Xin Zixing: We can take this opportunity to announce to everyone the book "Jump Up: Our Student Days", which can make the best use of the popularity of this event and achieve better promotion than other publicity methods. Yan He, I understand that you don't want this book to become a book with a strong fan attribute, but you see, the authors of this book now include Jiang Yuqian, Li Zhibai, Song Linxin, Yan Lianghao and several other artists. Even if it has fan attributes, it is not just focused on you. Can you think about it, okay?
-
Lu Yanhe looked at the message sent by Xin Zixing, was silent for a moment, and showed it to Chen Siqi.
After reading it, Chen Siqi asked, "What do you think?"
"I think what she said makes sense, but the most crucial thing is another thing. I've been thinking about this the past few days. I'm more concerned about whether it can survive than whether others think it's a book with a strong fan base." Lu Yanhe said, "We all have such high expectations for 'Jump Up'. If the first season doesn't perform well, it will definitely be difficult to continue. Sister Zixing wants to take advantage of this popularity, and so do I."
"But if you do that, you will be exposed to everyone, and all the problems that may arise in 'Jump Up' will be blamed on you," said Chen Siqi.
"I know, but since we're the ones editing this book, we should be responsible for any problems that arise with 'Jump Up,'" Lu Yanhe said. "Since Lu Yanhe is my name, and writing my name on 'Jump Out' will benefit it in many ways, then let's just put Lu Yanhe's name on it."
Chen Siqi looked at him helplessly and said, "You can actually wait until 'Jump Up' is truly finished before announcing to everyone that you are the editor-in-chief of this book."
"It's okay." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I haven't done anything shameful, so why hide it? Besides, don't you and I have the same editor-in-chief?"
He said with a smile.
Chen Siqi was stunned and looked at him in surprise, "Will we be editors together?"
"Yeah." Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
"Double editors-in-chief?" Xin Zixiong asked in surprise on the phone.
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Can I put both my name and Chen Siqi's name as the editor-in-chief?"
Xin Zixing was silent for a long moment before she said, "It's rare to see two editors-in-chief in China. In fact, it's rare worldwide."
The editor-in-chief is the one who makes the final decision, much like the director of a film. It's rare to see two people share the same role. Otherwise, how would disputes be resolved? Whose decision would be taken in the event of a disagreement?
Lu Yanhe: "This is based on practical considerations. I'm also an entertainer. I have various other duties in the future, such as acting and performing. I can't devote all my time and energy to this book. If I really want to continue this book and turn it into a series, I must have someone to co-edit it with me. I hope it will be her."
"Yan He, don't get me wrong. I like your classmate very much. Although she's still very young and immature, she's very driven and motivated, which is the type of person I admire. It's just that putting her in the editor-in-chief position is likely to cause controversy." Xin Zixing said, "She's just a recent high school graduate. Of course, I know that she, like you, is the person who made this book possible. She could be content director or deputy editor-in-chief, and there's no problem with that. Putting her in the same position as you will cause people to question it."
"What are you questioning? Are you questioning her incompetence, or am I being a bitch?" Lu Yanhe directly addressed Xin Zixing's concerns. "Sister Zixing, since we're working on this book together, let's be honest and put both of our names on the editor-in-chief list. That's what I hope. If Yemai.com wants to announce this now, then let's do it together."
Xin Zixing felt helpless.
Only people aged eighteen or nineteen would say such things, leaving no room for negotiation, with a passion and idealism that adults could not understand.
However, Xin Zixing had no way to convince Lu Yanhe.
This book is not written by Yemai.com, but by Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi.
As for what they want to do, Yemai.com only has the right to make suggestions but not the right to decide.
In fact, deep down in her heart, Xin Zixing actually admired Lu Yanhe's attitude - after all, there are always many people who want to take all the credit, and few who are willing to share the credit.
Xin Zixing said, "Okay, I get it. But, Yan He, regarding the book 'Jump Up,' have you and your classmate come up with a clear division of responsibilities and profit sharing plan? I've seen many partners who work together like a team, but when it comes time to divide the pie, the talks fall apart. Have you discussed these things?"
