novelRona Chapter 1612: Did he go off to get involved in physical publishing?
Chapter 1612: Did he go off to get involved in physical publishing?
For the next year, Qin Hao seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
On Dingqi.com, the author page for "General Manager" remains frozen on the day "Lord of Mysteries" ended. There were no new book announcements, no leave requests, no "I'm back" notices. Even the account login history has been inactive for a full year.
The book review section went from initially asking "When will the author release a new book?" to "Is the author still alive?", then to "Does anyone know the author's current situation?", and finally to a bunch of old fans coming in every now and then to flood the comments section, like weeding a grave.
"It's been three years! If the manager doesn't come back soon, I'm going to climb over the wall."
"You must be mistaken, it's only been a year."
"What's the difference between one year and three years? Without a manager, every day feels like an eternity."
"I heard that after the general manager won the Hugo Award, he got carried away and went on a world tour."
"Nonsense, the Hugo Award was something from a long time ago, wasn't it?"
"No matter what, the person is definitely fine, I just don't want to write."
"The scariest thing is not wanting to write anymore... Someone who writes 25,000 words a day suddenly says they don't want to write anymore, isn't that like killing someone?"
The discussion went on and on, but no answer was found.
Occasionally, someone in the circle would leak so-called "insider information," saying that the manager had fallen out with Dingqi.com, that the manager had been banned, or that the manager had health problems—the rumors were quite detailed, but Dingqi.com never responded.
Over time, everyone got used to it.
I've gotten used to an online literature circle without a "general manager".
-
Until one morning, a trending topic quietly climbed onto the list.
#Renowned author and Hugo Award winner, Zongguan's new book is here!#
Upon clicking, the content was quite simple—several publishing media outlets simultaneously released a message: the author's new book, "Ghost Blows Out the Light," has recently been released in major bookstores across the country, with an initial print run of 500,000 copies.
The news immediately caused an uproar in the comments section.
"The book manager has a new book? How come I didn't know?"
"Wait, Ghost Blows Out the Light? What kind of genre is that?"
Why is it sold in physical bookstores? Isn't it also published on Dingqi.com?
"I just checked Dingqi.com, and the administrator's homepage hasn't been updated at all. Is this news true or false?"
"It's fake news. If the author were to release a new book, Dingqi.com would definitely promote it beforehand."
"Exactly. With the manager's status, a new book release would generate hype at least a month in advance. How could it possibly be released quietly?"
The doubts and criticisms were overwhelming.
Someone specifically went to Dingqi.com to take screenshots, and the administrator's homepage was indeed completely clean. The list of popular works was still the same few books: "Sword Comes," "Lord of Mysteries," and "The Great Feng Night Watchman," with not a single new book in sight.
"I told you it was fake news."
"These marketing accounts will make up anything for traffic these days."
"I suggest you report it directly."
But dissenting voices soon emerged.
"Have you ever thought about this? Just because the author's page on Dingqi.com hasn't been updated doesn't mean the new book doesn't exist."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that they might just be writing physical books as a hobby."
"Who still reads physical books these days?"
"Exactly, who still holds a book to read these days? Everyone uses their phones."
The debate lasted for half a day.
Until someone spotted a new book cover in a prominent spot at the local Xinhua Bookstore—a dark-toned design with a candle emitting a green glow in the center and three large characters above it: Ghost Blows Out the Light. The author's name was prominently displayed as: Chief Editor.
After the photo was uploaded online, the comment section was silent for about three seconds.
Then they blew it even more fiercely.
"Holy crap! It really was written by the head editor!"
"A physical book! It really is a physical book!"
"I was just having doubts, but now I'm completely proven wrong."
"So the general manager really didn't publish it on Dingqi.com? He just released a physical book directly?"
"Why? Who buys physical books anymore? Aren't online novels more appealing?"
"You upstairs don't know anything. Do you know how prestigious it is to have physical books placed in the most prominent position in Xinhua Bookstore?"
"Prestige is one thing, but how are readers supposed to keep up with the updates? I can't exactly go to the bookstore every day, can I?"
"The Ancient City of Jingjue? This title sounds like a tomb raiding story?"
Some people have already rushed to the bookstore, flipped through the pages, photographed the table of contents, and posted them online—"The Ancient City of Jingjue," a full thirty-three chapters, is equivalent to dozens of chapters of an online novel in a physical book.
Good news: Chapter 33, no need to wait for updates. Bad news: We don't know when the next book will be released.
"I'll buy a copy and read it slowly, that would be wonderful."
While book lovers are still discussing it, people in the industry are already getting restless.
-
TopQ Network Headquarters.
