What should I do if the system forces me to copy books?

And Qi Yucheng's father is indeed a diehard fan of LeBron James, otherwise he would not have given his son such an English name.

A hoarse voice came from the phone, which seemed to be changing, "Sorry, I really can't come out, my sister is still at home now."

Qi Yucheng said anxiously: "If we don't go, there might be no one at the signing event, and it will be very miserable. I must go, are you sure you can't come?"

"If there are very few people, can you help me get an autograph too? It's just that my name needs to be written on the giver."

"traitor!"

Qi Yucheng hung up the phone very unhappy, then got on the bus alone, and went to the city center worried.

He didn't pay attention to the New York Times bestseller list, but simply liked Li Chungang's works, plus his identity as a Chinese.

This time, if a cousin in China hadn't sent a special message asking Qi Yucheng to help him get an autograph, he would never have known that Li Chungang was going to hold a signing event in Los Angeles.

Although Chinese Americans have outstanding top figures in all walks of life in Millikin, they still cannot change the discrimination in the general environment if their arms can't be twisted.

Black people who are always clamoring to reject racial discrimination, in fact, openly and secretly transfer hatred to discriminate against Asians!

Qi Yucheng thought that Li Chungang's reputation was not that great, and he needed to bring his friends to help support the scene.

Feeling annoyed at the moment, he just arrived at the bookstore, and was completely shocked by the dense crowd here.

It's not like I haven't bought books here before, but why are there people queuing up outside the door?

"Sorry to bother you. Is this the place where Li Chungang's signing will be held?" Qi Yucheng mustered up the courage to step up and ask, even worried that the staff of the bookstore didn't know who Li Chungang was. Li Chungang from "Jing", I heard that he will come to sign the sale this afternoon."

At this moment, Qi Yucheng was still a little worried. It's not a good thing if the contrast is too tragic!

Who knew that the staff member took a look at Qi Yucheng, pointed to the circling team and said, "Go to the back and line up, these are all looking for Li Chungang to sign."

"They are all?"

The little guy's eyes widened, he couldn't believe this reality at all!

"Yes. These are all. If I were you, I must go to the queue quickly, otherwise there are hundreds of people waiting in line, and if I am later, I may miss this autograph."

"Thank you, I'll be right there!"

Now Qi Yucheng's mind is full of fog, and Li Chungang is so popular that he doesn't need to support him at all?

He suddenly felt a sense of grievance in his heart that he had been cheated. He originally thought that he liked a well-known local writer who urgently needed support, but it turned out to be an absolute celebrity!

Chapter 631 Taco-Tuesday

"Thank you for your support! Thank you~"

"Next!"

Signing is actually a rather mechanical and boring thing. One reader after another comes and goes like an assembly line, and the whole process is repeated.

Li Chungang's hands were not only sore, but also the muscles on his face became a little stiff because of keeping a smile for a long time. He could only keep his head buried in helplessness while quietly looking forward to the end of the signing session.

Those readers who got the books left happily, but there were more people who traveled thousands of miles to hear the news, and some people came in when they left. It seemed that the total number of readers waiting for signings in the bookstore was almost zero. There is no reduction!

It's not necessarily a good thing if the book sells too well, maybe it will be spent here today.

Grace from Random House took a cup of coffee that was covered with white paper and put it in Li Chungang's hand, and said in a low voice: "Li, it's already 5:30, and we will issue a notice so that readers who come back later will not come back." We're in the queue, we just need to sign all the people who are currently in the queue."

A coffee brand starting with a star didn't pay them half a dime of Random House's advertising fee, so why should they be proud of the other party!

Li Chungang took a sip of coffee, he didn't like coffee, but the coffee was bitter enough and it was quite refreshing. After finishing it, he thanked him and said, "Thank you, this has helped me a lot."

"This is my job. I hope you can come to Millikin to sign more times, so my bonus may increase a lot." Grace said humorously.

The person in charge of the nearby B&N bookstore also came here during the signing. He looked in his 40s, short and fat, with a high beer belly, like a five-month pregnant woman.

"Amazing! Unbelievable, today our bookstore sales have broken the historical record, all thanks to you."

After listening to the words of the person in charge, Corbert, Li Chungang complained in his heart while signing his name: If my memory is correct, I seem to have signed less than a thousand copies. This is already the highest sales record of the bookstore?This record is too easy to break!

It can only be said that although there are many people living in the city of Los Angeles, there are also many bookstores. In addition, some supermarkets also sell books part-time, which also leads to a very small number of consumers for a single bookstore. It's limited, which is why the so-called "highest bookstore sales record" seems a bit...

child's play!

As far as the sales volume is concerned, it is really nothing in the country in conscience.

Just as he was sending off another reader fan, he turned his head and replied, "Congratulations, I am very happy to share this record-breaking honor with you."

It is obvious that Li Chungang has some misunderstandings. The sales volume of the person in charge of the population is related to the sales volume he thinks, but they are not the same thing. The main reason is that "The Lord of the Rings" is a bestseller, or a series of three-in-one books. The price is really not low at all. The average selling price of 60 US dollars is not a small sum. More than 1000 copies are more than 6 US dollars, not to mention some readers who come to the bookstore to buy more than one book.

