NABC Chapter 93 Novel Published
Chapter 93 Novel Published
Chapter 92 Novel Published
After finishing work, Zhang Jun met with Jia Si in a conference room at the hotel.
Jia Si's face was still full of excitement: "Teacher Zhang, this is our sample. If you have no questions, we will arrange for its release."
Zhang Jun took it and opened it, and there was the name "The Martian" on it.
There are also exaggerated slogans such as: "The most shocking science fiction novel of the year." "Recommended by an academician." "A must-read science fiction series."
The cover also features an astronaut on a desolate Mars, facing a raging Martian dust storm, demonstrating the considerable effort put into the art direction of "Science Fiction World".
Zhang Jun expressed his satisfaction: "Okay, send it like this!"
Jia Si hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Teacher Zhang, is there a later part to this novel?"
"Of course, I've already finished writing it."
Zhang Jun gestured to Gao Yan to bring over the complete printed and bound copy of "The Martian" and hand it to Jia Si.
Jia Si quickly took it and flipped through the subsequent plot of the novel, and sure enough, she found that the novel's rigor and logic had been maintained.
More importantly, the novel provides detailed descriptions of how the protagonist, Ma Qiang, solves each difficulty, such as how to produce oxygen and water, and how to grow potatoes.
This isn't pure fantasy; it makes you feel as if, if you followed the novel's instructions, anyone could survive on Mars.
Jia Si believes that this novel will become a classic of Chinese science fiction.
"That's fantastic, Professor Zhang, this novel is amazing!"
Jia Si was very pleased: "Don't worry, our Science Fiction World magazine will definitely take this novel seriously and publish it as this year's featured work."
We will also contact the publisher to bind it into a book and release it as a standalone volume.
Regarding royalties —
Zhang Jun waved his hand and said, "Just pay the royalties according to industry standards. As long as the novel can be published and bring joy to readers, I think that's enough."
"Okay, don't worry, the January issue will be available to readers soon."
Jia Si, with a touch of personal curiosity, asked, "May I ask, I see you're quite good at directing, so why did you decide to write a science fiction novel?"
Zhang Jun explained, "I've been interested in science fiction since I was a child. When I first entered the film industry, I wanted to make a science fiction movie."
But it turned out that it was difficult to do so.
But keeping these stories to myself was making me very uncomfortable, so I wrote them into a novel to share with readers first, and hope to make them into a movie sometime in the future.
"So that's how it is!" Jia Si suddenly realized.
Indeed, many authors have a strong desire to express themselves, and it is difficult for them to keep certain stories bottled up inside, which is why many writers embark on the path of creation.
In the following days, Jia Si, as a representative of Science Fiction World magazine, officially signed a contract with Zhang Jun in the presence of both parties' lawyers.
The contract stipulated that "The Martian" would be exclusively serialized in "Science Fiction World" and could only be published as a complete work after the serialization ended.
The fee is 200 yuan per thousand words, which is a bit high for a new writer.
However, considering the quality of the novel and the legendary nature of Zhang Jun's identity, Science Fiction World magazine felt that the royalties were very valuable.
On the most important issue of copyright, Zhang Jun retained all copyrights, and Science Fiction World did not enjoy the corresponding copyrights.
This is exactly how it should be; otherwise, if Zhang Jun wanted to adapt the novel into a film in the future, he would have to buy the rights from *Science Fiction World* magazine, which would be a joke.
The copyright belongs to Zhang Jun, and in the future, as a director, he only needs to obtain the copyright from himself as a novelist.
After the contract was successfully signed, Jia Si immediately returned to the editorial department of Science Fiction World magazine to report on the results of the meeting.
When the editors in the editorial department heard from Jia Si that Zhang Jun was actually a director, their mouths dropped open in disbelief.
Jia Si was secretly pleased with himself, thinking to himself: Look at yourselves, so easily frightened, aren't you?
Little did he know that when he first found out, his expression was similar to that of all the editors.
An editor asked, "Old Jia, did you see any celebrities on your trip?"
