lovenovelstory Chapter 109 The Temperamental Robert
Chapter 109 The Temperamental Robert
Chapter 111 The Temperamental Robert (4/5)
"Jeffrey, do you know how important sleep is for an old man?"
You'd better have something important to say, or I swear I'll shove my 30-year-old Winchester shotgun into your ass and blow it to bits.
On the other end of the phone came Gottlieb's furious roar.
Xu Shengjie subconsciously moved the microphone away and grinned.
I glanced at the alarm clock next to me; it was almost one in the morning — well, I guess I can understand the old man's anger.
"Robert, I've thought of two stories."
There was a sudden silence on the phone.
"What story?"
Robert's voice calmed down.
"The story of a female explorer, and I want to write this story into a series."
"what?"
Robert thought for a moment, "A female version of Indiana Jones?"
"Well, you could understand it that way."
"There are many topics on this subject, but it's not easy to write something outstanding."
Of course, if you want to write, then go ahead. Personally, I think with your genius mind, the story you write shouldn't be too bad.
What about the other one?
"It's a fairy tale."
This time, Robert remained silent.
"It's not really a fairy tale, is it? Have you heard of Mulan?"
"Who?"
"A Chinese historical figure, whose story has been the subject of a poem. It tells the story of how she took her father's place in the army 1,500 years ago and fought on the battlefield."
Xu Shengjie tried to expand the poem of Mulan into a story outline in plain language and told it to Robert.
Robert remained silent.
"Of course, I will add some fantasy elements to it."
For example, the ancestral spirits in the ancestral hall, or the guardian beast—it could be a dragon, or it could be a panda.
"Pandas are good. They are gentle and cute, and easier for people to accept."
The dragon's words————
"No, no, no, I meant Loong, not Dragon."
One is the Western dragon, which is actually a large winged lizard, and is a completely different species from the Chinese Loong.
Loong from China is kind-hearted —
"It's no use explaining to me. Regardless of whether Loong and Dragon are the same species, in Western beliefs, they are the same creature, evil and ferocious—I don't recommend you use Loong as your guardian spirit."
In what year was the Chinese Loong recognized?
Xu Shengjie doesn't remember very clearly.
However, during this period, in the eyes of Westerners, the Chinese Loong and Dragon were the same species.
So, what do you think?
"What?"
"A story!"
A rustling sound came from the phone, followed by a hissing sound, like the sound of a match being lit.
Xu Shengjie immediately pictured old Robert in his pajamas, sitting alone in a quiet living room or study, lighting his beloved Kuaba cigar with a match and exhaling long plumes of smoke.
Robert chewed on the butt of his cigar, lost in thought.
After a moment he said, "I'm not sure if Americans will like such a Chinese story."
You know, Americans are arrogant, and they don't really care about stories that don't concern them.
But your story embodies the awakening of female power, independence, and strength.
It's highly likely that feminists will like it, and might even promote it. The panda guardian spirit is a selling point; Americans love pandas. Also, the story of a woman disguising herself as a man to take her father's place in the army is unique. If this story were set in the West, it would likely be popular. But with an Eastern setting—Jeffrey—I can't guarantee how the market will react.
At this point, Robert suddenly laughed.
"But I know you're a stubborn guy."
You probably wouldn't change the background settings, right?
Xu Shengjie laughed on the other end of the phone.
"Robert, you know me."
"I will do my best, but I can't guarantee it will be a big hit."
And from what you're saying, you hope to promote this book as a children's/teenager publication. Have you considered a suitable publisher?
There must be quite a few publishers in New York that publish books for young adults.
"certainly!"
Robert chuckled, "HarperCollins Children's Publishing Group, which mainly publishes children's fairy tales and fantasy novels for young adults, is very friendly to new authors; Random House Children's Publishing just released 'The Wizard of Oz' this year."
Fairy tales are also committed to increasing their development in the market for fairy tales and fantasy novels for young adults; Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing focuses on publishing illustrated fairy tales, and the editor-in-chief of the children’s department has a very close relationship with me, as he is my student.
Henry Holt Publishers, a long-established children's publisher in New York, has two major projects this year: The Little Mermaid and Grimm's Fairy Tales; Grosset and Dempras Publishers, a New York-based publisher specializing in children's and young adult books.
Their distinguishing feature is their high quality, with both hardcover and illustrated editions, making them a top choice for libraries and schools.
There's also Scholar Publishing, which this year integrated the Scholastic Book Club with bookstores, publishing the "Goosebumps" series. But most importantly, they have a very good relationship with the Department of Education's Junior Books Division, allowing them to include their works in the Department of Education's "Recommended Readings for Young People" series.
"A scholar is, after all, a scholar!"
Xu Shengjie made the decision without saying a word.
The "Federal Recommended Readings for Teenagers" series is a set of extracurricular reading recommendations provided by the U.S. Department of Education to federal high schools.
This recommendation is not easy to obtain.
The fact that the original Harry Potter series became an instant hit in the United States was partly due to this recommendation.
It is a nationally recommended series of books for teenagers, without any negative influences, and promotes positive energy.
American families highly approve of this book series. They are generally willing to buy any book from this series for their children.
Robert laughed heartily, "I think so too."
Moreover, in my opinion, your story would be perfect for inclusion in a recommended book series.
"Is it 100% certain that it will be included?"
"Damn it, you haven't even written a book yet, how am I supposed to know?"
However, you're different now than you were two months ago. You have recognition and representative works, so the publisher's review process will be much shorter.
Here's what we'll do: once you've written it, I'll submit it to Jean Feiwel for review as soon as possible. Deborah Ford is currently focused on developing the "Goosebumps" series and probably doesn't have much energy left.
Fisher is the head of the Scholars' Children's Book Expansion Department, and he has an exceptional ability to develop a product line of literature for young adults.
That's the role of a reliable literary agent.
He has an excellent understanding of the publishing industry and a vast network of editors.
Once you write something, he can quickly find the corresponding publisher and editor, which is much more convenient than submitting your work blindly.
Xu Shengjie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Alright then, I'll finish writing the book as soon as possible."
"Slow and steady wins the race, especially since you're still filming."
"Make a good movie, I invested two hundred thousand dollars, don't let me lose it all!"
"Don't worry, you won't lose money!"
Xu Shengjie said confidently.
I'll take this story first!
If Disney wants to produce this animated feature film, it will have to consult with him.
At that time, Xu Shengjie will be able to gain some say.
When the live-action film is made, the Mulan trademark will be in his hands, and he'll have a say in the matter. Let's discard those awful Japanese aesthetics and create a live-action film with a distinctly Chinese aesthetic. We absolutely cannot let these foreigners ruin Chinese historical figures again.
Xu Shengjie felt quite gratified.
He even started fantasizing about how much money he could make from "Mulan".
This animated feature film, with a budget of $70 million, grossed $3.04 million worldwide.
Oh, and the theme song!
The theme song for the animated feature film is called "Reflection," and the singer... I think... I think it's Tina?
Yes, it's her!
Christina Aguilera.
Isn't this a coincidence? Isn't this a coincidence?
Xu Shengjie sat at his worktable, his eyes closed, trying hard to recall information about the animated feature film.
The music video is terrible!
When Tina sang this song, she was probably around eighteen or nineteen years old.
That head of white hair, making him look like a white-haired witch, what the heck? It doesn't match the mood and style of this song at all.
It must be changed!
They're our own kids, after all. They don't have to be ethereal and otherworldly, but they shouldn't look like that grotesque creature!
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