On the way home, near the villa area.
Suddenly, the Alaskan dog that was sniffing around leisurely suddenly looked up, and then started running as if a little excited, stretching Xiong Ran so much that he almost stumbled. What was going on
But in just a moment, I knew.
A snow-white Samoyed appeared leisurely from the corner, and the two dogs looked at each other.
…
“Huff, huff…”
“Sniff, sniff…”
I saw that Ala and Samo looked at each other for a moment, and seemed very excited. Then they started to fight with each other, like a loving brother and sister, and wrestled happily.
Xiong Ran scratched his head. Is it really that bad
"Nana, come back..."
Suddenly, a clear female voice with a hint of tinkling was heard. Xiong Ran looked up and saw that the owner of the Samoyed with a collar and a rope was a long-haired girl. Although it was dark at night, her figure illuminated by the street lights and her misty eyes were still bright.
Because she was wearing a mask, her specific facial features could not be seen clearly, but judging from her clothes, the outline of her eyes that were exposed, and the crisp sound of the bells, she couldn't be ugly.
"Nana, be quiet..."
"Sir, can you also take care of it..."
Uh, Xiong Ran came back to his senses and didn't comment. If the two dogs want to play, let them play for a while. It's not like they're riding them, right
However, we have to control it, because Slippers is a little too excited. Although Samoyed is also very happy, the scene is becoming increasingly indecent when Slippers rubs its big face and licks it with its big tongue.
"Prince, come back..."
Xiong Ran forcibly tightened the rope in his hand and pulled the slippers back. He didn't want to call them slippers. After all, in front of the little Samoyed sister, he had to give Ala some face.
Prince, what a cool title, right
"Thank you, Nana, I'm sorry..."
The woman opposite also pulled the Samoyed back, and then felt a little embarrassed. As a bitch, she had no reserve at all, and was flirting with the Arab as if she were meeting her lover. It was so embarrassing and shameful.
"It's just a big deal, I'm just a lively person by nature..."
Xiong Ran didn't know what to say. Seeing the well-educated and well-mannered young lady apologizing to her own dog? It was a bit too hypocritical. What did the dog know? Why make a fuss
"You are busy, we are leaving..."
Xiong Ran had no intention of getting to know the other person, because this woman seemed polite but distant, and obviously didn't want his slippers to fool around with her Nana, so he wouldn't bother to show his affection for his slippers.
After saying that, she turned away, stretched out Slippers and started to continue walking home. However, Slippers was obviously unwilling to do so and kept wanting to play with Samoyed. Samoyed Nana also seemed to want to continue playing with Slippers, but was being stretched by the hostess, so she could only jump around, stick out her tongue and whimper.
“Woof woof, woof woof…”
Xiong Ran ignored the slippers' shouting and walked home. If you shout again, I'll kill you.
The woman holding the Samoyed watched Xiong Ran and the dog leave. Her eyes flashed, and then she smiled under her mask. She leaned over and touched the Samoyed's furry head at her feet, "Nana, don't be impatient. It will take two or three times to get used to it..."
…
"Stop sniffing, let's go..."
The next afternoon, Xiong Ran led the somewhat wilful-looking Slippers to Xiong Ying's site. On the way, the silly dog seemed to have been sniffing something. After forcibly dragging it back home last night, it had been listless for several times.
I took a look after getting up today and found that it was not playing around in the yard as usual. Instead, it was curled up in its nest with its ears drooping, looking very sad.
"Oh, are you playing affectionately?"
At the Xiong Ying venue, Xiong Ran continued to sign "The Legend of Wukong·Title Page", while Shuai Xie was lying in a corner with a depressed look, as if he had lost interest in his life.
In response to this, Xiong Ran laughed and shook his head and ignored it. It will be fine after a while. Dogs are very forgetful.
As expected, within two days, Slippers returned to his silly and happy state. But on the evening of the third day, when he was walking back to the villa, Slippers met Samonana at a fork in the road. This time, he became even more excited.
Of course, having experienced it last time, it wasn't that awkward this time. After playing for a while, they were pulled apart. Xiong Ran and the woman still didn't recognize each other. However, he vaguely stopped insisting on interrupting the two dogs' play. As long as they didn't ride them in the street, they could just play for a while.
"Okay, let's go home and play again next time..."
Xiong Ran was also wearing a mask. He didn't say much to the woman. He reluctantly put on his slippers and went home. The woman just stared at him for a while and didn't do anything else. She continued walking the dog.
"Let's go, Nana, let's take a walk for a while..."
Encounters should be accidental, and the intervals between encounters cannot be too long, but also not too short, and the regularity should also be irregular, so don’t try to avoid them deliberately, and slowly, you will become familiar with each other.
Today is the second time we meet. Next time we can shake hands and get to know each other. After all, it’s a great fate.
But the next time will be three days or five days later, depending on whether we meet again while walking the dog. Everything will happen naturally and logically, right, my dear Nana.
“Woof woof, woof woof…”
When Xiong Ran returned home, he looked at the slippers and whimpered a few times, then went back to his nest and lay down. He couldn't help but laugh. Did this lecherous dog really fall in love with the Samoyed
"Hey, doggie, can you be a little more promising..."
Xiong Ran squatted at the door of the kennel and laughed, "Although you and Samoyed are from the same family, you are of different breeds. The offspring will definitely be a strange beast. This is incest..."
"In the future, I will find you a female Arab. The purebred baby will be yours at first glance. Be obedient..."
"Oh, your temper is coming up again?"
Xiong Ran laughed and shook his head, because Shuaixie looked up at him, then closed his eyes and drooped his ears, as if to say, "Stop talking, I don't want to listen, it's so annoying."
"Okay, stay here, silly dog..."