Lu Yanhe said, "We've discussed it. It's very simple, fifty-fifty."
Xin Zixing was stunned.
Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Zixing, we're just recent high school graduates. We care more about what this book means to us than the specific benefits. It might sound a bit idealistic to you, but it's true. It doesn't matter if we don't work on this book. We want to spend our time and energy on this because we want to."
After hearing what Lu Yanhe said, Xin Zixing wanted to laugh, but she held it back.
As expected, children are children. You can't truly communicate with them because they don't yet understand what it means that "human desires grow slowly" or that "everyone flees when disaster strikes." But as you listen to these childish words, you find them both absurd and envious. They're still so innocent and brilliant, and you even feel an urge to protect their innocence and brilliance.
"Well, come on." Xin Zixing heard herself say this.
-
The official Yemai.com account released a message: "I heard that the two editors of our upcoming theme Mook "Jump Up" have become a trending topic?!" I pouted. I was originally planning to secretly surprise everyone with a big move, but it was exposed like this? Okay, okay, let's officially announce it. Xiaoye has teamed up with Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi, recent high school graduates, to edit a theme Mook "Jump Up" for all young internet users. It will be available on Yemai.com soon, so everyone, come to Yemai.com to pre-order it! Link attached~
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi were @ed by the official account in the end.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi forwarded this post one after another.
Lu Yanhe sent a smiley face and said: Working on a themed Mook with classmates is an experience I have never had before. I face new areas and new problems every day, but I am happy to do what I want to do even if I am tired.
Chen Siqi: Well, it’s worth it to have a 27-yuan meal and solve a critical problem.
Then, Yemai.com spent money to make Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi a hot topic.
On that day, the search volume on Yemai.com surged threefold, and the number of visits increased by 160%. The number of reservations for the "Jump Up" reservation link opened by Yemai.com exceeded 1,300, of which nearly half were reservations from newly registered users.
Whether this data is high or low depends on how it is evaluated.
For Yemai.com, this was a number that was within their expectations but also made them very satisfied.
Now the book "Jump Up" has nothing but the name of the editor-in-chief, but it can immediately get 1,300 reservations, which shows that Lu Yanhe has quite a lot of fans who are interested in this book just because of Lu Yanhe's name.
But some marketing accounts and media outlets uninformed about the market have been casting a pessimistic light on Lu Yanhe. After all, this is an era of virality, where a celebrity on the cover of a magazine will instantly sell out by the tens, even hundreds, of thousands. The amount of sales a celebrity can generate has become a litmus test for a celebrity's popularity. Lu Yanhe, however, has only managed to secure 1,300 pre-orders, a dismal performance that completely underwhelms his recent surge in popularity.
A special columnist for the "Art Newspaper" wrote in his column: No matter how high Lu Yanhe's college entrance examination score is, it cannot be converted into corresponding fan appeal in the idol artist market.
-
More media outlets are questioning Lu Yanhe's behavior of editing the theme Mook.
Most people who work in the media have some understanding of the market situation.
They questioned how Lu Yanhe, a high school graduate, could be the editor-in-chief, and questioned how Yemai.com only cared about traffic and celebrities and disrespected professionalism.
Some former print media workers also complained that Lu Yanhe had not yet found stability in one path when he started to rush down another.
Most of those who are optimistic and supportive of the book "Jump Up" are passers-by.
Lu Yanhe and his team had anticipated such a situation, but they didn't expect it to be so fierce.
Some people went to the comment section of Lu Yanhe's social media platform to complain about him, question him, and say sarcastically that being a celebrity is good, that everything is easier than for ordinary people, and that you can do whatever you want.
The situation on Yemai.com was even worse. Many people poured cold water on the post, questioning how much they had paid Lu Yanhe to let him be their editor-in-chief. They also said that they had misjudged the market and that the book would definitely lose money and not sell, etc.
