Chapter 77

Perhaps it was an issue of efficiency; the Mirror published micro-fiction very quickly, but contacting the authors was painfully slow. When Weibo was already celebrating Lin Han's victory, the email finally arrived, tardy as ever.

The British had never expected that the highlight of their newspaper's competition would be a Chinese person, who not only won first place but also third place. This was a complete slap in the face. However, they had nothing to say, as the quality of "God's Dying" and "The Last Earthling" was truly time-tested and well-received, leaving them to grumble silently.

Weibo in China was almost entirely celebrating Lin Han. Although it wasn't a heavyweight award, and the winning genre wasn't his strongest, science fiction, it was still an award.

Popular Weibo bloggers like "British Affairs" and "UK News Sister" usually posted news related to the UK, and now they were reporting on this as well.

"Today, I saw a familiar name in the Mirror, nn. No need to doubt, it's Lin Han, the science fiction writer who wrote 'Rural Teacher' and 'I, Robot.' He quietly won the micro-fiction contest, and the three words 'God's Dying' truly shocked the British people. Here are some comments from Twitter, a real honor for our country!"

For the internet users who were in the late stages of laziness, these screenshots were the most convenient. Although they could directly go to Twitter, it would be more troublesome to search one by one. It was better to read the blogger's summary.

So, the blogger helpfully translated the Twitter users' comments into Chinese, making it even more convenient for everyone.

"! God's Dying, this is so scary, it can't be real!"

"In the morning, my mother got angry when she saw the newspaper. She said God will never die. But I think it's written very well. This has nothing to do with faith, and there's no right to report it."

"I never thought a novel could be so short, but I still prefer the second story, 'The Last Earthling.' Why is he the only one left? If there was a war or a virus, why did he survive? Can someone tell me?"

"Amazing, nn is truly a genius author. I just finished reading 'I, Robot,' which can only be downloaded from Amazon and is currently on sale!"

"Who knows more of nn's novels? I think I'm starting to like this author."

"I think the third place is better, more expansive, but maybe it lost because it had more words."

The praise from Twitter users gave Weibo users a sense of pride. Look, we can send any science fiction writer over and sweep your British literary scene.

Everyone was extremely excited. This sense of shared glory felt great. Some trolls wanted to voice different opinions, but they were intimidated by the overwhelming praise.

Whether it was the "five mao" or the "American cents," they all kept quiet. It was a rare good thing, and seeing such good news on New Year's Day meant a year of good luck.

Opening the email from the Mirror, Lin Han was quite surprised. The other party asked for his bank account details and promised to transfer the post-tax prize money within a week.

What delighted him most was that, due to winning first place, he could publish one of his short stories in the Mirror within the next month.

Publishing a short story in one of the UK's largest newspapers was like a timely rain for Lin Han, who desperately needed to build his reputation.

Previously, Random House had bullied him for lacking fame abroad. Now, with just a few dozen words in the contest, Lin Han had made a breakthrough in the UK. However, he still needed to decide which story to publish and think about it carefully.

There were many English short science fiction stories, and if he was going to publish, he needed to choose a good one. This wasn't a blind publication but should be coordinated with the release of his books.

People who liked to read newspapers were often traditional readers, so the popularity of "I, Robot" on Amazon wasn't enough to spread widely. Now, this was a way to combine both.

After sending his bank account details and other information, Lin Han expressed his gratitude and requested to delay the publication of the short story for a while.

He didn't have any finished short stories at the moment, so he needed to wait for Chen Jiaxuan to return after the Spring Festival to discuss the matter.

However, to Lin Han's surprise, Amazon's staff called again. This time, it wasn't Random House but the five major publishing groups: Penguin UK, the largest English-language publishing group, and the American publishing groups known as the "Nobel Literature Prize's dedicated publisher," Tor Books, and St. Martin's Press.

"Are you sure so many publishers are looking for me?"

Lin Han was extremely surprised. He had just rejected Random House's "kindness," and now his shining talent had finally been recognized.

And five at once, which was hard to believe.

The Amazon staff was not surprised at all, "You deserve it. I hope you have a pleasant conversation."

"Thank you, but why isn't Amazon's own publishing company here?" This was a small question from Lin Han. Amazon was an e-reader, but the group also had a subsidiary that had transitioned to traditional publishing.

After all, with Amazon's backing, many e-publishing authors were considered potential stars, and Amazon Publishing could contact them first.

The staff smiled and said, "They did ask before, but when they heard that Random House was after you, they lost interest. We thought you would work with Random House, but it didn't happen."

Hearing this, Lin Han couldn't help but laugh. Competition among these publishing groups was good, making it easier for him to negotiate.

Even if they extended their olive branches, he didn't have to accept them all; he needed to get enough benefits for himself.

He was a bit hesitant, though. Was it appropriate to start working on New Year's Day and ask Chen Jiaxuan for help?

Due to time constraints, the author updates two chapters every evening, so can the people in the book review section calm down a bit?

There's no hiatus; just look at the update times. It's clearly updated, yet I'm still being accused. It's so annoying.

...

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