"Of course I saw them! I even got their autograph and a photo!"
Jia Si took out a signed photo of Andy Lau: "This is a photo of Andy Lau and me. He also gave me a signed CD."
One of the editors in the editorial department was a fan of Andy Lau, and immediately offered: "Three thousand yuan, how about you sell it to me?"
Jia Si refused: "Three thousand yuan? I wouldn't sell it for thirty thousand yuan. I want to keep it as a collector's item."
"Alright, alright."
Qin Li clapped her hands to quiet everyone down: "Next, we need to do a good job of publishing the January issue, and optimize the layout and graphic design."
"Jace, arrange for Zhang Jun's biography to be added to the chapter in 'The Martian,' and release it as soon as possible!"
"good!"
The editors in the editorial department were full of energy and quickly went off to get busy.
A week later, after a period of intense typesetting, the January issue of Science Fiction World was sent from the printing plant to all parts of the country.
In addition to subscriptions from schools and some public institutions, the magazine was also sold at newsstands, with the large characters "The Martian" prominently displayed.
The school was still on holiday, and these magazines were placed in the school library, waiting to be read. Generally speaking, schools without libraries don't usually subscribe to magazines.
However, many schools nowadays prioritize students' academic performance over cultivating their love of reading, so the libraries in junior and senior high schools are generally not open year-round.
But it's okay, university is relatively free and the management is not so strict, so Zhang Jun's works may still be seen by university students.
In January, if you don't rely on the school, you can only hope that the sales at newsstands will be good, and most of the buyers of "Science Fiction World" magazine are students on holiday.
In Chongqing, Feng Jia is a freshman in high school. He is currently on winter break and has not yet entered the high-pressure study mode of the junior and senior years. Therefore, he can still find opportunities to go out and have fun during the winter break.
Feng Jia has a wide range of interests and hobbies, and enjoys reading novel magazines such as "Story Club" and "Science Fiction World".
Today, he happened to have some pocket money given to him by his mother. He ate two grilled sausages and bought two packs of spicy strips. When he passed by the newsstand, he was attracted by the neatly arranged "Science Fiction World" magazine.
On the cover, an astronaut faces a sandstorm, surrounded by a vast expanse of red, with what appears to be a base in the background.
The work below is titled "The Martian," and includes the words "highly recommended by academicians and professors from Tsinghua University."
Feng Jia couldn't resist and bought a copy of "Science Fiction World" magazine, intending to take it home and read it.
When Feng Jia arrived home, his mother was preparing dinner. Seeing that Feng Jia had bought another extracurricular book, she couldn't help but lecture him.
"You're already in high school, why aren't you focusing on your studies? What are you doing buying all these extracurricular books every day?"
Feng Jia said, "Mom, this is different."
"What's the difference? I'm giving you money to buy study guides, not these things," Mom said.
Feng Jia held up the magazine and said, "The novels in this magazine were recommended by academicians and professors from Tsinghua University."
"What, a professor at Tsinghua University?"
Feng Jia's father had just returned home from get off work when he heard his son and wife arguing.
The mother complained, "Your son doesn't study properly, he just buys extracurricular books every day, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
The father was quite open-minded: "The child is still young, and there's nothing wrong with reading extracurricular books to cultivate interests and hobbies."
Mom rolled her eyes: "Whatever you two do. If your grades drop, don't blame me for confiscating all your stuff!"
The father and son exchanged a glance and decided not to argue with the mother.
Feng Jia happily shared the magazine with her father. The first page they opened to was the first part of "The Martian," which tells the story of Chinese astronauts conducting scientific research at a Mars base.
The protagonist, Ma Qiang, is a botanist and also the team's mechanical engineer.
With solid writing and humorous passages, the novel vividly recounts this episode of scientific research and bickering among the team members.
Although there are long passages with scientific explanations, Feng Jia did not find them boring at all; on the contrary, she found them very interesting to read.
The good times didn't last long. A Martian storm struck, and fearing potential casualties, the captain ordered an evacuation. However, during the evacuation, Ma Qiang was struck by something blown by the storm and disappeared without a trace.
