The magazine "King of Chu Literature and Art" sold out so fast that three thousand more copies were printed.
Many readers bought this magazine because they heard about the emperor's articles. After reading the emperor's articles, they found that other articles were also good, so wealthy people wrote to order them.
Fixed section design, including jokes, poems, operas, essays, and novels.
From time to time, there are also travel notes. With the popularity of travel, a group of travel writers have emerged. Most of them are not short of money, and they are young and lonely on the road. They rest in the inn and write articles.
Then send it to a magazine.
This kind of travel journal is popular among readers, especially school students.
There is also a kind of "exile literature". In the winter in Heilongjiang and Tibet, the weather is so cold that you can only stay indoors. I can write dozens of articles in one winter, mostly poems, and occasionally some prose. The content is about anything.
They all have it, and most of them have a strong sense of homesickness.
There is also military literature, which is basically published in military publications, and most of it is not well written.
There are a bunch of soldiers with primary school education, some of whom have not even graduated from primary school. The military missionary system runs magazines and encourages them to write articles, so some big-name soldiers actually contribute. The content is mostly related to the military, and the writing style is very simple, just like talking in daily life.
There are also arty ones who write a lot of military limericks.
With the increase in the number of military academy students, this kind of military literature has made some progress. However, the mission and education department has requirements. No matter how good you are, your articles must be written so that even a soldier can understand them. If you really write high-quality classical Chinese articles, you will not be able to pass the manuscript.
Zhao Kuangping has contacted Sihai Trading Company and asked Li Quan to provide some navigation articles.
Because, last year, a navigation novel was a big seller, and more and more readers like to read this stuff.
After sailing at sea for several months, I had a lot of time to write articles. In order to attract people to go to sea, Li Quan was so idle at sea that he asked the scholars on the ship to collectively create the best-selling novel.
It tells the story of a farmer who graduated from elementary school. He went to sea on a ship to engage in trade in America in order to make a living. On his way back home, he encountered a storm, was swept into the sea by big waves, and drifted to a small island. He taught the islanders how to grow crops and teach the islanders how to grow crops.
How to weave cloth and be favored by the chief as his son-in-law.
The chief was killed in battle. This peasant boy worked as a peasant soldier, fought bravely to avenge the chief, and was finally elected as the new chief by the natives. He also organized military formations, unified the entire island, and conquered nearby islands by boat. Finally, he founded a country and became king.
, there are groups of wives and concubines, and the support of all the people.
It's a really refreshing article. What's even more rare is that it writes the customs, customs and myths of the island in such detail that it makes people feel like it is a true story. In fact, the prototype of the island in the book is the Hawaiian Islands, and even the chiefs
I don't even bother to change my name.
This novel was first serialized in Shanghai and quickly became popular among the lower class people, and was also read by the middle class and wealthy people. Firstly, the plot was very interesting, and secondly, people were very curious about overseas, so it was quickly reprinted in various provinces in the next six months.
At first, the book was called "The Farmer's Son Becomes King Overseas", but when it was compiled and published, it was changed to "A Life in the Sea".
The popularity of the novel has really led to a craze for going overseas. Because before going to sea, there was always a fear of the unknown, but now I have fantasies and feel that there are opportunities for development overseas.
…
"Your Highness, we sent someone to contact Shanghai, and Sihai Trading Company gave this." Wu Rui came over with a stack of manuscripts.
Wu Rui is a relative of Zhao Kuangping's middle school classmate. He used to work as an editor at another newspaper and was recruited by Zhao Kuangping to serve as the vice president (deputy editor-in-chief).
Zhao Kuangping took it and took a look, but it was a picture with annotations: "This is indeed interesting."
Wu Rui said: "These are the original manuscripts, and copies have been made and sent to the Qintianyuan Geography Museum. Sihai Trading Company said, please keep them in a safe place."
Zhao Kuangping casually pulled out the middle one, and what he saw was a picture.
The large picture shows the entire tree, while the small picture shows details such as leaves, branches, flowers, and fruits.
The text annotation is——
"Eastern bay laurel: found on the west coast of North America, named after its leaves are similar to bay laurel.
The height of the tree can reach more than ten feet, and the diameter of the tree can reach two and a half feet. The texture is hard and can be used to make furniture. According to the carpenter on the ship, this wood is excellent for making pianos, but the authenticity is not yet known.
