Chapter 14: Other

Chapter 14: Other

In the season when buds spring and the flowers of literature bloom, the Annual Spring Literary Contest was unexpectedly disrupted by a crazy bald man who boasted of winning an unprecedented 16 literary awards simultaneously.

The publics reaction to this situation, where it was almost certain that these 16 awards were bought with money, could be categorized into three stages.

Of course, all were criticisms.

But there were levels to these criticisms.

First, Stage 1: The Uninformed.

[He bought literary awards with money? Isnt that illegal?]

[Thats typical of the Korean literary world, what else]

Such disgrace was not uncommon in the Korean literary circles.

For most people, this incident was just that and nothing more.

They neither cared more about it nor wanted to. The controversy, while loud within the literary circles, barely made a ripple in the wider public opinion.

However, those who knew about the practice of debut fees reacted differently.

Stage 2: The Somewhat Informed.

[Hes blatantly exposing it? What a despicable person!]

[Doesnt he think about others dignity? Tsk!]

The practice of debut fees was an open secret. It hadnt been a problem before because this practice wasnt considered a crime per se.

Firstly, there were no visible victims.

Those who wanted to buy the title of a published author and cash-strapped literary magazines benefited from each other; it wasnt a structure where one side harbored grievances.

Of course, many frowned upon this custom, seeing it as unfair to those who genuinely wanted to become authors through legitimate means

But since those who bought their way into major literary circles were not respected, there was no need to make it an issue.

The majors kept their lofty dignity, and the minors barely managed to make ends meet

That was the structure.

Thats why they were even more furious.

Was it necessary to expose it in such a manner, causing inconvenience to many? What about the dignity of the literary magazines that had been selling awards and the authors who paid the debut fees to continue their community activities?

This was the view of most writers and industry insiders. Even those who usually despised the practice of debut fees felt the same. Its a rule that only family can criticize family, not outsiders.

But a very few thought deeper.

Stage 3: The Well-Informed.

Needless to say, the anger at Stage 3 was incomparable to that of Stages 1 and 2.

Lim Yang-wook, this bastard must have made a fortune.

Yang Sung-jun, the head of Baekhak Publishings Planning Department, was at Stage 3.

EP 2 Other

These days, life at the company felt precious to Department Head Yang Sung-jun.

It felt like a test of endurance.

The reason was, of course, the 16 books published by Lim Yang-wook.

Just looking at the books, one could guess how much money Lim Yang-wook had made. There were no shortcuts taken in cover, paper, design, or finishing.

Of course, the price of the books was a bit high.

But what did that matter?

Readers dont buy books based on their price.

Books are a unique product.

They dont sell more because theyre cheap, nor do they sell less because theyre expensive. This fact had been proven over the past decades by numerous publishers, often with tears of blood.

The books readers buy are those they want to own.

The content of the book is a secondary consideration. If they really want to read, they can go to a library. Theres no need to buy it.

People buy books for reasons like:

It would look pretty on the bookshelf,

Written by a favorite author,

Having bought the previous series, they cant skip the next,

Its currently trending,

The cover is beautiful,

Simply put, because they want to own it.

Thats why they buy books.

And in the eyes of Department Head Yang Sung-jun (albeit begrudgingly), these books had all the elements that made them desirable to own.

Starting with the design, which was enough to invoke the desire to collect.

Just the text printed against a background color.

That was the entirety of the design.

But calling this simple would be a disservice to any editors qualifications. This was minimalism.

Of course, Lim Yang-wook, that guy, probably made the book look like this because he was out of money, but a few minor details elevated this simplicity to minimalism. It made one think that God is in the details.

Each book had a sophisticated and premium color symbolizing its mood. This color was used as the background, with the titles letters in a color that symbolized the core theme.

The titles were all in a neat and simple font. This was true for all 16 volumes. So, even when put together, they did not feel out of place.

This meant the following:

The 16 books were essentially a set.

The placement of the titles was precisely the same, and the small symbol attached to the side of each book was identical, giving a sense of design stability when the 16 volumes were placed side by side.

Therefore, it was not uncommon for a person to buy all 16 volumes. And even if not to that extent, it was rare for someone to buy just one. They often bought three or four at a time.

It was a design intended to be like this from the start.

Damn it

It was impressive, considering it was meticulously crafted by someone who knew the industry inside out, even if that person was detestable.

Of course, no matter how good the design, if the content was crap or if people didnt even know the book existed, it would all be in vain

Somehow, Lim Yang-wook had discovered a monster of a newcomer and succeeded in marketing in the most shocking way.

Chewing over this fact, Yang Sung-jun, the department head, often felt the same intense emotion he had felt two years ago, before Lim Yang-wooks demotion.

It was jealousy.

If this is the outcome for a one-person publishing house Damn it!

Jealousy is an emotion that can make a person as obsessed with someone as love does. So, Yang Sung-jun thoroughly investigated Lim Yang-wooks actions, like someone rummaging through their exs Instagram. Which printing company he used, which warehouse he rented, how well the books were selling.

Although he couldnt find the reclusive author, Yang Sung-jun already had a rough idea of Lim Yang-wooks business trajectory.

A thousand copies.

Not long after publication, already a thousand copies had been sold. This meant that selling 2,000 copies would soon be a breeze.

Selling 2,000 copies meant a decent number of people had bought them from bookstores across the country, and the stores would likely place more orders and prominently display the books.

Then they would sell even more.

Damn! Damn! Damn!

In Gu Hak-juns mind, the poor minor literary magazine folks were already forgotten.