Uncle Fan sat in his office, his phone screen displaying one push notification after another—all news about the "General Manager's New Book's Physical Publication." He scrolled through a few, his expression growing increasingly grim.
The landline on the desk rang.
"Mr. Fan, a reporter from The Paper called to confirm the news about Zongguan's new book, asking if it's related to Dingqi.com and Zongguan—"
"Hang up."
"what?"
"I said I'm hanging up. I won't give any interviews."
Uncle Fan hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temples.
Qin Hao went off to do physical publishing without Qin Hao's prior knowledge. There was no communication, no prior notice. It was as if he had vanished into thin air for a year and then suddenly reappeared in a bookstore.
Isn't this a slap in the face for him?
The landline on the desk rang again.
"Mr. Fan, another media outlet is calling—"
"No."
"And the securities department said our stock price has dropped three percent—"
Uncle Fan couldn't sit still any longer.
He took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and found Qin Hao's number.
Make the call.
It rang once, twice, three times—but no one answered.
Uncle Fan dialed it again.
This time, it rang for the sixth time before I finally answered.
"Hey."
His voice was languid, as if he had just gotten out of bed.
"My little darling, you finally answered the phone."
Qin Hao chuckled on the other end of the phone: "President Fan, you flatter me. I can't possibly accept that."
Uncle Fan had no interest in beating around the bush with him.
"What's the deal with Ghost Blows Out the Light? Did you really write it?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how foolish his question had been. Books sold in physical bookstores all require publication numbers; publishing under a false name is a crime punishable by imprisonment. But if he didn't ask that, how could he possibly steer the conversation towards Qin Hao?
Qin Hao didn't take the bait, instead asking, "Is President Fan here to interrogate me?"
Uncle Fan choked for a moment.
He took a breath and softened his voice: "Teacher Qin Hao, there are so many readers online waiting for you to come back. Even if you have opinions about Dingqi.com or are not satisfied with the conditions, we can discuss it. Why bother with physical publishing? Not many people read physical books these days."
"Mr. Fan, you're overthinking it. As I've said before, I have no complaints about Dingqi.com or you. The reason I chose physical publication this time is mainly because 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is a rather special book, and it would probably be difficult to pass the censorship. I really didn't want to make any changes, so I took a shortcut."
Review?
Uncle Fan frowned.
"Teacher Qin Hao, is that really all there is to it?"
"If Mr. Fan doesn't believe it, why don't you buy a copy and see for yourself?"
The phone hangs up.
Uncle Fan stared at his phone screen for two seconds, then got up, grabbed his coat, and went out the door.
He didn't let the driver take him; instead, he drove himself to the nearest Xinhua Bookstore.
Upon entering the store, I asked a clerk for directions and followed them to the bestseller display at the very back—the book with a green candle glowing on its cover was placed right in the center, stacked neatly in piles.
He picked up a book and opened it to the first page.
Uncle Fan's expression changed after reading just the first chapter.
He closed the book, glanced at the back cover—"The Ancient City of Jingjue," priced at 48 yuan. He rummaged through his wallet, pulled out a banknote, and went to the cashier to pay.
Back in the car, he didn't start the engine right away. He put the book on the passenger seat, opened it again, and started reading from the first chapter.
I learned the origin of the phrase "Ghost Blows Out the Light"—"When a person lights a candle, a ghost blows out the light; when the rooster crows, the light goes out, so don't touch the gold."
I saw the combination of Hu Bayi, Fatty Wang, and Shirley Yang.
We saw the ancient city of Jingjue in the desert.
Uncle Fan closed the book, leaned back in the driver's seat, and gave a wry smile.
indeed.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, beings are not allowed to become spirits.
This single red line alone would prevent "Ghost Blows Out the Light" from passing the review on Dingqi.com. Not to mention the content in the book about tombs, feng shui, zombies, and curses—under the online novel review system, not a single chapter would be published.
But the more this was the case, the more regrettable Uncle Fan felt.
If this book were published on Dingqi.com, how much traffic would it generate?
How many new users can we bring in?
How hot can this topic get?
The more he thought about it, the more his tooth ached.
"What a pity, what a pity."
He threw the book on the passenger seat and started the car.
The engine hummed in the garage.
He didn't move.
After sitting for a while, he reached out and picked up the book again, turning to the next page.
-
Meanwhile, discussions about "Ghost Blows Out the Light" have already taken off.
The first thing to go viral was the book reviews.
A well-known book critic posted a long review on Weibo, starting with the sentence: "This is the best tomb raiding novel I've ever read. Without a doubt."
The comment section below was quickly flooded with messages.
"Really? How good is it?"