Evergreen all year round, with small yellow flowers.
The leaves are repellent and will not bite mosquitoes or fleas.
The fruit is round, green when unripe, and turns purple when ripe. The kernels are edible, but should not be eaten raw. The local people store them as winter food. The fruit can refresh the mind. When cooked, ground into powder and soaked in water, the effect is like drinking tea."
Zhao Kuangping took out another piece of paper——
"Raccoon cat: Commonly seen in America, it often lives near water. It has four legs and five toes. It washes fruits like a woman washing her clothes. Its shape is like a cat, hence its name.
The face is black, and the forehead and jaw are white. The tail is long and has black and white lines.
If you have never eaten it, you don’t know the taste of its meat.”
The so-called raccoon cats here are actually raccoons.
The more Zhao Kuangping read, the more interesting he found it. There were all kinds of strange animals and plants overseas, which made him want to go overseas to see them. He couldn't help but ask: "Other publications don't want to publish these?"
Wu Rui said: "When publishing such articles, the text comes second, and the main purpose is to sell pictures. Printing pictures is too expensive."
Zhao Kuangping made a decision and said: "If others don't print, we will print. Each issue of the magazine will be printed in two types. Tell Sihai Trading Co., Ltd. and let them draw the indigenous people from various places and bring them back. When drawing, pay attention to appearance, clothing, and text.
The customs must be written clearly. These contents are generally described as overseas customs, and a picture should be selected as the cover of each issue."
At this time, books and magazines did not pay much attention to the cover. They just wrote the title, author and other information.
If "Chu Wang Literature and Art" created a special cover using overseas characters, animals, and plants, it would surely make readers' eyes brighten.
As the cost increases, the selling price will also increase. Those who can afford it will still buy it, and maybe they will have more desire to buy it. As for those who can't afford it, you can go to a rental bookstore to read. Rental bookstores not only rent magazines, but also have expired newspapers.
"Your Highness, I have a guest to see you."
"Invite him in."
Jin Shengtan strode into the room and bowed his hands in greeting: "I, Zhang Cai, have met His Royal Highness the King of Chu."
"I've admired you for a long time!" Zhao Kuangping said.
Jin Shengtan stroked his beard and laughed: "Zhang Cai is not famous, so how can he be admired for so long? I also have a nickname, called Kunpeng Sanren."
Zhao Kuangping's eyes lit up and he didn't care about the rudeness of this person and said happily: "It turns out to be Mr. Kunpeng!"
Jin Shengtan is very famous in the literary criticism circle. He wrote four reviews a few days ago, praising Emperor Zhao's four works. They have been published in newspapers and magazines one after another, attracting more readers to order the next issue of "The Literature and Art of the King of Chu"
》.
Jin Shengtan did not play tricks, but directly stated his purpose: "The Chu King Magazine is newly established, and I think there is still a shortage of people. I came to recommend myself and would like to review the manuscript for this magazine. I wonder what the King of Chu wants?"
"Welcome!" Zhao Kuangping was overjoyed.
Jin Shengtan suddenly asked: "Is the "Calabash Baby" on the market really the work of His Majesty?"
Zhao Kuangping couldn't help laughing: "Yes."
"Calabash Baby" only came out in the past few years. Because it is a children's story, many people do not believe that it is the work of the emperor. Because they are not sure, the local government is very strict and is not allowed to sign Zhao Ziyue or Zhao Yan.
No one can be sure of the truth now.
"Written by His Majesty when he was a child?" Jin Shengtan seemed to be very interested. In other words, one of the reasons why he came to the magazine to apply for a job was to find out about "Calabash Baby".
Zhao Kuangping said with a smile: "I heard from my uncle that at that time, my father was still working as a book boy. He could earn a lot of money by telling "Calabash Baby" to children in school."
"That's it!" Jin Shengtan finally found out.
He felt that even if the emperor did not rebel, he could still live comfortably by writing novels.
"Huh!"
Jin Shengtan scanned the manuscripts on the table, put on his glasses and looked at them carefully. After reading a few pictures, he asked: "Aren't these made up?"
"What a good thing!" Jin Shengtan said, "It's a pity that there are too many pictures, otherwise it would be compiled into a book and it would be a big seller."
