Chapter 79

Even if Lin Han was a fervent fan of science fiction literature, the fact that Penguin Publishing Group decided to list his robot novel alongside those world-renowned classics was undoubtedly a heavy burden.

He believed that the quality of this book was definitely a masterpiece in the realm of science fiction. Once it was included in the "Penguin Classics" series, he would no longer face just the judgment of science fiction readers but also the scrutiny of the general public.

They would surely be curious as to why a science fiction novel could appear in such an authoritative series, which would help Lin Han open up new horizons and gain more readers.

Alex noticed Lin Han's disbelief and said with a smile, "In fact, we had previously decided to give you a 10% royalty, but after hearing that St. Martin Publishing Company was also looking for you, we decided to show our utmost sincerity."

"In fact, I haven't even talked to them yet, so I don't know the specific terms. However, it's hard for me to refuse your kindness; it's too tempting. Unfortunately, my agent hasn't started work yet, as you know, it's the Chinese New Year now."

"Ah, I forgot about that. Happy New Year!"

Alex's Chinese accent was quite peculiar. In this world, China's national strength is similar to that of the United States, so Chinese culture has spread widely, and foreigners have a good understanding of the Chinese New Year.

After hearing the editor's blessing, Lin Han replied, "Thank you. I think this will definitely be the happiest Chinese New Year I've ever had. If you don't mind, I would like to wait for my agent to come back before discussing the details. What do you think?"

If a contract could be signed with just a chat, that would be too naive. Now, Alex was showing his utmost sincerity, and he didn't think Lin Han would choose another publisher.

Therefore, Alex replied very generously, "No problem, it's our oversight. I wish you a happy New Year."

After ending the call, Lin Han began to communicate with other publishing house staff. Although the conditions offered by these publishers were very favorable, they were still a notch below Penguin Publishing Group.

The head of St. Martin Publishing Company had a unique idea. Instead of competing for the more popular English rights, he unexpectedly chose the Spanish rights.

Like English, Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in the world. According to statistics, over 400 million people worldwide speak Spanish, and it is the official language in 22 countries.

If the eastern market doesn't shine, St. Martin can still shine in the west. They couldn't compete with Penguin Publishing Group or American companies for English rights, but they had unique advantages in Spanish publishing.

Lin Han was quite pleased to see his novel gain popularity in multiple markets, allowing more countries to join in the reading. This was undoubtedly a good thing.

Since it didn't conflict with other rights, Lin Han naturally agreed and noted St. Martin in his notebook to avoid forgetting.

Currently, the simplified Chinese version has been published, and negotiations for the English and Spanish versions are ongoing. Once these two versions are published, other language versions will naturally follow.

Chinese, English, and Spanish are among the top three languages in the world. If these three languages are successfully published, the reach will be particularly broad, potentially increasing Lin Han's reader base.

After finishing all the conversations, Lin Han almost collapsed in front of his computer. Dealing with people seemed more painful than writing books.

He shook his head and began to think about what short story he should write next for the Mirror.

This was not an easy task, as he had to consider cultural factors and the length. Novels published in newspapers can be at most 3,000 to 4,000 words.

The short stories Lin Han considered classic were at least 10,000 words long. He wanted to write "The Three-Body Problem," but 180,000 words were far too long.

"Flowers for Algernon" has both a short and a long version, and the content is suitable, but the word count is still an issue.

A 3,000-word science fiction story is more like a micro-story rather than a short story.

After searching through the works of European and American authors, Lin Han suddenly turned his attention to Asian science fiction writers.

One of his favorite Japanese science fiction writers, Shinichi Hoshi, is famous for his micro-stories, known as the "Father of Japanese Microfiction" and "Pioneer of Japanese Microfiction." He is praised as "the haiku of science fiction," "a new One Thousand and One Nights," and "a must-read in life."

Shinichi Hoshi's micro-stories have sold over 100 million copies worldwide, making him a true science fiction master.

One of the most interesting stories about Shinichi Hoshi is related to Detective Conan. The author, Gosho Aoyama, named the protagonist Shinichi Kudo in honor of Shinichi Hoshi, while Edogawa Conan is a tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle and Edogawa Ranpo.

A single manga paying tribute to three people is quite an achievement.

Lin Han's thoughts wandered too far, so he slowly gathered his thoughts and began to select from Shinichi Hoshi's works.

This science fiction master greatly enhanced the flexibility and appeal of micro-stories. His stories range from imaginative future worlds to fairy tales and fables, from philosophical reflections to suspenseful and intriguing plots.

The highest artistic value and achievement in Shinichi Hoshi's micro-stories are undoubtedly his science fiction works. They often choose a clever angle, presenting a fresh perspective and reflecting various aspects of social life through small, intricate mirrors.

To write a micro-story that is concise, well-balanced, and engaging, one must master the art of editing. Shinichi Hoshi was a master at this, always presenting a fresh and appealing experience, whether for adults or children.

This Japanese science fiction master has written many works, and Lin Han has read dozens of them, which is just a fraction of his total output.

After careful consideration, Lin Han searched for Shinichi Hoshi's name on search engines, not just on domestic search engines but also on Google, using Shinichi Hoshi's Japanese name to ensure he found all the works.

He not only searched for Shinichi Hoshi but also for his works, ensuring that only science fiction stories not present in this world could be used by Lin Han.

"The charm of novels lies in fiction. 'Artificial Beauty' is a good choice. It uses a fictional story to reflect real social phenomena and human nature."

Of course, the title is also catchy. Many people would be tempted to click and read it, and it can also be linked to Lin Han's robot series, as the "Artificial Beauty" is a meticulously crafted robot woman.

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