After all kinds of accumulation, there was a record-breaking thing.

"Thank you very much for putting the only signing event in North America in our bookstore. This is the most exciting thing for us. You can't imagine how much these readers love your "Lord of the Rings". It has been from the beginning of its release. The best-selling work, people even give it to each other as gifts."

There are always regrets. After Li Chungang signed the book, there are still many readers inside and outside the bookstore who are unwilling to leave. This seems to be chasing stars.

"Thank you for your support and I wish you all a great night!"

Before getting into the car, Li Chungang waved his hands vigorously to bid farewell to this group of lovely readers. Even though most of them are old men, they can still be described as cute.

Such a huge momentum will of course be followed by reporters. The most indispensable in Los Angeles are actors and reporters, and many passers-by and fans use their own social media to release relevant information.

[Li Chungang's autograph session was full, and Millikin readers were enthusiastic! 】

[The trend is coming, Li Chungang has become the undisputed king of popularity! 】

[Shocked, it turns out that Li Chungang is so popular in Millikin! 】

[Unbelievable signing event, B&N Bookstore's official Twitter announced a record-breaking sale! 】

[Mysterious oriental forces, the most watched work of the year - "Lord of the Rings"]

【…】

—

In the car, Thompson was sitting at the front and driving, while Li Chungang was lying on the backrest without any image. Now he felt that he didn't even have the strength to unscrew the cap of the mineral water bottle.

When he was a student, it was fine to copy homework for several hours in a day or two before the end of the winter and summer vacations, but now he was exhausted by just signing mechanically, and he was getting more and more degraded!

"Do you know what happened to the record-breaking incident? I feel like I may only have signed less than a thousand books. Such a big bookstore, usually the sales are so poor?"

He once asked Lin Meng to open a bookstore belonging to Wensiquanyong overseas, which specially stocks the works published by some of the company's authors, it doesn't matter if it is English or Chinese, it is purely a cultural output transfer station , It’s just that they were all whimsical ideas in their spare time, and now they seem more like fantasies.

Thompson explained as he drove: "You actually sell a very small percentage of the signings. The focus is on the people who are attracted to your signing activities. You don't really think they come and buy a book. ?”

"In fact, since they like my work, they must have read it more than once. There is no need to buy another work that they already own, and the price of this book is not cheap."

"That's because you don't know your popularity among fans. Even though many people have read the Lord of the Rings, they are still willing to buy a brand new book for you to sign because of your autograph. This is for them to collect. .Have you ever seen those basketballs and footballs signed by the stars and are people willing to use them?"

There is an economic cost to chasing stars, and the same is true for this kind of book signing. "The Lord of the Rings" is no longer a new book!

In addition to buying Li Chungang's works, these readers also spent money to buy other books they were interested in while waiting. Anyway, they are idle anyway, so they might as well read books or something.

That is to say, the only work he has published globally is "The Lord of the Rings", otherwise he can drive the sales of his other works in minutes.

"It turned out to be like this. I was just worried that the next time I come to Los Angeles, maybe this bookstore has already closed down."

"You think too much. B&N Bookstore was established in 1873. It is not only the largest physical bookstore chain in North America, but also an online bookstore second only to Amazon. It is impossible for this store to go bankrupt."

The history is really long, Li Chungang yawned and said: "Do you know the food like Mexican tortillas? I want to go back to rest after eating. I finished two jobs in one go today, and I haven't had time to get jet lagged. "

Even if the young man is in good health, this kind of hard work still makes him drowsy.

"I'm not familiar with Los Angeles, and I really don't know where this kind of food is."

"Why do you want to eat Mexican tortillas?" He Miao also didn't keep up with Li Chungang's brain circuit. Why did he suddenly want to eat this thing? He still seemed very persistent.

"Isn't it because James LeBron likes to eat this Mexican taco the most! I suddenly remembered this and wanted to eat it."

The three of them were speechless at the same time: "..."

Only delicious food can comfort this irritable old man. Li Chungang took out his mobile phone and began to check the reviews. The Huaguo people have traveled all over the world, and there is no restaurant that cannot be found by the reviews.

"Yes! There is an authentic Mexican tortilla shop here that James has been eating. We can go and have a look. Now you pay attention to the navigation."

As a American, Thompson actually doesn’t like Mexican tortillas very much, and I don’t know why Li Chungang is so obsessed with tortillas. He clearly said that he would go back to the hotel to rest early, but James, the so-called basketball superstar, likes it very much. Eat Mexican tortillas but prepare to spend half an hour shuttling in the congested urban area, this is the obsession of food lovers!

But obviously in front of Li Chungang, the "cash cow" of Random House, his personal wishes are not very important, especially under the premise of the new book "The Da Vinci Code", let alone spending half an hour to eat Mexican corn Even if the other party wants to go to Mexico to eat this tortilla, Random House will satisfy him without hesitation.

Ellen Show recording, done.

