1980 My Literary Era.

Chapter 550
The fiery July and August are the most difficult days of the year in Yanjing. Recently, Renyi will stage the play "Burning", and Lin Weimin will go to watch the rehearsal every few days.

The drama "Burning" was premiered by Renyi last year. At that time, Lin Weimin went to the United States and missed the performance of this drama.

In early August, "Burning" was about to be staged at the Capital Theatre. Lin Weimin picked a weekend night and specially invited Shi Tiesheng and his wife.

Shi Tiesheng likes to watch dramas. Whenever he watches dramas, he can't wait to take a bath and change clothes, solemn and pious.

Lin Weimin came to pick him up in his car, and seeing that his clothes were brand new, they must have been newly changed.

Driving all the way to the Capital Theater, the two couples got out of the car and looked at the gate of the Capital Theater. Shi Tiesheng said with emotion: "It's been a long time since I've seen a play."

Lin Weimin was reminded by him, thought for a while, and it was true. The number of times he watched dramas in the past two years can be counted on one's fingers.

Three or four years ago, he always came here twice a month.

He looked at the audience hovering at the entrance of the Capital Theater, "In the past two years, it seems that the drama has not been very prosperous."

"It should be said that everything related to art has started to slump, and everyone is rushing to make money." Shi Tiesheng said with a smile.

When watching the drama, the attendance rate of the audience was not bad. When he came out of the theater, Shi Tiesheng joked: "It seems that Weimin's work has a good reputation."

"It has nothing to do with me. It should be the influence of Renyi among the audience for so many years. No matter what the market is, Renyi's drama should not lack audiences."

"That's true. Regardless of how bad the industry is, industry leaders like these don't have to worry about it, just like your publishing house."

Lin Weimin carried Shi Tiesheng into the car, put away the wheelchair and put it in the trunk. On the way to drive, he asked again: "How is your essay writing?"

"There are still some, it is estimated that it will take another month."

Since the beginning of this year, Shi Tiesheng has focused his energy on a long prose.

Lin Weimin was very pleased when he heard it while chatting with him, and he knew that this should be the "I and the Altar of Earth" that made him appear in Chinese textbooks in later generations.

In the past few years, Lin Weimin no longer needs to compose manuscripts by himself, and he doesn't pay so much attention to the manuscripts of his friends.

"You don't forget to mention me. I have been with you to the altar a lot, and there is hard work without credit." Lin Weimin joked while driving.

"You are a character who needs money, so you have to pay for it."

"I am an actor, do I have to give money if I don't get paid?"

……

Two days later, Wang Shuo went to the Guowen Society.

"Wei Min, I really let you talk about it. Huayi came to me yesterday and said they would publish a collection of essays for me." Wang Shuo said excitedly.

He came this time to discuss with Lin Weimin about asking for royalties from the publishing house.

At the beginning of the year, he excitedly told Lin Weimin that Huayi Publishing House had given him a high manuscript fee to publish a collection of novels. Lin Weimin fooled him for a while, and he felt unbalanced, thinking that his manuscript fee would be less.

Huayi Publishing House published his collection of novels "Death to Die" with a high manuscript fee of 100 yuan per thousand words. It will take half a year until now, and the sales volume has exceeded 70 copies.

In half a year, 70 copies were sold, which is only achieved by a few particularly popular works even if it is placed on Lin Weimin.

Huayi Publishing House, which has tasted the sweetness, recently found Wang Shuo again, and wanted to launch "Wang Shuo's Collected Works" while the iron was hot.

In the past two years, both Guowen Society and Yilin Publishing House have discussed this matter with Lin Weimin, but Lin Weimin rejected them all.

This fact is too ostentatious, all the works have been published, and a separate collection of essays is published. Apart from attracting various public opinions and affirmation of some literary status, it is completely unnecessary. Lin Weimin feels that he does not lack these things.

Wang Shuo was born in 58, and he is only 32 years old this year. To publish a collection of essays at this age can be regarded as a precedent for a living writer to publish a collection of essays.

"You guys have broken a record." Lin Weimin teased Wang Shuo.

"Don't use me for playing cymbals. If you thought of it, you would have already done it. Seriously, do you think the royalties can be done?" Wang Shuo looked a little unconfident.

"It depends on whether Huayi is determined to win your works. "Deadly Addiction" sold 70 copies in half a year. Do you think they are willing to let go?

I heard that Huayi Publishing House just purchased an Audi 100 last month. "

Lin Weimin's last words aroused Wang Shuo's unwillingness again.

All of this money is made from my book, and I haven't driven an Audi 100 yet.

"Done! Lao Tzu's book, you eat meat and I have to drink soup." Wang Shuo said through gritted teeth, and then looked at Lin Weimin, "Weimin, how much royalties do you think is appropriate?"

Lin Weimin said calmly: "Of course it's 'Han Xin orders troops, the more the better'."

"That must be agreed to by others!"

Lin Weimin shook his head, with a look of indignation, "If you don't say it, you won't be able to do business, and you can ask for a lot of money to pay back the money, do you understand?"

Wang Shuo nodded, with a troubled expression on his face, "Of course I understand the truth, but I..."

This coward, he speaks louder than anyone else, and when he gets serious, he is more cowardly than anyone else.

"Take Dudu and let him talk to Huayi on your behalf."

Wang Shuo was overjoyed when he heard the idea, "It has to be you, you are smarter than a monkey with hair on it!"

If you can't speak, just shut up.

