ryethenovel Chapter 9: Three Companies Divide the Manuscript
Chapter 9: Three Companies Divide the Manuscript
Yu Zhenmei took a nice bath and felt her whole body feel much lighter.
On the way back to the guesthouse, I passed a newsstand and saw a city map, which sparked an idea in my mind.
He was completely unfamiliar with Shanghai at that time. Thinking that he would have to find a way to settle down here in the future, he wanted to familiarize himself with the environment in advance so that he would at least have some idea of what it was like. So he spent 15 cents to buy a copy and casually flipped through it.
While looking at the map, I walked along the street for about ten minutes and made it back to the guesthouse without incident.
As I entered the guesthouse, by sheer coincidence, I ran into Feng and Zhen, the two literary association cadres from the same carriage, again.
Both of them looked rather disheveled and exhausted, as if they had just escaped from Africa.
As we entered, our eyes met briefly.
Yu Zhen reacted indifferently, neither angry nor happy, and showed no interest whatsoever in going up to strike up a conversation.
However, it seems that neither of them recognized him.
I really didn't expect to meet him again!
In addition, Yu Zhen had just finished taking a bath and changed all his clothes. He also looked relaxed and at ease, showing none of the awkwardness or discomfort that a rural youth would feel when he first arrived in a big city.
After Yu Zhen went upstairs, Feng and Chen, who had just finished checking in, picked up their luggage and started walking upstairs as well.
"Old Feng, that guy just now, his back looked so familiar, kind of like that kid on the train..."
"Ha, Old Chen, you've got to be serious! I think you've been bitten by a snake once, and now you're suspicious of everyone, just like that kid surnamed Yu. Alright, alright, we can't afford to mess with him, so let's just avoid him. Don't forget Engineer Wang from Xi'an Aircraft Factory, he's still acting up and arguing with us. We should think more about how to report this to our superiors later!"
"Old Feng, I'm not saying I've been bitten by a snake once, and I'm not afraid that Engineer Wang from Xi'an Aircraft Factory will go back and gossip about us."
I'm now desperate to run into that kid surnamed Yu again. The first thing I do when I see him is to find a way to control him, and ideally, take him to see the police. I need to find out the real identity of that kid surnamed Yu.
Anyway, I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot tolerate someone using the name of our province's great poet Yu to swindle and deceive people, ruining the image and reputation of our province's writers and intellectuals..."
"Alright, alright, then I'll wait for you. Let's talk about it again when we really have the chance to meet writer Xiao Yu, who writes for 'Story Collection', again!"
"Pah! This guy doesn't know his place. Someone who writes for 'Story Collection' has the nerve to call himself a writer..."
Feng and Chen spoke in voices that were neither loud nor soft.
Yu Zhen, whose hearing has always been excellent, happened to listen to the whole thing from beginning to end, but was still looked down upon, which left him speechless.
But since the mouth is on someone else's body, what can he do?
Could it be that he immediately turned around angrily, went downstairs, blocked the two of them, and beat them up without saying a word?
It is a well-known fact in the industry that the literary and intellectual content of the "Story Club" magazine is relatively weak.
Moreover, even he himself, when choosing a submission platform last winter, after fully considering various factors, realized that submitting directly to prestigious journals like "People's Literature," "October," and "Harvest" would most likely result in rejection. Therefore, he decisively chose to abandon 25 of his saved manuscripts and submit them all to "Story Club" in order to seek a further cooperation opportunity.
Back then, didn't I subconsciously underestimate the "Story Club" platform?
Now, just because I'm going to cooperate with the platform doesn't mean I can't stand other people's disparaging remarks behind my back!
I went back to my room and lay down for a while.
Yu Zhen was clearing his mind, thinking about what he would discuss at the editorial department that afternoon.
Of my 25 submissions, how many will be selected by *Story Club*, and if there is an opportunity for deeper collaboration, what should my future creative goals and directions be?
Unconsciously, his demands on his creative abilities were stimulated by the repeated disdain from Feng and Chen, or perhaps his already latent ambition was being gradually awakened.
In short, the urgency to become a true creator now fills my heart.
The hustle and bustle in the courtyard of No. 74 Shaoxing Road has finally come to a temporary end due to the absence of Comrade Yu Zhen, a great poet and writer from Shaanxi Province.
The editors from various sister journals reluctantly took their leave.
However, before leaving, everyone basically confirmed a rumor: the poet and writer Yu Zhen from Shaanxi Province had indeed contributed 25 articles to "Story Club" at once, and the articles were of quite good quality.
It was precisely because the editorial department of "Story Club" attached great importance to those 25 articles.
The reason why Comrade Yu Zhen, a poet and writer from Shaanxi Province, suddenly came to Shanghai was because he had received an urgent invitation from the editorial department of "Story Club" to come to Shanghai specifically to discuss cooperation matters.
In other words, writer Yu had already been lured into the clutches of "Story Club".
If these sister journals want to openly poach talent, they simply cannot compete with "Story Club," which has already seized the initiative, unless they can offer even more favorable cooperation terms.
The problem lies here: as literary journals, the only compensation they can offer writers is the maximum royalty rate and slightly better accommodation and hospitality during temporary assignments.
In addition, there is the reputation and influence of each journal.
In this regard, the only publications that seem to have an influence beyond "Story Club" are "Harvest" and "Shanghai Literature". Although these other periodicals and magazines are also competitors, it is clear that they have different divisions of labor and different focuses in the publishing industry.
As the saying goes, forced love is never sweet.
In fact, apart from Harvest and Shanghai Literature, which share the same office compound, the original intentions of the editors of other periodicals and magazines who flocked to the event were mostly to take the opportunity to get to know the poet Yu. If they could actually get a manuscript or two from him, that would be wonderful. Even if they couldn't, just getting to know the poet Yu would be an interesting thing in the industry.
After all, who wouldn't want to be the first to witness a legendary poet and writer who contributes 25 works at once?
In 1979, the first year of reform and opening up, the central government called for a great liberation of thought among the entire nation and urged the literary and artistic circles to vigorously implement the "Double Hundred Policy".
Against this backdrop of a new era in literature and art.
This is destined to be a major event that will be prominently featured in the new era of Chinese literature and art!
Of course, before they took their leave, they also confirmed another exciting piece of news: Yu's 25 works had been jointly recognized by three sister journals, Harvest, Shanghai Literature, and Story Club.
The current stalemate among the three journal editorial departments boils down to who can get the most out of the 25 manuscripts.
This news is truly unbelievable!