the next day.
Breya Road.
Lu Shi was still sitting at the desk writing "The Lord of the Rings" as usual.
The first "The Fellowship of the Ring" has already written about the plot of Boromir unable to resist the temptation of the Lord of the Rings and trying to seize the Ring from Frodo.
This climax is over and it’s the end.
At this time, Lu Shi felt something plush around his feet.
He lowered his head and found me at his feet, so he made a gesture.
We are very smart and jumped up,
"Meow~"
The little guy lay on Lu Shi's lap and yawned.
Lu Shi turned around,
"Natsume, why didn't you play with me today?"
Natsume Soseki put his head on the chicken coop, rubbed his eyes and said: "I have finished writing "I am a Cat", and I am doing the final proofreading."
Yesterday, after listening to Lu Shi's speech, he felt like he had been given a shot of chicken blood. He worked hard all night,
The result of the hard work is the completed version of "I Am Cat".
Lu Shi asked curiously: "Haven't you always been thinking about how to arrange the ending? Now you have an idea?"
Natsume Soseki said: "There must be an ending..."
His tone was full of nostalgia.
Every work is like a writer’s child,
The process of writing is both nurturing and a long farewell.
Previously, Mr. Wood of the Royal Publishing House once joked that "after the work is finished, it has nothing to do with the author." Natsume Soseki didn't feel particularly deeply about it.
Now facing the ending of "I Am Cat", he can finally understand.
Lu Shi asked: "How does it end?"
Natsume Soseki said: "Lu, take a look for yourself. If you can, I hope you can help polish it. After all, you are far better at English writing than me. Of course, I...I can't pay you to sensationalize your private Marseille!"
Lu Shi’s black line, ￣□￣｜｜
He stopped the other party before he knelt down and said, "What kind of reward is there for the relationship between the two of us?!"
Natsume Soseki scratched his head,
"Didn't you say something similar when you gave your speech yesterday? 'Leave professional matters to professionals', but you have to pay, and you can't deduct Soso."
Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly,
He took the original manuscript of "I Am Cat" and read it.
In the original work, the "protagonist" cat got drunk and then fell into the water and drowned.
But Natsume Soseki in this timeline did not deal with it this way, but made the drunk cat disappear that night,
While listening to the chatter of Kusama, Hanyue and others, it walked towards the bright full moon. It had a poetic charm, as if it had constructed an ukiyo-e picture.
Lu Shi liked this ending very much.
He said: "Cats can't actually drink alcohol because their livers can't break down alcohol and don't have that enzyme, you know? Therefore, alcohol will definitely affect the cat's nerve center and lead to poisoning."
Natsume Soseki never thought that Lu Shi's first comment would be this, and he looked confused.
"ah?"
Lu Shi laughed loudly,
"Just think I'm talking nonsense."
Natsume Soseki said: "It's not nonsense. In the end, it's just like the cat was drunk and saw hallucinations. Isn't it good?"
That's the right explanation.
Lu Shi read the entire ending.
Overall, "I Am Cat" is as full of criticism and satire as it was before Time Travel.
Being rich is unkind, academic circles are impetuous...
There is also a pervasive and lingering sense of depression, and the style of the article is very Japanese.
But the language of "I Am Cat" is relaxed after all, which is far more likable than "The Unqualified" and the like.
Lu Shi said: "You, the protagonist... the main character, Mr. Cat, is designed with a sense of humor. He was so optimistic when he ran towards the moon, and even recited 'Namo Amitabha'."
Natsume Soseki explained: "It's not because of it."
His eyes fell on me.
Lu Shi also looked over.
Me: "Meow?"
The little guy didn't know why the two humans were suddenly staring at him, and he was a little at a loss.
Lu Shi chuckled,
"Indeed, we always look carefree and optimistic."
With that said, he handed the manuscript back to Natsume Soseki.
"It's a good book."
Natsume Soseki said in surprise: "Do you like "I am a Cat"?"
Lu Shi nodded,
"I have always been very optimistic about your works. However, it is useless for me to be optimistic. If you want to publish this book, you still have to contact the publisher. Or a magazine or newspaper. You can't use love to generate electricity, right?"
Natsume Soseki didn’t understand.
"With love...with love for what?"
Lu Shi shook his head, pretending that he hadn't said what he just said.
He touched our brains,
We couldn't help but make a sound of "purrulu~" and enjoyed Lu Shi's touch very much.
The room was quiet and peaceful.
