Chapter 87 Shincho-sha's Publicity and Promotion
Tokyo, mid-December.
After acquiring the serialization rights for "Zekyo", Shinchosha immediately mobilized the most extravagant, even nouveau riche-level, publicity and distribution matrix in the history of the Japanese publishing industry.
In the late winter of 1989, when money seemed to be inexhaustible, Shinchosha spent tens of millions of yen without batting an eye.
They not only bought out the entire front page of the Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, but also unprecedentedly inserted a full fifteen-second text-based suspense segment during Fuji TV's prime-time evening slot.
At this moment, the entire city of Tokyo was enveloped by the three characters "Kitahara Iwa".
Overnight, giant electronic screens at all the intersections in Shibuya and the notoriously expensive transfer passages at Shinjuku subway station were covered with visually striking posters.
Against a black and red background, several highly provocative promotional slogans were printed: "The latest epic masterpiece by Kitahara Iwao, the Heisei Demon King; an ultimate suspense that dissects human nature; a masterpiece aiming for the Naoki Prize..."
This kind of publicity campaign, comparable to a conglomerate promoting luxury goods, left the entire Japanese literary world speechless.
After all, no publisher has ever done a good job of publicity and promotion before!
At that time, aspiring novelists who had just entered the industry would stop in their tracks when passing through the streets of Shinjuku, looking up at the huge poster with undisguised shock and a deep sense of powerlessness in their eyes.
"What kind of monster is this...?"
A young author, still clutching a rejection letter tightly in his hand, muttered to himself with deep envy, "We're all writing on the same manuscript paper, so why am I still getting rejected...?"
For established industry peers, this almost tyrannical allocation of resources is an indescribable sting and a sense of crisis.
Under this surge of resources, time quickly came to the grand year-end party held by Shinchosha at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
Kitahara Iwao has never been good at these kinds of social occasions, but now that "The Cry" is finished, and with Shinchosha's repeated invitations, he even declared that he was the main character of this year-end party.
Faced with such an invitation from Shinchosha, Kitahara Iwa had no choice but to agree to attend the dinner.
The year-end party of Shinchosha was held at the Imperial Hotel. Under the huge crystal chandelier, the writers gathered in twos and threes, swirling their wine glasses and exchanging pleasantries.
"Brother Daze, I heard you submitted your new serial outline? Are you still sticking to your hard-boiled style this time?"
Seiichi Morimura, a literary veteran known for his social realism mystery novels, held up his wine glass and looked at Masashi Osawa, who was still struggling to maintain his hard-edged style, his tone revealing a hint of seniority.
Osawa Zaisho chuckled self-deprecatingly, took a sip of his whiskey, and said, "The outline has been submitted, but the editorial department's feedback is rather subtle."
"They subtly suggested that the protagonist spend less time drinking alone in the shabby pubs of Shinjuku and more time hanging out in the upscale clubs of Roppongi."
"After all, today's readers prefer to read about urban life through the lens of wealth; who wants to see a down-on-his-luck detective getting beaten up in an alley?"
"You can't blame the editorial department for being so pragmatic."
Funato, who was writing an adventure novel nearby, shook the ice in his glass and said with a hint of adult sobriety and helplessness, "Look at Japan now, everyone thinks they can become a billionaire tomorrow."
"In this frenzied period where even the air smells of champagne, heavy items are hard to sell for a good price."
Seiichi Morimura nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the publishers clinking glasses in the banquet hall, and he sighed, "Yes, people nowadays are all chasing money and busy conforming to fanaticism. We want to quietly write something that touches on human nature, but the resistance is indeed too great."
Several writers gathered in a corner, exchanging ideas about the common dilemmas and compromises faced by creators in this era.
However, just as they were lamenting the changing environment and worrying about the commercial elements of their next book, the gilded doors of the banquet hall were slowly pushed open by a waiter.
The moment Kitahara Iwa walked into the banquet hall with a glass of champagne, the originally noisy venue paused for a very short time, and then countless eyes instantly focused on him.
This contains reverence, apprehension, and, more than anything, the bitterness hidden behind the smiles of some established writers.
