Chapter 38

《Wuxia Story》 Publishing House.

"According to the news from over there, this time the pre-sales of 'Wuxia' have increased by more than five thousand. Clearly, the sudden change in the internal force setting by Heshuo has attracted many new readers. Now their sales have risen to 55,000!" Lin Shuiqing sighed.

Qin Hong, however, was not at all concerned about the opponent's performance and smiled, "Even so, our performance isn't bad either. The new book by Yiyeshu has indeed been excellent, and our sales have directly increased from 30,000 to 40,000, with a higher growth rate than 'Wuxia'!"

Both 'Wuxia' and 'Wuxia Story' mainly rely on fixed pre-sales to calculate their sales, as short stories have very low reader retention.

In addition to pre-sales, scattered sales can also bring in a few thousand purchases, like the small bookstores around Linmu School, which sell over a hundred copies per issue.

Combined across several provinces, this scattered sales volume is only a few thousand, falling into the category of optional purchases and cannot represent the magazine's influence.

Therefore, while the publishing houses do not abandon this part of the sales and continue to strive to increase it, they do not include it in the magazine's comparative data.

Zhu Zhengting smiled, clearly very satisfied, "Under the circumstances of Heshuo's new book release, 'Liancheng Jue' can still add 10,000 to the magazine's sales, which clearly shows the brilliance of this novel! Shuiqing, you must continue to closely monitor Yiyeshu and ensure that the future plot of the novel does not drop too low!"

A well-conceived novel usually has the most exciting setup at the beginning, but as the plot develops, the quality generally starts to decline.

Lin Shuiqing nodded, "Speaking of which, Yiyeshu sent me the second and third chapters last night. Uh... the quality hasn't declined, and it has even improved, but... the content..."

Zhu Zhengting's smile faded, "What's wrong with the content? Did he write some erotic content?"

A common flaw in traditional wuxia novels is the frequent inclusion of various beautiful women to attract readers, which, while increasing sales, also affects their reputation.

Lin Shuiqing shook his head, "It's not about the relationship between men and women, but... the plot is a bit too cruel to the protagonist..."

Zhu Zhengting laughed, "Is that so? Let me take a look..."

He immediately started reading on Lin Shuiqing's computer.

The more he read, the more his smile gradually disappeared, and a hint of anger appeared on his usually calm face.

After a long time, having finished the chapters, Zhu Zhengting took a deep breath and carefully experienced his feelings as a reader.

"It is indeed too cruel to the protagonist, but just now, although I felt very depressed, it was still within the tolerable range. For readers, identifying with the protagonist's emotions is also part of the appeal. I am now even more looking forward to the protagonist's eventual comeback and the satisfaction it will bring! I believe it will trigger a new wave of subscriptions for the magazine!" Zhu Zhengting carefully felt his emotions and slowly said.

Qin Hong, who had also read the new chapters, sighed, "Diyun's fate is indeed too tragic, but fortunately, in this second chapter, he meets Ding Dian. I believe he will definitely learn his 'Shenzhao Jing,' giving readers something to look forward to..."

Lin Shuiqing smiled bitterly, "But in the third chapter, 'A Man as Calm as Chrysanthemum,' this only brother is poisoned to death. In just one chapter, the deep bond between Ding Dian and Ling Shuanghua, formed through flower appreciation, is vividly portrayed. Should I say Yiyeshu's writing is excellent, or that he is ruthless?"

...

'Wuxia' Publishing House.

The editor-in-chief, Cheng Xiong, sighed in relief, "This Yiyeshu is truly impressive. Not only did he propose the concept of internal force, but he also directly added 10,000 subscriptions for 'Wuxia Story.' If it weren't for Heshuo, he would have caught up with us in just one move!"

Ding Mian flattered, "It's all thanks to the editor-in-chief's foresight. Spending favors and a large sum of money to bring Heshuo on board, even though the subscriptions for the wuxia magazine have increased, they have only reached our previous subscription volume of 40,000, still 15,000 behind us!"

"Heshuo's influence is ultimately his. In the next six months, with his support, we can maintain our advantage. But after he leaves... sigh! Why didn't this Yiyeshu come to our wuxia magazine? Such a genius, and he was snatched by Zhu Zhengting! You didn't even remind me to try to win him over when he was writing short stories and was still unknown. Now that he has matured, he won't easily switch magazines..." Cheng Xiong was still somewhat frustrated.

Ding Mian cursed inwardly: Clearly, you asked me to win over and distribute those famous writers, and now you blame me. I even reported the situation of the new author Yiyeshu from 'Wuxia Story' to you, but you underestimated him, thinking he was just a talented newcomer. What bad luck!

Though he thought this, he could not say it on his face, nor could he contradict his superior, to avoid losing face.

The 'Wuxia' Publishing House has been around for a long time and has become the industry leader, with complex interpersonal relationships like tangled threads. Therefore, the internal relationships of the publishing house are mostly fixed.

As the editor-in-chief, Cheng Xiong, who is often flattered, treats his subordinates as tools for making money, and thus lacks the casualness between superiors and subordinates found in 'Wuxia Story.'

"Editor-in-chief, rest assured! In my view, Yiyeshu just happened to get inspired and came up with the concept of internal force. I read his new book, 'Liancheng Jue.' Although the beginning is good, it is somewhat bland, and the protagonist's setting as a country boy does not align with the identity of the readers who subscribe to the magazine. These factors will limit the book's sales."

"With Heshuo's presence in this issue, the sales are guaranteed. For the next issue, with the concept of internal force and nearly six months of preparation, those veteran writers will surely produce excellent wuxia novels! At that time, I don't believe this newcomer Yiyeshu can compete with our 'Wuxia' and its vast roster of famous authors!"

Cheng Xiong smiled and nodded, and the idea of trying to win over Yiyeshu gradually faded.

As the industry leader, one should have the pride of a leader. To deliberately court a newcomer who wrote a novel with a new concept would be too beneath his dignity!

Jin Daxia's wuxia novels, although overall superior, are somewhat bland at the beginning compared to the entire book. While they are still engaging, they lack the urgent desire to read more that the high points of the book create.

For example, the most exciting part of the first chapter of 'Liancheng Jue,' aside from the concept of internal force, is undoubtedly the scene where Diyin learns three sword techniques from the old beggar and reverses the situation against the eight disciples of the ten thousand sects.

This level of appeal is not enough to make people marvel.

PS: Thank you, Lingxu Shangren, for the generous tip of 588 again.

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