Chapter 715: Dollar Royalties
I can translate this novel well, and there is no more suitable translator than me. There are not many people like me who understand Chinese culture and are familiar with science fiction. Ken Lewis made up his mind.
But before starting the translation, there is still a problem to be solved, that is to obtain the authorization from the original author of the novel, Ken-Louis has no way to find Shen Long, but he has the mailing address of "Science Fiction Literature and Art", so he immediately wrote a letter The passionate letter sent "Science Fiction" to Shen Long.
He also used this time to start translating "Happy Hunting". When he finished the full translation, he also received a reply from Shen Long. In the letter, Shen Long agreed to his request and was willing to hand over the novel to him for translation. And delivered to the science fiction magazine in the United States.
Of course Shen Long was happy, so why don't you want the money delivered to your door? It is important to know that American magazines paid much more than domestic ones at this time. According to records, as early as 1977, the remuneration for a thousand-character manuscript in American magazines reached $500, and some famous writers even paid two dollars per word.
At this time, when the U.S. dollars are brought into the country, the purchasing power is very good. Although Shen Long is not short of money now, no one would think that there is too much money. Not a lot.
More importantly, the country now highly respects foreign countries. If people know that their articles are favored by foreign magazines, and that they are American magazines, when the news reaches China, it will definitely cause huge repercussions. The pressure faced by science fiction has inspired more authors to participate in the creation of science fiction.
Encouraged by the reply, Ken immediately sent the English manuscript he had translated to Shen Long, asking him to correct him. After he sent it, he realized that Mr. Sun Shaoping, who wrote the novel, did not necessarily understand English.
Sun Shaoping doesn't know much English, but it doesn't matter, Shen Long's English is very familiar, and he also has Liu Yukun's original work, compare Liu Yukun's original work with Ken Lewis's translation, and then combine his own adjustments, He made revisions to Ken's translation, and he marked the revised part with a pencil and sent it back to Ken.
Not only that, but he also proposed the concept of steampunk in the letter, and explained the concept in detail in both Chinese and English, explaining the origin and basic elements of the steampunk world.
Ken was shocked again after receiving the reply. These revised words and sentences were more in line with American reading habits and aesthetics than his American writing; what made him even more intoxicated was the description of the steampunk world, for which he was deeply moved. obsessed.
He immediately wrote back and praised Shen Long, then copied Shen Long's revised manuscript, put it in an envelope with the article about steampunk, and sent it back to the United States in a diplomatic pouch for private use, and entrusted his own A friend sent in his favorite Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine.
"Journal of Fantasy and Science Fiction" emerged and thrived in the 1950s, quickly changed from quarterly to bimonthly, and then to monthly, and now it has become one of the most influential science fiction magazines in the United States; In the history of "Magazine", it has cultivated a large number of famous science fiction writers who have won the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award.
It can be said that if a science fiction writer's work can be published in "Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine", then he has successfully entered the mainstream circle of European and American science fiction circles.
The letter quickly reached the reviewing editor of "Journal of Fantasy and Science Fiction". At the beginning of the letter, when the editor saw that it was a science fiction novel from China, he couldn't help shaking his head, thinking that it was almost nothing It was necessary to continue reading, but out of professional principles, he continued to read patiently. The new 81 Chinese website is updated the fastest. Computer side:
like Ken,
He was immediately attracted by this wonderful world, where magic and science coexist, huge steam-driven machines, and the magical difference engine. This world has a unique charm that makes editors addicted to it.
After reading the novel, and then reading the description of the steampunk world, the editor will understand better. After all, Britain is the mother country of the United States, and he is no stranger to the Victorian era and the steam age.
He has to admit that this Chinese science fiction writer has created a brand-new and charming science fiction world. The steampunk world has great potential to be tapped, and more science fiction writers will be interested in this world, and thus derived A lot of steampunk-themed fiction, like the world of Dungeons and Dragons created by Gary Gygax, a Wisconsin insurance salesman a few years ago, or the world of Cthulhu created by Howard Lovecraft .
Even if but in order to promote the concept of steampunk, this novel should be published in the magazine as soon as possible, and this explanation about the setting of the steampunk world should also be placed before this novel.
We can even use this novel as a key recommended work in the next issue, and ask the editor-in-chief to write a small article to recommend this novel and the concept of the steampunk world.
Once they get the attention of other science fiction writers, they will create new novels about the steampunk world, and then submit them to "Fantasy & Science Fiction" magazine, so that for a long time in the future, in the readers' interest in steampunk We don't have to worry about manuscript problems until the world loses interest.ァ新ヤ~⑧~1~中文网ωωω.χ~⒏~1zщ.còм
The editor quickly found out that the editor-in-chief highly recommended "Happy Hunting" and the description of the setting of the steampunk world. The editor-in-chief also realized the commercial value of it, and immediately made a decision to finalize this matter. The works are published, and he will personally write the recommendation words.
As for the manuscript fee, although this is a new writer's work, the editor-in-chief still generously gave a standard of 500 US dollars per thousand words. These two articles add up to more than 20,000 words, and the editor-in-chief directly paid more than 10,000 dollars. USD royalties.
Not long after, the manuscript fee of more than 10,000 U.S. dollars traveled across the ocean and came to Ken. Seeing such a large sum of money, Ken was a little embarrassed. How should he hand over the money to Mr. Sun Shaoping?
It is estimated that he would not be willing to transfer money to him in RMB. The current official exchange rate is far from the black market exchange rate.
Why don't you just invite him to the capital? Anyway, he wants to buy things when he gets the money. Is there a better shopping place than the Friendship Store? And Ken wants to meet this whimsical novelist, too.
Soon after, Ken's letter arrived in Shen Long's hands. He readily accepted Ken's invitation and planned to go to the capital.