Everyone knew perfectly well: while they were still struggling with how to cater to readers and how to find inspiration, this young man had already made Shincho Publishing House spend almost half a year's worth of publicity budget on him.
This terrifying allocation of resources made many of his contemporaries extremely envious.
Facing the various gazes around him, Kitahara Iwa remained calm and walked straight to a corner of the hall, wanting only to find a place where no one would disturb him.
Before Beiyuan Yan could get far, three familiar figures carrying wine glasses walked towards him.
Before Beiyuan Yan could get far, three familiar figures carrying wine glasses walked towards him.
The visitors were none other than Kenzo Kita, Yoshio Takahashi, and Tsuyoshi Osaka, who were known for writing hard-boiled and historical novels.
When Kitahara Iwa faced a public opinion storm in the industry last time, these literary veterans spoke out for him publicly in the media.
It was because of that encounter that Kitahara Iwa gradually became acquainted with these three writers.
As for the initial conflict between Kitahara Iwao and Takahashi Yoshio, it had long since dissipated as their relationship became more familiar.
"Brother Kitahara, congratulations on the serialization of your new work! The scale that Shinchosha has put on this time has really left us old bones speechless."
Kenzo Kita laughed heartily, showing no airs of a senior, and directly clinked his wine glass heavily against the wine glass in Iwata Kitahara's hand.
"That's right, those old foxes from Shincho-sha who are usually so stingy, you've really emptied their pockets this time."
Osaka Tsuyoshi, who was standing nearby, patted Kitahara Iwao on the shoulder and joked, "Well done! That's how we should torment them!"
"By the way, your new serial is called 'The Cry,' right? What's the story about?"
At this moment, Yoshio Takahashi also spoke up curiously, "How could Editor-in-Chief Sato be willing to spend such an extravagant amount of resources?"
Faced with the three seniors' good-natured teasing and curiosity, Kitahara Iwa smiled and briefly talked about the situation in the book.
Meanwhile, in a corner not far from the banquet hall, Miyabe Miyuki, who had just begun to make a name for herself in the world of mystery, was silently watching this scene.
As a fellow creator of social mystery fiction, I was struck by how this young man, who was about my age, not only possessed promotional resources that were hard to match in the industry, but also sat on equal footing with veterans like Kenzo Kita and chatted with them with ease.
Miyabe Miyuki's gaze held both a yearning for the pinnacle of the industry and a palpable sense of pressure from her peers.
Just as Kitahara Iwa was responding to Takahashi Yoshio's question, a voice carrying a familiar tone and a strange laugh suddenly interrupted from the side.
"Kitahara-kun, you've kept me waiting for so long this time!"
The visitor was Hiroshi Aramata, the author of "The Tale of the Imperial Capital".
This senior figure, who has made significant achievements in the fields of fantasy and natural history, swirled the wine glass in his hand, looked at Kitahara Iwao, and said with a hint of half-joking complaint in his tone, "Kitahara-kun, I've been waiting for the second part of your 'Ringu'."
"It's been almost a year, and you've even finished your fourth book. When will the sequel to that videotape be released?"
Faced with the fantasy master's personal urging for more updates, a rare helpless smile flashed across Kitahara Iwa's eyes.
In fact, he had already conceived the outline for the second part of "The Ring", but he had been too busy with other things over the past year and had not yet officially started writing it.
Kitahara Iwa said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Aramata-sensei. Actually, the outline has already been finalized, and it will be put into practice soon once I finish what I'm currently working on."
"Really?"
Upon hearing this, Hiroshi Aramata smiled with satisfaction, but then changed the subject, sighing with a hint of regret, "To be honest, I thought you would continue to delve deeper into the fantasy and horror genre."
"I never expected you to turn around and write social realism mystery... It's such a waste to put aside all those wonderful fantasies in your head for now."
The easygoing senior colleague leaned closer, half-jokingly, and pressed on, asking, "Now that we have the outline, could I take a look at the first chapter's manuscript next month?"
Faced with his senior's relentless demands for the manuscript, which sounded like a playful old man, Kitahara Iwa gently clinked glasses with him, the glasses making a crisp sound.
Then, a slight smile curved her lips, and she gave a perfectly tactful yet impeccable answer: "Definitely next time!"
