Chapter 81: Subscription Launch Reflection

After all the twists and turns, it’s another day of subscription launch.

The free period lasted over a month; originally, the editor suggested I reverse-V, meaning adding some early chapters to VIP.

But Jiu Deng refused.

Then they scheduled the launch for the 19th; Jiu Deng secretly posted one chapter at midnight on the 19th, then gave everyone one free chapter afterward.

At 7 PM on the 19th, the VIP chapter will be updated on time.

Let’s talk about this book.

This new book, after carefully reviewing my chat logs with the editor and my backend writing records, has had fourteen versions.

Not because all fourteen were built on the same foundation, but because I wrote fourteen different openings.

Some openings Jiu Deng thought were good, but the editor rejected; some the editor liked, but after thinking it over, Jiu Deng still decided to abandon.

Back and forth like this, until ten days before publication, we finally settled on the final manuscript, wrote ten thousand words in reserve, and began uploading the new book.

The reason for all this is tied to the previous book.

For certain reasons, the genres Jiu Deng excels in can’t be written; several new books flopped, and honestly, Jiu Deng’s mindset changed.

To achieve better results, Jiu Deng studied popular books, learned their styles, and tried to understand what readers now enjoy and what memes they like.

Slowly integrating them.

Thus came the previous book.

Indeed, the early performance of that book was excellent!

The first chapter subscription reached over seventy thousand, but the average subscription collapsed.

Why did it collapse?

After discussing with the editor, Jiu Deng realized it was due to mindset—too impatient.

Competition for new books on Qidian is brutal; you must go through round after round of PKs. I’m sure readers have seen this mentioned by other authors in their novels.

Fail one round of PK, and your fate is sealed.

To achieve fast pacing, Jiu Deng sacrificed many plot points and accelerated too much, ultimately forcing constant revisions and ever-faster pacing of the outline…

…

Forget it, past regrets are too painful; I’ll just bow deeply to apologize.

…

Even now, after finalizing this version, it’s still not the best version the editor and I envisioned.

The best version? I can’t write it.

That version would have faster pacing, stronger hatred, and more satisfying payoffs.

In the editor’s words, it would have higher commercial value.

But I tried writing ten thousand words in that style—honestly, it took me two full days.

Only then did I understand: while choosing the current popular version is clever, an author isn’t a machine.

Every author has their own personality, and personality shapes their writing style.

This is extremely hard to change.

In the end, I chose this version.

My reply to the editor was only one sentence: I write this version smoothly.

I write it smoothly because I can step into the characters, I can merge with the protagonist, no longer treating him as a cold, lifeless symbol.

I don’t need to strain my brain inventing twists and memes; when the protagonist faces a situation, I ask: what would I do? Not what a commercially engineered protagonist should do.

Of course, I can’t please every reader, but at least I’m satisfied.

When I’m satisfied, my mind is clear, and my pen flows like magic.

The editor was convinced, but reminded me: “Too slow to warm up—your new book’s performance may suffer. Be prepared.”

Me: “An out-of-date bigshot is worse than a Level 1 author—what’s there to prepare for? Being a ‘bigshot’ has become a shackle.”

Like Kong Yiji, unable to shed his long robe.

But Jiu Deng took it off; from the previous book to this one’s title, you can see it—no bigshot would use such a long title, because it means giving up their prestige.

When I treat myself as a newcomer, I feel far more at ease.

I privately spoke with a reader who’s followed me for ten years about this new book; he said: “Write what you want to write. Write what flows naturally for you.”

He said: “Write more. Update more!”

Then, out of nowhere, he copied and sent me this passage:

When you update once a day, tiny flaws are magnified, and your immature prose is criticized.

When you update twice a day, a little patience emerges, and plot progression gains attention.

When you update three times a day, faint praise begins to surface, and dead subscriptions start to drop.

When you update five times a day, readers spontaneously defend you, and praise grows louder.

When you update ten times a day, the debates of great scholars deafen you, and tolerance becomes absolute.

…

That’s damn right!

Thus, this book was finally settled.

Thanks to everyone’s tolerance and kindness, our new book passed all four rounds of PKs safely—can’t match the top hits, but Jiu Deng is already very satisfied.

As subscription launch approaches, I’m being honest: I only have ten chapters in reserve—not many!

I deleted a lot of reserve content!

Because the Lunar New Year is coming, and I have family and children, Jiu Deng must keep a few chapters as backup for emergencies, so these reserves can’t be touched; extra reserves also allow more time to think through plots and adjust anytime, so from this single chapter onward, until tomorrow at 7 AM, I’ll update however many chapters I can write.

Five cans of Red Bull are already ready; Jiu Deng’s typing speed can handle three to four chapters without issue.

Finally, as always: please support with a first subscription and a monthly vote.

I hope you’ll support this new book for three months, because the new book’s traffic recommendations depend solely on subscriptions.

I bow to you all!

Wishing you all a prosperous Year of the Snake: before the New Year, sit at the table and dominate; after the New Year, sit at the table and gather wealth from all directions.

(End of chapter)