Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: Starting with Games
Chapter 385: Terminal Chinese Web Writing Workshop
Continue spending it on mid- and lower-tier authors?
Ma Yiqun felt a bit puzzled and lost.
In his view, Terminal Chinese Web was already offering benefits to mid- and lower-tier authors that were on par with major platforms like Infinite Chinese Web.
However, the returns those mid- and lower-tier authors could bring to the site were difficult to improve further.
After all, writing is a form of artistic creation, it's inherently subjective.
Some authors could write for ten years and still never produce a breakout hit; While some top-tier "great gods" could casually write a million words and instantly grasp the essence of online fiction, reaching the very pinnacle.
So in the end, it all came down to the individual.
Even if the platform put in tremendous effort to scout and cultivate talent, the author base was what it was. Producing a "great god" was like buying a lottery ticket.
If the person you nurtured simply wasn't cut out for it, then what?
By comparison, directly poaching authors from other platforms seemed much more reliable.
But since President Pei had already spoken, Ma Yiqun could only comply.
"Understood, President Pei. I'll get right on it."
…
Back upstairs at Terminal Chinese Web, Ma Yiqun sat down in his office and began thinking about what kind of concrete plan to draft.
President Pei's guiding principle had been made clear: this money could not be used to poach talent; it had to continue being spent on the site's mid- and lower-tier authors.
Of course, the standards would be unified. Top-tier authors on the site would also be able to enjoy these benefits.
However, for top-tier authors, Terminal Chinese Web had not yet developed to the stage where it could operate intellectual property rights. Their primary source of income was subscriptions. For them, such benefits would merely be icing on the cake—not a decisive factor.
Ma Yiqun thought it over.
For mid- and lower-tier authors, any benefits Infinite Chinese Web provided—such as full-attendance bonuses—Terminal Chinese Web already offered, and even at slightly higher standards.
If they were to continue offering benefits, they would have to focus on areas that other web fiction platforms were unwilling to provide.
And although it was framed as benefits for mid- and lower-tier authors, in reality, the main focus had to be on mid-tier authors.
There were simply too many bottom-tier authors to account for.
Some people might whimsically register a pen name and write a few thousand words—they would technically count as bottom-tier authors.
If the site tried to provide benefits for such people, it would turn into a charity organization. No matter how much money it earned, it wouldn't be enough, since that would be a purely loss-making endeavor.
The real key lay with mid-tier authors.
They had stood out from the bottom tier, proving they possessed the perseverance and ability for sustained creation. They were relatively reliable and unlikely to suddenly abandon readers or the platform. With accumulated experience, broader life exposure, and a bit of luck, some of them might eventually grow into top-tier authors.
So this money had to be spent on them.
Ma Yiqun fell into deep thought.
"So for these mid-tier authors, aside from manuscript fees, readers, and fame—the things Infinite Chinese Web can also provide—what do they need most?"
"It's… security."
"Career planning and guidance."
"Light social connections."
"And… a more regular, healthier lifestyle."
"In that case, this kind of security can only be offered to a portion of them, it has to go through strict selection."
Feeling that he had found the right direction, Ma Yiqun began drafting the proposal.
President Pei was right. Competing with Infinite Chinese Web purely on money was unwinnable. Even if they managed to poach some authors, it wouldn't be a long-term solution.
After all, Infinite Chinese Web had a broader readership and a larger author base. Its ability to generate new talent far surpassed that of Terminal Chinese Web.
No matter how he looked at it, when it came to long-term development prospects for mid-tier authors, Infinite Chinese Web completely outclassed Terminal Chinese Web.
So if they wanted to attract more mid-tier authors, they had to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. There was no point obsessing over manuscript fees, readership, or exposure—things everyone could see. Instead, they had to focus on aspects people didn't usually notice.
For example, basic life security.
Authors don't have base salaries or standard social insurance and housing funds, and every book they write carries inherent risk. A mid-tier author's income might not be low, but their ability to withstand risk is far from matching that income level.
It's not impossible to pay for one's own social insurance and housing fund, but you have to cover both the employee and employer portions, effectively paying double.
Then there's career development planning and guidance.
Most authors are essentially left to fend for themselves. There are many authors but few editors; many mid-tier authors might not exchange more than a few words with their editor over the course of a year.
Of course, many conscientious editors do discuss writing issues with authors, but given the imbalance between supply and demand, only a small portion of authors can enjoy that treatment.
That's why many authors form their own chat groups to exchange experiences and grow together.
Compared to the typical "senior mentoring junior" model in regular companies, career planning and guidance in the web fiction industry can basically be said to be close to nonexistent. Everything depends on the author's own enlightenment.
There's also the matter of a healthier lifestyle.
Web fiction authors are freelancers, and freelancers share many common problems—chief among them, irregular schedules.
Irregular living habits directly lead to physical issues: cervical and lumbar spine problems, high blood pressure, obesity, and so on. News of sudden deaths isn't uncommon.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn't just about self-discipline.
Everyone's level of self-discipline is different. Another crucial factor is environment.
Many people, when at home, only think about playing around and have no efficiency at all. But when they go to an office or a study room, their productivity rises. That's the influence of environment.
From this perspective, those full-time authors who update frequently—regardless of their self-discipline in other aspects—must have strong self-discipline when it comes to work.
