Chapter 7: The Official Signing

On the day of the official signing, Akiwara Yuto arrived at the headquarters of Mantan Society early.

At the entrance of this gray office building, besides seeing men and women in black formal wear coming and going, one could occasionally see people running while clutching manuscript bags.

He was not surprised, however; magazine releases have strict deadlines, and if an emergency arises, editors must give their all to catch up on progress.

Akiwara Yuto walked into the lobby and noticed a huge glass display cabinet on the right side. He had been in a rush last time and hadn't noticed it, but this time he could take a good look.

He walked up and examined the display cabinet, finding four or five hundred books on display. Judging by the information on the covers, these were books and magazines published by Mantan Society over the years.

Is this the spirit of a major publisher like Mantan Society? It certainly cannot be underestimated.

He guessed the intention behind placing the display cabinet here: it not only increases the employees' sense of pride but also demonstrates strength to distributors and writers who come for business.

It was as if someone were saying, "Look, this is the historical foundation of our Mantan Society!"

Seeing this, he became a bit curious about what the other major publishers were like.

In his original world, many domestic readers who loved manga liked to refer to Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Kodansha as the "Big Three Publishers" based on the sales of the three major manga weeklies in Japan.

But from the perspective of equity, it would be more accurate to call them publishing groups, and there are actually four: Hitotsubashi, Otowa, Kadokawa, and Shinchosha.

The Hitotsubashi Group is a publishing group formed by Shogakukan and its offshoots, Shueisha and Hakusensha; it got its name because it is located in Hitotsubashi.

Shogakukan, the earliest established company in the group, made its fortune by publishing books for children, and later, to specialize in entertainment content, it spun off a subsidiary, which was the predecessor of Shueisha.

As it turned out, the subsidiary Shueisha grew increasingly successful, leading to significant conflicts with the parent company, and it eventually became independent.

Even today, many of the two publishers' businesses remain in direct competition. Of course, in important areas, the two still act in unison against outsiders.

Besides this behemoth, there are the other three: the Otowa Publishing Group (centered on Kodansha), the Kadokawa Group (centered on Kadokawa Shoten), and Shinchosha.

These four major publishing groups indirectly monopolize the majority of the Japanese publishing market. At the same time, they have cross-shareholding relationships with upstream and downstream distributors, newspapers, and television stations, forming an extremely vast chain of interests.

For example, when promoting the IP of a book, a small publisher might have to wait bitterly for film companies or television stations to come to them. But these large publishing groups can often find the right people quickly with just a few phone calls.

It is not that small publishers haven't risen to prominence, but they are extremely rare—as scarce as lice on a bald man's head.

Akiwara Yuto sighed; compared to these behemoths, he was as insignificant as a grain of sand.

However, he did not belittle himself; relying on the precious wealth of memories from his past life, he would sooner or later carve out his own career in this world.

That said, he couldn't help but feel a bit confused about which publisher from his past life Mantan Society was most similar to.

At this moment, he caught sight of the clock hanging above the front desk and realized it was almost time for his appointment, so he stopped his wandering thoughts, checked his appearance in the glass, and strode toward the front desk.

After receiving a visitor's badge, he was led by the front desk staff to the 16th floor and walked to the editorial department of *New Novel*.

Arriving at the entrance of the editorial department, he looked around the office and couldn't help but be surprised.

If the lobby could be described as "imposing," then "slovenly" would be a generous description for this editorial department.

The space of about 80 *tsubo* was partitioned by long tables and cabinets, but thick stacks of books were piled on every table and cabinet.

Not only that, but there were also many messy papers on the floor, making one wonder how these editors managed to work in such a chaotic environment.

The staff member who brought him over felt a bit embarrassed; they went in to notify Asano Aiko and then turned and left.

Asano Aiko walked out immediately, smiled with dimples, and said, "Good morning, Akiwara-san."

Akiwara Yuto smiled and returned the greeting, while also taking a look at her attire today. Compared to her outfit at the cafe, Asano Aiko looked much more professional today.

