Chapter 225: Editors

Capital only cares about the value you can create.

No matter how this book is, or how the next book turns out, Xie Wenyuan’s attention to the project is the value.

And to others, it seems that Chu Ge also has some background, perhaps he’s a relative of Xie Wenyuan… Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine that Xie Wenyuan would personally meet and chat with an unknown internet celebrity writer, even if he valued the work.

In truth, even Chu Ge himself didn’t know the exact proportions of Old Zhu’s influence, the deal of millions, and Xie Wenyuan’s personal attention.

But no matter what, from now on, whether or not he would be treated as a figurehead, he couldn’t possibly turn against them at this time. Cooperation is the norm.

“For this project, we will have deeper cooperation with President Xie in the future. Our investment and team will be involved as co-producers,” the general manager was saying. “It’s thanks to President Xie’s foresight. We actually missed a treasure under our own noses. A valuable IP right under our own roof, and we had to wait for someone else to discover it…”

Chu Ge inwardly thought that they’ve missed plenty of good IPs, how many books has your copyright department even read?… Forget it, I can’t be bothered with this.

He just smiled and said, “President Xie mentioned to me that we will cooperate in creating anime content and release it on our own animation platform.”

Perhaps the phrase “our own” sounded more pleasant. The general manager smiled widely and nodded, “Exactly. So now, this can also be considered our group’s endeavor, with our own participation in the collaboration, we can strive for excellence. If you need anything, feel free to communicate with the editing team. We’re all one big family.”

Chu Ge chuckled, “The editing team has always treated me well.”

He did believe the group would take this seriously, as it aligns with their strategic direction. However, he actually had more trust in Xie Wenyuan. Of course, there’s no need to mention that, since the copyright has already been bought by Xie Wenyuan. The direction and control will undoubtedly be in his hands. The group at most would be a joint venture partner. There’s not much point in saying too much.

The general manager laughed, “Mr. Chu has also been a longtime author on our platform. Do you have any good ideas or suggestions for our development?”

Chu Ge remained silent for a while, struggling to hold back a torrent of thoughts. Eventually, he swallowed back countless words and just said, “I hope there’s more attention on the ecosystem of grassroots authors… They have a tough time.”

The unfairness he saw before coming here.

His past self before Qiu Wuji.

Zhang Qiren who left in desolation.

And all those big group members.

Each person in the group has a thousand thoughts, but they can’t hear them. All that can be heard is Xie Wenyuan and how many millions.

Or perhaps they’ve heard, but only chose to act like they didn’t know… because in many ways, the demands of both sides are conflicting.

What’s the point of saying more?

…………

After the meeting with the general manager, it only took a few minutes for Chu Ge to join the editors and sit by the bookshelves downstairs. This was the moment when the chat felt like talking to “your own people”.

One of the editing girls let out a sigh of relief, “You scared me. I thought you were really going to confront the boss.”

Chu Ge shrugged indifferently, “Honestly, even if I did confront him, there’s nothing to be scared of. It would just lead to unnecessary unpleasantness. It wouldn’t change anything and would be utterly pointless, a waste of time.”

The chief editor chimed in, “You’ve become more mature, Chu Ge.”

Chu Ge seemed even more puzzled, “Did I really do something so immature before?”

“Well, not really. But during the interview, you mentioned you used to work for a state-owned enterprise and had a disagreement with your boss, which led to you quitting.”

“Oh, that incident. Yeah, that did happen.” Chu Ge rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Now that you mention it, I’ve really changed quite a bit… It’s strange, when did this transformation start…”

The chief editor chuckled, “You’re getting older, finding a girlfriend, and thinking about settling down. It’s all quite normal.”

Chu Ge looked up at the bookcase, where various works that were once his favorites were displayed, and muttered softly to himself, “Isn’t it a form of regression, too?… I was better off as a youth.”

The editing girl blinked her eyes, “Come on, why think that way? Why not consider it as becoming more refined and cultivating better qualities?”

Chu Ge chuckled, “You have a way with words, Miss.”

“Because I’ve been watching you grow and change all this time.” The editing girl smiled playfully, “Including the evolution of your writing style, the refinement of your words. It’s like watching a man become more mature and flavorful.”