After much consideration, Ma Yiqun finally made a decision.
Terminal Chinese Web would run a program!
Not the kind of training class that only lectures on theory, but an experiential program that would provide mid-tier authors with security, career planning and guidance, and help cultivate healthy living habits.
Ma Yiqun's preliminary plan was to recruit thirty people from among Terminal Chinese Web's current mid-tier authors through voluntary sign-up plus editorial screening.
This would be the first batch, an experiment to see how effective it would be.
Their expenses would be reimbursed. After arriving in Jingzhou, their food and lodging would be uniformly arranged. Meals could be handled through Moyu Delivery, and rent wouldn't cost much anyway.
Each of them would receive a base salary of 3,000 yuan, and social insurance and housing funds would be paid according to that standard.
They would rent thirty relatively inexpensive workstations in an office building near the residence and require the participants to clock in and out daily according to Tengda Group's working hours.
In addition, they would regularly hold discussion sessions and experience-sharing meetings, inviting high-performing authors to talk about their insights.
Whenever an author started a new book or encountered a plot bottleneck they couldn't push through, they could consult with other authors and fully consider different opinions.
In such an environment, the relationship between these authors would be less like colleagues and more like classmates and friends.
Of course, not all authors would be interested in such a program.
Many authors—especially older, more experienced ones—would have little interest in a base salary, relocating to Jingzhou with provided food and lodging, and writing on a fixed office schedule alongside other authors.
They would feel that web fiction is a freelance profession, and the advantage of freelancing is not having to leave home. Asking them to go to Jingzhou and work like an office employee would feel like moving backward.
Such authors obviously wouldn't be forced.
Therefore, this workshop would mainly target younger, unmarried authors.
These authors are driven, highly promising, and improve quickly—but often lack strong self-management skills and have certain social and career development needs.
They would run this workshop for one month as a trial and see how it went.
If it proved effective, they could later expand its scale and extend its duration.
…
After seeing Ma Yiqun off, Pei Qian studied his notes for less than another half hour.
Ding!
A message popped up on his phone.
Pei Qian picked it up and saw that it was from Chef Lin.
"President Pei, it looks like a new high-end restaurant just opened in the city. Seems like it's targeting Mingyun Private Kitchen. It's called Mingfu Family Banquet, and it's also taking the high-end dining route!"
"It seems to have opened in the past couple of days. You can clearly feel that reservations at Mingyun Private Kitchen have decreased recently. What should we do?"
Seeing this message, Pei Qian paused.
Mingfu Family Banquet?
A high-end restaurant benchmarking itself against Mingyun Private Kitchen?
Could it be the one President Li and the others invested in?
Pei Qian remembered. Last month, President Li had indeed mentioned this. He, Xue Zhebin, and Wang Peng had been unable to secure reservations at Mingyun Private Kitchen for a long time and were very frustrated. They had wanted to cooperate with him to open a chain of nameless restaurants, but he had refused.
So the three of them had no choice but to open one themselves.
Judging by the timing, preparations must have already been underway before Li Shi formally brought it up with him, and it had only just opened in the past couple of days.
Pei Qian replied "Got it" to Chef Lin, then dialed Li Shi's number.
"President Li, is Mingfu Family Banquet the high-end restaurant you opened?"
On the other end of the line, Li Shi laughed. "Yes, President Pei. What's this? You say you don't care, but you've actually been keeping an eye on it?"
Pei Qian: "…"
Keeping an eye on it, my foot.
If Chef Lin hadn't sent me that message, I wouldn't even know your high-end restaurant had officially opened.
Pei Qian couldn't be bothered to explain. The more he talked, the worse it would sound. He went straight to the point:
"President Li, didn't I say I'd come eat the first meal after your restaurant opened? Why didn't you notify me?"
Li Shi coughed twice. "Ahem, President Pei, my apologies. I've been a bit busy lately, and when things get hectic, it's easy to forget. Besides, I thought you were just saying it casually."
"My fault. How about this, whenever you come to dine, I'll give you a 30% discount. Consider it compensation."
Thirty percent off? Not a free meal?
President Li sure was stingy.
But on second thought, even if Li Shi really offered a free meal, he couldn't accept it anyway.
Thirty percent off it is.
"Alright. No time like the present, let's make it today! Reserve the place for me tonight; I'll book the whole venue," Pei Qian said casually.
"B-book the whole place? Tonight?" Li Shi was clearly taken aback. "Uh, that might be a bit difficult. We already have quite a few reservations after 7 p.m."
"I won't eat after 7. I'll get there at 4 p.m. I'll be done around 5-something. You can tidy up and welcome the next wave of guests. Won't delay anything."
"Do you have enough ingredients?"
Pei Qian glanced at the time. It was 3:40 p.m.
Mingfu Family Banquet wasn't too far from here. By taxi, it would take about twenty minutes.
Li Shi was silent for a while. "We might be short on a few specific ingredients, but most should be fine. Alright, if you can really come now, President Pei, that would be great. We welcome you."
"Okay. See you shortly."
After hanging up, Pei Qian immediately stood up and packed away his notes.
Study? What study? Time to eat!
Arriving at 4 and finishing a little after 5 was perfect, it wouldn't interfere with anyone getting off work and going home to rest.
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