Chapter 448 I have an idea
"Flowers for Algernon" has been praised highly on Earth by Library Journal, America Today, Peoria Star-Telegram, The New York Times, and Publishers Weekly, with the review being " A sample of science fiction writing that explores emotional and moral issues. ”
In a parallel world, the situation would be different if the author changed nationality.
Let’s take a look at their reviews.
Oak, a columnist and book reviewer for Library Journal, commented, "He (Gu Lu) may feel that he has mastered the trick of writing - exploring human nature. But "The Shawshank Redemption" comes from the discussion of freedom, and no one wants to hear a twenty-year-old Three-year-old explores human nature ”
"America Today" commented sharply, "The disaster of a novelist's pride. Perhaps Gu Lu doesn't know how to describe smart guys, let alone analyze the brains of smart people, so he can only cover it up with clumsy schizophrenia. Gu Lu seems to be telling everyone It proves that writing "The Shawshank Redemption" was just an accident and that he didn't understand what Americans need."
Not all media are criticizing, but some are praising it. For example, the Los Angeles Times praised, "The novel narrative techniques and the plot outlined shocked readers."
After all, Gu Lu's black mirror series of short stories are still being serialized in The Times.
The sales volume on the first day was 41,000 copies, which seems to be okay just looking at the data.
But considering the cost of publicity and distribution, as well as the huge reputation that Shawshank has built previously, this achievement is quite disappointing.
After receiving the first day's data and further seeing that most of the media's comments were negative, Yao Xiaoju fell into silence.
Since his debut, Brother Xiao Gu has always been a scornful figure in China, as well as in Neon and Daying, and has never experienced failure.
This time... I hope I won't be hit.
Yao Xiaoju called to report the sales results at the appointed time, "Brother Gu, in the current chaotic situation in the United States, and the impact of the decline of the real industry, our sales of Algernon are also the highest among Chinese fiction novels on the first day. .”
"There are a lot of attributive words added in front of it. Why is this thing the same as those brands on Double Eleven? Everyone calls themselves No. 1." Gu Lu heard the clue on the phone, "Come on, how bad is the sales volume? I can accept it. ”
The person on the phone coughed twice, but Yao Xiaoju didn't expect to be exposed directly.
"Actually, it's really good. The previous best sales volume of a domestic fictional work in Hollywood was only 130,000 copies, and it was "The Swordsman"." Yao Xiaoju said, "We sold close to 50,000 copies on the first day. Rounding up, there are ”
King Hulu is actually not surprising at all. There are many Chinese books that are best-selling in the United States, but they are all information and popular science, such as understanding what China eats and understanding Chinese history. However, fiction novels have basically not taken off. Hollywood knows that except for action movies, Chinese characters cannot be used as protagonists. The same goes for the publishing industry.
"I'm a little curious, which Chinese author has the highest sales volume in the United States?" Gu Lu asked.
"The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan has a cumulative sales volume of 500,000 copies." Yao Xiaoju said, "It is about four pairs of Chinese mothers who immigrated to the United States. She knows very well what Americans stereotype China like, so the sales volume is Very high.”
"If Chinese-American writers want to be in the United States, they must write what Americans like to read in order to become famous." Yao Xiaoju said, "Or they must take the road of winning the American Award."
Gu Lu knew that this was the case with "The Three-Body Problem" on Earth, so the sales volume of Three-Body Problem in one year after winning the award reached the combined annual sales volume of all Chinese fictional works in the United States - which reflects that the American market is really difficult to compete with.
"Brother Gu, our work has a very high chance of winning, but it's basically impossible for us to win." Yao Xiaoju sighed.
What about this and this? Gu Lu was a little confused.
"Brother Gu, you are so talented, and your Chinese official attributes are so strong." Yao Xiaoju explained, he had a premonition in his heart. Because Kane's Cthulhu series is a small hit in the United States, but the founder Gu Lu has made no move.
Everything has two sides, Gu Lu agrees.
"I'm sorry, Brother Gu. I still can't beat the Yankees when I play Xuanfa." Yao Xiaoju apologized. Algernon's results were indeed unexpected.
"It's too normal to play at someone else's home court. The referee's certificate belongs to them." Gu Lu said, "In addition, our overseas sales are also good. The cumulative overseas sales of Algernon have also reached three million copies. .”
Sales mainly rely on Neon, the UK and Commonwealth countries.
"The American market is still very important." Yao Xiaoju himself wanted to help the writer return to Uncle Sam's backyard to harvest leeks. A little discouraged.