The North American signing event is completed.

Meeting with Universal Pictures, unfinished.

It is equivalent to saying that two-thirds of the main "work" of this trip to the United States has been completed, and the remaining one-third can be successfully completed tomorrow if there are no accidents.

According to the itinerary that Wen Siquanyong made after communicating with Universal Pictures before departure, the first day they came to Millikin was the Ellen Show and the autograph session, and the time to meet and communicate with Universal Pictures was arranged at On the second day, the length of the specific communication will depend on whether the communication between Li Chungang and the other party is pleasant and smooth.

The most important thing is that Universal Pictures will also make appointments with many Hollywood directors who have suitable schedules, are capable, and are willing to shoot the movie "Lord of the Rings".

Universal Pictures didn't disclose the specific list to them, but Evans almost guaranteed that all of them are well-known and well-known directors around the world, and some of them have even won Oscars. few.

Being able to become a world-renowned director is not only not stupid, on the contrary, each of them is very shrewd!

Now that their current status in the industry has become a little bit of a no-brainer, it must be a masterpiece, otherwise they will go to pick up low-cost productions or movies with mediocre scripts, which is simply self-deprecation. Once they become a bad film box office defeat, it will even further affect their status and reputation, which is what they don't want to see.

Hollywood says it’s big or small, and there are only so many film companies that have the strength and courage to make big productions every year. Good scripts and big productions are even rarer, and there are very few of them here. Most of them are series of movies that have been recognized by the market before, and the film production companies of all series of movies have queen directors, unless natural disasters and man-made disasters suddenly disappear, otherwise there will be no change of directors occur.

"More monks, less porridge, more wolves, less meat" is the current situation of big Hollywood directors.

It is rumored that the director is picking the script. This sentence is true, but there is a half-sentence that has been ignored...

The production company is looking for people!

This "person" includes all kinds of personnel needed for a film shooting, including directors, actors, photography, lighting, makeup, etc. I dare not say that they are lined up for these film production companies to choose, but as long as the film company throws out a little A little olive branch, naturally many people throw themselves into their arms.

Therefore, when Universal Pictures released the rumor that it would set up a project to shoot the "Lord of the Rings" movie, and the trilogy was filmed at the same time, many big directors who were usually unable to invite their grandparents to their grandparents were also a little bit uncomfortable. Stop it, because as long as it is not the kind that is completely secluded from the outside world and does not hear anything outside the window, or you can clearly understand from various news that "The Lord of the Rings" is very likely to be well received and popular when it is made into a movie. Classic series of movies.

As long as the filming is good, the status of these people can be improved in minutes!

Some have had a cooperative relationship with the company itself, some have self-recommended to come to the door, there are also other partners or company shareholders who forced their way into the director candidate, and some even invited by Universal Pictures itself, which has led to the current situation. In addition to being dazzled and charming, they never thought that they could live in such luxury, with so many great directors to choose from.

The leadership is almost divided, and there are people who support any director.

Meetings, quarrels!Have a meeting, no more quarrels!Another meeting, another quarrel...

From the establishment of the "Lord of the Rings" film project to the beginning of the decision on the director's candidate, this situation has been staged in Universal Pictures almost every day.

When there was a stalemate and no one could completely convince anyone, Evans, who was in charge of the entire film project, stood up and made a final decision and suggested: "Since we can't persuade the other party to make a decision, why not listen to the opinion of Li Chungang, the author of "The Lord of the Rings" What's more, the adaptation of the script was handed over to the other party."

"agree!"

"Agree +1"

"Then it's confirmed. Evans, please communicate with Li and invite him to come."

In the end, CEO Ashley made a final decision, which is also related to the fact that Universal Pictures strongly invited Li Chungang to come to Los Angeles.

Of course, Li Chungang is unaware of these controversies within Universal Pictures, and even if he knew, he would not have other ideas. Right now, he is happily enjoying the Mexican tortilla that even James said is delicious, and at the same time discussing with He Miao The itinerary after work is done.

"Thompson, do you watch the NBA?"

"I prefer to watch football games, but my son likes to watch the NBA."

"Yes, then I have an idea!"

"..."

Chapter 632 Differences Between Planes

"Honey, you said that my new book is written like this, will it be unsafe if we want to travel abroad in the future?"

"Emmm...do you want to hear the truth or lies?"

"I want to hear it all."

After a busy day, Li Chungang and He Miao finally came back to the hotel. After washing up, their exhaustion was more or less diluted. Now they are both lying on the bed talking privately between male and female friends. Many things are in front of outsiders. It is inconvenient to describe, such as the new book "The Da Vinci Code".

Others may not know the contents of the book "The Da Vinci Code" before they have read it, but as a person who has read the entire book, it is a lie to say in his heart that he has not worried about it !

There are two things in the world that are unreasonable——

One is to reason with your girlfriend (wife);

The second is religious belief!

The general religious belief may be looking for a spiritual comfort or sustenance. I am afraid that there are very few fanatical religious believers. This kind of person is also reflected in the book. It is true that they can give everything for faith people, even if it is... life!