Chu Ge hurriedly interjected, “Hey hey, your words can easily be misunderstood. Look, the chief editor is giving me a not-so-friendly look now…”

“Pff!” The chief editor made a gesture of pretending to hit someone and chuckled, “Who said I’m giving you an unfriendly look? I can’t even be bothered to look at you. Your ‘Early Autumn Love’ already had hundreds of thousands of fans the other day. With that kind of popularity, you won’t even be able to turn back. From now on, just obediently endure if you’re being ‘abused’ at home. Don’t expect other tempting flowers and grasses.”

Chu Ge sniffled and felt a bit melancholic.

He had just been “squeezed” specially before coming here; he was practically immune to flirting now.

Old Zhu said earlier that young as he was, he had already been “hanged”… This might be the safest situation in the eyes of other men, with no competition to speak of.

“Speaking of which, Miss, you have been quite kind to me…”

“You finally realized it!” The editing girl slammed the table, “Do you know how embarrassing it was for me when you rejected the contract?”

Chu Ge made a wry smile, “Well, now I’ve signed, haven’t I? Although what I signed is different, to be honest, if it weren’t for your face, I wouldn’t have signed this at all!”

The editing girl rolled her eyes, “Do you really not want to write the next book? Have you earned enough from this one to live off rent?”

Chu Ge clapped his hands, “That’s the dream!”

“Cut it out.” The chief editor sighed deeply, “We’ve seen so many people like you. They say they won’t write, won’t write, but in the end, they can’t resist the itch and start writing on their own. Do you really think you can just sit back and live off rent without any passion for this field? Who wants to sit there day after day doing nothing?”

Chu Ge smiled.

That’s why he could have an open conversation with the editors. They truly understood this profession and the people who are part of it.

The chief editor pointed to the books in the bookcase, “We submitted your book to several publishing houses. It was quite challenging before… You know, physical publishing doesn’t make much money these days. ISBNs are tightly controlled, and publishing houses are more cautious, allocating limited ISBNs to works that can generate profits, especially those that can enter the educational market, like children’s literature and works similar to ‘Douluo Dalu’…”

Chu Ge listened attentively, realizing that there were indeed some things he didn’t fully understand.

“Many well-known web novel IPs, like the ones we have on the bookshelf, may seem to be flourishing in terms of publishing, but the actual sales are not that high. Especially for our web novels, they tend to be quite lengthy, spanning dozens of volumes, which increases the production cost and selling price. Moreover, many people can’t afford the space to store these volumes…” The chief editor sighed, “There are those who have spacious houses, and they won’t buy these books, while those who might buy them don’t have such large spaces.”

In fact, Chu Ge knew that even if he successfully published a book, it might not necessarily bring in much money. The editor was right – except for those catering well to the campus market, such as teen literature and similar genres, his work didn’t quite fit. However, regardless of the financial aspect – even if it meant losing money or self-publishing – many authors were willing to invest in seeing their work in print.

Getting a book published has always been one of the persistent dreams for all authors.

In recent years, it has become even harder, gradually eroding the dreams in many people’s hearts, but this dream has never been extinguished.

“A few years ago, it was still relatively easier, but with the tightening of ISBN allocations in recent years, it’s becoming more and more difficult,” the chief editor explained. “Previously, when we submitted for publishing review, several publishing houses rejected our proposals. However, now, taking advantage of the momentum generated by the various adaptations of your work, we are trying again. We haven’t received a response yet, but we estimate that after your comic is released, it might help boost the chances.”

Chu Ge sincerely expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, all of you, for the efforts. If the publishing succeeds, I will definitely treat everyone to a meal.”

“I heard you’re having dinner with the executives tonight,” the editing girl said with a touch of envy. “Dinner with the Great Tang company – there might even be celebrities attending…”

Chu Ge replied, “It’s just a casual dinner, I don’t think it will be that grand.”

“It’s hard to say. This could be considered a project kickoff meeting, so relatively speaking, it’s quite significant,” the editing girl propped up her chin. “I wonder if Director Hu will be there…”

Chu Ge said, “If he’s there, should I get his autograph for you?”

The editing girl glanced at him and suddenly chuckled, “How about… you give us your autograph? I suspect it might become quite valuable in the future.”

Chu Ge felt pleased, feigned modesty for a moment, and then graciously left signed bookmarks for the editors.

The chief editor casually accepted the bookmarks, and then added, seemingly in passing, “We tend to say this to authors whenever we meet them. Who knows, a blind cat might stumble upon a dead rat and make a small fortune.”

Chu Ge, “Damn.”