Linxia

Chapter 167, Pre-sale

That morning, there was still a hazy fog in the air, and a group of people came to Xuan Mo Zhai.

This group of people was roughly divided into two groups. One group was headed by Fang Lin, which included people from the popular fiction guild in Huai'an Prefecture, such as the Hong brothers of Shuxiang Pavilion, and the owners of Jiaxuan Bookstore, Moxiang Pavilion, Qianzangwu, Wanjuanlou and other bookstores. The other group was led by the Fan family, and they were booksellers with good reputation in various prefectures in the Jianghuai area, with three to five booksellers selected from each prefecture.

"As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Today, the second volume of my Romance of the Three Kingdoms is on pre-sale. It's a good opportunity for all the bosses to take a look so that they can have a better idea of ​​what to expect and make subsequent bids."

A few days ago, the news that the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" would be on sale spread like wildfire in the city, attracting many customers to Xuan Mo Zhai and its two branches to inquire. After careful consideration, Fang Lin decided to launch the pre-sale system.

"Pre-sale?" A bookseller named Jin asked in surprise.

"The so-called 'pre-sale', as the name suggests, means paying money in advance, and then on the official release date, customers can come and pick up the books with the receipt," Fang Lin explained.

As soon as this was said, people from the popular fiction guild in Huai'an Prefecture and booksellers from other prefectures in Jianghuai all started to wonder. They knew that in some old cloth shops and restaurants, very few regular customers would make reservations like this, but it was different for their bookstores. They hadn't even seen the book and didn't know the quality, but they were paying in advance. Were they treating customers like fools? Especially with such a large-scale pre-sale, wasn't Fang Lin afraid of being slapped in the face?
The fact is, Fang Lin is really not afraid.

I came to a teahouse diagonally opposite Xuan Mo Zhai, and after sitting down, I saw that there was a constant stream of people going to Xuan Mo Zhai to make reservations.

"Manager Fang, can we go and ask in person?" asked the bookseller named Jin.

"Mr. Jin, please do as you please." Fang Lin nodded.

Shopkeeper Jin grabbed a young man who was heading straight to Xuan Mo Zhai and asked, "Little brother, where are you going?"

"You don't know yet, do you? Today, the second volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms starts pre-sale. I'm here to pay and reserve a copy. When the first volume was released, it was so popular that I couldn't buy it for many days."

The man looked as if he was still afraid: "So, we have to make a decision early this time?"

"Then you are not afraid..." Shopkeeper Jin stopped talking halfway. After all, Fang Lin was here, and some things were difficult to say, as they might offend people.

This person understood what he meant: "What are you afraid of? Shopkeeper Fang is so famous, and Xuan Mo Zhai is a time-honored store, are you afraid that he will run away? As for worrying about the quality of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, that's unnecessary. How can Shopkeeper Fang's book be bad? I'm only worried that the second part won't have enough words and won't be good enough!"

……

The people in the popular fiction guild in Huai'an City were fine with this conversation, but the booksellers in other places in Jianghuai were deeply shocked. They had a deeper understanding of the other party's status in the popular fiction world in Huai'an City, and what they heard afterwards made them doubt their own ears.

"Pre-order 200 copies? That's too many. Our shopkeeper has said that the purchase limit is limited... What, Qinghuan Xiaoju? An acquaintance of the shopkeeper, that's fine. We'll deliver it to you on the day it goes on sale."

The booksellers in Beppu in the Jianghuai area were shocked again. The people in Huai'an city were so damn rich that they could place an order for 200 copies without even blinking an eye?

Afterwards, I stayed for a while longer and saw that most people ordered two or three books at a time, but occasionally someone would order ten, twenty, or fifty books...

Gradually, I felt a little numb.

In fact, among these people, there are not only customers, but also scalpers who emerged after the sale of the first part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". They have inexplicable confidence, betting that the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" will be a big hit and hard to get, and then they will sell the pre-ordered copies at a higher price.

Of course, there are also guests who come to ask repeatedly, hesitate again and again, and finally leave.

The reason for being so cautious is not that he is afraid that Xuan Mo Zhai will run away, but that he is short of money. He is worried that after spending money, the quality of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms will not meet his expectations, and he will lose money. That is why he is hesitant and wants to wait until the book is actually released to see the reviews and word of mouth before deciding whether to buy it.

The latter were only a minority. Most people had established enough trust through the first part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the entire Xuan Mo Zhai was bustling with activity.

Afterwards, I went to two more branches and the prices were similar.

In response to this, everyone in the popular fiction guild of Huai'an Prefecture flattered and praised it.

