Liu Xiaoqiang, originally an ordinary office worker in Nanjing, is still an ordinary office worker now. Few people know that he is actually the author Xiao Qian, whose novel "The Misty Journey" is very popular on Tianya.
Although he has gained some fame online, Xiao Qian is not happy because writing novels has become a serious burden for him.
When he first started writing "The Misty Journey," Xiao Qian simply had an interesting idea. He then combined his years of research into Taoist culture with the influence of Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Huang Yi's martial arts novels to create "The Misty Journey."
However, Xiao Qian soon discovered that this "Misty Journey" had become a burden for him.
"The Misty Journey" was originally Xiao Qian's casual project. His initial plan was to write when he had free time, to write or not write as he pleased, and to update whenever he wanted, free and unrestrained. No one could control him.
But after "The Misty Journey" gradually became popular, Xiao Qian found that things were not quite right. At first, he was full of enthusiasm and could write every day.
But later, sometimes when Xiao Qian really couldn't write, or didn't have time to write, a large number of readers would cry out in the posts, urging him to update, even saying that their grandfather had died, and his only dying wish was for the novel to be burned for him after it was finished.
Seeing these posts, Xiao Qian felt helpless and could only grit his teeth and continue writing at a pace of one chapter per day.
But this had already seriously affected Xiao Qian's daily life. Writing, which started as a hobby, had become something that forced Xiao Qian to write every day. These two states were completely different.
The most fatal thing was that writing the book brought no income, and it caused Xiao Qian to inexplicably develop computer-related illnesses such as tenosynovitis and sciatica, which made him miserable.
Therefore, Xiao Qian had almost made up his mind to stop writing this novel. It would be better to be a eunuch (meaning to leave a work unfinished) than to earn no money and break down his body.
Some people might wonder how the historical Xiao Qian finished the novel.
That's because the historical Xiao Qian started writing a full year later. At that time, he learned about Xian website literature in Taiwan, and this website had a characteristic: it could publish the online novels under its umbrella and earn money by selling physical books.
Because Taiwan (province) had good economic conditions at the time, readers could afford relatively expensive physical books. Also, the publishing review there was more lenient. As long as it didn't involve sensitive issues, it could generally be published directly without many complicated procedures.
Therefore, Xian website became a paradise for many online novel writers at that time. Almost all famous novels were eventually published and distributed on Xian website, earning royalties. This allowed them to earn a decent income.
The historical Xiao Qian first joined Xian website, then wrote there. After a huge success, Xian website was responsible for publishing, and Xiao Qian earned a lot of money, naturally having the motivation to continue writing.
But the Xiao Qian of this world started writing a year earlier. He had no idea that Xian website existed. By the time he found out, he was already confined to the Tianya forum and could hardly move.
So, as Xiao Qian was becoming increasingly frustrated, an unexpected person came to his door.
"Huang He! You are Huang He!!" Xiao Qian was so shocked when he saw the person knocking on his door that he couldn't speak.
"It's me, aren't you going to invite me in?" Huang He said, and then walked into Xiao Qian's rented room himself. Hu Jing followed closely behind Huang He, carrying a briefcase, like a bodyguard.
"Mr. Huang, was it you who contacted me through a private message on the site? Are you from Jiangnan Culture?" Xiao Qian asked in surprise. This morning, Xiao Qian had received a private message saying that the sender was from Jiangnan Culture and wanted to discuss the copyright of "The Misty Journey" with Xiao Qian.
Xiao Qian was very happy, thinking that someone had taken a liking to his novel and intended to publish it, and he could finally earn money. So he excitedly told the other party his address, but he never expected that the person who came would be Huang He.
"To be precise, Jiangnan Culture is my company!" Huang He said with a smile. "But that's all irrelevant. I do fancy 'The Misty Journey' and intend to buy its copyright. What do you think, Mr. Liu?"
"So Jiangnan Group also has publishing business!" Liu Xiaoqiang said in surprise. "No problem, I believe in Mr. Huang's character. I am willing to sell the copyright of 'The Misty Journey'!"
Liu Xiaoqiang did not hesitate for a moment. He trusted Huang He from the bottom of his heart. This was the benefit of shaping a good persona. With Huang He's current persona, no one would suspect that Huang He would deceive them.
