Chapter 160 Story of the Editorial Department No. 2
After saying that, Chen Qingluo realized that she had made a mistake and changed her words:
"There are many well-known writers in my small circle, and they all praised this manuscript."
Editor Hao said: "Mr. Chen, you should also know that the writer's The perspective and the editor's perspective are different. "
"No matter how different it is, we must pay attention to the basic law..." Editor Hao said: "Teacher Chen, listen to me, listen to me. What we review is not only whether the work is wonderful, but also its originality, extension of literature, and social impact.
"This work is even more special. We have to consider that it is so long. If we really decide to serialize it, how much space will it take up? Is its value worthy of the space it occupies? Will there be various problems when it is serialized to the end?..."
Chen Qingluo sneered: "To put it bluntly, it was just Shi Tonghe's previous guarantee, and now he doesn't guarantee it anymore. You They hesitated."
Chen Qingluo always spoke sharply and directly, and Bian Hao couldn't stand it. He paused for a while and said in a pale voice: "If you think so, we can't help it."< /p>
Chen Qingluo said: "Okay, since the manuscript is to be rejected, can this manuscript be submitted to other publications now? It will not affect the rules, right?"
Editor Hao said stiffly: "Please do so."
"Please return the manuscript to the author as soon as possible."
"We will send it payable on delivery according to the procedure."
Chen Qingluo pressed the hang-up button with her thumb and turned to look at Wang Zixu: "They are blind and not worthy. Let's submit to another magazine."
Although the ending was very tragic, Wang Zixu not only did not feel regretful, but also felt a little secretly happy.
Especially when Chen Qingluo said "they don't deserve it", Wang Zixu felt that he really enjoyed it.
He never expected it to resonate with millions of people. It is enough that Chen Qingluo is liked by millions of people, and all the efforts have been rewarded.
Chen Qingluo stared at him and asked: "So, how are you feeling now?"
"What are you feeling?"
"The manuscript was rejected," Chen Qingluo said pretending to be nonchalant, "People say that the value of your manuscript is It’s not worthy of a long series, ‘I haven’t conquered everyone’… You weren’t shocked, were you?” Chen Qingluo smiled and said, “Although I have never had my manuscript rejected, don’t be shocked! I heard that many well-known writers had their manuscripts rejected countless times before they became famous. It’s nothing to be rejected!”
Chen Qingluo’s ability to comfort people was appallingly poor, but Wang Zixu didn’t feel anything from the beginning. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
“It’s really okay? It’s uncomfortable to be denied your work. I understand what’s wrong with you. Don’t insist on it. It will feel better if you tell me. Come on, After all, I laughed at you so much."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't have any mood swings at all."
Chen Qingluo narrowed her eyes: "Are you a pervert?"
"I am very happy that someone can point out my problem. I was too confident in my novel before. I originally planned to revise it 26 times. I felt invincible when I revised it 20 times. Now it seems that it is not particularly invincible. I will continue to revise when I go back."
Ning Chunyan exclaimed: "Are you still revising it?"
Chen Qingluo said: "Is it possible that you are just being targeted, and it is not a problem with your manuscript itself?"
"Then I will change the manuscript so that it cannot be targeted."
Chen Qingluo raised her eyebrows: "You are still the same as before, only brute force cracking."
Wang Zixu said: "I'm sorry, path dependence has formed. I'm not as talented as you. I only know that all problems can be solved through brute force. If it can't be solved, it means it's not violent enough."
He thought of the words Yan Zishan wrote in his notebook - as long as you believe in yourself, you will remove all obstacles in front of you.
“You are indeed a pervert.”
“If you think so, then just be a pervert.”
Chen Qing Luo pursed her lips and tried to restrain the corners of her lips from rising: "But, I like...well, I mean, I quite like this kind of character."
Wang Zixu said: "I know."
As soon as their eyes met, Ning Chunyan stepped in with a dark face:
"I'm sorry to disturb you two from reminiscing, but let me have a word with her."
After saying that, she pulled Chen Qingluo aside and whispered a few words in her ear.
After saying that, Chen Qingluo’s expression changed: “It’s not so disgusting, right?”
Ning Chunyan looked at her: “What do you think?”
Chen Qingluo became visibly panicked and bit her finger: "I think we should give it a try first. Many magazines are not affiliated with them and may not care about it."
Wang Zixu asked: "What's going on?"
Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo looked at each other with serious expressions.
“What’s wrong? Tell me?” Wang Zixu couldn’t help but calm down.
Chen Qingluo said: "Is there an editor you are familiar with? Someone who has published manuscripts in his hands?"
Wang Zixu said there is only the editor of "Yangtze River" whose surname is Yang.
Chen Qingluo said: "Then send it to him. It won't be too late. The sooner the better."
Wang Zixu asked: "I won't change it?"
Ning Chunyan said: "Strive to get the manuscript approved first. Believe me, this is very important."
