[{"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-23":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},2348257,4589,"Chapter 23: Signing, Planning","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>Just as Cao Sheng expected, when it came to the manuscript fee, the price offered by the other party was indeed not high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Qingshu: \"Given that you have not published any works before and have no fame with us, we can only pay you according to the standard for new authors for the time being, which is 3,000 RMB per volume (65,000 characters per volume). If this book has a good market response, we will certainly increase your manuscript fee for your next work. If you have no objections to the manuscript fee, we can officially sign the contract today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3,000 per volume?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Cao Sheng had long anticipated that the manuscript fee would not be high, this price still left him a bit disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered that around the year 2003 in his original timeline, the publishing price for new authors in Wanwan seemed to be 4,500 per volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was now 1998, so it was normal for the price per volume to be lower than in 2003.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when it came to his own interests, he still wanted to see if he could get more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he replied: \"3,000 yuan per volume?? You also said that my book is written quite well. If this is the highest price your publishing house can offer me, then I might have to consider it carefully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Chang Qingshu replied: \"3,000 RMB per volume is the price for all new authors. Of course, we do think highly of the market prospects of your work, so we can adjust this price appropriately. However, my authority is limited, and I can only increase it slightly. For anything more, I would need to ask the president for instructions. I hope you can understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng: \"What price can you offer me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Qingshu: \"4,000. This is the highest price I can offer within my authority. If you want more, you can state your expected manuscript fee, and I will apply for it to the president on your behalf. But I cannot give you a definitive answer as to whether the president will approve it or how long it might take. I hope you understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4,000?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng hesitated a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he wanted to get a higher manuscript fee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reason told him—in 1998, as a completely new author, being able to get such a high manuscript fee was already quite rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he let this Chang Qingshu go and apply to their president, even if the price could be negotiated higher, it probably wouldn't be much higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was that doing so might cause the publication, which was already set to be finalized, to fall through due to the issue of the manuscript fee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes! Since his book could pass the review of this publishing house, it should also have a chance to pass the review of another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, could other publishing houses necessarily offer a higher price?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what about the time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he submitted his manuscript to other publishing houses again, how much longer would he have to wait?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the second and third publishing houses rejected his manuscript one after another and were unwilling to publish his book, could he still survive on his living expenses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A newcomer has no right to negotiate terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a principle he had understood long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he proved the market value of his work, he had no bargaining power at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when his work became popular in the market and other publishing houses came to him to commission work would the initiative shift into his hands, and only then would he have the qualifications to negotiate the price he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These thoughts flashed through his mind, leading him to a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright! Then 4,000 per volume. I agree to this price. Can we sign the contract now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Chang Qingshu replied: \"I am very glad that we have reached an agreement on the manuscript fee. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation in the future. I will transmit the contract to you immediately. After you print it out, sign it, and mail it to the receiving address I provided, that will be fine. You need to print two copies of the contract. After you sign them on your end, once we receive the contract you mailed, we will sign and stamp it, and then mail one copy back to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Cao Sheng walked out of the internet cafe, the smile on the corner of his mouth and his light footsteps both showed his mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4,000 yuan per volume might not seem like much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But each volume was only 65,000 characters. With his typing speed, even if he had to attend classes, if he worked a little harder, writing two volumes of manuscript a month should be no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he could earn 8,000 per month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was in a good state and worked a little harder, it was not impossible for him to write three volumes of manuscript a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could write three volumes a month, that would be 12,000 in manuscript fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an income, placed in the 2024 web novel circle, would not count for much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was 1998 now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father worked hard every month and could only earn two or three hundred yuan. At the end of the year, counting the income from farming at home, he might not even be able to save two thousand yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his parents knew that he had the chance to earn twelve thousand a month now, they would definitely burn more paper money for their ancestors during the New Year to thank them for their protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, as a reborn person, this bit of manuscript fee could not satisfy him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still intended to ask the publishing house for a raise if the book sold well after publication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they didn't raise it, he would threaten them with finishing the book soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would not give up the benefits he should fight for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After coming out of the internet cafe, he went to the printing shop at the school gate, printed two copies of the contract according to the publishing house's requirements, signed them, and went to the post office to mail the contract to the receiving address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Qingshu said that once the contract arrived at their publishing house, they would remit the manuscript fee for the first volume into his bank account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they would arrange for the book to be published as soon as possible, and when it was published, they would mail 5 sample copies to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the manuscript fee for the second month would be delayed by one month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng wanted to have money to buy a laptop for typing as soon as possible, so when he heard that the second month's manuscript fee would be delayed by one month, he suggested that he submit two volumes of manuscript next month, and let the other party pay for one volume and hold one volume's fee next month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was politely refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was: this book had not yet been tested by the market. According to custom, the first three volumes would be spread over three months, with only one volume published each month to test the market's response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the market response was poor, the publishing house had the right to ask him to finish the work as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding this, Cao Sheng had no choice but to follow the other party's rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new author and a new work...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was normal for the other party to be a little cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still wanted to buy a computer of his own to type as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed of handwriting the manuscript was really too slow, and after finishing it, he still had to find time to go to the internet cafe to type it out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The efficiency was too low!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would affect his monthly manuscript fee income in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that his first volume's manuscript fee was only 4,000 yuan, and the current price of laptops was generally very expensive; a laptop would easily cost seven or eight thousand, or even ten thousand yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would have to wait until the 2000s, after the Shenzhou laptop came out, to bring down the inflated price of laptops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he could only consider a desktop computer for now, and it had to be a relatively cheap assembled machine; the price of finished machines was also inflated, and 4,000 yuan might not be enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he still had to save some money for living expenses, and he also had to take out some money to rent a room, because the eight-person dormitory he lived in now was often visited by other classmates and seniors, and with many people, it was chaotic. If he bought a computer and put it in the dormitory, he might not even know who did it if it was broken or stolen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, if the computer was in the dormitory, he would probably find it hard to calm down and type.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on all these factors, Cao Sheng prepared to keep his budget for buying a computer under 3,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining 1,000 yuan would be used for renting a room and food.\u003C\u002Fp>",1559,"2026-06-21T01:55:54.452Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","5187a84c4fcd88bfc646f48e219adfe7780a21c744e4cbbee228ff1e8826fa05","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-24","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-22",338,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-cover.jpg"]