Inside the editor-in-chief's office.
"Editor-in-chief, there's a bit of a situation. I just called the author to notify them, and a young girl answered. She's only eighteen, and she mentioned that she's already finished the first part and has the remaining parts mostly drafted and is currently revising them. She expects to have everything completely finished before the end of summer. Do you think this might be an issue?"
As soon as he entered, Editor Zhou hurried to report the news he had just learned. It was truly hard to believe. Were children this capable nowadays?
"What, eighteen? And mostly finished?"
Editor-in-chief Zhang was also shocked and hesitant at this moment.
He worried there might be something wrong with the manuscript.
What if it was just a prank?
"That's what she said. Besides, they require an ID when signing contracts, so the possibility of her lying is probably quite low. So, what should we do? Should we still sign this author?"
Editor Zhou naturally continued to ask.
"Sign it. Our contract is quite comprehensive. If it's our problem, we'll bear it. If it's not our problem, the author will bear everything. She's eighteen, not fourteen or fifteen, so we can sign the contract with her. Da Feng Novel Network.
It has full legal effect.
Also, ask her to send over the so-called completed first part for us to read. If the manuscript is fine and the ending is good, we can slightly increase her manuscript fee. Whether it can be published will depend on the feedback when it's serialized in the magazine."
Although quite shocked, and even harboring a hint of suspicion, the contract clearly stated that if the author had a problem leading to the magazine's loss,
It would be entirely the author's responsibility.
Therefore, Editor-in-chief Zhang didn't hesitate and immediately decided they should still sign. If they saw potential, they shouldn't waver.
After receiving confirmation, Editor Zhou contacted Ding Yun. Ding Yun, after preserving evidence of her ownership of the novel's copyright, sent the first part of her planned five-part series over, awaiting their response.
Several more hours passed.
Only after Editor Zhou and Editor-in-chief Zhang at the magazine office had finished reading the novel Ding Yun sent did they finalize the manuscript fee. It was three hundred per thousand characters for serialization, with royalties for publication calculated separately; it was not a buyout fee.
This price was not considered high. Many famous authors could command one thousand, or even two to three thousand per thousand characters. However, Ding Yun was still a newcomer. Although the editors and editor-in-chief were quite optimistic, she lacked fame and readers, so this remuneration was already quite good.
Her first novel was approximately three hundred thousand characters long.
This alone was worth ninety thousand.
And this was only the basic income. The publication royalties would be the real substantial part. The difference was that the basic income was fixed and certain, while royalties depended on actual sales volume, with higher sales leading to greater income.
So, Ding Yun quickly agreed to the terms.
And directly signed the online contract.
Although various industries relying on the internet in this world had developed relatively slowly, the internet technology itself had developed quite rapidly. Even laws related to the internet had advanced considerably.
Even before many people were using the internet for fraud,
Laws against online fraud had already been enacted.
Standards for online contracts and their legality were also legislated and implemented in a streamlined manner at a time when computers had just appeared in many companies and had not yet become common in ordinary households.
This was accepted by many parties to contracts who were geographically distant, which greatly facilitated Ding Yun's contract signing with the magazine. There was no need for face-to-face meetings or mailing paper contracts, saving a considerable amount of time.
After signing the contract, Ding Yun continued with the localization of the subsequent novel content. The magazine, on their end, primarily proofread the first part of the novel sent by Ding Yun. Although Ding Yun said she had proofread it, the standard procedures still had to be followed.
After all, if there were typos, it would ultimately be their responsibility.
Another ten days passed.
"Wuxia," which featured the first three chapters and a total of thirty thousand characters of Ding Yun's first novel, appeared in most newsstands and bookstores across the thirty-two prefectures nationwide.
The primary reason Ding Yun submitted her manuscript to this magazine first was its long history and extensive distribution channels, enabling it to be published nationwide. This was far superior to many magazines that were only distributed regionally, despite their local fame.
The main reason for the good sales of many regional magazines was that they had thoroughly grasped the tastes of most people in that area. Therefore, their published content was primarily tailored to the preferences of people in that region, creating a perfect synergy that naturally led to good sales.
Magazines published nationwide, however, had to consider the diverse situations across the country. Their content had to be universally appealing, not just catering to a specific group, and also had to be mindful of regional taboos.
This resulted in many more restrictions for novels.
The pursuit of broad appeal might end up pleasing no one.
This was the main dilemma for the Wuxia magazine after its nationwide release, and also the reason many established authors left. They were mostly accustomed to their own styles.
It was difficult, and they were not very willing, to change.
However, Ding Yun had no such concerns. Firstly, she was confident in her work. Secondly, of course, a magazine available nationwide could better increase her influence, which was much better than being unknown outside her prefecture.
As readers purchased "Wuxia,"
Ding Yun's localized "Chivalrous Bone, Loyal Heart" finally entered countless homes and was seen by millions of readers. Simultaneously, comments began to appear online.
Overall, most of them were positive. Some found it interesting, while others felt it was like an established author writing under a pseudonym, not like a newcomer. Many even speculated about the novel's future development.
Although it wasn't an overnight sensation,
The buzz was at least considerable.
And as the next two issues were released, the popularity continued to grow. Dedicated discussion groups even appeared on online forums, and magazine sales increased significantly.
"Wuxia" magazine was a standard bi-monthly publication.
So, by the time the third issue was completed, Ding Yun was nearing the start of the school year. Given the current good performance of the serialization,
Ding Yun seized the opportunity to contact the magazine again, sending over the remaining four parts of the series and completing the contract with them.
The magazine had no objections.
After all, they hadn't signed blindly. They had reviewed the content of the other four parts before signing.
In fact, they felt they had gotten a good deal.
Because if they had waited until the first novel's serialization was complete to sign, the author's popularity might have been several times higher, and they would have had to offer three to five times the price to sign.