Wang Zixu actually has a specific direction in mind for revising the text, which means that this work has the potential to become a better work. It would be a pity for him if he doesn't change it and directly submit it.
But Chen Qingluo and Ning Chunyan were both very serious and urged him to finish the draft first, without telling him the reason. He couldn't even think about it.
… …
Hao Chengliang hung up the phone, turned his wrist and looked at his watch. After taking a few puffs, he threw the cigarette butt into the tin trash can and returned to the office through the evacuation passage.
He immediately returned to his seat with a straight face and began to sort out the manuscript. After placing it neatly on the table, he raised his head and hesitated.
After being mentally prepared, he stood up and walked to the editor-in-chief's office.
Recently, "Ancient City" magazine has had some internal problems. It has changed three presidents within a year, two of which were due to economic problems.
The editor-in-chief caused a minor disturbance on the Internet due to personal life issues. Although the public opinion quickly subsided, the old editor-in-chief was thin-skinned and resigned. However, the newly appointed editor-in-chief is a master of power struggle. He creates cliques within the company, ousts the president, and promotes his confidante to deputy editorial board member.
This beauty has no professional ability at all, and her skills are all focused on office politics. Any communication with her will become quite a headache.
All in all, the stories in the agency over the past six months have been quite exciting. The script can be enough to shoot for thirty episodes, and it will definitely gain a lot of ratings. It's a pity that he is trapped in it, trapped in the whirlpool, and living a miserable life every day. It's fun to eat other people's melons, but it's not a happy thing to live in a melon field by yourself.
Walking into the editor-in-chief’s office, editor-in-chief Huang was on the phone. When he saw him coming, he quickly hung up and threw the phone on the table.
“Editor-in-Chief, we finally couldn’t hold back the manuscript that Chairman Shi Tonghe Shi mentioned last time, and decided to reject it.”
Huang Guiping frowned: “Didn’t you say let it sit for two days and then look at it?”
At first, Shi Tonghe had direct contact with Huang Guiping. When he asked to recommend a manuscript, Huang Guiping immediately agreed and even asked for it. Shi Tonghe's connections and qualifications are worthy of careful protection. What's more, the quality of the articles Shi Tonghe can recommend will definitely not be that bad.
He thought that the manuscript was a short and medium-length novel with tens of thousands of words. Who expected that when he got it, it turned out to be a huge novel of 600,000 words. He immediately regretted that he had agreed too early.
It’s not that “Ancient City” cannot publish long articles, it’s just that it hasn’t published such a long article in a long time. And when he took office as a new official, his position as editor-in-chief was not secure. The president seemed to be throwing away his hands, but in fact he did not make any progress. He was not without weaknesses. At this juncture, it is not advisable to make any big moves.
Serializing such a long story is a big move.
Just think about it, if someone caught him making a fuss about his private contact with Shi Tonghe, saying that in order to maintain his personal relationship, he serialized such a very large article in the magazine, harmed the public and private interests, and brought down the magazine's structure, which would definitely affect his status.
Fortunately, Shi Tonghe called again afterwards, changed his previous attitude, and said that he would be strictly reviewed, which made him confused for a while, but it was exactly what he wanted.
So he immediately held a manuscript selection meeting and asked the editors to discuss the manuscript. Finally, he made a decision and set the tone. The manuscript did not meet the standards for long-form publication, but it had highlights and should not be rejected hastily. Because the article was too long, he gave Hao Chengliang three months to review it carefully, and then held a meeting to discuss it after three months.
Huang Guiping gave Hao Chengliang three months to review the manuscript, but in fact he did not review it. He knew that Shi Tonghe was the key figure, and he also figured out the editor-in-chief's intention: he wanted to find out Shi Tonghe's attitude before handling the manuscript. So he simply put the manuscript there for reference.
Huang Guiping thought more deeply than Hao Chengliang: after this period of time has passed and his position as editor-in-chief is secure, this article may be used as a card.
So Hao Chengliang suddenly told Huang Guiping that he wanted to reject the manuscript, which disrupted Huang's plan and made him very angry.
Hao Chengliang said: "Chen Qingluo just called me to inquire about the manuscript."
"Chen Qingluo?" Huang Guiping sat up straight, "Chen Qingluo's relationship must be well maintained! Why does she want to come to you and force you to reject the manuscript?"
Hao Chengliang smiled bitterly: "No, according to her words, she came to help Wang Zixu come to investigate."
Huang Guiping stared: "What does she want to do?"
“What she means is that this manuscript is going to participate in the Feishi Literary Award. She wants us to publish it as soon as possible. If it cannot be published, please let us know early. If it is delayed, we will not be able to participate.”
Hao Chengliang said: "The other party's attitude was rather tough. She had to ask for clarification on the spot when her words were blocked. I thought that the manuscript could not be published, so I told her to reject it. Is it too hasty? If you don't agree, I will go back and apologize."