After a fruitless search, the team members left Mars with heavy hearts, reunited with the spacecraft in orbit, and returned to Earth.
When people on Earth learned of Ma Qiang's death, they held a memorial service and funeral for him.
Ma Qiang, however, was awakened by the warning sound emanating from his spacesuit. He hadn't died; he was still alive, but now he was all alone on Mars.
The first part of the novel ends here, leaving Feng Jia wanting more and eager to read the rest of the story.
Many questions arose in his mind, such as how Ma Qiang would survive on Mars, and what would happen if people on Earth found out he was still alive.
Below the novel are recommendations from Academician Zhao and Professor Chen, as well as an introduction to the author.
Feng Jia read: "Zhang Jun graduated from the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University. He is a film director and novelist. His representative films include 'Little Miss Sunshine,' 'About Time,' and 'Sherlock on the Plains.'"
The novel The Martian —
To be honest, he was a director. Feng Jia was quite surprised. He remembered that his parents had seen "About Time" before. He hadn't gone; instead, he had gone to a classmate's house to play.
So Feng Jia took the magazine and shared it with her father: "Dad, look, the author of this novel is a movie director, he's so amazing."
"What kind of movie production?"
Feng Jia's father took a look and exclaimed, "Wow! She graduated from Tsinghua University, majoring in astronomy. She makes movies and writes novels—she's a true all-rounder!"
Feng Jia's mother became interested: "Is this the director of 'About Time'?"
"Yes, it says so here, it shouldn't be fake."
Feng Jia's father also revealed his mother's little secret: "Your mother was so moved when she watched this movie in the theater that she kept wiping away tears—"
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Jia's mother shoved a piece of pork rib into his mouth: "You talk too much! Hurry up and eat!"
It wasn't just Feng Jia's family who noticed that Zhang Jun was both a director and an author; many people did as well. Some of the magazine's readers had seen the films and knew Zhang Jun's name.
The readers and viewers were both surprised and curious, and most of them thought Zhang Jun's novel was well written after reading the first part.
On Baidu Tieba, there's a forum called "Zhang Jun Movies," where a thread about "The Martian" has been generating a lot of discussion.
"I just finished watching it. The plot is logically sound and the events are interconnected. I highly recommend it."
"Zhang Jun is not only a filmmaker, but also a very good novelist; both are storytelling professions."
"This guy is amazing. He not only makes movies, but he also writes novels, and science fiction novels at that. What's most infuriating is that he's even more handsome than me."
"Brother, stop talking. Why is there such a huge difference between people?"
"I knew Zhang Jun graduated from the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University. Surely he couldn't have wasted four years of university education, could he? Sure enough, he produced this novel."
Moreover, it was recommended by academicians and Yangtze River Scholars; it certainly lived up to its reputation.
"By the way, why didn't Zhang Jun make a movie about him, but instead wrote a novel?"
"It's very simple, because it's simply impossible to film at this stage; we simply don't have the capability. For example, how would we film the Martian scene from the novel?"
Speaking of this, everyone sighed. They also felt that it was precisely because they couldn't film it that Zhang Jun wrote it as a novel and published it.
However, science fiction fans soon had a glimmer of hope.
Zhang Jun is both a director and a creator. "The Martian" demonstrates his boundless imagination and solid scientific foundation. Perhaps when the time is right, Zhang Jun will adapt his novel for the big screen.
Some readers even called the hotline of Science Fiction Magazine or wrote letters urging Science Fiction World to release the latter part of the novel as soon as possible.
This matter also attracted the attention of the media, and Sina Entertainment reported on it.
"Recently, a serialized science fiction novel, *The Martian*, published in *Science Fiction World*, has attracted attention. It is understood that the author is renowned director Zhang Jun."
The reporter has confirmed with the editorial department of *Science Fiction World* that the author Zhang Jun and the director Zhang Jun are the same person.
Sohu News reacted even faster, directly interviewing Zhang Jun himself.