She wore a white shirt and a black jacket on her upper body, and a gray pencil skirt on her lower body, making her look refined and possessing a "career woman" aura.

Asano Aiko exchanged a few pleasantries with Akiwara Yuto, then led him toward a small conference room on the other side, explaining the day's schedule as they walked.

"Akiwara-san, besides signing the contract today, I would like to trouble you to meet with our Editor-in-Chief, Kikuchi."

Akiwara Yuto naturally agreed; he was well aware of the importance of social etiquette.

Judging from the personnel of the editorial department, the Editor-in-Chief was undoubtedly the one with the most power, capable of deciding every aspect of a magazine's work.

He thought for a moment and asked politely, "May I ask, what is the Editor-in-Chief's personality like? Does he have any hobbies?"

After all, as the person in charge of the magazine, it would be better to have more information if he wanted to handle the relationship well.

Asano Aiko pondered for a moment and replied, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi is a rather easygoing person with no airs, and he quite likes baseball."

Akiwara Yuto nodded; in any case, it was better for him to be courteous. Regardless of whether the other party had airs, he was just a newcomer, and he still had to observe the proper etiquette.

Asano Aiko continued, "Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi has over 20 years of experience and is a genuine veteran editor. He has worked with many writers before, many of whom later published bestsellers, and a few even won various literary awards."

"Akiwara-san, he just wants to have a simple chat, so there is no need to worry too much."

She didn't say much more, as basically every writer who signed a contract met with the Editor-in-Chief once; it had become a convention of the editorial department.

Hearing this, Akiwara Yuto felt there was no need to overthink it; it seemed to be just a routine meeting.

As the two talked, they walked into the small conference room, where a middle-aged man in a black suit was already waiting for them.

The man greeted them warmly, invited them to sit opposite him, then handed over two copies of the contract and said politely, "Akiwara-sensei, this is the contract. It is in duplicate; please take a look."

After thanking him, Akiwara Yuto spread it out in front of him and read it carefully, feeling slightly surprised. As expected of a major publisher, they were much more generous than those stingy small and medium-sized publishers.

Regarding the manuscript fee, calculated based on 400-character manuscript paper, he would receive about 7,000 yen per page.

His previously submitted *Kozue and Yoko* was 15,000 characters long, which would earn him about 260,000 yen—equivalent to about four months of his rent—and the payment would arrive in the next two days.

As for royalties, they were calculated at 10% of the retail price, which was slightly higher than the industry average.

For example, if a standalone book were to be published, assuming a print run of 50,000 copies at a price of 2,000 yen, he would receive 10 million yen regardless of whether they sold.

In the long run, if the work were adapted into a film or animation, he could receive substantial primary and secondary usage fees depending on the work's popularity, though the specific amount would have to be negotiated with the producers and users.

But for now, all he could get was the manuscript fee; the other numbers were just nice to look at.

After all, only if his work was recognized by a large number of readers could he consider the possibility of publishing a standalone book or an adaptation.

Akiwara Yuto read it carefully and felt it was acceptable.

He was just a newcomer with little room for bargaining, and it wasn't worth it for the publisher to modify this standard contract for him.

If he made a name for himself in the future, the publisher would surely take the initiative to offer better terms and make greater concessions regarding manuscript fees and royalties.

After pondering, he began to fill in his personal information on the contract, though he hesitated when filling in his address.

He was considering whether to move as soon as he got the money; the soundproofing was so poor that he could even hear the upstairs neighbors "clapping for love," which really affected his work and rest.

Seeing his hesitation, Asano Aiko became nervous and watched him with wide eyes.

Seeing him continue to write and finish, then stamp his personal seal, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The contract was signed smoothly, and Akiwara Yuto calculated his potential income with satisfaction; he then took his copy of the contract and left the small conference room with Asano Aiko.

The next step was to meet with Editor-in-Chief Kikuchi; he wondered what kind of person he would be...