Huang Guiping thought for a long time, finally opened his eyes and shook his head: "No, this is just right, this is just right."
< br>He sat up, knocked on the table and said, "You said this manuscript was for the Feishi Literary Award. I understood immediately. Did you know? Shi Tonghe's son, Shi Shuqiu, is also going to participate in the Feishi Literary Award. "
Hao Chengliang raised his eyebrows. He felt Huang Guiping open a door in front of him, and suddenly realized: "That's it!"
"The author who was able to get Chen Qingluo to be a lobbyist must have some connections, and maybe he is a relative of Shi Tonghe. He must have asked Shi Tonghe to help. Shi Tonghe didn't want to help, but he couldn't save face, so he made two excuses. He wanted to help, but he didn't want the manuscript to be published, so as not to compete with his son."
Hao Chengliang gave a thumbs up: "The editor-in-chief is really good at predicting things."
Huang Guiping waved his hand: "It's too early to say this now. Look, I'll call Shi Tonghe and ask for his opinion. If he behaves unusually, it means I guessed it right."
He immediately dialed the phone and was quickly connected.
"Hey, Chairman Shi, excuse me, are you busy now? Yes, let me tell you something about the manuscript you recommended some time ago..."
Shi Tonghe's voice on the other end of the phone became louder: "What's wrong?"
Huang Guiping said: "That's right. We followed your instructions and carefully reviewed the manuscript. After discussion and analysis by our editorial department, we all felt that the manuscript was very bright. But unfortunately, it is too long and the style is not suitable for our journal. If we want to publish it, I am afraid it will not be suitable."
But I heard the other end of the phone heave a sigh of relief: "Is that so? Okay, I get it. That's really a pity, but there's nothing you can do about it. If you can't publish it, it means that the manuscript is not strong enough and the quality is not good enough. If it doesn't work, you have to make more changes. Don't force it for my sake. It will be bad for both you and him."
Huang Guiping and Hao Chengliang smiled at each other.
Shi Tonghe then said: "Then please write clearly the reasons for rejection when rejecting the manuscript. It is best to analyze it with the author. If he does not write well, criticize when it is necessary. Don't be merciful. Only in this way can we grow."
Huang Guiping hung up the phone while nodding his head.
Hao Chengliang extended his thumb again: "Editor-in-chief Huang is really good at predicting things!"
Huang Guiping waved his hand: "Okay, you can do it. Remember in the future, don't be impulsive when communicating with the author. Think more and report more to avoid being slapped in the face. By the way, the relationship with Chen Qingluo can be maintained more. It is best if you can get an appointment with the manuscript. You can let Xiao Zhao go."
Hao Chengliang nodded and left the editor-in-chief's office. As soon as he went out, he was holding the thick pile of manuscripts, and suddenly thought that he would return the manuscripts, but neither he nor the editor-in-chief had read them yet.
He thought, should he ask the editor-in-chief if he wanted to read the manuscript?
Then he shook his head again, thinking, what are you thinking about? Where can I read a 600,000-word manuscript?
He returned to his seat, and his colleague asked: "What's wrong? What's new about this manuscript?"
His pile of manuscripts has been on the table for a while. Because of its length, it is well known in the editorial department. Usually several editors will come to take a look and pay more attention to its situation.
Hao Chengliang said: "The manuscript is about to be rejected, so write a rejection letter."
The colleague was surprised: "Reject the manuscript? Didn't you say let it go for a few days?"
"The situation has changed again."
The colleague shook his head and sighed: "It's because it's too long, right? Well, such a good manuscript, to be honest, is really good. It's a pity that it can't be published in our magazine."
Hao Chengliang sneered: "Oh, I didn't mention it at the review meeting, and now I'm saying it's a pity. After being an editor for so many years, I rejected it. It's a pity that there are too few manuscripts? "
The colleague said loudly: "I have always been very supportive of this manuscript, right? I said it during the review meeting. It is very good."
"Do you support it? How do I remember that many people at the meeting approved this manuscript?"
Another colleague sitting in front heard their conversation and turned around and said: "Most people praised it at that time, right? It would be a pity that this manuscript has to be rejected."
Hao Chengliang frowned: "How do I remember that time? I heard a lot of criticism? Did I remember it wrong? "
The colleague lowered his voice: "Any criticism is just based on the editor's wishes."
After that, he was silent. As the saying goes, it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain. If you talk too much, you will easily be resented.
Hearing what he said, Hao Chengliang suddenly realized why he remembered that this manuscript was very controversial.
When a small group is born in the editorial department, it will inevitably come up with some feudal ideas. There are some people who act according to the prevailing situation. They do not express their own opinions in meetings, but only speculate on the editor-in-chief's intentions. Wherever the editor-in-chief points, they will tell.
Thinking of this, Hao Chengliang held the manuscript in his hand and once again had the idea of reading it.
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and stuffed the manuscript into the envelope with difficulty.
Too long. No time to watch.
(End of this chapter)