"Brother Yao, we have had a great time cooperating over the past few years. He has really helped me a lot. Brother Yao, what about you? Have I helped you?" Gu Lu changed the subject and added, "I'm talking about Brother Yao, you have been short since you were a child. The reason why Jieji·Dell Publishing Company ran back to China.”
Why return to China? Yao Xiaoju himself was stunned. Think about it carefully, Ciao! It seems that I want to let my ex-girlfriend who followed the rich third generation know that thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi...
"I was a little over the top. I was a little over the top at the time." Yao Xiaoju was a little embarrassed, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, it is right to pursue a good life. If it weren't for her encouragement, I would not have taken the risk and chose to resign, let alone meet Xiao Gu. Brother. So thinking about it this way, she can be considered a benefactor in my career. I haven’t paid attention to her for a long time, so I hope her life will be smooth.”
Why is Yao Xiaoju so generous now? Because he succeeded. He may not necessarily be richer than the third-generation rich man, but his annual income is 1.8 million pounds (before tax), plus he is the president of the Little Prince Culture Company, so he has connections and status. Especially the connections, because even if the copyright of the series of articles on King Gulu’s Diplomacy was bought by the state, it was indeed because Gu Lu could often deal with high-ranking foreign officials.
So what can make people look away may not be time, but "success".
"In general, even if you took a few years off, Xiao Gu, you still provided enough operational resources." Yao Xiaoju said about the key factor, "And you will never interfere with the company's operations and only concentrate on creation. In this way It’s hard to find a good boss even with a lantern.”
That's good. Gu Lu originally wanted to hear the bloody plot about pretending to slap his ex-girlfriend in the face.
As the two chatted, Yao Xiaoju suddenly said, "What, actually, Flowers for Algernon has a pretty good reputation among American readers. It also has a Goodreads score of 4.0. Readers like it quite a lot."
As an agent, he really cared about this. Gu Lu was also concerned and put forward his own plan.
"I have a novel here that is very suitable for European and American styles." Gu Lu said, "I can try it again next year."
Why didn't you understand? It's not a quality problem! At least in Yao Xiaoju's opinion, Algernon is particularly suitable for European and American tastes. Currently it's a matter of nationality, so no matter how good it is, it won't work!
Unless...unless there is another work of Shawshank's incomparable taste.
Just as Yao Xiaoju spoke and was about to explain, Gu Lu continued, "With our current popularity, can we make the book popular in the Commonwealth, or to be precise, in the English-speaking market outside of the United States?"
After making an estimate, Yao Xiaoju immediately responded, "That's no problem. Our foundation is still very solid, and I can solve the problem of publicity and distribution."
"Really capable." Yao Xiaoju emphasized.
"Can Norway and Spain also trouble Brother Yao?" Gu Lu continued.
Norway and Spain have a base of popularity, but both Norwegian and Spanish are untouched by releases, which is a challenge for Yao Xiaoju.
"Give me enough time, I can finish it." Yao Xiaoju responded after thinking.
"I will think of some solutions in the French-speaking and Russian-speaking regions." Gu Lu said, "What will happen if our new book becomes a bestseller in most markets around the world but is not released in the United States?"
"?"
"!" "6"
After hearing this, Yao Xiaoju could only spit out a number silently, and then took a deep breath to activate his brain, "Does our work isolate America?"
"It's not isolation. How could this be done? Culture has no borders." Gu Lu said, "It's just Algernon's failure that made me seriously lose confidence.
"With a broken Taoist heart, I dare not publish a new book in the United States. Is it reasonable?" Gu Lu asked.
"It's very reasonable." Yao Xiaoju said, "Then Brother Gu, you are under a lot of pressure. You have to write a work that is loved by European and most foreign readers."
A man named Ove decides to die, ready to die.
Gu Lu was not worried, he said, "Brother Yao is also under great pressure. Our company has not explored the Norwegian and Spanish markets yet."
"I'm so stressed that I can't sleep tonight, so I'll go get ready. Brother Gu, please take care of yourself."
The two hung up the phone.
Yao Xiaoju told the truth. He really couldn't sleep. He was very energetic at one o'clock in the morning.
But it’s not because of pressure, it’s because I feel excited after hearing the plan!
This book was recently updated in ##六@@九@@书@@!! Updated!
Ever since the United States gained military hegemony, artists from other countries have been trying one after another to gain recognition from the United States and never dare to isolate the United States.
What does this mean? It represents absolute self-confidence and confidence in the quality of the work. Apart from the United States, other countries can be popular.