After talking about royalties, Wang Shuo still complained before leaving, "If you want me to say that the manuscript fee of your Guowen Society has to go up, if Huayi pays royalties, what competitiveness will you have in the future?"

"An ungrateful thing!" Lin Weimin spat at Wang Shuo jokingly.

Wang Shuo became famous when he published "Stewardess" in "Contemporary". Since then, he has published many works in "Contemporary" in several years. Both exceeded [-] copies.

The manuscript fee paid by the Guowen Society is not low, but it is a pity that it is a market economy now, and Huayi pays more, so Wang Shuo naturally pays more attention to that side.

Lin Weimin's words are of course a joke, affection belongs to love, interests belong to interests, if affection is used to kidnap interests, no matter how good the relationship is, it will turn against each other.

Two days after seeing off Wang Shuo, he brought Ma Dudu to the editorial department of "Contemporary" again.

"For the people, it's done!" Wang Shuo hugged Lin Weimin as soon as he met him, very excited.

Lin Weimin pushed him away, "It's done? How long did we talk about?"

Wang Shuo said happily, "They promised a 10% royalty."

"Only 10%?" Lin Weimin couldn't help frowning.

Seeing this, Ma Dudu explained: "He first agreed to it."

Lin Weimin looked at Wang Shuo, and Wang Shuo showed a bit of embarrassment, "Hey, I'm too familiar with the editor, so I'm not too embarrassed."

Lin Weimin was helpless, "You, remember, don't touch business again in this life, or you will lose all your pants!"

Wang Shuo knew that he was wrong, so he didn't take Lin Weimin's ridicule to heart, and happily wanted to drag him to celebrate.

With a 10% royalty, if the collection of anthologies can maintain the popularity of "Death to Die" after publication, Wang Shuo's manuscript fee income will start at least hundreds of thousands, and may even reach seven figures.

Such a happy event should be celebrated.

It's a pity that Wang Shuo was not happy for a few days, and he was blocked by reporters, asking him if he wanted 10% royalties from the publishing house.

Wang Shuo is a donkey, and he choked with the reporter if he couldn't deal with it with a few words.

"What's wrong with me asking for royalties? Who stipulates that writers have to pay so much?"

"What's the matter? Maybe your publishing house is making a lot of money, but we writers are not allowed to make more money?"

"What kind of values ​​are you advocating? Talking about money is vulgar? Are you capable of not getting paid?"

"Is the publishing house a public welfare undertaking? If it is a public welfare undertaking, I will donate all the manuscript fees without saying a word."

Wang Shuo is a coward, but he is never cowardly when it comes to verbal arguments. That day, he made the reporter who came to him speechless.

It's a pity that the world's report came quickly.

The reporter's mouth is not as good as his, but his pen is not slow. Two days later, Wang Shuo's request for royalties from the publishing house and his "ugly face" talking about reasonable royalties were published in the newspapers, and suddenly became the focus of the whole country. topic of.

"Money Worship under "Rational Royalty".

In an environment where people are ashamed to talk about profits, such a news report is enough to make Wang Shuo bloody scolded.

In just a few days, he received many comments such as "China's most money-hungry writer" and "a villain is better than profit".

Because he was criticized by the public for asking for royalties, Wang Shuo was very depressed, and found Lin Weimin to confide his thoughts to him cursing.

Lin Weimin was a little embarrassed, Shuozi was his brother, and now his brother was charging ahead, how could he just stand aside and watch?
This was wrong, and the next day I found Li Xiangyang from the "Yanjing Youth Daily" for Wang Shuo.

"We can't just be scolded and not reply, that's not our style."

Lin Weimin's "kindness" encouragement made Wang Shuo suddenly high-spirited and started talking mode.

Isn't it just a war of words, who is afraid of whom, I have never lost in my life!
In the later generations, Wang Shuo has become a well-known hot cannon since the mid-90s, Qi Baishi, Zhang Yimou, Li Ao, Bush Jr., Lu Xun, Yu Qiuyu...

As long as he looks unhappy, he will hate whoever he sees.

Now, with the help of Lin Weimin's "good intentions", Wang Shuo has started the talk mode in advance.

Through the channel of "Yanjing Youth Daily", I communicated with those critics from the outside world. It is a pity that one person is always alone in the face of many media and opponents.
It is not Teacher Lin's style to let a brother fight alone. After Wang Shuo quarreled in the newspaper for half a month, Lin Weimin finally spoke out through the "Yanjing Youth Daily".

"Wang Shuo has loosened the shackles of Chinese writers!"

In a word, he clearly expressed his attitude.

After Lin Weimin spoke out, more and more writers stood up through the media, Cheng Zhongshi, Lu Yao, Shi Tiesheng, Er Yuehe, Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Ma Yuan, Jiang Zilong, Huang Anyi, Cheng Jiangong, Haiyan, Liu Heng ...

Everyone’s speeches are similar. It is not shameful for writers to talk about royalties, and publishers are not fools.

Lin Weimin fired the first shot, and then dozens of well-known writers in the domestic literary world collectively spoke out. Many media who criticized Wang Shuo saw so many writers working together, they were at a loss for a while, and fell into aphasia.

And the news that reported the content of these writers' voices quickly occupied the media space, which reversed the originally one-sided situation in an instant.

Through this incident, Lin Weimin showed his influence in the domestic writer circle for the first time in the media, quite like the "big brother who takes the lead" in "Dragon Babu"!

(End of this chapter)