sinovels Chapter 99 New Developments in Magazines
Chapter 99 New Developments in Magazines
The sales of "Story Club" rose again after "The Long Season" finished airing.
When Meng Zhaoming called, his voice was trembling because he had been in publishing for almost twenty years and this was the first time he had ever seen a magazine's monthly sales double in a short period of time.
"The July issue printed 250,000 copies and sold out. The August issue printed 280,000 copies and also sold out. The September issue printed 320,000 copies, and the pre-orders reported by the distribution channels have already reached 350,000." He paused on the other end of the phone, as if to confirm that he hadn't misrepresented the numbers. "At this time last year, we only printed 100,000 copies per issue."
Luo Jinnian was copying his math homework when he heard the number. He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and his mind raced—from 100,000 to 350,000, more than tripling in one quarter. This growth rate was abnormal in an era of overall decline for print media; so abnormal that even he himself felt it was a bit like science fiction.
Is it "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" that's keeping things going, or the lingering popularity of "The Long Season"?
"Both," Meng Zhaoming said. "I had the publishing team conduct a survey, randomly selecting 500 readers. They were asked why they bought *Story Collection*, and nearly 70% said it was because of *Those Things of the Ming Dynasty*, while over 30% said it was because they read the serialized version of the original novel of *The Long Season*. There's overlap; a large portion of the readers read both." He paused, then added something that everyone expected: "Quite a few people also filled out the short story 'Early Spring Tea'."
Although Story Club has attracted many other young talents these days, the mainstay is still Luo Jinnian, who single-handedly carried the magazine's sales against the tide of the times.
Jiabei sent him some scanned copies of the readers' letters. Luo Jinnian read them one by one, writing replies as he went.
The novel "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" has been serialized up to the Wanli era.
Luo Jinnian was in a bad mood when he wrote this part. The Ming Dynasty began its decline from the Wanli era, and as a Ming Dynasty enthusiast, he was saddened. When he serialized "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" on Tianya Forum, many readers felt frustrated after following it to this point. Although he knew that history could not be reversed, some people still argued in the comments section, saying, "Has the author portrayed the Ming Dynasty as too tragic?" Dangnian Mingyue did not respond to these criticisms, but simply continued writing, meticulously recording every detail, from Chongzhen's suicide to the Qing army's entry into the pass.
When Luo Jinnian saw the comment, "The Zhu family did nothing wrong; it was just the civil service that harmed the Ming Dynasty," he couldn't help but laugh and didn't bother to reply to the screen.
The sense of frustration at the end of the Ming Dynasty isn't a matter of writing style; it's the fate of an entire dynasty. Luo Jinnian felt the same way when he read this passage before, but back then he was just a reader and didn't need to be responsible for the writing. Now, he has to write as if he were a firsthand witness, each copying a personal re-enactment of the collapse of those three hundred years.
Luo Jinnian closed his laptop, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while.
Once a story begins, it must be told to the end.
On the Beijing side, the cooperation between Jiabei and Meng Zhaoming is getting smoother and smoother.
Meng Zhaoming oversaw publishing and printing, gradually shifting the magazine's format from a monthly to a bi-monthly approach. Jiabei managed the content, expanding the magazine's sections from the initial four—"serialized long stories + suspenseful short stories + historical and literary essays + reader letters"—to six, adding "New Book Recommendations" and "Author's Notes." "New Book Recommendations" featured three to five newly published suspense or historical books per issue, offering serious book reviews. "Author's Notes" included approximately one author's self-narration per issue, discussing their creative experience, writing methods, and understanding of a particular subject. Luo Jinnian published an article in "Author's Notes" titled "Why I Write History," under the pseudonym "Early Spring Tea," which stated—"Because history contains the shadows of everyone."
When he wrote this, he recalled what Dangnian Mingyue wrote in the afterword of "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty": "Many people ask me why I write history in such an interesting way? I say, it's not that I'm interesting, it's that history itself is very interesting."
The circulation of "Story Club" has risen to an average of 350,000 copies per month. This number was nothing in the golden age of print media, but in today's world where the overall print media market is shrinking every year, the fact that a new magazine less than a year old has achieved this result has already attracted the attention of many people.
As some people noticed *Story Collection*, others noticed Early Spring Culture. Publishers have started discussing the standalone rights to *Those Things of the Ming Dynasty*, film companies have inquired about adapting a short story about tea that wasn't originally from Early Spring into a movie, and investors have gone through intermediaries to find Director Qin, asking when Early Spring Culture's next round of financing will take place.
Luo Jinnian did not rush to agree to any of them.
The standalone edition of "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" will definitely be published, but not now. The serialization hasn't ended yet, and readers' enthusiasm for following the story is still at its peak. Of course, publishing a standalone edition now would make money, but he's not in a hurry to make that money. What he wants is for "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" to appear when it's meant to be, and then use its sales figures—which shouldn't exist in this era—to prove one thing: good content doesn't need to chase the times; it is the times itself.
The editorial meeting for the October issue of "Story Club" was held online on the last weekend.
Jiabei first went through all the manuscripts in the April issue. The lead story was still "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty," this time about the Three Great Campaigns of the Wanli Era, titled "The Three Most Brilliant Battles Won by the Ming Dynasty, and Also the Three Battles That Drained the National Treasury." The short story section featured a work by a new author, a name Luo Jinnian had never heard of, about strange cases from the Republican era. The writing was good, but the pacing was a bit slow. Jiabei said the author had already revised it twice; this was the third version.
Meng Zhaoming mentioned the overseas distribution of *Story Club* magazine online. An overseas distributor had inquired, saying that the Chinese markets in North America and Southeast Asia were interested in the magazine and wanted to become its agent. Meng Zhaoming wanted to test the waters first, sending out 500 copies of the first issue to see the reaction. Luo Jinnian thought for a moment and said, "500 copies is too few; we won't even cover the shipping costs." Meng Zhaoming paused for a moment, then gave a number, "Then let's make it 2,000 copies."
Luo Jinnian agreed. Two thousand copies, targeting the Chinese markets in North America and Southeast Asia. This was the first small step that "Story Club" took to go global; as long as they could take that step, that was enough.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Jia Bei suddenly said, "There's one more thing—'New Sharp Reading' is officially ceasing publication this month."
Luo Jinnian paused for a moment.
"A few people from their editorial department contacted me a couple of days ago, asking if I was still short-staffed. I didn't agree right away; I wanted to ask your opinion first."
"If you think it's usable, then let them come."
Jiabei agreed and then hung up the meeting.
He recalled the day he first published a short story in "New Reading," which was then called "Tales of the Tang Dynasty." At that time, he had no idea that the magazine would cease publication a few years later, no idea how much print media would decline, and even less that he would one day create a new magazine to catch those readers who jumped off the sinking ship.
Some things we know will happen, but in the end, we are still pushed along by the times.
Now, *Story Club* magazine sells 350,000 copies a month, and the number of readers following the serialization of *Those Things of the Ming Dynasty* has grown from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands. The name "Early Spring Tea" has gone from a pen name circulating only among suspense enthusiasts to a brand name that can be printed on magazine covers. These are just the beginning; he is still far from what he truly wants to do.