Chapter 23: Signing the Contract, the Plan

As Cao Sheng had expected, when it came to discussing the manuscript fee, the price the other side offered was indeed not high.

Evergreen Tree: "Given that you have not published any work before, and you have no reputation with us either, regarding the manuscript fee, we can only temporarily set you at the new-author standard for now — that is, 3,000 RMB per installment of your work (65,000 characters per installment). If this book gets a good market response, for your next work we will definitely raise your manuscript fee. If you have no objections to the fee portion, we can formally sign the contract today."

3,000 per installment?

Although Cao Sheng had long anticipated the fee wouldn't be high, this price still left him a little disappointed.

He remembered that around 2003 in his original timeline, the publishing price for new authors over in Taiwan seemed to be about 4,500 per installment.

However, it was now '98, so the per-installment price being a bit lower than '03 was normal.

But since it involved his own interests, he still wanted to try whether he could get more.

So he replied: "3,000 RMB per installment?? You also said my book is written decently. If this is the highest price your press can give me, then I may have to think it over carefully."

A moment later, Evergreen Tree replied: "3,000 RMB per installment is the price for all new authors. Of course, we do indeed look favorably on the market prospects of your book, so we can adjust this price appropriately. But my authority is limited — I can only raise it a little. For more, I would need to request approval from the president. I hope you can understand."

Cao Sheng: "What price can you raise it to for me?"

Evergreen Tree: "4,000 — that is the highest price I can give you within my authority. If you want higher, you can state your expected manuscript fee, and I will apply on your behalf to the president. But whether the president approves it, and roughly how long it will take, I cannot give you an accurate answer here. I hope you understand."

4,000?

Cao Sheng was a little hesitant.

Of course he wanted to get a higher manuscript fee.

But reason told him — in '98, as a pure new author, being able to get such a high manuscript fee was already hard to come by.

Even if he had this Evergreen Tree go apply to their president for him, even if the price could be negotiated higher, it probably wouldn't be much higher.

The key was that doing so might ultimately cause a publishing deal that was already about to be locked down to fall through over the fee issue.

True! Since his book could pass this publisher's review, it should also have a chance to pass other publishers' reviews.

But could other publishers definitely offer a higher price?

And what about time?

If he resubmitted to other publishers, how much longer would he have to wait?

If the second, third publishers rejected his manuscript one after another, unwilling to publish his book, could his living expenses still hold out?

Newcomers don't have the qualifications to negotiate terms.

This was a truth he had long understood.

Before he proved his work's market value, he had no bargaining power at all.

Only when his work became popular in the market and other publishers came to him for manuscripts would the initiative shift into his hands, and only then would he have the standing to negotiate the price he wanted.

These thoughts flashed through his mind and gave him a decision.

"Fine! Then 4,000 per installment, I agree to this price. Can we sign the contract now?"

A moment later, Evergreen Tree replied: "I'm very glad we've reached an agreement on the manuscript fee. I hope our future cooperation goes smoothly. I'll... I'll send you the contract right away. After you print it out, sign it, and mail it back to the receiving address I provide you. You need to print two copies of the contract. After you sign on your end, once we receive the contract you mailed, we'll sign and stamp it, and mail one copy back to you."

……

When Cao Sheng came out of the internet café, the smile at the corner of his mouth and his light footsteps both showed his mood.

4,000 RMB per installment didn't seem like much.

But each installment was only 65,000 characters. At his typing speed, even with classes during the day, if he pushed himself, writing two installments a month should be no problem.

So he could earn 8,000 a month.

If his condition was good and he pushed harder, writing three installments in a month wasn't impossible either.

If he could write three installments a month, that would be 12,000 in fees.

An income like this, placed in the web-novel circle of 2024, wouldn't amount to much.

But it was now '98.

His dad, toiling hard every month, could only earn two or three hundred RMB. Over a whole year, counting the family's income from farming, he might not even be able to save two thousand.

If his parents knew he now had a chance to earn twelve thousand in a month, during this New Year they would surely burn extra paper money for the ancestors, to thank them for their protection.

Of course, as a reborn person, this bit of manuscript fee couldn't satisfy him.

In his heart he still planned that if this book sold well after publication, he would demand a fee increase from the publisher.

If they refused, he would threaten to wrap up the story soon.

The interests he should fight for, he would not give up.

……

After leaving the internet café, he went to the print shop at the school gate, and as the publisher required, printed two copies of the contract, signed them, and went to the post office to mail the contract to the recipient address.

Evergreen Tree said that once the contract was mailed to their press, they would remit the first installment's fee into his bank account.

Then they would arrange for the book to be published as soon as possible, and when it was published, they would mail him five sample copies.

But the second month's fee would be delayed by one month.

Cao Sheng wanted to have money as soon as possible to buy a laptop for typing, so upon hearing that the second month's fee would be delayed by a month, he proposed that he would hand in two installments next month, and the other side would pay one installment's fee next month and hold back one installment's fee.

But he was politely refused.

The reason was: this book had not yet been tested by the market. Per convention, the first three installments had to be spread over three months, publishing only one installment per month, to test the market's response.

If the market response was poor, the publisher had the right to demand he wrap up the work as soon as possible.

Regarding this, Cao Sheng had no choice but to follow the other side's rules.

New author, new work…

It was normal for the other side to be a bit cautious.

But he still wanted to buy a computer of his own for typing as soon as possible.

The speed of handwriting manuscripts was really too slow — after finishing, he still had to find time to go to the internet café and type it all out again by hand.

Efficiency was too low!

It would affect his monthly manuscript fee income going forward.

Only, his first installment's royalties were only 4,000 yuan, and laptop prices were generally very expensive at the moment — a single laptop typically cost seven or eight thousand, even over ten thousand.

They'd have to wait until the early 2000s, after Shenzhou laptops came out, before the inflated laptop prices could be driven down.

So, for now he could only consider a desktop, and it would have to be a relatively cheap assembled machine — prebuilt desktops were also inflated in price, and 4,000 yuan might not even be enough.

Besides, he still had to set aside some money for living expenses, and also had to take out a bit to rent a room, because the eight-person dorm he was currently living in often had other classmates and seniors dropping by; with so many people around, if the computer he bought was kept in the dorm, he wouldn't necessarily know who had damaged it or stolen it.

Most importantly, with the computer in the dorm, he'd probably find it hard to settle down and write.

Taking everything into account, Cao Sheng planned to keep his computer-buying budget within 3,000.

The remaining 1,000 yuan would go toward rent and meals.