Chapter 7

Wang Yifan never expected that his master would have such a high opinion of "The Rural Teacher." He thought that being published in "Science Fiction World" would be the limit, but it turned out that it could go even further, competing for the Galaxy Award.

Chen Chuhe sighed, "What a pity, this novel is too short, only 20,000 words. If it were a bit longer, it could have been published directly."

Then he became animated, "I'll show it to Old Yang and the others. Tsk, tsk, this is a novel we discovered."

The magazine's manuscripts were cross-reviewed, and articles had to be approved by two editors before they could be published. Therefore, "The Rural Teacher" quickly spread among the editors, sparking discussions among these old bookworms.

"Could this be Old Liu's pseudonym? The writing style is quite similar."

"Probably not. Isn't Old Liu writing 'The Memory of Time'? The way the words are used here suggests it's not a new writer. It's likely someone who has written other genres before and is now trying to transition, with a strong sense of realism."

"There are so many science fiction authors now, but very few can write such a framework. It's a perfect blend of extreme realism and extreme romanticism."

"This article is amazing. Once it's published, it will definitely spark discussions. It might even get a review from a famous master. Tsk, tsk, to combine a rural teacher with science fiction, this level of skill is not ordinary."

"Who has the author's information? Xiao Wang, has he signed a contract?"

Wang Yifan unexpectedly became the focus of the editorial department. He swallowed hard and said, "Not yet, but by submitting to us, doesn't it mean he agrees to our publication?"

"You should at least pay him the manuscript fee. I think it can be 400 yuan per thousand words."

400 yuan per thousand words was a good price for a new writer, as most new writers could only get 200 yuan per thousand words. But Chen Chuhe wanted to build a good relationship with Lin Han, who might become a future science fiction master. It was better to establish a connection now to gain an advantage.

So he said, "Old Yang, that's not fair. 'The Rural Teacher' is clearly a strong contender for the Galaxy Award. Even 1,000 yuan per thousand words wouldn't be too much. We should offer the highest price for new writers, 500 yuan per thousand words. Do you want him to go to other magazines? 20,000 words, 500 yuan per thousand words is only 10,000 yuan. Is that too stingy? It's not your money."

"That's right. If he becomes popular and goes to other magazines, what will we do? We can get such a good manuscript for 10,000 yuan, and we still make a profit."

"Exactly. An author who can write such high-quality content won't care about a small amount of money. We should show our sincerity."

The editor-in-chief, who had been quietly reading the novel, immediately decided, "Since you all agree, let's offer 500 yuan per thousand words. Also, proofread the novel immediately and send it to the design department for reformatting. We'll publish it next month!"

With the editor-in-chief's decision, Wang Yifan immediately replied, "Okay, I'll call the author right away!"

Excited, he returned to his desk and immediately called Lin Han. The phone number was included in the submission document.

...

Lin Han, who was reading a book, suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw an unfamiliar number. Since this wasn't a place to answer the phone, he quickly ran to the men's restroom.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

Wang Yifan thought no one was answering and was about to redial. Hearing the voice, he immediately said excitedly, "Is this Mr. Lin Han? I'm a staff member of 'Science Fiction World.' After the editorial department's unanimous decision, your novel 'The Rural Teacher' will be published in next month's 'Science Fiction World' and will also be entered in the Galaxy Award writing contest."

Upon hearing this news, Lin Han's first reaction wasn't surprise but caution. Could it be that he had sent his manuscript to a scam organization? They reviewed it so quickly, and they probably wanted him to pay some fee. He couldn't afford to be scammed, as he was already almost broke.

"That sounds great, but your review process seems to be much faster than expected."

"Actually, you know, email submissions are generally of lower quality and are easily filtered out. Our editorial department is offering 500 yuan per thousand words, the highest price for new writers. If you have more good works to submit in the future, you can contact me directly, and the price will be increased to 1,000 yuan per thousand words."

Lin Han silently calculated that he would earn 10,000 yuan for the novel he wrote in one night. He thought this was pretty good, as he needed the money. Although 10,000 yuan wouldn't completely solve his financial problems, it would help with his immediate needs.

Wang Yifan noticed that the other party wasn't overly excited, which reinforced his belief that Lin Han was someone with achievements in other literary fields, not a pure newcomer.

"Mr. Lin, please send me your bank account number, the bank where you opened the account, and your ID information. I'll contact the finance department to make the payment. By the way, the manuscript fee tax will be deducted directly by our magazine, so I've calculated that 10,000 yuan in manuscript fees will be 8,880 yuan after tax."

The evil manuscript fee tax, which starts at 800 yuan per transaction, is much lower than the personal income tax threshold.

"Will you handle the deduction?"

"Yes, and I have one more thing to remind you, Mr. Lin. From the moment you submit your manuscript, the copyright of your work is considered to be managed by us. Whether it's publication, film adaptation, or game adaptation, we will promote it and charge 20% of the copyright fee as an agency fee. Of course, if you don't sign the contract, we have no right to sell the copyright."

"Will there be a formal contract?" Lin Han knew about this rather unfair rule before submitting, but he had no choice. He had no resources to promote the copyright himself, and 20% was acceptable if he could sell the copyright.

But for future works, the agency fee couldn't be so high. Lin Han wasn't a fool.

Lin Han couldn't help but complain in his heart that he had to pay 1,120 yuan to the state, a truly sad thing.

However, the manuscript fee tax actually protects the rights of high-income individuals. When a writer's income reaches millions, paying this tax is more advantageous than paying personal income tax, as the deduction rate is lower.

A media outlet once calculated this. When annual income reaches 200,000 yuan, the tax burden for manuscript income is 11.2%, while the tax burden for personal income tax is 13.72%. Therefore, popular best-selling authors benefit more.

So, despite the annual calls to raise the 800 yuan threshold, no one has suggested changing the tax rate, which is the reason behind it.

What can 8,000 yuan do?

In Yanjing, it can cover more than two months of rent. Lin Han's rent was paid in three-month installments, so he had to pay 9,000 yuan to the landlord next month. He was still a bit short, so he needed to earn more money.

After confirming that Wang Yifan was indeed a staff member of "Science Fiction World," Lin Han provided his personal information and waited for the payment.

When Lin Han was on Earth, he had written articles for magazines, but they were all rejected, and his dream of becoming a writer ended there. But in this life, with the entire Earth's science fiction literature as his backing, achieving his dream wouldn't be too difficult.

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(End of AD)