"I can testify that I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night and almost missed work today."
"The author's writing is truly amazing; the vivid imagery is so evocative that it sent chills down my spine as I read it."
"Upstairs +1, I watched it in broad daylight and it made me really nervous."
"To be honest, I thought the author had reached his peak when he wrote Xianxia and Xuanhuan novels. I didn't expect him to be so good at it even when he changed the genre."
"The concept of Ghost Blows Out the Light is amazing. The combination of tomb raiding, feng shui, and suspense is surprisingly good."
"Don't you guys find this subject matter unfamiliar? I don't think anyone has ever written a tomb raiding novel before, right?"
"There are definitely some, but none that reach the level of a general manager."
"I declare that Ghost Blows Out the Light is the pioneering work of tomb raiding novels!"
The topic's popularity continues to rise.
It climbed from the bottom of the entertainment charts to the top 30, and then from the top 30 to the top 10.
Someone dug up Qin Hao's old short video account and found a desert adventure video he posted with the caption "Crossing the Taklamakan Desert".
"Holy crap! Look, the manager really did go to the desert before!"
“I clicked in and took a look, and the place looked exactly like the desert described in the Jingjue Ancient City.”
"Is it possible that... the stories in Ghost Blows Out the Light are based on the author's personal experiences?"
"Impossible, right? If I experienced it firsthand, it would be terrifying."
"Why not? If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, how could he have written those details so realistically? Look at how he describes the climate changes in the desert, the course of underground rivers, and the structure of tombs. You simply couldn't write these things without real-world experience."
"Think carefully."
"I knew it! The editor didn't stop writing for a year to go on vacation; he went to gather inspiration."
"Can field research lead to tomb raiding? That field research must be a bit too wild."
In the book review section, discussions about "personal experience" have reached a fever pitch.
Qin Hao himself did not respond to a single word.
-
Cixing Company.
Lin Zhanqiao stood in front of the computer, looking at the topic that had already climbed into the top ten trending searches, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"This guy said he'd stop writing, but he just won't stop at all."
The assistant, standing beside him, asked in a low voice, "Mr. Lin, do we need to make some changes to our previously formulated promotion plan?"
Lin Zhanqiao thought for a moment.
"No need for revisions. Let's postpone it for half a month."
"Ok."
After her assistant left, Lin Zhanqiao leaned back in her chair, stared at the trending topics on the screen, and shook her head.
half a month.
In her experience, the popularity of a physical book usually lasts only about a week. Even if the first volume of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" is a hit, it should die down after half a month.
When the company's promotional plan is launched, it won't conflict with the schedule.
But she clearly underestimated Qin Hao.
—Two weeks later, the second volume of "Ghost Blows Out the Light," titled "The Lost Caverns of the Dragon Ridge," was released. On the day of its release, it immediately jumped into the top five trending topics.
It's not the top five on the entertainment chart, it's the top five on the overall chart.
Lin Zhanqiao saw the message while she was in a weekly meeting.
She paused for a moment, picked up her phone and scrolled through it, then looked up at the people in the conference room.
"That's all for today's meeting."
After she finished speaking, she left the meeting room, leaving the editors looking at each other in bewilderment.
In the corridor, Lin Zhanqiao leaned against the wall and scrolled through the trending topics again.
That's right.
The second volume of "Ghost Blows Out the Light," titled "The Mysterious Cave of the Dragon Ridge," immediately became one of the top five trending topics upon its release.
The comments section was filled with jubilation.
"The second volume is finally out! I've already read the first volume twice!"
"Dragon Ridge Mystery Cave? That name is even more intriguing than the Jingjue Ancient City."
Has anyone already bought it? Is it nice?
"I'm reading it now, and all I can say is that it's even more exciting than the first book."
"Are you serious, upstairs? The first volume is already legendary, how can the second volume be even more amazing?"
"You'll see for yourself."
"I've already placed the order, and I'm waiting for the delivery."
"Still waiting for the delivery? I went directly to the bookstore to buy it. I've already read half of it. Don't ask, just go buy it now."
Lin Zhanqiao locked her phone screen.
She took a deep breath.
Two weeks ago, she thought the popularity of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" would only last a week at most. But when the second volume was released, the popularity actually increased.
What kind of monster is this?
What she didn't know was that something even more shocking was yet to come.
A few days later, the publisher released the sales figures for the first volume of "The Ancient City of Jingjue"—
1.36 million copies.
When this number came out, the entire industry fell silent.
1.36 million copies, available for sale in half a month.
In the physical book publishing industry, authors who can sell tens of millions of copies can be counted on one hand. Moreover, those figures are accumulated over many years; some books have been on the shelves of bookstores for seven or eight years before slowly reaching ten million copies sold.