The official account of Yemai.com made a simple reply in its own comment section, saying: We did not invite Lu Yanhe to be the editor-in-chief of "Jump Up", but we learned that Lu Yanhe and his classmates had this idea, so we discussed the cooperation. We did not provide any remuneration and were only responsible for the production funds of this book.
After Yemai.com responded like this, many people came out to mock Lu Yanhe for being so lame, saying that Yemai.com did not intend to provide any compensation for cooperation with him.
“…”
Yemai.com was caught off guard by such a large-scale negative voice.
Lu Yanhe also gradually became a little worried from his initial indifferent attitude.
He was even a little puzzled and wondered why so many people were resisting this matter?
Chen Ziyan instead told him, "Yan He, you need to slowly learn to accept this. You're an artist, and there's no denying that you do enjoy many advantages brought by this status, as well as access to resources that ordinary people don't have. So, even if people don't judge you fairly, and you feel uncomfortable, you have no right to explain. The only thing you can do is to do it well and use the final results to show everyone that you made the right choice to do this and that you didn't waste these opportunities."
Chen Ziyan's words made Lu Yanhe think deeply.
The main reason was that Lu Yanhe didn't expect Chen Ziyan to say that.
Lu Yanhe has never felt that his identity as an artist has brought him many conveniences. In fact, in the past year, he has encountered more doubts and troubles than conveniences.
The real convenience he had was that after the college entrance examination results came out, he suddenly had a lot more work. That was because his own fame had increased, not because of his identity as an artist.
However, Lu Yanhe also admitted that if he were not Lu Yanhe, he would never have the opportunity to edit such a book.
He had not seriously thought about the contradiction between these two ideas before, but now Chen Ziyan pointed it out sharply.
"So, because I'm an artist, no matter what I do, people will think I'm taking advantage of my artist status, right?" Lu Yanhe actually felt a little aggrieved deep down in his heart.
Chen Ziyan sighed.
As soon as she heard it, she knew that Lu Yanhe was just being young and naive and hadn't really thought it through.
"Yan He, whether or not you're taking advantage of someone's status isn't important at all. Every young person in this world wants to prove that their success is 100% self-sufficient, but that's simply unrealistic. From the moment we're born, we're connected to all sorts of people and things," Chen Ziyan said. "Rather than taking advantage, I hope you can truly realize that when we have the ability to legitimately gain more resources and more convenient conditions through our status, family, and relationships, we can accept it with confidence. We can accept that our success is due to benefactors, helpers, and luck. Only by acknowledging our own uniqueness can we face our success with confidence. Otherwise, the more we deny it, the more we fear it, the more we can't let it go, and the less we can handle it with ease."
Chen Ziyan's words lingered in Lu Yanhe's mind for a long time without disappearing.
-
On Yemai.com, due to the controversy surrounding Lu Yanhe's editor-in-chief's "Jump Up", this project was also brought up at the meeting to discuss whether to continue.
A senior editor in the editorial department said, "I'm not very optimistic about this project. To be honest, celebrities certainly have a fan base, but we all know that creating a book series is a long-term project. It's hard to stick with it unless you truly love and have a strong connection to books. Lu Yanhe came up with 'Jump Up'. He was just trying to be novel and create a highly talked-about book series. This will certainly achieve temporary success and attention, but how long can it last? Look, this project didn't even get a lot of support at the beginning, which shows that everyone is very clear that having a celebrity as the editor-in-chief is just a gimmick. How can they care about the content?"
"Teacher Chen, and all the teachers present here, I need to make one thing clear to everyone. 'Jump Up' wasn't something Yemai.com came up with ourselves and then asked Lu Yanhe to do it. We've always wanted to do a book series like this, but for various reasons, we couldn't. It just so happened that Lu Yanhe suggested it, so we took the initiative to seek cooperation." Xin Zixing said seriously, "Without Lu Yanhe, when would Yemai.com have been able to create its own book series?"