After half a minute, Lu Shi said: "Have you carefully considered the issue of publishing?"
Natsume Soseki was silent.
During this time, he learned in detail about the industry in London.
If you don't take into account freaks like Lu Shi, it would be difficult for ordinary people to sell their first works at a good price.
Just like the Sherlock Holmes series,
The first work, A Study in Scarlet, sold for just £25.
It was a novella, with a lot of words, and the price of 25 pounds was like sending a beggar away.
But even so, Doyle still sold his works with great success.
For creators, they just want to satisfy their two desires,
One is the desire to express,
The second is the desire to share.
Therefore, no matter how low the price is, as long as someone reads it, the creator is willing to do so.
But that's usually just an initial idea,
Along with success and fame, everyone is eager to get remuneration that matches their work.
Natsume Soseki said: "As long as it can be sold."
Lu Shi sighed,
"This is not good."
The butterfly effect has good and bad effects.
Because of his intervention, the ending of "I Am Cat" is less rushed and the integrity is ensured, which is undoubtedly a good thing.
But on the other hand, Natsume Soseki will probably not get matching remuneration.
According to the original world line, "I am a Cat" should have been serialized in the magazine "Azalea" after Natsume Soseki returned to Japan, and then compiled into three volumes for publication, thereby earning considerable royalties and royalties.
But now, "I Am Cat" has been published as a book in the UK,
The British don't understand Japan's mourning for things, nor do they understand Japan's repression. It's a shame if sales can be good.
Lu Shi muttered: "Is it really necessary to export first and then sell domestically?"
Natsume Soseki heard this and said: "Are you talking about the idea that Mr. Wood came up with? First publish it in England, and then go back to Japan and reprint it in Japanese."
"..."
"..."
There was a moment of silence,
Afterwards, the two couldn't help but look at each other and smile.
Lu Shi said: "In fact, it is not difficult to get considerable remuneration. Either like Professor James, who has been famous at Cambridge University for a long time, and relying on his reputation as a professor, he can naturally get high royalties; or..."
Natsume Soseki asked: "What?"
Lu Shi pointed to himself,
"Either there is a recommendation from a very popular writer."
Natsume Soseki was silent for a moment, showed a grateful expression, and said, "Lu, you are such a good person."
My generation: "Meow~"
It seemed that Lu Shi was also a good person.
Lu Shi was speechless after being handed the good guy card for no apparent reason.
He put us on the table,
I peered at the original manuscript of "The Lord of the Rings" and stepped on it with my front paws, leaving a dent.
Cats are so curious.
Lu Shi looked at it and suddenly said: "Natsume, you are studying at University College London. Have you ever heard that the school has its own publishing house? Just like Oxford and Cambridge?"
Natsume Soseki replied: "Yes. But it can't be compared with Oxbridge."
After saying that, he was stunned for a moment.
"Maybe you want to..."
Lu Shi gave a shallow "hmm" as an answer.
Natsume Soseki opened and closed his mouth, but in the end he couldn't hold it back and said: "It's difficult. Quite difficult. Very difficult."
The three "difficulties" are advanced step by step.
Of course Lu Shi knew,
The reason why the university can run a publishing house relies on the excellent resources of the school.
For example, Oxford has excellent linguistics, so it has the Oxford Dictionary.
This dictionary is a representative British language dictionary, with a total of 20 volumes. Its existence itself has symbolic significance, symbolizing mankind's infinite pursuit of knowledge.
As long as this dictionary exists, Oxford University Press will definitely remain standing.
Not to mention Cambridge, those world-renowned journals and magazines are not just decorations.
The problem with the University of London Alliance is that the authority of its publications is weaker, and its influence generally only radiates to a few universities in London. In other areas, the recognition will drop significantly.
This is one of the reasons why London universities want to form alliances.
If you can't do Oxbridge, then stick together.
A group fight is always better than a one-on-one fight.
Lu Shi muttered: "So, we still have to take a different approach..."
Anyway, London's universities are already shameless and resort to gang fights, so it doesn't matter if they become a little more shameless.
Natsume Soseki asked: "What do you think?"
Lu Shi said: "Do you know the difference between broadsheet and tabloid?"
Broadsheet, broadsheet;
Tabloid, the tabloids.
According to the timeline, the world’s first tabloid, the Daily Mirror, was founded in 1903.
Natsume Soseki was not a prophet, so of course he didn't know.
