Chapter 717 "A Song of Ice and Fire" was forced to postpone its publication
But soon, the book buying craze in major bookstores in the United States answered this question.
During the two-day Christmas holiday, the "Harry Potter" book has become one of the hottest topics during this holiday. Major bookstores in major cities in the United States have posted posters of "Harry Potter", New York There are long queues at the entrances of famous bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Strand Books, San Francisco's Agenor, and Chicago's Myopik.
This craze has also begun to spread online. On the famous American forum CFido, "Harry Potter" has become a hot topic.
One post is followed by dozens of answers.
One of the most followed threads is: "How does Quirrell sleep in the novel?"
Of course, because he can't sleep on his back, otherwise one of the most powerful and evil wizards in history will be killed because of it. His face was forced into the pillow and he was suffocated, so how did he sleep? !
“Sleep on your side” someone immediately replied.
"No, it should be lying down."
On this issue, hundreds of floors have been built.
Fang Minghua also logged into this forum with great interest, registered an account and watched it for a while, of course just diving.
But what he didn't expect was that the publication of his book would actually affect the release of another very famous fantasy novel.
New York Bantam Books, Inc.
Bantam Company is also one of the famous book companies in the United States. It has a long history. It was established in 1945, but was occupied by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1977. Telsman Publishing Group merged and became a subsidiary.
In a few days, they were going to launch the official announcement of a blockbuster book, but they were disrupted by the release of "Harry Potter".
President Joseph got the news as soon as he got to work today, and he suddenly became worried. Having been in the book publishing industry for nearly forty years, he felt that this matter was no small matter.
He plans to immediately stop the promotion of the new book to avoid this wave of craze. Of course, the release of the new book will also be postponed.
However, although he is the president of the company, sometimes he cannot completely make the decision, especially in terms of book operation and distribution, which is almost entirely handled by Vice President Jacob.
Jacob has an arrogant attitude, and sometimes he doesn’t take him as the CEO seriously, and there is nothing he can do about it as the CEO.
Who was sent from the Bertelsmann Publishing Group headquarters?
A direct descendant of the chairman of the group.
However, this Jacob is indeed very capable. He has made some achievements in market operations. The steady improvement of the company's sales in recent years has a lot to do with his work.
Yasef also has to admire this. Anyway, he will retire in two years, so there is no need to worry about it. This seems to be magnanimous.
He called his female secretary and asked Jacob to come over.
A few minutes later, Jacob pushed the door open.
Jacob is in his early forties, looks very handsome, wears a crisp suit, and has the usual Germanic arrogance. At this time, he walked into the president's office with a book in his hand.
When Jacob's sapphire-covered book was placed on the boss's desk, Yasef also saw clearly that it was the "Harry Potter and Magic" that had become a hit at Christmas two days ago. stone"!
"Oh, Jacob, did you buy it?" Joseph asked.
"No, it's not me, it's my daughter who is in high school." Jacob said: "I bought it at Strand Bookstore. It is said that I queued for an hour."
"My God!” Joseph exclaimed: “There are very few writers whose books can make readers queue up to buy them!”
"Yes, Joseph, but this Minghua seems to be an exception." Jacob said: "This is not the first time he has written a book like this." After hearing this, Joseph scratched his gray hair.
This Chinese writer is really a freak. His novels are so popular in the United States?
"Jacob, have you read this novel? How is it written?" Joseph asked again.
“I have to read it with my daughter, so I haven’t finished it yet.” Jacob said truthfully: “But as far as I have read the first part, this novel is indeed very well written and typical. Fantasy style”
"Compared with that "Song of Ice and Fire"?" Joseph asked again.
"A Song of Ice and Fire"!
This is a fantasy novel written by the famous American writer George Raymond Richard Martin. It mainly describes a series of palace struggles, battlefield battles, and travels that took place in a fictional medieval world. A story of adventure and magic.
The author plans to write seven volumes and has completed the first volume. This is also the book that Bantam Company will launch.
Hearing Joseph ask this, Jacob pondered for a moment and replied: ""Harry Potter" and "A Song of Ice and Fire" are both magical novels, but they are somewhat different. The former "Semi-imaginary", the magical world and the world we live in) have great similarities and overlaps. As for the latter, a "completely imaginary" work, the author has fictionalized an entire universe, which has its own customs, culture, etc."
"You mean, "Harry Potter" is more immersive to read than "A Song of Ice and Fire"?" Joseph keenly heard the meaning of Jacob's words.
“Yes, from this point of view alone, "Harry Potter" has an advantage, and it is relatively easy to understand. It tells the story of a group of students in a magic academy and is more easily accepted by teenagers. "Jacob continued.
“However, "A Song of Ice and Fire" has its own advantages. The grand structure and serious style are more suitable for adults to read. But from a literary point of view, I think the songs of "A Song of Ice and Fire" are still good. "Slightly better."
"Oh" Yasef fell into deep thought after hearing this.
After a while, he asked in a tentative tone: "Then, do you think the official release of "A Song of Ice and Fire" needs to be postponed?"
"It's better to postpone it."
Yasef was a little surprised by Jacob's frankness. He smiled and said: "Jacob, you don't usually have this attitude."
After hearing this, a bitter smile slowly appeared on Jacob's arrogant face:
"I have always thought that "A Song of Ice and Fire" is a good book that will bring huge profits to the company. I have done a lot of work to publish this book as soon as possible. I did not expect that this book would appear out of thin air at this critical moment. "Harry Potter," and the idea of advertising books in Times Square is an absolute genius."
"Maybe it was God's will that I postpone "A Song of Ice and Fire." Release, I am a devout Christian and I accept God’s arrangement.”
After hearing Jacob's words, Yasef couldn't help but feel sarcastic.
As expected, he was sent from the headquarters, and he speaks well.
Of course you can't say this, it will hurt your temper.
"Then when will it be released?" Yasef asked again.
"By July, when students are on summer vacation, the popularity of "Harry Potter" has diminished, which is perfect for the publication of our new book. Now I want to temporarily suspend the new book promotion plan." Jacob replied.
"OK, that's it."
It is rare for the two presidents to reach an agreement.
(End of this chapter)