Discussion breeds attention, and attention increases curiosity and readership, ultimately boosting magazine sales and forming a relatively virtuous growth cycle.
Once the magazine publisher, based on data and feedback, analyzed the reasons for the sales increase.
They would naturally increase relevant article promotions and publicity, giving more weight to the serialization of corresponding novels. This would manifest as Ding Yun's works potentially gracing the cover, and serialization content possibly expanding by tens of thousands of characters to satisfy reader demand.
Fortunately, Ding Yun had already submitted the complete manuscript to the magazine, so there were no situations of chasing for content.
At most, the two magazines contacted Ding Yun for further collaborations, hoping he would consider them first for any new works and offering a slight increase in remuneration.
However, Ding Yun was not in a hurry to release works continuously. More importantly, his current works were not yet serialized, and releasing new ones would be competing with himself.
So, he politely stated that he was busy with school and had no time to write, promising to consider it after the winter break.
After that, they didn't actively solicit further contributions.
It wasn't until three months into Ding Yun's school year, as "Xia Gu Dan Xin" was nearing its serialization end, that Editor Zhou contacted Ding Yun again.
"Hello, this is from the magazine.
I'm contacting you because your first novel is about to conclude its serialization. The next issue will feature the grand finale.
Once the finale is released, the book can be published.
We conservatively estimate an initial print run of 200,000 copies, with an 8% royalty rate. This is already a very good offer. Although some authors can achieve 12% royalties, they are renowned martial arts masters. We can only offer 8% for now.
Furthermore, we are different from those unscrupulous publishers. We don't hold back royalties until sales are accounted for.
We pay you royalties based on the number of copies printed.
Any unsold copies are not your concern.
What do you say? Would you like to sign a publishing contract?"
Upon hearing this, Ding Yun knew the other party wasn't being entirely truthful. Regardless, it was industry practice to pay 50% of the advance royalties once the book was officially printed. There was no such thing as publishers withholding royalties indefinitely; at most, they would hold 50%.
However, since the offer was attractive and they were willing to pay 100% royalties upfront, Ding Yun chose not to expose them. He simply nodded and replied:
"Certainly. It seems your magazine has a strong cash flow and healthy overall operations. Send over the contract later. If there are no issues, I'll sign it and send it back. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, yes, there are other matters.
We have another issue we'd like to discuss with you. Regarding your remaining four books – you submitted a five-part series, correct? If all five books follow the serialization route, the final publishing sales might be slightly lower. After all, many people who read the serialized content won't buy the book to collect it. So, our suggestion is to publish them together. This way, if sales are higher.
And your royalty earnings will also be higher, right?
Compared to royalties, the upfront manuscript fee is insignificant!
However, this would mean we'd have to pay a considerable amount of royalties upfront, which could slightly impact our cash flow. So, for the remaining four books, could we advance 30% of the royalties?
Once some copies are sold and funds are recouped, we will definitely pay you the remaining 70% promptly.
We have this credibility as a publishing house.
Consider this: if we sell them as a set, even those who weren't initially inclined to buy the first book, thinking they've already read it, might buy it to complete the set. After all, if they're buying four books, the cost of one more isn't that much, and it would be a shame to have an incomplete set. This is our magazine's strategy.
It's a plan to maximize profits.
Of course, whether you agree.
Ultimately depends on your choice."
Hearing this, Ding Yun understood the other party's intention. Their earlier offer of full royalties for the first book was a deliberate setup to soften him for demanding lower advance royalties on the subsequent books.
However, after a brief calculation, Ding Yun found it peculiar and decided to ask directly:
"Editor Zhou, I don't quite understand why you're going through all this trouble for a series. If we assume each book prints 200,000 copies, after all this negotiation, you're only paying 30% less advance royalty for one book than the normal market rate.
Is your publishing house that short on funds?
If we consider each book to be 20 yuan, you're only saving less than 100,000 yuan."
Normally, 50% is paid in advance. He's now proposing to pay 50% more for the first book in exchange for 20% less advance for each of the following four books. That means an 80% reduction in advance compared to the standard 50% for four books, effectively saving 30% for one book.
At this, Editor Zhou was clearly taken aback. He had thought Ding Yun, by agreeing so readily, didn't understand the nuances. He hadn't anticipated that Ding Yun only agreed because the initial offer was advantageous to him.
Therefore, in the next moment, he had no choice but to admit frankly:
"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about the industry. You know that 50% advance royalties are standard. Actually, our publishing house isn't short of that 100,000 yuan. But for hundreds of thousands or even millions, we do have a shortage. While our publishing house only plans to print 200,000 copies for your first book, we intend to print 500,000 for the subsequent ones. Due to the full serialization of the first book, its sales will definitely be lower, which is why we're hesitant to print too many. But the following books haven't been serialized.
Coupled with your current fame and popularity.
There's a high probability of selling 500,000 copies for each.
We are truly sorry. This is unavoidable. If we print 500,000 copies each, that amounts to 2.2 million books. The initial investment is slightly large and might affect the company's cash flow.
But the publishing house wants to take a gamble.
We are truly sorry. If you don't agree, we will proceed according to normal regulations. However, the publishing house will have to reduce the print run. For the subsequent four books, we can only print 300,000 copies each, and see how the market responds."
Editor Zhou's words, while perhaps not an outright threat, were the truth. However, Ding Yun was unwilling to compromise, fearing that this compromise might lead to further encroachments later. So, he said with a sigh, "Alright, then let's print 300,000 copies.
Let's stick to industry rules. There's no need for risks or tricks. Send me the specific contract. If there are no issues, I'll sign it directly.
In the future, if there's anything, please be direct. Don't beat around the bush or try to scheme. I may be young, but that doesn't mean I'm unintelligent. Most industry rules can be found with a simple online search."