Where is Qin Hao?
In half a month, 1.36 million.
If ten or eight volumes of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" were published, wouldn't it be a sure thing for it to sell tens of millions of copies?
Now, it's not just online literature platforms that are getting restless.
The publishing houses that did offline publishing were like sharks smelling blood, frantically trying to find Qin Hao's contact information.
They used every possible means: making phone calls, sending emails, and pulling strings to find people.
But no one could find Qin Hao.
Because at this moment, the person is squatting in the primeval forest of Ailao Mountain, and there is no cell phone signal at all.
-
A month later.
When Qin Hao emerged from the Ailao Mountains carrying his hiking backpack, he was two shades darker, with a stubble beard and much longer hair. He wore an old windbreaker, his trousers were covered in mud, and a few withered leaves were stuck in the soles of his hiking boots.
He found a small hotel in the town at the foot of the mountain, took a shower, shaved, and changed into clean clothes. Then he took out his phone and plugged it in.
Turn on.
The moment the screen lit up, the notification sound exploded.
Ding ding ding ding ding—
It kept ringing for almost half a minute before it stopped.
Missed calls: Hundreds.
There are thousands of unread text messages.
My WeChat messages are about to explode.
Qin Hao leaned against the headboard and opened WeChat first.
He Han's message was the first: "Old Qin, where are you? I can't get through to you on the phone. Reply when you see this."
A few days later, he posted another message: "I've read 'Ghost Blows Out the Light,' it's really well written. When are you free to chat?"
Lin Zhanqiao's message was brief: "Reply to me when you see this message. I have something to ask you."
Uncle Fan sent the most messages, more than a dozen in total, ranging from "Where are you, Teacher Qin Hao?" to "Teacher Qin Hao, you finally answered the phone (he didn't answer that time)" to "Teacher Qin Hao, could you please reply to me?" His tone became increasingly humble.
Qin Hao smiled, and then Zhou Mei called.
"So this busy person finally has time to answer the phone?"
His tone was languid, as if he were lounging on the sofa.
Qin Hao chuckled: "It's not that I'm not answering the phone, it's just that there's no signal at all. What's up, do you need something?"
"Of course, as a true fan of yours, I'm here online to urge you to update! When will the third volume of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' be released?"
"Hasn't the third volume been released yet? Didn't I already send the first four volumes to the publisher?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
Then Zhou Mei's voice rose eight octaves: "What did you say? You published four volumes? How come they only published two?"
"I don't know. It probably takes time for typesetting and printing."
"Typesetting and printing take time? The first and second volumes sold like hotcakes, and they're holding onto the third and fourth volumes without releasing them. Is that what you call taking time?"
Zhou Mei became increasingly angry as she spoke.
"You wait, I'm going to go and yell at them right now."
"Ahem, mind your image, it's not that serious."
"How could it not be? They're hoarding the books and deliberately withholding them from the market, completely disregarding the suffering of us book fans!"
Qin Hao smiled but didn't reply.
Zhou Mei cursed a few times, then her anger subsided, and her tone returned to its lazy, languid manner.
"By the way, what you wrote in 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'—the Jingjue Ancient City, the Dragon Ridge Caves, those ancient tombs, those traps, those strange creatures—were they based on your personal experiences?"
Qin Hao's lips curled into a smile: "What? Are you regretting not coming with me? It's not too late now."
Zhou Mei hesitated for a moment.
"But I have no knowledge of wilderness survival. Will I be a burden to you?"
"Don't worry. What's a wilderness survival exercise for others is more like a vacation for me."
"real or fake?"
"Why don't you give it a try and see?"
Zhou Mei remained silent for a few seconds.
"Well... okay. I'll take a month's leave first. Where should I meet you?"
"Let's go to Jilin. Let's go to Changbai Mountain."
Isn't Changbai Mountain a tourist attraction?
“Tourist areas are only a small part of it. The entire Changbai Mountain range stretches all the way to North Korea, with vast tracts of primeval forest available for adventure.”
Zhou Mei thought for a moment.
"Okay, I'll go buy the plane tickets now. I'll let you know when I get there."
"it is good."
I hung up the phone.
Qin Hao tossed his phone onto the bed, leaned against the headboard, and stared at the yellowish light bulb on the ceiling for a few seconds.
Then he picked up his phone and sent a message to Uncle Fan—
"Mr. Fan, I just came out of the primeval forest. I saw your message. Let's chat another day."
After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and got up to pack his things.
It was already getting dark outside the window.
The town was quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog drifting from afar. (End of Chapter)