He replied: "Broadsheet means a printed matter; Tabloid means concise and concise. When comparing these two words together, it always feels a bit strange, but it doesn't feel so inconsistent... Hmm... Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"
Lu Shi said: "I just feel that the current newspapers are too big and too serious."
With this explanation, Natsume Soseki understood.
He scratched his head in confusion,
“Shouldn’t newspapers be serious?”
This idea is in line with the orthodox cognition of most people,
In theory, news must have three elements:
timely,
precise,
reality.
According to this standard, media must be rigorous and reliable. Newspapers with lower reliability will gradually be eliminated by the market.
This is not the case.
Lu Shi said: "Sometimes, catching wind and shadow can actually capture people's hearts."
Natsume Soseki still didn’t understand.
"You mean, without guaranteeing the authenticity of the information, you will report it to the newspaper as soon as there is any trouble? Is this... is this possible? Why do I feel that such newspapers will be eliminated soon?"
Lu Shi waved his hand,
"You have ignored that people also have a need for news and gossip. When one newspaper is still verifying the authenticity of the news and studying how to make in-depth comments, another newspaper has already revealed the news. How should we judge this situation? Which one is better and which one is worse?"
Natsume Soseki had a question mark on his head and said, "What? Gossip?"
Lu Shi explained: "Gossip is gossip, gossiping. People also need rumors, otherwise who will provide them with conversation material after dinner?"
After saying this,
My generation: "Meow~"
Use your big head to push your arms over the land.
Lu Shi then raised his hand and let me get into his arms.
Later, he said to Natsume Soseki: "Look, even I agree with my point of view. There is no way, humans are such boring creatures, otherwise the recent "Manchester Guardian" would not be selling so well."
Natsume Soseki was speechless;
These days, the "Manchester Guardian" is selling very well because of the "gossip" of Lu Shi and Doyle.
Lu Shi continued: "Of course, when a university runs a newspaper, it has to consider the reputation of the media. It is quite embarrassing to be scolded as fake news if you report an error."
Natsume Soseki nodded,
"Also, if the circulation is large, you still have to pay attention to authenticity."
Lu Shi sighed,
Natsume Soseki is still linking circulation with authenticity, which shows that he still fails to understand what broadsheets and tabloids are.
A broadsheet is not necessarily a newspaper with a large circulation, large scale, and influence;
Tabloids are not necessarily newspapers with small circulation, small scale, and small influence.
In modern times, the largest circulation newspaper in the UK is The Sun, the second largest newspaper is the Daily Mail, and the largest circulation newspaper in Europe is Germany's Bild.
All three are tabloids.
The difference between tabloids and broadsheets is reflected in news value and information reliability.
The Sun is still a tabloid no matter how large its circulation is, and the Financial Times is still a broadsheet no matter how small its circulation is.
Riku Toki was not prepared to correct Natsume Soseki.
After all, there is no real thing, so it may be difficult for ordinary people to understand.
He said: "In short, if we can talk to Sir Wodehouse and set up a subordinate newspaper with the publishing house of the University of London Union, maybe we can get a lot of results. Your "I Am Cat" will also be published. The place."
Natsume Soseki asked: "Is it serialized?"
The land is wandering and uncertain,
"This still depends on the subsequent development. It's hard to say."
Hearing this, Natsume Soseki's eyes flashed with a trace of regret.
Lu Shi said: "I know you are in a hurry, but don't worry. Writing is like a ten-month pregnancy. It is a very long process from conception to publication, so you must be patient."
This is reasonable for anyone to say.
Only Lu Shi said it looked very Versailles.
Natsume Soseki rolled his eyes at him.
"You were pregnant in ten months? I see your writing is like a crackling egg in the ground. Which of your works is more than two months old?"
Lu Shi was embarrassed, but couldn't refute.
Fortunately, someone knocked on the door at this time, which eased the atmosphere in the house.
Lu Shi walked over and opened the door.
There were two Chinese people standing at the door, one of whom was Gu Hongming, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Lu Shi was surprised,
"Mr. Gu, are you back from Edinburgh?"
His eyes moved to another person,
"Who is this?"
Gu Hongming introduced Lu Shi: "Lu Shi, this is Mr. Zheng Guanying. He is now the manager of the Steamship Investment Promotion Bureau."
Zheng Guanying took a step forward and shook hands with Lu Shi.
"Mr. Lu."
Then, he took out a copy of The Times and said: "Mr. Lu, have you read today's newspaper? Cambridge University seems to have invited you. Ah, by the way, there is also Oxford University..."
(End of chapter)
