"I'll need to discuss this with the editor-in-chief," Zhou Bianji said, still unable to make the decision. In fact, apart from communicating with Ding Yun, he had very little authority, something Ding Yun understood.
She told him to have the editor-in-chief contact her directly next time, which might speed things up.
After hanging up, Ding Yun didn't wait for the magazine's approval. She began using her free time to draw cover illustrations and other artwork for her novels.
Concurrently, she gathered various raw materials, researching paper types, printing techniques, and hot stamping processes, contemplating which materials and methods to use for printing her novels.
Though these were unfamiliar to Ding Yun, her cultural transmission system's internal bookstore was filled with books, many of them exquisite works of art. These books served as ample references for her.
Ding Yun had even developed a hidden mini-application within the system because of this.
When she chose a book and decided to materialize it as a physical copy, her spiritual power was directly pulled into a virtual space called the "Book Design Studio." Here, she could either select the system's default book designs or create her own. Discovering this application, Ding Yun began using the space as her personal design studio.
She didn't actually buy or materialize new books. Instead, she would select an existing physical book and use the design studio for free, then choose to abandon the materialization later.
An hour a day was enough for Ding Yun to simulate the effects of her designs in the Book Design Studio, checking if they looked good.
As time passed, within just a week, Ding Yun had completed the covers and illustrations for all five of her novels, along with the designs for the paperback editions.
For the paperback books, Ding Yun opted for an extremely minimalist style. It's important to note that minimalism is distinct from shoddiness. Minimalism is about being few but refined, while shoddiness is simply about being sparse.
For example, a book with a completely black cover, just the title and author's name, publisher, and price printed on it, with nothing else, would be considered shoddy.
But what is minimalism?
Minimalism involves carefully selecting or customizing the cover paper, with a meticulously blended shade of black. It might even include subtly visible embossed patterns. The font is carefully chosen, perhaps even designed specifically for the book, with intricate filigree hidden within the characters. The size of the text and its placement on the cover and spine are all thoughtfully designed by the book designer.
At first glance, it appears simple and clean.
Upon closer inspection, it reveals a profound level of dedication.
This is a completely different concept from shoddiness that looks cheap and resembles pirated copies.
Just as Ding Yun was preparing to design the hardcover editions, the magazine's editor-in-chief, Zhang, called her a week later:
"Miss Li, this is the editor-in-chief. Young Zhou has already briefed me on your proposal. It's not that I don't trust you, but these are professional matters. You haven't worked in this field before, so you might not be aware of many of the circumstances..."
Ding Yun didn't let her finish. "People say seeing is believing, and hearing is false. You haven't seen or heard anything yet, and you're dismissing me based on your imagination. Do you think that's appropriate? I've already finished the cover and illustrations, and even the paperback designs are complete. I'll send them to you shortly. Let's discuss it after you've reviewed them!"
Ding Yun wasn't dependent on them. She had thousands of tons of gold in her soul space; if necessary, she could sell some gold and establish her own publishing house.
Therefore, she saw no need to be overly humble. She was direct and unafraid.
On the other end, Editor-in-Chief Zhang, while finding the young girl's temper a bit sharp, understood that it was natural for children to be confident in their abilities and unwilling to be underestimated.
He wasn't particularly angered. He opened his email with a sense of resignation, expecting to see the "masterpiece" from a student who knew nothing about design. A novel writer might have exceptional talent, but could publishing design really be handled by an amateur?
Then, he was stunned.
The email from Ding Yun contained dozens of exquisite illustrations that left him in awe. He even felt that the level of artistry in these illustrations surpassed that of their magazine's top-tier illustrator, who charged over three thousand yuan per piece. The detail and beauty were even higher.
At this point, he no longer dared to underestimate Ding Yun. He reviewed the rest of the content very carefully, and the more closely he looked, the more he recognized Ding Yun's dedication and the aesthetic appeal of her designs.
Finally, he looked at the mock-up images Ding Yun had sent, falling into deep thought. After a long pause, he called over the employee responsible for publication design and pointed to the mock-ups on his computer, asking, "Take a look at this design. Why does it look so simple, just white background with black text and black background with white text, yet it's more pleasing than typical books? It inexplicably feels quite refined and sophisticated."
"Editor-in-Chief, wait a moment, let me see..." The professional couldn't just look at the final mock-up. He specifically scrolled up to review the detailed specifications of the book, including the paper materials. Then, he said, "Editor-in-Chief, where did you find this book designer? It's like they're decorating a house or designing a piece of art! I strongly suspect this book designer might have been a top interior designer. They've taken minimalist style to its absolute extreme. This design looks simple, but it's actually much harder to design than ostentatious styles. It considers the golden ratio, data segmentation, and the optimal comfort for the human eye, including optical proportions and color fidelity. However, this kind of design is usually custom-made and specific to the book's title. If it were for a different title or author, the differing characters would disrupt the overall balance. It might not be ugly, but it wouldn't be this perfect. Furthermore, this design fully accounts for the raw materials. Therefore, not a single element can be changed, including the paper, cover material, printing ink proportions, and even the depth of the ink. Everything must adhere to the design to achieve the perfect effect. Even the slightest alteration will result in a difference. However, this approach will undoubtedly increase costs."
Not to mention the design fees or illustration prices, just to make the book more exquisite and attractive, the raw materials cannot be compromised. The difference between paper costing one yuan per sheet and paper costing one yuan per page is immeasurable. This is why many publishers are reluctant to invest extra effort. Diligence incurs higher costs.