By then, Gu Lu's new work will be selling well in most countries around the world, but there will be no movement in the United States. If you want to see it, you can only go to Mexico or Canada next door to buy it.
Brother Xiao Gu just doesn’t bet that American readers have enough appreciation level, he just bets that the American people are used to being overbearing...
The important thing is not the book. It’s nothing if you can’t see a foreign best-seller. The important thing is that in the Internet age, the gentlemen who wear the Union Jack flag are not as good as Mexico, South Korea and Neon. They can’t be compared!
"If I were an American, could I bear it? I certainly can't bear it." Yao Xiaoju said to himself.
He also understood that the diplomatic articles over the past few years, as well as the accumulation of Cthulhu, The Little Prince, Who Moved My Cheese, Mr. Holmes adapted into movies, etc., were all about to be moved.
……
Gu Lu, who proposed the plan, was not so excited, because he was prepared for a long-term plan in his heart. If one book was not suitable for isolation, he would use two or three books.
We need to cultivate more Americans who are brave enough to try. For example, it is like some games are not available in China, or do not have a Chinese version. In short, they do not consider you Chinese players, but the game is fun, but it is not a player, it has a Chinese patch, and it is a foreign game. If you are convinced, you have to eat this crab.
The concept is the same.
Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that Gu Lu is a think tank expert, so he can log into the external network without hanging up a ladder. Of course, mobile phones don’t work, so you have to use your home computer.
He looked to see if there was any contrast between American readers' evaluation of Algernon and Earth's.
In fact, there is no such thing. Google Books uses a five-point scale. As Yao Xiaoju said, a score of 4.2 is really good.
I won’t go into details about the specific book reviews. The praise is still the same for domestic readers and neon readers.
Speaking of something unexpected, the news of Gu Lu's failure abroad actually made South Koreans very excited.
Gu Lu looked along the website. Both Naver News and Yonhap News pushed very exaggerated front-page news.
Pick one to talk about——
"The Chinese summer is no longer rising, and the sales of new works in the United States are far less than those of our South Korean writer Han Jenny."
[Jenny Han is our South Korea... The debut novel "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is the New York Times best-selling romantic comedy.
It tells the story of a secret love letter written by Korean-American high school student Lara Jean. The book has sold a total of 690,000 copies, making it one of the most successful works by Asian writers in the United States.
and has also been adapted into a popular Netflix film series.
…]
That's right, South Korea was so excited just to mock Gu Lu.
It can also be said that Neon and South Korea, the two dogs of the Far East, are more likely to be supported. Anyway, there are quite a few South Korean best-selling authors in the United States, and "The Pinball Game" is also a very best-seller. From Korean-American writer Lee Min Kim.
"Why is South Korea so hostile to me? Have I ever offended Bangzi?" Gu Lu asked himself, and then gave the answer, "Oh, it seems that I have really offended him, and he offended me quite a lot."
Nowadays, the fertility rate in South Korea is not good, and there are still some stick-shame cults that blame Gu Lu, claiming that "the curse comes from Gu Lu. Gu Lu's ancestor is the famous Taoist priest Gu Huan. He respected Taoism and disparaged Buddhism, which caused a large-scale The great mage in the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, so he has this curse ability!”
I don’t know what King Gulu himself would think when he saw it. The key is that this dharma is very popular in South Korea.
Getting back to the topic, Gu Lu saw the carnival sticks in the comment area.
"He just wants the support of China. Now the United States has no use for it."
"I have watched "Flatland" and I thought it was very childish."
"To correct the news, Bouquet for Algernon is not a new work, it is an old work, but it is really not good-looking. It is all wrong words. It is far worse than Jenny Han xi and Lee Min Jin xi."
……
Okay, okay, Gu Lu contacted Yao Xiaoju on WeChat. Since he has become popular in Bangzi recently, is it possible to buy a wave of books in South Korea? After all, he has been scolded, so should he be paid some scolding fees? This is what Gu Lu thought.
Just after I sent the message, I got a phone call.
"Director Zhao, what's the matter?" Gu Lu answered Director Zhao's call. The current unspoken social rules are that if anything is not important, just say it on WeChat.
"It's better to go to the Bear Country to participate in the National Day," Director Zhao said in a helpless tone.
"Huh? Didn't I refuse twice?" Gu Lu responded.
The first time was a WeChat message from Director Zhao, and the second time was a phone call from Director Zhao to say it was a formal invitation.
(End of chapter)