"Once the Three Kingdoms is out, who can compete? This reminds me of the fear I had when I was competing against Manager Fang in the first part of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"Looking at the popularity, if nothing unexpected happens, when the second volume of Manager Fang's Romance of the Three Kingdoms is actually released, the Three Kingdoms craze in Huai'an will reappear."

"Yes, the storytellers and opera singers in the city are blessed this time. They can follow behind Shopkeeper Fang and eat a lot of food."

……

However, booksellers in other places in the Jianghuai region are finding fault and trying to suppress the later distribution price.

"It's hard to say about popular novels. It depends on luck. This second part may not be as good as the first one."

"Yes, there is a lot of gambling involved. Of course, after all, isn't business all about gambling?"

"What I'm saying is that with such a large-scale pre-sale, the readers' appetite is so high. If the quality of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is slightly inferior, even if it is just slightly mediocre and there is a certain gap between it and the readers' imagination, I'm afraid there will be backlash and criticism, which will greatly damage the reputation."

……

'I'm not afraid of nitpicking, because those who nitpick are the ones who really want it. As for worrying about the poor quality, which will cause a gap in expectations and a backlash in word of mouth? Just ask, with the quality of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is it possible? The pinnacle of popular novels is not just talk. If Romance of the Three Kingdoms cannot meet the expectations of readers, then other popular novels can be used to wipe their butts.'

Fang Lin smiled and said, "I am also a person who values ​​my reputation. Since I dare to pre-sell on a large scale, I am naturally confident in the quality of the second part. Words are not enough to prove it, so I can show you some of the current manuscripts."

Good news must naturally be released continuously in order to push prices up.

I asked someone to bring a sample book, which only contained the first ten chapters of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Although theoretically it was impossible for these people to memorize it, I still had a safe bet in case someone had a photographic memory.

These booksellers in other places in the Jianghuai region got sample books, and people in the popular fiction guild in Huai'an also got some luck and were able to take a sneak peek at the first ten chapters of the second part.

They have all read the first part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, starting from Chapter 31, 'Cao Cao defeats Yuan Benchu ​​at Cangting, Xuande relies on Liu Biao in Jingzhou'. They had no difficulty reading and were quickly immersed in the novel, reading it with fascination.

An hour later, voices were heard one after another, such as "Why is it gone?", "What's next?", "What a great Zhuge Kongming, he just saw the fire burning in Xinye and it's gone below"...

Even though they were itching to read it, they did not forget their business. After confirming the quality of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Beppu booksellers in the Jianghuai area finally couldn't hold back and started to speak up. "It's a good book, it's wonderful! Although I've only read ten chapters, a third of the second part, I can see the writing skills, which is even better than the first part. No wonder Shopkeeper Fang is so confident."

"Manager Fang, what's the price? Before, you only talked about the distribution model, but you didn't mention the price!"

"Five booksellers have come to our Fengyang Prefecture. Whoever offers the highest price wins, or what do you say?"

……

After reading the sample books, they were all excited, rubbing their hands, and eager to try. They couldn't wait to get the distribution qualifications and go back to work hard.

You know, when the first part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was pirated, many people made a lot of money due to competition from many parties.

Now, it has been confirmed that the quality of the second part is not inferior to the first part at all. The risk has been reduced to the lowest. According to the model mentioned by Fang Lin, as a distributor, it will take ten days or half a month to get the manuscript back, which is enough time to seize the initiative. If other booksellers in the city want to pirate the book, they will be at an absolute disadvantage...not to mention, there is also genuine authorization to attract customers!
As for what, snatching food from the mouths of booksellers in the same prefecture city and offending people? They are competitors, so who cares if they die? It would be best if all the counterparts in the same prefecture city were squeezed out!

"As for the buyout price of the distributor, different cities have different economic prosperity and are located at different distances, so it is impossible to unify the price... So, every city in the Jianghuai area will have at least three booksellers, and we will only authorize one, and the bidding will be conducted secretly. The highest bidder wins!" Fang Lin said.

After hearing this, the booksellers from Beppu in the Jianghuai area cursed Fang Lin in their hearts for being a thief, but there was nothing they could do. Such a good book was hard to come by, and they could not possibly give up.

What's more, wouldn't it be embarrassing if you give up but others don't?
Afterwards, the bidding was done secretly, and due to internal competition, the distribution price in each city was guaranteed to be at least three thousand taels of silver.

The booksellers who got the distribution qualification were naturally happy; the booksellers who were stingy just now and therefore failed in the bid were all sighing and regretting that they had bid too low, but there was no medicine to regret.

"The buyout money from these distributors alone is worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, which is probably more than the profit from the in-depth development of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in Huai'an City. Sure enough, establishing channels is the kingly way!" Fang Lin sighed in his heart.