In fact, as long as the sales volume is large enough, it is completely feasible to print pictures. There were many children's literacy books in the Ming Dynasty, with a little person drawn next to the word "人" and a mouth next to the word "口", just like the literacy books hundreds of years later.
But this kind of overseas scenery chronicle is destined to be unrecoverable. There are too many pictures, and they have to be printed in fine detail. If the price is too high, sales will drop, so the book must be printed by the government.
However, Zhao Kuangping had an idea. He could have the official edition published and go to his father to beg him. Emperor Zhao would definitely agree to print this kind of book.
At that time, a batch of official woodcut drawings can be printed every few years and published as a long-term publication.
Zhao Kuangping's magazine, on the other hand, borrows official printed editions and prints two or three articles in each issue of the magazine, without having to bear the cost of printing the pictures. Not only "Overseas Scenery", but other content is also available. The official has many similar printed editions.
, just borrow some and don't wear it out.
Special pictures cannot be printed with movable type, so craftsmen have to be hired to engrave them. And with the identity of the King of Chu, he can easily obtain rare editions of his magazine. This alone can outshine his peers.
Zhao Kuangping has decided that he will run a magazine now and a newspaper in the future. When he earns enough money, he will start his own publishing house. He is a man who wants to become a media tycoon!
After you become extremely rich, you no longer need to be greedy for cheap or ask the official to borrow forged blocks. You can hire craftsmen to build the forged block library yourself.
"Your Highness, someone has sent money again!"
Just as he was talking, someone from the magazine came again and sent him a fee for reprinting the article.
Whenever excellent works appear, newspapers, magazines and newspapers like to reprint them.
At first, no reprinting fees were paid, and many lawsuits were filed. Later, a consensus was gradually formed that reprinting is allowed, but money must be paid. These reprinting fees are paid according to the market price, and the first publication and the author share the profit.
Sometimes, it will also indicate "reprinting prohibited", but the fee for exclusive publication will be higher.
This time Emperor Zhao's article was circulated by the common people. The reprinters were unknown, and they were all very honest. They took the initiative to offer sky-high reprinting fees. It seemed that the price given was too low, and the publications themselves had no face.
A publishing house even came to the door and wanted to buy the complete manuscript of "The Female Consort".
Even an opera writer has been found, and he plans to compile it into an opera. The story written by the emperor will definitely be a hit in the theater.
The article "The Emperor's New Clothes" also sparked a wave of fable creation.
Fables were originally a subject of Taoist writing and were not very popular among Confucianists. Since the emperor personally died, the Confucian scholars no longer had the psychological burden. It was very interesting to create this thing.
Moreover, fables are suitable for children to read, and children always make the best money!
Zhao Kuangpeng's newly opened magazine was inundated with visitors, and people came to visit every day. In the end, he didn't even want to receive it in person, and only saw well-known cultural figures.
Another day, at dawn, a visitor squatted on the roadside, waiting for a long time and finally saw the king of Chu driving his car.
He rushed forward desperately and was immediately intercepted by the guards.
Although Zhao Han was stingy about his children, he still had to provide several bodyguards, and the court paid for their maintenance.
"Your Highness, I have something to ask for. I haven't been able to see you in the past few days. I had no choice but to rush into the car today..." The visitor was pushed to the ground and still yelled.
Zhao Kuangping asked the guard to let go and asked, "What do you want to see me for?"
"A big deal," the visitor said, "I have invented a new type casting method that can quickly cast large quantities of movable type. I am from Foshan and have applied for a patent, but I am unwilling to cooperate with Foshan businessmen because they often deceive inventors.
I wanted to dedicate the patent to Long Live, but I couldn't help but not see Tianyan. I heard that the King of Chu started a magazine, so I will dedicate the patent to His Highness the King of Chu today!"
It is said to be a contribution, but in fact it is cooperation.
This is due to Zhao Han's prestige and credibility. Otherwise, who would take the initiative to invest in technology and do business with the prince in other times?
Zhao Kuangping was dubious: "What kind of new calligraphy method?"
The visitor said: "A steam engine is required. Steel molds are cast first, then copper molds are punched out with steel molds, and then movable type is made in batches using copper molds. This is hundreds of times faster than the traditional type casting method, and the movable type produced is clear and clear every time.
There are only subtle differences between the two movable types!”
(Recommend a new book "The Sword Is a Demon", a very good fairy tale work, worth reading.)