Chapter 73

(Seeking recommendations, seeking collections, thanks~~)

Without an opportunity, create one. When readers buy e-books, they also consider the price. Compared to a $1,299 e-book, a $299 e-book clearly has the advantage.

Lin Han and Chen Jiaxuan's approach is to expand the audience for the novel. After all, sales promotions come and go, this one lasts a week, and the next one might be anytime.

At Random House, Qin Jun was a bit upset. He doesn't get rejected often, especially not by a new author.

So, he started looking for a new talent in Chinese science fiction, hoping to find someone who could surpass Lin Han and prove that choosing Random House was the right decision.

"Stop worrying about these things for now, focus on writing your novel. Writers speak through their works," Chen Jiaxuan patted Lin Han's shoulder and then turned to leave.

Publishing an English novel isn't that simple. In the past, Chinese literature has been stuck in the translation and genre dilemmas, making it difficult to replicate the success it has in China overseas. Most foreign publishers have always been cautious and conservative about Chinese literary works.

If "I, Robot" were to be published, it would become a long-lasting gold mine, continuously earning money. After all, classics never go out of style, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude," which still ranks in the top ten sales charts.

Lin Han was alone in his study. To be honest, he was a bit resentful, feeling undervalued. This is a work that has been tested by various reviews and box office results on Earth. You're offering me this price, isn't that insulting?!

Apart from the money from the novel's publication, the main role of "I, Robot" is to establish Lin Han as a science fiction master, allowing him to be recorded in the history of science fiction.

After calming down, he turned on his computer, ready to read the news to relax his mind. Weibo was buzzing with the news of a male star publicly feuding with a female star.

Lin Han's fans, as always, were constantly urging for updates, and the "update party" was growing in strength, almost taking over his Weibo.

"Big, it's almost the New Year, there's no entertainment. Why don't you release the part of the new book you've already written? I'm willing to subscribe no matter the cost."

"Author, if you don't update, you'll be shot. It's been so long since you announced the new book plan. The consequence of not writing hard is being beaten by readers."

"Little author, if you don't update, your ears will be pulled, and your arteries and veins will be cut. You'll be so cute, motionless! ... Little author, update quickly, or we'll do it ourselves!"

"Alas, I didn't expect there to be knife-throwers here, but I think Lin Han's skin is too thick, even knives can't cut it."

"Daily update card, beep!"

"Rational urging, reasonable reading. I really want to know how to survive on Mars. If you don't write it soon, someone else will beat you to it!"

...

Seeing these comments, Lin Han felt a sense of satisfaction. A writer who is urged to update is truly popular. However, "The Martian" is only up to Chapter 5, and it can only be printed after it's completed, not before.

But with so many people waiting for his work, he needed to give them something to do, to shift their focus. Publishing a short story might be a good idea.

Lin Han had many short science fiction stories in his mind, whether it's Liu Cixin's "To the Horizon" or "The Wandering Earth," Liu Wenyang's "One Day Prisoner," or He Xi's "The Sad One."

Lin Han is inherently lazy. He's already writing a long novel, and starting another short one would be even more troublesome.

So, he began searching his memory for a shorter story. But then a thought struck him, and he suddenly smiled. What could be shorter than this story?

The entire story is only 25 Chinese characters, but it is a complete and suspenseful science fiction short story: "The last person on Earth sat alone in a room, when suddenly there was a knock at the door..."

It is said that this is a globally renowned micro-story written by the famous American science fiction writer Fredric Brown. The author's life and other works are unknown, and his history remains a mystery.

However, many people have been diligently continuing this story because the topic is so intriguing, like an ultimate puzzle, drawing people in and leading to many interesting and talented continuations.

Despite being only one sentence, it still possesses the characteristics of a novel. In terms of the three elements of a novel, there is a character (one person), a plot (a person sitting alone, hearing a knock at the door), and an environment (a room with only one person).

Science fiction focuses on scientific imagination, with the most prominent feature being the ability to exaggerate and create suspense, providing readers with a free and broad space for association and imagination.

These 25 characters can prompt readers to ask many questions: How did the Earth end up with only one person? Where did everyone else go? Did they move to another planet, or did they all die?

Since the Earth has only one person left, who is knocking on the door? Is it a human, a robot, or an alien?

What is the last person's reaction to the knock? Will he choose to open the door?

If he opens the door, what will he see? How will the story end?

A series of questions will make each reader have rich and broad associations. A thousand readers will have a thousand Hamlets, and a thousand stories about "the last person on Earth."

Lin Han even began to imagine: if one day, the Earth really had only one person, and he was reading this shortest science fiction story at home when the doorbell rang, what would the scene be like? Would he slowly raise his head, turn his neck, or be stunned and frozen in place?

This story has been continuously rewritten and even appeared in many exam questions.

In just two lines, one paradox after another. No matter how you think about it, it seems both unreasonable and reasonable. After a full circle, the last person on Earth can only be the author, who opens the door to welcome the reader.

The author's imagination runs wild, and the readers provide countless answers. All speculations are correct.

He quickly typed this story into Weibo, clicked to post it, then closed Weibo, letting the readers guess the answers themselves. He believed that for the next few days, no one would urge for updates.

...

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