People in the popular fiction guild in Huai'an City, such as Hong Yingheng, were also in a good mood. This time, Fang Lin's second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" had a good start and fired a shot to establish a channel. In the future, they will be able to sell books through this channel and make a lot of extra profits, which is even higher than the profit from selling books in this city. How can they not be happy?
However, Fang Lin is the president of the Popular Fiction Guild of Huai'an Prefecture City, and he also established and controlled this channel. From now on, they all have to please and curry favor with Fang Lin. Realizing this, these people's attitude towards Fang Lin is no longer warm, but almost fawning.

Afterwards, he signed contracts with the successful bidders in Beppu in the Jianghuai area, handing over the money and the manuscripts.

After this procedure, Fan Qingzeng also made an appearance as a deterrent.

To the Fan family, the profit from a popular novel was nothing, but the publicity it brought to Fan's fragrant dew could not be ignored. If there were anyone who did not follow the rules, they would be stealing the Fan family's customers. Therefore, he cared more about the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms than Fang Lin.

The Fan family has a reputation in the Jianghuai area for being quite ruthless, and these Beppu booksellers all know what the consequences will be if they dare to break the rules.

——Yes, there is indeed a saying that goes 'a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake', but the Fan family has considerable influence and connections in the Jianghuai area, and they are not without roots. Besides, it is really a compliment to call these booksellers 'local snakes'. The Fan family may be wary of some dignitaries in their mansion, but as for some of these booksellers, it is really easy for them to deal with them.

Even if some of the successful Beppu booksellers had ulterior motives, they kept their ulterior motives to themselves and repeatedly assured that they would abide by the rules.

Thus, the bidding conference for distributors of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" came to a successful conclusion.

……

After the bidding meeting for distributors of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms ended, the successful Beppu booksellers treated the manuscripts as if they were their lives, and many of them returned by boat overnight.

For them, the earlier they go back and start woodblock printing, the more money they can earn before the pirated copies come out in their own city, which truly proves the saying "time is money".

As for Huai'an Prefecture City, during the following half month, which was the preparation time Fang Lin gave to distributors in various prefectures in the Jianghuai region, the prefectural city's prefectural prefectures saw a steady increase in prefectural prefecture sales, causing his already bold stockpiling capacity to be somewhat insufficient. He had to continue to intensively prepare for printing and frantically stockpile goods.

Until this day, Feng Qingji came to him and said, "Manager Fang, didn't we cooperate well before? Why didn't you come to me for printing this time?"

"Mr. Feng, you may not know that this time, I have cooperated with the Fan family in the sales of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The manuscript issue was solely contracted by the Fan family, and it was difficult for me to refuse. So, when the second batch is expanded for printing, I will give Mr. Feng a big order." Fang Lin appeased the other party with just one sentence.

To be honest, after the news of the release of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" came out, Feng Qingji was really tempted. He was hesitating and felt a little guilty. Now, after hearing Fang Lin's explanation and the promise of a follow-up big order, he had no confidence to turn his back on Fang Lin in the face of a big money sponsor who could bring him benefits.

Thus, a potential hidden danger was eliminated in the bud and the matter was resolved.

……

Time flies, and soon it comes to the day before the official sale of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Xixiang Hutong, Fang family.

At dinner that day, Fang Lin said, "Mom, Sister Xuan, the store will be selling new books tomorrow, so I'm probably going to be a little busy. I might not come back from the store."

"Can't we leave these things to the shop assistants?" Fang's mother sighed, "You brought back that large sum of money a few days ago. I never dared to think of that amount before. I calculated that our family could not spend it all in a lifetime!"

"You can never make enough money, so you should spend more time with Xiaoxuan." Fang's father also said.

"Mom, Lindi has his own reasons. Besides, there are some things in the store that need your attention. I'm fine too, and it's still a long time before I give birth, so I don't need to be with you all the time."

Tian Xuan persuaded Fang's father and mother, then looked at Fang Lin and asked, "Brother Lin, is there any problem with the new book going on sale?"

"No."

Fang Lin smiled, took Tian Xuan's hand and said, "Sister Xuan, you can stay at home and take care of the baby. Leave the things outside to me."

"It is true that as my parents said, I can never make enough money, but I have reasons not to stop. Fortunately, the profit from one Romance of the Three Kingdoms exceeded my expectations. After the fourth one is released, I will have accumulated enough capital to complete the transition from a small capitalist to a big capitalist."

He felt a sense of pride in his heart: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Let's see how much of a storm this second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms can stir up!"

……

(End of this chapter)