Chapter 34

In the midst of the busy road, the dense flow of vehicles moved at a snail's pace, continuously wearing down time. From a distance, it almost seemed to have turned into the largest parking lot in the country, where no matter how good or bad the cars were, they all had to accept their fate.

Lin Han sat in the passenger seat, turning his head to look at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar buildings outside. A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes; the past was not something that could be easily discarded.

Seemingly noticing Lin Han's lack of enthusiasm, Chen Jiaxuan took the initiative to start a conversation. She said, "Do you know, when the people in our studio heard that you write novels, they all found it unbelievable and were directly shocked."

"Are you promoting me again?" Lin Han said helplessly. He really didn't care about these people's opinions, whether they were surprised or proud, it wouldn't add to his wealth or subtract from his income.

"They discovered it while organizing your files and information. After all, they are legal professionals. I wouldn't dare to let you sign a contract without them reviewing it; that would be taking advantage of you."

"My money isn't even enough to fill your teeth, why would you need to take advantage of me?"

Lin Han countered, hoping this journey would last as long as possible so he could chat more with Chen Jiaxuan and increase their familiarity with each other.

Chen Jiaxuan turned to look at Lin Han and asked earnestly, "Have you really planned out your development path? If you write martial arts novels, I can make you a best-selling author in the country and package you as a star, allowing your novels to flourish in multiple copyright areas. But you are a science fiction writer, and the domestic science fiction environment is very poor. Copyright derivatives are a major issue, and even the novels themselves are hard to sell."

"In fact, writing has a lot of randomness. You never know if the novel you write will become popular or how popular it will become. This is fundamentally unpredictable. I can only say that I will do my best in every step and make the best choices at the moment."

Lin Han believed that his science fiction novels were of high quality, having been passed down on Earth for so long. However, even excellent works sometimes need luck. What if it takes ten or eight years for the reputation to build up? Reflecting on this, Lin Han felt he couldn't persist that long and would definitely start writing new works.

Plans can't keep up with changes. Even if the current decision is wrong, there will still be opportunities to correct it later.

As they spoke, the car's snail-like speed turned into a turtle's pace, giving a glimmer of hope. The red brake lights lit up one after another.

At this moment, Lin Han's phone rang. He quickly picked it up and saw that it was Wang Yifan calling. He wondered what the intern editor of *Science Fiction World* could be calling about at this time.

"Hello, Mr. Lin? This is Xiao Wang from *Science Fiction World*. I'm calling to congratulate you."

This confused Lin Han, and he asked, "What do I have to be congratulated for?"

Wang Yifan didn't play games and quickly clarified Lin Han's confusion. "The sales of this issue of the magazine have already approached our historical record. After the first batch of 800,000 copies sold out, the second batch has already been distributed, and the distributors are reporting very good sales. So far, 500,000 copies have been sold, and the remaining 300,000 are not a problem. We are very likely to complete the task of becoming a best-selling magazine in December."

The first and second batches of magazines selling so well, totaling over a million copies, is a significant milestone. Only magazines that consistently maintain sales at the million level can be called best-sellers.

*Science Fiction World* had previously had one or two issues each year that sold over a million copies, but they just barely crossed the threshold, with the rest of the time selling only 700,000 to 800,000 copies. On average, they didn't meet the requirements.

But now, with the 11th issue selling so well, it is almost certain to exceed 1.5 million copies, significantly boosting the average sales for the year and helping the magazine achieve the honor of being a best-seller by the end of the year.

Hearing this, Lin Han couldn't help but pout at Chen Jiaxuan. "Then I should be congratulating you. With such good sales, once you achieve the best-seller mark, your work and bonuses should see a significant increase."

There is a clear difference between best-selling magazines and regular magazines in attracting advertisers. The higher the sales and the greater the influence, the higher the advertising fees, just like how TV stations charge.

A provincial satellite TV station definitely charges more than a local station. Among satellite stations, those with higher ratings charge more than those with lower ratings.

Best-selling magazines are evaluated by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television at the end of each year, with one of the hard criteria being that the average monthly sales must reach the million level.

*Science Fiction World* had previously met all other conditions but always fell short in sales, even when they invited some science fiction masters to write articles each month to boost sales.

"Mr. Lin, our magazine wants to make another push for high sales in December, so we are specially inviting you to submit a manuscript. If you have a suitable manuscript, we can offer you up to 5,000 yuan per thousand words, not the usual 1,000 or 500 yuan per thousand words."

This price exceeded Lin Han's expectations. He didn't know he could earn so much. "In fact, I do have a manuscript I want to submit. You can check if it's suitable. I'll have my agent contact you, and you can discuss the price with her."

Wang Yifan originally wanted to persuade Lin Han to write a new book, but since Lin Han had already volunteered, he didn't ask why Lin Han had an agent so quickly. Instead, he said, "Alright, we'll wait for your new book. By the way, I got off topic. The main reason for this call is to congratulate you. The electronic sales on Douban Reading and Amazon have already exceeded 600,000 copies. Many comments mention your *Rural Teacher*, so the magazine has decided to send you a red envelope. The amount isn't much, but it represents the magazine's gratitude. I hope you will accept it."

"Surprisingly, there's even a red envelope. You guys are really thoughtful."

"In fact, every issue's most popular work has a chance to receive this red envelope. Since our manuscript fees are still lower compared to other magazines, we use this method to express our gratitude."

Both Wang Yifan and Lin Han knew that the reason this issue of *Science Fiction World* was so popular wasn't because of the mobilization of science fiction fans, but because it unexpectedly connected with the education system, attracting teachers, students, and parents who normally wouldn't read *Science Fiction World*.

*The Rural Teacher* praised teachers and deeply moved those engineers of human souls. The descriptions of learning also inspired students' enthusiasm for learning. This novel, filled with positive energy, was naturally very popular, even though it depicted a seemingly cold and impoverished rural background.

Different interpretations have different perspectives, and there's nothing wrong with that.

"Because the teachers across the country have had such a strong response, an editor from *Teacher's Literary Garden* called us today, wanting to reprint it. You can have your agent discuss the details with him."