Chapter 127 Riho Morikawa’s “good intentions”
Perhaps to most laymen, it doesn’t matter whether the time is the 1960s, the 1980s, or even the 00s.
After all, "Norwegian Wood" is mainly a best-selling romance novel.
But in the eyes of industry insiders, the age difference is very big.
The first is the characteristics of the era in the 1960s, what culture was popular during that period, and what were people's general living conditions like.
It is these trivial details that are the key to writing the flavor of the entire book.
But fortunately, judging from the current 50,000 to 70,000 words, Haruno Sawayama has still brought the flavor of this part to the fullest, and it has been infinitely close to the level of the original work.
This is also what makes Riho Morikawa secretly frightened.
So young, so good at writing?
This is the first time she has encountered this in all her years of working.
Before the official meeting, she thought a lot. The other person might be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with slightly white hair but mature and stable.
He never expected that after the actual meeting, the other person turned out to be a handsome young man who looked younger than his brother.
The contrast is too strong.
"Teacher Kiriyama, you seem to have a deep understanding of that era."
While Riho Morikawa was working hard to organize her words, she couldn't restrain her curiosity and asked, "Can I ask Kiriyama-sensei about how many words he has written now?"
"For now, that's all I've sent to you."
"What about the follow-up?"
"It will probably be written to more than 200,000 in the future. I don't know the specific number." Haruno Sawayama said perfunctorily.
"so."
Riho Morikawa immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the sweetness in front of her also swayed a few times.
What she is most worried about is that the other party does not have the ability to actually complete it. After all, just reading the first few chapters, it is not difficult to see that he has very high requirements for literary level and literary literacy.
In particular, Sawayama Haruno also said that she wrote similar stories after listening to what her grandfather said, which made her even more worried that the other party had not thought about how to deal with the subsequent content when she started writing.
But fortunately, judging from the other party's appearance, he should be prepared. In this regard, he behaves differently from ordinary young people.
As the online editor of Kodansha, she actually received quite a few submissions. Most of them were from naive young people who were still young but dreamed of becoming a great writer.
Focusing on the head but not on the bottom is the best word to describe that group of young people.
That's why she asked more questions.
"Then, let me introduce Mr. Kiriyama to the current literary market and the situation at Kodansha, right?"
Riho Morikawa flipped the hair next to her ear. It was obviously just a simple action, but the way she performed it showed the still-lasting charm of a mature woman.
She smiled faintly and said: "Before confirming the cooperation, Teacher Kiriyama must understand what the current situation of the physical market is like."
"I see."
Zeshan Haruno nodded slightly, his expression as usual. These are very common things. After all, before confirming the cooperation, you have to vaguely talk about the conditions that Kodansha can offer, and what level of cooperation contract Sawayama Haruno can get.
Before he officially started writing, Haruno Sawayama already had some knowledge about this aspect in advance.
It’s just that doing your own research online is not as good as hearing it from people in the industry, not to mention that many things cannot be found online.
In the next ten minutes or so, Riho Morikawa analyzed the current physical market with him in detail, as well as their Kodansha's market plan for this part.
But the more he heard about it, the more disappointed Sawayama Haruno became.
The reason is also very simple.
"In other words." Haruno Sawayama looked at the other party helplessly and said thoughtfully, "Editor Morikawa means that I should try not to publish it in a physical form."
"right."
Riho Morikawa smiled bitterly and said: "I don't want to say this if I can, but the current domestic physical market is basically publishing light novels or suspense books, like "Norwegian Wood". Almost none now."
"Of course, this does not mean that the physical literature genre is no longer possible, but it means that Kiriyama-sensei is a newcomer and it will be very difficult to achieve results."
"If we use this book as a basis to re-write a light novel of medium length and submit it online, it will actually be more convenient than taking the physical route directly, and it will not be published as a physical book in the future. opportunity.”
"."
Sawayama Haruno's face didn't look good.
What Riho Morikawa said is very good, but the difference is huge.
Taking a well-known work from his previous life as an example, you can easily understand the difference.
That was Makoto Shinkai's work "Five Centimeters per Second" in his previous life. This book actually entered the market as a physical publication, and its sales were not as good as those of other works when it first came out and when the movie became popular.
But this is fundamentally different from romance novels like "Norwegian Wood". The two cannot be said to be on the same level at all.
It's like he was holding Mo Yan's stuff, but people told him, "You should change it and make it a work of the level of Fighting to Break the Sphere before releasing it."
Looking at it this way, it's no wonder that Haruno Sawayama's face is so ugly. It can be said that he has a good temper now that he doesn't just turn his back and leave.
"I understand what Teacher Kiriyama means."
Seeing Haruno Sawayama's livid face, Riho Morikawa became increasingly helpless and patiently explained again: "But I just gave the teacher a more appropriate suggestion, because if you want to go for full physical publishing, you must have a certain reputation. Only then”
"If there is no popularity and a pure newcomer comes out, the book will not be sold at all. If it is not sold, I am afraid when it will be published and how many copies can be published at one time are all problems."
"Teachers should also know that today's young people are less and less interested in reading physical books. New things such as mobile phones, videos, and live broadcasts have completely taken over entertainment methods in the past."
"If "Norwegian Wood" was published before the 21st century, even at the beginning of the 21st century, it would have achieved great success, but now"
As he spoke, Riho Morikawa looked at each other with a troubled expression.
She sincerely proposed for the other party. Although this book may not necessarily achieve much physical success, Haruno Sawayama's writing power is there. If it were another way, it would only be a matter of time before it succeeds.
(End of chapter)