Those literary award peddlers? Theyre used to being criticized daily, so what difference would one more time make? No matter how many times they are told to stop, they continue, so why bother now.

Ah, right.

He shouldnt be doing this now.

Gu Hak-jun picked up his phone and began writing another article.

* * *

[The interesting part is that those who are most outraged by the recent events, calling it an insult to the literary power, were once the ones most vehemently denying the existence of such power in the literary world.

There is no power in literature. The bad habits of the established powers, like kicking away the ladder, are being dismantled, and this dismantlement is happening through the power of the literary world itself. Therefore, there is no power in literature. There are only people. This has been my argument all along.

However, looking at the current situation, I find myself having to retract my statement. Buying one literary award is an individuals issue, but purchasing sixteen is a systemic problem. Yet, we remain silent about those who buy one award but criticize those who buy sixteen. Why is that? What drives us to criticize them? I would like to call that the power of literature. If not the organized pressure of those who want to protect this system, then what else can we call it?

This book, which won sixteen literary awards, is asking us. It asks if we have even read it. Pushing awards and the literary world aside, it urges us to read it first. Hence, I have decided to return to the essence of being a literary person: to read. How this book will be interpreted in each individuals life, I leave to the readers.]

Professor Gu Hak-jun decided to focus on the arrival of a precious newcomer in the literary world, moving away from noise marketing.

He also posted his opinion that if someone could buy sixteen literary awards at once, its not just an individual issue but a problem with the system that allows it.

However, the public opinion did not calm down easily.

Professor Gu Hak-jun, filled with a desire to collect talents, was content with the emergence of a new author, but others had their own perspectives.

And these perspectives clashed, heating up the internet.

[The author is a minor? Thats shocking. How can a young teenager write something like this?]

Minor or not, it doesnt matter. Buying 16 literary awards and shamelessly promoting it is breaking the rules. How ridiculous must the readers have looked to them to think of doing this?

In the midst of widespread skepticism towards the literary establishment, its not right to exclude a work just because the author paid a debut fee. It is suspicious that a minor wrote this, though.

[The book is good.]

What good does that do if the Annual Spring Literary Contest is ruined!!!

If the book is good, whats the problem?

[Whether the author is a minor or not, Im just glad such a newcomer has emerged. Isnt it legendary for a monster newbie to release 16 books at once, covering everything from SF to historical novels?] (TL: SF = Sci-fi)

Eh??? The writing was by a middle/high school student? The one I read?????

Monster Rookie Appears (TL: is used to show trembling i.e. the commenter is trembling )

[Saw on the internet news that the editor originally quit their job due to sexual harassment issues. Seems fishy.]

Again?

A single letter reveals so much.

[How could a minor write this? It must be ghostwriting. Wouldnt a company that bought over 10 literary awards and did noise marketing not lie about the author?]

This is right

Im staying neutral for now

Why are we talking about a cars neutral gear here?

?

The internet was swirling with all kinds of stories. Shock and doubt, friendliness and hostility were mixed together as numerous people added their comments.

By this time, as the controversy was being reproduced and becoming known in the mainstream opinion, not just within the literary circle, the scale of the debate was growing.

It was a perfect time for marketing.

With a little bit of massaging public opinion, one could create an issue just like a snowball rolling down a hill.

If it were a normal company, the PR or marketing team would have started skillfully dribbling the public opinion

But Lim Yang-wook was not a normal company president.

How could it be a normal company when the president barely knew the name of his own company?

The controversy had already grown too big for Lim Yang-wook to handle alone.

He needed a proper organization. If he didnt have one, hed have to borrow it.

So, Lim Yang-wook was currently facing the CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.

I would like the help of Baekhak Entertainments PR department.

Really?

Baek Seung-won, the CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.

He glanced at Lim Yang-wook without much emotion.

CEO Baek Seung-won handed something to Lim Yang-wook.

This is a letter our PR department sent to Baekhak Publishing.

Lim Yang-wook read the email thoroughly.

In summary, the content was as follows:

[Its me.

You fucking assholes.]

Only then did Lim Yang-wook realize that Baekhak Publishings attack could have been devastating for Baekhak Entertainment.

As sweat trickled down Lim Yang-wooks smooth scalp.

Baek Seung-won smiled brightly.

You think the government doesnt know were skimming taxes? They do. But they let it slide because its not a problem. But because of you, it became an issue. So, I had to meet with some high-up officials. Barely managed to cover it up. Okay. Situation handled!

Baek Seung-won finished speaking cleanly, crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair.

Then, he looked at Lim Yang-wook expectantly, as if to see what he would respond with.

So, how are you going to take responsibility for this?

You know your situation. You were demoted and barely holding onto your job. And then you cause a mess like this? Frankly, no matter how many books you sell, it doesnt bring anything to our company. Instead, you made the companys CEO bow his head to high officials. How will you take responsibility for this?

Thats

Dont even start about making money from selling books. We dont need that pittance.

Its not about that.

Lim Yang-wook, trying to calm his slightly trembling hands and feet, proposed to the highest-ranking superior he had ever met.

Ive planned something that could be beneficial for the company.

You just asked me for help, didnt you?

Its something we can do only if you help.

Will it bring money to our company?

It will.

On what basis are you so confident about its success?

Instead of answering right away, Lim Yang-wook just quietly smiled.

And thought to himself.

A genius.

A talent bestowed by the heavens.

Lim Yang-wook believed in that.

Im thinking of making a broadcast.