Chapter 91

Handing over "The Martian Rescue" to the new magazine edited by Li Wenyuan for publication was one of the few supports Lin Han had. After hanging up the phone, he glanced at Chen Jiaxuan beside him and asked in a low voice, "Is what I'm doing okay?"

"It should be fine. No writer would hang on to just one magazine. Although 'Science Fiction World' has a good relationship with you, I was also considering letting this book be serialized in other magazines with larger circulation," Chen Jiaxuan said while keeping an eye on the road. "But this magazine isn't very well-known, so it might not help much with the sales of your new book."

"Didn't you say the market is very hungry? Whether or not it's serialized in this magazine shouldn't matter much."

Lin Han didn't think there was anything wrong with this. Serializing a novel in a magazine has a certain effect, but this time, publishing it in "Fantasy Era" would be more of a selling point than in "Science Fiction World."

One is like sending charcoal in the snow, the other is like adding flowers to brocade. Choosing the former is clearly better.

Chen Jiaxuan smiled gently. She liked this kind of person who values relationships. A person's character is just as important as their talent.

"Alright, go home and pack your things. Practice your English and make some travel plans, so you don't get lost in the European continent."

Lin Han grinned, "We still have eight days, no need to rush. Let's get 'The Martian Rescue' published first before we go to Europe, to avoid any delays."

When it came to serious matters, Chen Jiaxuan also became serious. "There's no such thing as a completely sealed wall. The People's University Press had a small meeting, and other publishers also got the news. Now isn't the time for us to beg. Some well-informed small publishers have already sent their terms to my email. If Mr. Zhao doesn't respond by noon, I'll start negotiations with Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House, Hunan's Only, Xin Xing Publishing House, and Motie."

Lin Han also wanted to publish the novel as soon as possible so he could see the movie on the big screen sooner. The movie adaptation of "The Martian Rescue" is relatively simple compared to "I, Robot."

His current problem was how to sell the copyright. Domestic film producers aren't very fond of science fiction movies, but Hollywood producers might think the story's setting isn't ideal.

Now, he could only take it one step at a time and see whether domestic film producers would be the first to take the plunge or if Hollywood would be willing to set aside their biases.

After dropping Lin Han off outside the National Library, Chen Jiaxuan drove away. Her literary agent work wasn't very demanding, and most of the time, she was busy with her own affairs.

The Lantern Festival hadn't arrived yet, so there weren't many people in the library. Lin Han could occupy the entire table and comfortably read the reference books he needed.

Some things couldn't be found online and required these specialized books. Each book might only have a few paragraphs that he needed, and he had to spend a long time flipping through them to find them.

Being a translator isn't easy. Not having read the English original version was a significant drawback, as he couldn't fully utilize his good memory.

...

Lin Han, who had set his phone to vibrate, suddenly found that the vibration was louder. The vibrating phone hit the table, making the quiet reading area noisy.

Lin Han was startled and quickly grabbed his phone, only to find it was a call from an unknown number. He frowned but didn't hang up; instead, he quickly walked to the smoking area.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lin Han? I'm Xiao Deng from Chongqing Publishing House. I heard your novel 'The Martian Rescue' is seeking publication. Our Chongqing Publishing House has always been a pioneer in publishing science fiction and has extensive experience in publishing science fiction novels, which can meet all your requirements."

The caller's tone was very sincere, but Lin Han frowned slightly. He didn't know how his phone number had been leaked, but he was clearly unhappy.

He replied, "I'm sorry, I've entrusted all publishing matters to my agent, Miss Chen Jiaxuan. Please contact her for any issues."

"Mr. Lin, we are very sincere. Do you know that the science fiction novels published by our publishing house account for 30% of all science fiction novels? We can recommend you to the Chinese Association of Science Popularization Writers. New members need recommendations from at least three writers to join."

It's undeniable that due to regional cooperation, Chongqing and Sichuan publishing houses have a close relationship with "Science Fiction World." Many science fiction novels are published by these houses, with Sichuan Science and Technology Publishing House being the most prominent in the past. Now, it's more diversified.

Science fiction writers don't have their own association; they are part of the Chinese Association of Science Popularization Writers, which has a high threshold. Not every science fiction writer can join; they need recognition from both inside and outside the industry, making it quite prestigious.

Lin Han, who hadn't even joined the city's writers' association, let alone a high-level one, rejected the offer indifferently. "Thank you for your kindness, but I only write novels. Miss Chen manages the other affairs. I suggest you negotiate with her."

The caller could hear the meaning in Lin Han's words and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry to bother you. Please forgive me. If there's any future cooperation, feel free to contact me. Goodbye."

"Maybe we can cooperate in the future. Goodbye."

After hanging up, Lin Han had a premonition that this wouldn't be the last call. If Chongqing Publishing House could find his number, other publishers could too.

Should he set his phone to airplane mode? But then his friends wouldn't be able to contact him, which would be a hassle.

Sure enough, people from Changjiang Literature Publishing House, Xinshijie Publishing House, Jieli Publishing House, and Wanjuan Publishing House all called to inquire.

They hadn't even read the content of "The Martian Rescue," but they were trying to sign the book based on the synopsis Lin Han had provided.

"The I, Robot" book, due to its inherent limitations as a collection of short stories, performed poorly in terms of story and commercial appeal. However, "The Martian Rescue" is a full-length novel with a very coherent story.

The first book sold several hundred thousand copies, and the second book wouldn't be much worse. Even in this world, where book sales are astonishing, there aren't many books that can break the million mark. Each one is worth fighting for.

Lin Han, exhausted, hung up the phone again, rejecting the China Children's Publishing House. His phone battery was now red, and he urgently needed to go home to charge it.

But at that moment, Chen Chuhuo, an editor from "Science Fiction World," called. This was Lin Han's mentor and old acquaintance, and he couldn't bear to reject the call.

...

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