[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of":3,"chapter-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dreaming Back to 1997: I Became the Forefather of Web Novels",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2348256,4589,"Chapter 22: Negotiating Publication","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>\"Greetings, One Speck of Dust in the Central Plains:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you once again for your submission. We are pleased to inform you that your work, *I Wish to Become an Immortal*, has passed our final review. Our editorial team unanimously agrees that your masterpiece features a novel subject, a relaxed and fluid writing style, and a unique flair. The characters are endearing, the supporting cast is vivid, and the plot is captivating. It fully meets our publishing standards. Please contact us as soon as possible to discuss the specific details of publication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We look forward to hearing from you soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wishing you good health and a fountain of literary inspiration!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Chang Qingshu, Xinchang Publishing House\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading this email, Cao Sheng felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happiness was a certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his original timeline, although he had spent many years as a full-time writer, he had entered the industry too late. By the time he began writing, the web novel publishing market in Baodao had already been almost entirely occupied by the big-name authors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time his own work reached a certain standard, the web novel publishing market in Baodao had withered to such a state that even the works of big-name authors were difficult to publish there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, before his rebirth, despite writing for many years, he had never published in Baodao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't published in the mainland either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because web novel publishing in the mainland had never really taken off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As someone who made a living by writing, the fact that his work had never been printed in lead type was undoubtedly a regret in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, seeing that his work could now be published, he was very happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even more so, an ambition for the future was rapidly sprouting within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now the first person to write web novels, and he would likely be the first author to publish one; he was already the undisputed pioneer of this industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People like Guo Xiaosi, Han Er, Sanshao, and Tomato didn't even know what they were doing yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he, Cao Sheng, had already achieved such a first-mover advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this advantage, he naturally had higher expectations for his own future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a web novel author, the standard for success, most of the time, was singular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——That is, whether you have made money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you say your book is well-written, and someone asks how much money you've made, and you say you haven't signed a contract or earned any royalties yet, who is going to respect you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you say your book is well-written and the reader reception is explosive, and someone asks how much you've made, and you say your monthly royalties are about three thousand while someone else says theirs are one hundred thousand, do you still have the confidence to say your book is well-written?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment of their inception, web novel authors have long been nameless and statusless. There are no official awards or recognitions, let alone official financial subsidies. Many people in the outside world haven't even heard of this profession. The only standard for judging whether this profession is good or not is basically how much money you can earn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you earn a lot, others envy you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you earn little, the look in others' eyes is like they are looking at a joke; they might even suspect there is something wrong with your brain, unable to understand why you would do this job if it pays so little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his rebirth, although he had already written *Living with a Flight Attendant* and the beginning of this current book, *I Wish to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been \"generating electricity with love\" all along. Up to this point, he had spent a lot of time and energy, lost countless brain cells, and even paid out quite a bit for internet fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he hadn't earned a single cent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title of \"Web Novel Forefather\" was very intimidating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it couldn't intimidate himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always been clear that if he couldn't earn royalties soon, his living expenses for this semester would quickly run out, and by then, even eating every day would be a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first publishing house he submitted to had agreed to publish his book, *I Wish to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This news brought him not only a sense of accomplishment but also the cash he currently lacked the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With money, he could not only improve his diet but also buy a laptop of his own as soon as possible, making it easier to write every day without having to handwrite it in a draft notebook first and then spend the night at an internet cafe to convert it into an electronic manuscript.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could also rent an apartment to provide himself with a better writing environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next time a beautiful woman wanted to date him, he wouldn't have to refuse because of tight living expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too important for a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this era, only with money can you live with dignity; without money, all your fine qualities are not worth mentioning in the eyes of others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example: being honest and trustworthy, hardworking and ambitious, filial to parents, respecting the old and loving the young...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you have no money, apart from your parents and relatives, who would spare you a second glance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng sat motionless for a long while, staring blankly at the email content on the screen several times. Many past events flashed through his mind. After a long time, the turbulent lake of his heart gradually calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile quietly appeared at the corners of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a phrase flashed through his mind: \"Once a Golden Core is swallowed into the belly, from then on my fate is determined by me, not by Heaven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confidence, at this moment, filled his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to organize his thoughts and reply to the publishing house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\"Thank you! I am very happy to have passed your review. It is already very late now; can we formally communicate about the specific publishing details tomorrow at 2 PM?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When replying to this message, he glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the computer screen—10:44 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't midnight yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the \"tomorrow afternoon\" mentioned in his reply shouldn't cause any ambiguity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next afternoon at 1:30 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng arrived at the Starry Sky Internet Cafe early, opened a terminal, and logged into his email.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he expected, the publishing house's acquisitions editor, Chang Qingshu, had already replied to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\"No problem. See you at 2 PM today. Looking forward to our real-time communication—Chang Qingshu\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng didn't rush to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited until 2 o'clock before replying: \"Hello! I am online. Are you there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Qingshu replied quickly: \"Hello, I am here and ready to discuss the publishing matters for *I Wish to Become an Immortal* with you. May I ask if this book was created by you independently? Does the copyright of this book belong entirely to you personally?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng: \"Yes, this book was created by me independently, and all copyrights belong to me personally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Qingshu: \"Very good! May I ask how long you intend to write this book? What is the approximate total word count?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng: \"The total word count depends on the market response to this book. If the market response is good, I can write it longer; conversely, I can finish it at any time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng did not want to limit the total word count of the entire work when signing the contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew that as a new author publishing his first work, the royalties he could get would certainly not be high, but he wanted to earn more. What should he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His plan was: after the book was published and became a hit, he would demand an increase in royalties. If the publishing house didn't agree, he would say he was planning to finish the work soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doing this seemed a bit shameless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But \"if a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, as long as he didn't agree on a minimum word count for the entire work when signing, or set the expected word count lower, the initiative of when to finish the book would remain in his own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, using his right to finish at any time to negotiate an increase in royalties, what was the problem with that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, if the book became a hit and the other party was still unwilling to increase the royalties, then was the shameless one really him, Cao Sheng?\u003C\u002Fp>",1469,"2026-06-21T01:55:54.452Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","230146f1e262b4cbde54eb1846d31cbba34c9b9d5e63d6058b15c9e0cac6e1dc","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-23","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-21",338,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-cover.jpg"]