Chapter 51

Unlike the skyrocketing sales figures of others on the first day of sales, Lin Han's *I, Robot* was rather unremarkable, with steady sales of several ten thousand copies each day, showing almost no signs of decline.

The first week of 2017 quickly passed, and the entertainment industry's various gossip magazines and video bloggers were busily compiling the highlights of 2016. However, the literary world had already quietly embarked on its new year's work.

The first week's sales saw *So Young 2*, with its large fan base of post-95s and post-00s, unsurprisingly topping the charts with 690,000 copies sold in the first week, including 240,000 on the first day, followed by a significant drop each subsequent day.

*I, Robot* also performed remarkably well, ranking 6th on the new book sales chart and 35th on the overall book sales chart with 250,000 copies sold in the first week. This was the best performance by a new author so far. The ability to sell over 250,000 copies in the first week with such stable sales was terrifying, and everyone was optimistic about it reaching 500,000 or even a million copies.

This was the only science fiction novel on the new book sales chart, but Lin Han was not particularly excited. This achievement was still far from enough for him. A classic work that could stand the test of time should have even higher sales and a higher status.

However, due to his own status not being comparable to Asimov, he faced certain disadvantages in sales and could only rely on word-of-mouth to improve over time.

If it were a regular author, writing such a book would be enough to live off for life, but Lin Han was not satisfied. He was now thinking about his next book. After the publication of *I, Robot*, he had some free time, but he needed to start planning his next project.

His mind was full of ideas, and he couldn't decide whether to write a more mainstream or niche science fiction, leading to his indecision.

At this time, the Sci-Fi Nebula Group was actively discussing Lin Han's book. These science fiction authors had already recognized the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. With two consecutive works that were so well-received, even those who originally resented him had nothing to say.

If the gap were smaller, they could still feel jealous and dissatisfied, but with such a large gap, they could only look up to him, perhaps muttering a few sour words in private. No one publicly questioned whether Lin Han could write science fiction anymore.

"Without exaggeration, Lin Han should have become famous with this one book, right?"

"Such high pre-sales, 250,000 copies sold in the first week, and a million sales are guaranteed. How many of our science fiction novels can achieve this level?"

"Quickly, quickly, those who want to publish books should seize the opportunity. Take advantage of the science fiction craze before it ends. Publishers will definitely be interested, and you might be the next Lin Han."

"To be honest, a publisher has approached me for a manuscript. This time they offered a royalty, not a flat fee. Unfortunately, I'm not up to the task and have no inspiration at all, which is driving me crazy."

"My situation is similar. My manuscript was always on hold, and the Mountain City Literature Publishing House never decided whether to publish it. But now that they see science fiction novels selling so well, they've approved it. The first print run is 30,000 copies, with more to follow based on demand."

"This is a good thing. Everyone, don't ruin the golden age of science fiction. Let's take advantage of this time to negotiate with publishers."

This wasn't Lin Han's achievement alone; he was just the catalyst. The rise of science fiction was driven by the improvement in education. Now, *The Country Teacher* was generating heated discussions, and *I, Robot* was selling well, directly winning over the picky science fiction readers with the Three Laws of Robotics.

Any golden age requires the relentless efforts of all authors, not just one person.

Lin Han was also very pleased to see this. It was truly a good thing for everyone. The more science fiction readers there are, the more people will read his books.

A small river without water means a large river will dry up, and a large river with water means a small river will be full. This is the principle.

Seeing that Li Wenyuan was online, Lin Han sent him a message, "Are you there? Do you have time to have tea this afternoon? I want to discuss my new book with you."

"Writing a new book so quickly, you're going to be a model worker! I thought you would go out to promote your new book. With such good sales, won't the publisher ask you to attend some events, like book signings or interviews?"

"I don't need to do promotion. I see many netizens recommending the book themselves, which is the best promotion. I'm not a model worker; I just don't want to be idle."

Li Wenyuan typed enviously, "Having an agent is great. My first two books were completely taken advantage of by the publisher. See you at 2 PM. Do you know Yanfei Tea House?"

"I have a map, so I won't be late. Don't worry."

Lin Han replied confidently. After *I, Robot* became a bestseller, he no longer had to worry about survival and could do what he wanted, writing the books he wanted to write.

Even though buying a house in Yanjing was difficult, Lin Han didn't have a strong sense of belonging there, so renting was fine. Once he became famous, money would come to him.

After chatting with Li Wenyuan for a while, he received an email from an Amazon official.

"Dear Mr. Lin, congratulations on your new book *I, Robot* passing the review. No copyright infringement was found, and you have complete online sales rights. We are pleased to inform you that your novel has officially launched on Amazon's e-book store, and readers worldwide can now purchase it for $4.99. The sales price in other markets will be automatically converted to RMB or USD."

The Chinese version of *I, Robot* had already been available for both physical and e-book sales on Amazon, and the sales were very good.

Subsequently, Lin Han and Chen Jiaxuan did not directly contact foreign publishers but instead contacted Amazon, submitting the English version of the book for review along with a series of copyright and ownership proofs.

Amazon's efficiency was impressive, and the e-book version was now available for download. Amazon is the world's largest online bookstore, and its Kindle is the leading e-reader brand, dominating the global e-book market.

Selling the English version of *I, Robot* on Amazon was a wise decision. Amazon has websites worldwide, allowing more people to see it.

The goal was not to make money but to gain higher visibility. On the surface, the book seemed cheap, as the e-book could be bought for just $5, which would be detrimental in the short term.

However, in the long term, this was a better choice. If a physical book costs $50 but only sells 100 copies, while a Kindle e-book costs $5 but sells 10,000 copies, which is better?

From both the perspective of royalties and audience, the latter is clearly more advantageous. As long as the e-book price does not exceed one-third of the physical book price, readers will generally accept it.