Xiong Ran clapped his hands, stood up, stopped teasing, and went back to the house.
…
"Yes, it's very efficient..."
On that day, Wednesday evening, January 16, not long after Xiong Ran signed 5,000 copies of the book, Qin Siyu arrived. Not only did she come to pick up the title page, she also came to discuss the framework of the new book.
"This is the third reprint. We have started printing the title page. We will not run out of stock around the Spring Festival..."
Qin Siyu first told the good news, and then changed the topic, "Have you thought about the type and outline of the new book? Tell me about it and I can help you with some advice..."
“Heh, heh…”
Xiong Ran laughed and said, "I think it will still be a fairy tale. I haven't thought about the outline and framework yet. I only said before that I might start a new book after the New Year, but I didn't say it would be right after the New Year. Wait until my Xiong Ying Studio develops normally, then I will start a new book..."
"Now, there is no time! Wang Teng will release his second album after the new year, and I have been using all my time to write songs."
"What?"
Hearing this, Qin Siyu puffed her lips, "Don't be like this, writing a song only takes a few words, can't you finish it in minutes? You must publish a new book after the New Year. As an author, if you don't publish a new book for a long time, your popularity will drop quickly. If there is no news in March and half a year, it's basically over..."
"Don't waste the popularity that 'The Legend of Wukong' has accumulated with great difficulty, understand, Master!"
"Tsk, you think writing songs is easy?"
Xiong Ran rolled his eyes. "Without inspiration, I can't write songs! Without songs, I have no desire and inspiration to write novels. This thing can't be forced out, it just comes naturally..."
"Wait, I'll let you know when I have the idea for the new book. You can also keep busy with other authors. I'm just an amateur novelist, not a full-time writer!"
"Okay, anything else?"
"Hmph, yes, and no more..."
Qin Siyu was a little angry. She was a new editor at Hongtu and the most promising author on her staff was Xiong Ran, who was given to her for free, but he didn't live up to her expectations.
Amateur novel writer? Compared with most serious full-time authors, their works are more popular...
It's so frustrating to have talent but not work hard.
"Contact us yourself, Traditional Chinese version..."
After throwing down a business card, Qin Siyu left angrily holding the title page. Tonight, she wanted to turn her grief into appetite and have a good meal that would cost more than 100 yuan...
"This little girl..."
Watching Qin Siyu leave in a yell, Xiong Ran laughed and shook his head, then picked up the business card, Chen Yongye!
Hongtu Publishing House, the person in charge of international copyright contracts, said that the traditional Chinese version of "Wukong Zhuan" may not have a large market in Hong Kong, but it should have a good audience in Taiwan.
After all, in the early 21st century, the Traditional Chinese version topped the bestseller list in Taiwan for 32 consecutive weeks!
…
"No problem, I'll send you the contract..."
In Xiong Ying's office on the third floor, Chi Mo added Chen Yongye's Penguin number according to the number on the business card. The call was connected after a while, and then they chatted about some details.
Traditional Chinese version of the contract usually comes in three forms.
The first type is Hongtu Publishing House, which is an inland publishing house. It has cooperation with traditional Chinese publishing houses in Hong Kong and Taiwan and can act as an agent.
The second type is when there is a branch of a traditional Chinese publishing house from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the mainland, and the same branch acts as an intermediary to sign the contract.
The third way is to contact acquaintances or publishing houses in Hong Kong and Taiwan, or to submit the manuscript directly via email and have them sign it. This is a direct signature.
After much deliberation, Xiong Ran decided to choose the first option, signing the familiar red charter and acting as an intermediary agent.
After all, for the second and third types, without information channels, it is unclear how much the works have been sold in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Even if the price given is high, it is not necessarily true that the royalties are real.
However, Hongtu has its own branches and information channels in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which ensures that it is not blocked.
Although the Hongtu agent will take a commission from the agency fee, it is also a way to deepen cooperation. As the saying goes, one thing does not require two masters, so just be lazy if you want.
"Okay, Editor-in-Chief Chen, no problem."
Xiong Ran typed a reply, and a moment later a traditional Chinese version of the agency contract was sent to him via email. After carefully reading it, he connected the printer to print it out, and then signed it.
As for mailing, I'll do it tomorrow. I can't wait for Qin Siyu to come again and help me bring it.
And judging from the way he left angrily today, he probably won’t come back for a while.
The traditional version is not as complicated as the simplified version, and there is almost no room for bargaining. The 10% version rate...
There is no upper limit starting from the first book, and the royalties for each book are 10%. It’s a small loss, but also a big profit.
After all, if he, a newcomer, were to negotiate with Hong Kong and Taiwan, he could probably only get 8% at most, while with Hongtu acting as an agent, he could get 10%, which is not bad. Even if Hong Kong and Taiwan could give Hongtu 15% or even 20%...
Every profession has its specialties, and other companies rely on their background and channel relationships to make money, which is reasonable.
Just like someone who bought a house through an agent, but in the end skipped the agent and traded with the owner privately, thinking that they could earn tens of thousands of yuan in agency fees just by being introduced? What's worse, some people were cheated by the owner in the private transaction, and they turned around and asked the agent for compensation. I was shocked and speechless...
Information channels and personal connections, to a certain extent, are disguised forms of value, money, and rules.
“Woof woof, woof woof…”
Um
In the darkness of the night, Xiong Ran walked home holding his slippers.
However, the road became dangerous in the middle.
"We can meet at this time? What a pleasure to meet you..." A clear female voice rang out. As Xiong Ran looked up at her, the long-haired woman stretched out her white and tender right hand, tilted her head and took off the bandage on one side of her mask...
With bright eyes, straight nose, moist red lips, and a mature and dignified face, she smiled slightly, "Hello, my name is Jiang Muchu, and you, Mr. Prince..."