"Don't be so hasty, because I don't intend to publish your novel!" Huang He shook his head. "If I only intended to buy your novel's publishing rights, I wouldn't need to show up myself. I could just let a manager from Jiangnan Culture talk to you. Why would I come in person to communicate with you?"
"Moreover, novel publishing is actually a sunset industry. With the development of computer technology, people in the future will choose to read novels through online channels, just like you are writing novels online now. Fewer and fewer people are willing to buy physical novels to read. I will not enter this industry."
"If you wish for your novel to be published, I can commission other publishers to publish it, but that is not why I came to find you."
"If you don't publish it, then why do you want the copyright of my novel?" Liu Xiaoqiang asked confusedly.
"Because I plan to adapt this novel into a TV series!" Huang He said with a smile.
"What, a TV series!?" At this moment, Xiao Qian felt his skull was about to explode. This novel, which was only serialized online and even looked down upon by publishers, was actually going to skip the publishing step and be made into a TV series.
"Yes, I believe this novel has very good prospects when made into a TV series. The novel's world-building and plot progression are very innovative, and it might cause a huge stir in the entire Chinese cultural industry. Therefore, I plan to make it into a TV series!" Huang He said with a smile, while Hu Jing looked at her new boss with some shock.
As Huang He's newly appointed secretary, although Hu Jing knew very little about Jiangnan Group, she was a complete novice. However, she knew at least one thing: Huang He had only seen "The Misty Journey" for the first time the night before, and she had printed the novel into a text version and handed it to Huang He yesterday morning.
Now Huang He was directly coming to buy the copyright and even planning to make a TV series. How much boldness did it take to do something like this?
"As expected, people who can get rich are different from us common folk. They seize opportunities without hesitation, unlike me, who has to think for an hour or two about what to eat for lunch. It's really too embarrassing!!" Hu Jing couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
"In fact, it's not just TV series!" Huang He said with a slight smile. "If nothing unexpected happens, next year our Jiangnan will launch a film production plan, and 'The Misty Journey' will be our first film."
"In addition, this year we will also start developing standalone computer games and online games for 'The Misty Journey.' Moreover, I hope that 'The Misty Journey' will conclude after the divine realm chapter, and then transfer to the Qidian Chinese Network, which I recently acquired, for serialization. Qidian Chinese Network will implement a new VIP membership system and charge for reading."
"However, for some books, I plan to promote a free reading model, and your 'The Misty Journey' is one of them. Considering all this, I have decided to acquire the full copyright of 'The Misty Journey' for a total price of 2 million RMB."
"At the same time, I hope that 'The Misty Journey' must be completed after the divine realm chapter, and it must be updated at a speed of at least 2,000 words per day. These will be directly written into the contract. I don't think you have any objections, and you haven't signed any copyright-related agreements with Tianya, right?"
"No, none at all!!" Xiao Qian excitedly shook his head. 2 million RMB! Who t
As for the Tianya forum, it only maintained basic forum functions and never thought of signing contracts with the novels serialized on it.
Otherwise, Tianya would have held the copyrights of a string of divine books, and it wouldn't have ended up with a total value less than that of "Those Things from the Ming Dynasty."
Therefore, the next day, when all the players who were eagerly waiting for the update of "The Misty Journey" on the Tianya forum saw a "Farewell Speech" posted by the author, they were surprised.
The author Xiao Qian excitedly announced that the copyright of "The Misty Journey" had been sold, and related TV series and movies would be produced next year. At the same time, the novel itself would be transferred to Qidian Chinese Network for serialization. This is a more professional novel serialization website that makes it more convenient to read novels. Everyone can continue reading the novel there.
In return, he would release two chapters today.
The announcement of this farewell speech quickly shook the entire online novel community. This was the first online novel ever to be adapted into a TV series and movie. This made online novel authors, who were in a primitive era, feel a bright light shining upon their land.
It turned out that online novels also had the opportunity to be adapted into TV series and movies. What a beautiful future! Many people who were hesitant about online novels strengthened their resolve to keep writing and became curious about the Qidian Chinese Network, flocking to check it out.
However, when they went, they were shocked to find that Qidian had launched a VIP model, providing an opportunity for all authors to earn money.
Therefore, even though this was just a small website that was just starting out, a large number of authors began to flock in. This was because no matter how many readers other websites had, it was meaningless to them if they couldn't earn money!