Early in the morning, Quan Jiu summoned the managers of the Human Resources, Public Relations, Administration, and Publicity departments into the conference room to discuss her business plan.
"Chuxin Culture will focus on two main areas next year: copyrights and publishing. For the publishing business, the publicity department needs to come up with a signing event proposal within this week, primarily targeting young writers under the age of thirty-five. Additionally, we need to organize an offline book signing event, and the publicity and advertising plan for the lead-up to it should be drafted first.
The Human Resources department is to prepare a staffing plan for the publishing house within this week and begin recruiting for key positions.
The Administration department will be responsible for the office renovation, isolating the other half floor to serve as the Chuxin Culture Publishing House's office space.
The Public Relations department will handle external collaborations with printing manufacturers, offline retail stores..."
After a morning of assigning new tasks, Quan Jiu had a quick lunch before heading to the Administration for Industry and Commerce with her ID and other necessary documents. That same afternoon, she registered the company "Chuxin Culture Publishing House."
The next day, Quan Jiu, without delay, arranged for five writers introduced by Zuo Long and others to meet at the company.
...
Chuxin Culture, Conference Room One.
Feng Kun, Liu Ma, and the others greeted each other awkwardly before falling into silence. The waiting time felt particularly slow, and finally, Feng Kun couldn't help but break the ice.
"Chuxin Culture is a management company. Why did they invite us? Do you know the reason?"
Liu Ma immediately replied, "My teacher recommended me, saying they might publish my book."
"That's what I was told too. But I checked the publishing house..." Wang Jian said somewhat awkwardly, "Chuxin Culture Publishing House, registered yesterday."
"I don't know if it's reliable. Sigh... it feels like the reliable ones don't like me." The fourth person expressed their concern.
Feng Kun was introduced by Zuo Long, who is a veteran writer, so he trusted the referral. "At least Chuxin Culture has a solid background, so I have some hope. And it's good that it's a new company; we'll be the first batch of signed writers, so there will definitely be favorable policies."
As they chatted, each of them harbored some skepticism in their hearts, having been rejected by numerous publishing houses and no longer daring to hold onto hope.
As they chatted, the appointed time arrived. The conference room door opened, and a radiant and captivating woman walked in.
The five exchanged glances. The woman looked very young, likely invited just like them.
However, due to her striking beauty, none of them dared to strike up a conversation, merely glancing at her before returning their gaze to their phones.
Until a "Hello, everyone" drew all five pairs of eyes towards the front of the conference table.
Quan Jiu smiled at the five, "I'm the one who called you. My name is Quan Jiu, and I am also the owner of Chuxin Culture Publishing House. I've invited you here to discuss publishing matters."
All five were taken aback. They were surprised that such a young woman was the owner, and even more so that they were indeed invited to discuss publishing.
Without waiting for questions, Quan Jiu explained, "Chuxin Culture Publishing House has just been established, to be precise, it was registered yesterday. Therefore, we are in urgent need of writers. My signed writers are targeted to be under thirty-five years old, focusing on young writers. Our publishing direction will emphasize novels with potential for film and television adaptation, because, as you know, Chuxin Culture Entertainment is a management company, and my artists need more good scripts."
Feng Kun inquired, "So, in essence, we are selling film and television copyrights?"
"If your works meet the publishing requirements, the publishing house will publish them and arrange book signings, promotional activities, etc. At the same time, we will also consult your opinions regarding film and television adaptation.
If you agree, you can sell the copyrights. If you do not agree, we will not force you. I simply want to make it convenient for my company to have both publishing and film and television adaptation functions, as my specialty is screenwriting. Whether I write scripts or novels, I hope my work can be brought to the big screen."
All five could not hide their excitement. Liu Ma immediately confirmed, "Can our novels really be published?" After all, they had been rejected so many times that they had lost confidence.
Quan Jiu smiled, "If you don't mind, you can show me your draft manuscripts. Did you bring them?"
Feng Kun and the others were surprised again. Wouldn't professional editors be the ones to review and approve manuscripts?
Quan Jiu further explained, "Perhaps I should introduce myself by another identity. Hello, I am screenwriter nine."
Nine? Feng Kun's mouth dropped open in surprise, "Nine? The screenwriter of 'Fu Sheng' nine?" The legendary screenwriter was the person in front of them?
All five were dumbfounded. This was quite different from what they had imagined.
Quan Jiu asked again, "Can I see your works now?"
Feng Kun was the first to react. It was a joke; this was a disciple of the Father of World Cinema, and a renowned screenwriter both domestically and internationally. Even if the manuscript wasn't approved, seeking guidance would be immensely beneficial.
He immediately handed over his novel, "This is a novel with a rural theme. The protagonist worked hard in the city for ten years and then returned to his hometown to open a cake shop.
It reflects the rural lifestyle and the mindset of the villagers. However, this novel is not heartwarming and healing. There is a unique economic system in the town, and the protagonist's intrusion disrupted the town's economic system, leading to his ostracization and suppression by the townsfolk, as well as the misunderstanding and misjudgment from the villagers..."
"It is indeed a niche genre," Quan Jiu nodded. "But the writing skill is profound, and the story is compelling and full of conflict."
Quan Jiu casually flipped through more than ten pages, each page's content drawing her in, even without a complete context.
She finally said, "This novel is absolutely worth publishing. Although niche genres have a smaller audience, as long as the story is captivating enough, it can still resonate widely. Furthermore, I recommend you sell the copyright for this novel; it has a very unique cinematic appeal."
Feng Kun was thrilled by the affirmation, "Although this is a novel with a rural theme, its core is the protagonist's struggle to break through the forces of a small place. It also contains elements of conflict, bloodshed, intrigue, threats, and other criminal elements. Despite being a rural theme, the story is absolutely brilliant."
Quan Jiu was also pleasantly surprised. As a screenwriter, she naturally had her own standards for judging story value. In her opinion, this novel might not become a massive hit upon publication, but its film adaptation would surely cause a considerable stir, and once adapted, the book sales would also be boosted.
"This novel is excellent. I will have the Human Resources department draft a contract for you tomorrow, including the film and television adaptation rights, if you are willing."
Feng Kun was both surprised and delighted, "Really? Is it really possible?" Was this happiness coming too quickly? After being rejected so many times that he had given up, he had unexpectedly found a patron!
Seeing this, Liu Ma also quickly handed over his novel, looking at her with anticipation.
Over the next hour and more, Quan Jiu briefly flipped through the five novels. All of them had cinematic adaptation potential, which meant they also had publishing value. After the five left, she immediately instructed the Human Resources department to draft a contract for signed writers, covering both publishing and adaptation. The contracts were sent to their emails that afternoon.
After confirming the contracts, Feng Kun and the others were too excited to sleep. The contract's profit sharing and terms were as they understood them, with no hidden pitfalls. Therefore, without hesitation, they immediately signed the electronic contracts.
Meanwhile, Quan Jiu, through contacts made at the Golden Pen Summit, recruited four in-house screenwriters. Coupled with the eleven film and television adaptation collaborations agreed upon at the summit and the five newly signed writers, she now had a total of sixteen scripts, which would naturally be allocated to her own artists.
Once Quan Jiu finalized these matters, she immediately convened a meeting for the company's signed artists and agents to distribute the scripts.