The person she called Teacher Chen shook his head. "Zixing, I know that the recent documentary 'City Travels' has allowed you and Lu Yanhe to have a good collaboration, and you trust him, but we haven't created our own book series yet. There are many reasons. Lu Yanhe wants to make 'Jump Up', and I don't object. Regardless of whether it will be successful in the long run, it will definitely attract some of his fans in the short term. But, do we really want to use 'Jump Up' as the brand book series for our Yemai e-reading? This is something we need to seriously consider. Even if an e-book has tens of thousands of fans subscribing every month, but its social reputation is very low, in the long run, it will damage the overall reputation and reputation of our Yemai network."
"Indeed, the biggest difference between our Yemai.com and other websites is the construction of our user community atmosphere. The reason why we have been reluctant to open an entertainment celebrity section is that we don't want the fan circle to affect the online community atmosphere of our Yemai.com. Now, what impact will the introduction of Lu Yanhe and his "Jump Up" into our Yemai.com bring? We must seriously consider it." Another person also said.
Xin Zixing shook her head. "Teachers, Lu Yanhe is indeed an artist, but is he the same as any other artist? Is there another idol artist with such a high social reputation? Right now, only a small number of people are questioning Lu Yanhe's ability as an editor-in-chief. Is this really a negative evaluation? As long as 'Jump Up' does well and wins everyone's praise, these doubts will be easily resolved."
“Who knows what the reputation of ‘Jump Up’ will be like?”
"Indeed, we don't know how the reputation of 'Jump Up' will be, but if we don't give it a try, we'll never know," said Xin Zixing. "Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi are both working very seriously on this book. Putting aside Lu Yanhe's background as an entertainer, isn't he unsuitable to be the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up'? This isn't a serious literary journal; it's an e-book for young people in the internet age. Lu Yanhe's age, experience, and abilities perfectly match our expectations for an editor-in-chief of such a book. Only someone like him can truly create a book that will captivate so many people."
"But he is an artist, and we cannot discuss this matter without considering his identity as an artist."
In the discussion about this matter, both sides were arguing and unwilling to compromise.
In the end, the conference room was divided into two groups with completely different attitudes. One group, led by Mr. Chen from the editorial department, believed that this matter should be considered carefully, while the other group, led by Xin Zixing, believed that this opportunity should be seized.
At this time, Liu Qiao, the chief content editor of Yemai.com, spoke.
"Yemai.com is not just a data-driven website. We value everyone's impression of us and their positioning of Yemai.com."
As soon as Liu Qiao opened his mouth, a slightly smug look appeared on Teacher Chen's face.
"However, do you know how many pre-orders for this book have been received so far after we announced the news of "Jump Up" today?" Liu Qiao asked.
In the conference room, everyone looked stunned.
"So far, more than 1,800 people have made reservations," Liu Qiao said. "People who don't know much about the industry will of course say that this number is small, but we all know that we require everyone who makes a reservation to have a real-name verified Yemai.com account, which means there's no way to manipulate the data. We haven't done any promotion within Yemai.com yet; we rely entirely on social media platforms for traffic, and half of these accounts are newly registered."
"I'm not saying this to say the data is good or bad. I want to clarify one thing: there are many people online who question Lu Yanhe's editorship, but there are also just as many who believe in him and are interested in his books," Liu Qiao said. "We've always wanted to launch our own brand, but we couldn't. Why? There are many reasons, but to put it bluntly, after evaluation, we found that launching a brand wouldn't achieve our goals. We couldn't be self-sufficient and would have to rely on the website for continued support. Now that Lu Yanhe's book has the potential to achieve that, should we shelve it because of some online doubts? Everyone should think about this seriously."
He smiled and stood up, "I'm going out to smoke a cigarette."
After he left, the group of people led by Teacher Chen all looked a little ugly.
Xin Zixing did not show any complacency about this.
She silently looked at the information in her hand, knowing that the overall situation had been decided at today's meeting, and "Jump Up" would continue to move forward.
That's enough.
She didn't want to say anything more.
No matter how much I say, it's better to make "Jump Up" and put it in front of everyone. (End of this chapter)