Zhang Jun explained, "Actually, this story has been lingering in my mind for a long time. I wanted to share it with everyone, but I felt the timing wasn't right."
It was Ning Hao's suggestion that prompted me to organize my ideas into a novel and publish it.
When asked if he would make science fiction movies in the future, Zhang Jun replied, "If I have the opportunity in the future, I will."
This is making things interesting again. If there were trending topics right now, the news about Zhang Jun writing a science fiction novel would probably be number one.
Such a huge buzz naturally boosted the sales of Science Fiction World magazine.
These days, it's already a good number if Science Fiction World magazine sells more than 100,000 copies a month.
After all, globally, the sales of print media and magazines have been declining year after year.
However, thanks to the buzz generated by Zhang Jun, the January 2006 issue of Science Fiction World magazine sold an astonishing 350,000 copies.
The editorial office of Science Fiction World magazine was immediately filled with celebration after editor-in-chief Qin Li announced the sales figures.
Qin Li instructed, "Old Jia, quickly call and tell Teacher Zhang Jun this good news."
Jia Si said she understood and quickly called Gao Yan to tell her the good news.
When Zhang Jun heard the news, he remained calm and simply said "I know".
Gao Yan asked curiously, "Boss, you don't seem excited at all."
Zhang Jun said, "It was expected. There's nothing to be excited about. We just need to do our jobs well."
The original novel was outstanding and even topped the New York Times bestseller list.
The magazine "Science Fiction World" has only sold 350,000 copies so far, which is actually low.
However, Zhang Jun still called Professor Chen to thank him and Academician Zhao for their help.
"You're welcome, Zhang Jun. Teacher Zhao just thought your novel was really well-written and was interested in giving you some pointers."
Professor Chen laughed on the phone, "The results are good now, which means our help wasn't in vain. That's great."
Your continued creation of even better works is the greatest help you can give us.
Zhang Jun assured him, "Of course, I graduated from Tsinghua University. People from Tsinghua University are the best at everything."
It's certainly not all the best, but that's the way it should be said.
"Haha, that's the spirit we need." Professor Chen expressed his satisfaction.
The crew members were also curious about Zhang Jun's published novel. During her spare time from filming, Li Shuangbing asked her assistant to buy a copy to read.
Once they started watching, they couldn't stop, and they even urged Zhang Jun to continue filming on set.
"Director, when will the later parts of the novel be released? I can't wait!"
Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "You'd have to ask the magazine; how would I know?"
Li Shuangbing began to plead, "Then could I read the rest of the novel from you?"
Zhang Jun firmly refused: "That won't do. If you read it, you won't buy the magazine anymore, and sales will decrease. You have to contribute to my sales."
This remark made everyone laugh, and Fan Bingbing also laughed heartily.
She hadn't even seen the complete novel; Zhang Jun kept it a secret even from her, his bedmate, let alone anyone else.
The novel incident was just a side note; Zhang Jun's focus remained on filming "Reign of Assassins." He gave the crew a holiday on New Year's Eve, allowing everyone to go home for the New Year and return to the set on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.
Although film crews aren't companies or businesses that have holidays off, Zhang Jun still wants everyone to have time to go home and reunite with their families during holidays like Chinese New Year.
Zhang Jun also went home for the Chinese New Year, and all his relatives already knew what he did for a living.
In the eyes of their relatives, making movies is a very good profession with a high income, so they started thinking about introducing potential partners to him again.
Some relatives even asked Zhang Jun to help them find a job, but fortunately Zhang Yuncheng turned them all down, so as not to put Zhang Jun in a difficult position.
Such social interactions are unavoidable. Zhang Jun has many relatives, so every year during the Spring Festival, the brother and sister are essentially going through a tribulation.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Jun quickly said goodbye and ran away to go back to filming.
The crew members were all present. The Spring Festival holiday had made everyone a bit lax, and the initial filming conditions were not good.
Zhang Jun gradually adjusted his mindset, got the crew back on track, and filming began to go smoothly, entering a fast track for production.