it. Because once you discriminate against me, then I can bring out the Cthulhu elements in my "Book of the Dead" series.

Oh, by the way, Gu Lu almost forgot what he was going to do when he took out his phone. He opened the memo and wrote down the gifts he wanted to buy.

Teacher Gao would definitely accept it. Last year, not only did he send me the New Year’s Eve dinner, he also ate with me.

Director Hu also wants one. Although he has small eyes, he is very caring towards him.

He quickly wrote down the name. Gu Lu's strength has always been that he knows how to be grateful.

The hotel we stayed in was more than 20 kilometers away from the airport, and it took more than half an hour to reach the Hammer Smith Holiday Inn.

It is only a few hundred meters away from Ravensgate Park and is also very close to Puffin Books.

Teacher Zhang and Gu Lu checked into the same hotel and booked the cheapest room.

The hotel is a three-star hotel, and even at its cheapest, the accommodation is pretty good. Zhang Hanli was very happy, as this was definitely a public-funded trip.

Zhang Hanli also did not forget the task assigned by the principal. After all, the school spent so much money, so there must be tasks assigned.

What was the specific task? Take more photos. If there were any media interviews with Gu Lu, write them down and buy newspapers. Also, go to bookstores to observe the actual sales of The Little Prince.

I have to say that Principal Chang made these arrangements not because he doesn't trust Gu Lu.

But he thought that such an amazing thing must be publicized! Therefore, he had to get accurate first-hand information.

In 2013, information on the Internet was not that interoperable, especially when there was still the Great Firewall of China.

After checking into the hotel, teachers and students went their separate ways.

Speaking of splitting up the operation, Gu Lu suddenly thought of a mystery novel in which a character's body and head had two names.

In other words, there are two people in the book, but in reality there is only one person, and this is how the trick is accomplished. If you are interested, deduct one point, and Gu Lu will leave the title of the book.

It's good to be young. Gu Lu and Teacher Zhang are basically the same, but the former is in much better spirit.

"Have a good rest today, but if you want to go out for a walk that's fine too," Yao Xiaoju said, "I can also give you directions."

"Go shopping..." Gu Lu suddenly had an idea, "Is there any place to watch a stage play nearby?"

"Hmm?" Yao Xiaoju waited for the next sentence.

"I read a famous British fairy tale, The Wind in the Willows, which seems to have been adapted into a children's play." Gu Lu immediately found a reason in his mind, "I want to find out if The Little Prince can be adapted into a stage play."

Yao Xiaoju knew that "The Little Prince" was adapted into a children's play in the country.

Anything involving foreign publication and adaptation is no small matter, so Yao Xiaoju immediately checked. The Wind in the Willows was indeed adapted into a children's play by the famous Box Tale Soup Theater Company.

This troupe is a famous children's troupe in the UK. They have adapted Alice in Wonderland and The Radish Counting Elf into children's plays.

"The Box Tale Soup Theater Company is doing a performance recently, but it's not The Wind in the Willows." No one knew what website Yao Xiaoju used to search, but he was told the result a few minutes later.

"Do you want to see Alice in Wonderland? If you do, I'll buy the tickets." Yao Xiaoju said.

"Forget about this one." Gu Lu said immediately. He originally wanted to try whether he could trigger the national books in the label.

Most of the works based on The Wind in the Willows are British national books. Well, Britain is still quite strong in literature.

Hmm? Yao Xiaoju looked puzzled. Because in his opinion, Alice in Wonderland is also a novel, and it is more famous and more valuable for reference.

"If you've seen it in the country, there's no need to see it again." Gu Lu said, "It doesn't matter if you haven't seen it yet."

But after all, it was Brother Gu’s first time to make a request, so Yao Xiaoju still wanted to find a way to satisfy him.

"Oh, by the way, the book signing event might be a little volatile, so be prepared, Brother Gu." Yao Xiaoju reminded, "Don't be nervous, we are here."

It would be better if there was no reminder. At least Gu Lu was not nervous before, but he is a little bit nervous now.

"So what happened?" Gu Lu asked.

"The first bird to stick its head out gets shot, plus a little publicity strategy from Puffin Books..."

While the two were talking, Teacher Zhang had already left his luggage at the hotel and was strolling on the street.

After all, he had studied abroad and was also an English teacher, so there was no problem for him to go shopping alone.

Zhang Hanli walked for a while and arrived at Waterstones Bookstore. The poster at the door instantly attracted his attention.

[Genius writer Gu Lulaiying, which British writer do you think can be compared with him? 】

In front is the information that was thrown out.

[Name: Gu Lu
Age: 16
Representative works: The Little Prince, Flatland, Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Currently created: about 80 words
Cumulative sales: 350 million copies
It is very popular in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. ]
There are sticky notes at the door, and every customer who enters the bookstore can write down their own message.

Why did Puffin Books spend this money? Now you know! It was to complete the publicity plan. According to the forecast data given by Puffin Books, "The Little Prince" has the potential to sell 50 copies! This sentence can well tap the potential!
Zhang Hanli moved closer and looked at the comments on the British note paper -

"He's just a kid who writes fairy tales." "I read that he also wrote Sherlock Holmes? It's hard to believe, Sherlock Holmes is from Britain." "I didn't dislike this Chinese guy originally, but he's been in the news lately, so I hate him." "He wrote more than 800,000 words at the age of 16, he's really a genius writer."...

Why are they all boycotting? Zhang Hanli was confused. Given the situation, is it really okay to hold a book signing event?
Compared to the rave reviews it received right from the start in Japan, Gu Lu’s book’s launch in the UK was almost a breakthrough under great pressure.

Come on, let’s see who wins.

(End of this chapter)