Just as Kitahara Iwa and Aramata Hiroshi raised their glasses and whispered to each other, the crystal chandelier at the front of the banquet hall slowly dimmed, and the spotlight on the main stage turned on.
The guests, who had been chatting noisily, stopped talking and turned their attention to the front.
Then, under everyone's gaze, the president of Shincho-sha walked onto the stage with a radiant face, and then gently cleared his throat into the microphone.
Good evening, teachers and colleagues.
The president's voice exuded the confidence and composure unique to the bubble era.
"Looking back on 1989, it was a year of rapid economic growth for Japan, and also a year of unprecedented prosperity for our publishing industry."
"In this era where paper and words can still resonate with the soul, Shincho Publishing House's ability to deliver such an outstanding result is inseparable from the painstaking efforts of every writer present, as well as the strong support of various bookstores and distributors."
At this point, the president raised his champagne glass and looked sincerely around the room, saying, "Thank you all for your hard work this past year."
"Looking ahead to the coming year, may we witness together the birth of more timeless masterpieces."
"Now, let's raise our glasses—wishing everyone here an even brighter future. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Hundreds of wine glasses collided in mid-air, the crisp sound of glass clinking accompanied by the rich aroma of champagne, bringing the dinner to its first climax.
After everyone had drunk their drinks, and the applause and laughter in the hall subsided slightly, the president smiled and stepped back half a step, giving up the main stage.
Amidst an even more enthusiastic and somewhat familiar round of applause, Editor-in-Chief Sato, holding a wine glass, strode confidently to the microphone.
As an editor-in-chief who has been working on the front lines of publishing for many years and directly interacts with the literary minds present, Editor-in-Chief Sato's aura is distinctly different from that of the president.
He held the microphone with one hand, and his speech shed the grand, official formalities, replacing them with a sincerity and wit unique to editors.
"The president just thanked the times and the market on behalf of the company."
"So, what's next..."
Editor-in-Chief Sato raised his glass of champagne, his eyes gleaming as he swept over the familiar faces in the audience. "Please allow me, the editor-in-chief who urges everyone to submit their manuscripts every day and annoys everyone, to take this opportunity, with the help of the fine wine in your hands, to express a very personal tribute to the key writers who have carried the banner of sales and reputation for Shinchosha this year."
Editor-in-Chief Sato, holding his wine glass, cast a precise glance at several directions below the stage and said, "Thank you, Professor Seiichi Morimura. Your social realism masterpiece remains the most solid foundation of Shinchosha."
"Thank you, Takeshi Osaka-sensei. The tough guys you create allow countless readers to see resilient souls in this turbulent era..."
He thanked several literary heavyweights one by one, and each well-placed compliment drew tacit applause from the audience.
Then, Editor-in-Chief Sato's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed steadily on Kitahara Iwa in the corner.
"Finally, we would like to offer a special toast to our youngest teacher, Kitahara Iwao." Editor-in-Chief Sato smiled.
"Thank you for bringing such a profound impact to readers all over Japan with your book, 'Confessions'."
"I also hope that the new serialization that will soon begin in 'New Tide of Fiction' will bring a different voice to this era."
As soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted in the magnificent banquet hall.
But behind this applause lies a complex and subtle tapestry of emotions.
Standing not far from Kitahara Iwa, Kenzo Kita, Tsuyoshi Osaka, Hiroshi Aramata, and others wore expressions of genuine joy and admiration.
They raised their glasses to Kitahara Iwa, sincerely applauding this talented younger generation.
On the periphery of the crowd, the young authors who were still struggling at the bottom and hadn't even published many standalone books had eyes full of undisguised envy and longing.
At this moment, in their eyes, this young figure, personally selected by the editor-in-chief and regarded as the absolute ace of the entire Shincho Publishing House, was simply an insurmountable mountain.
However, among the many established writers in the center of the crowd, the atmosphere seemed somewhat strange.
Although they maintained an extremely polite clapping gesture and wore impeccable polite smiles, many of them had slightly trembling fingers as they swirled their wine glasses, and their eyes were filled with an indescribable bitterness.
They were completely baffled. Kitahara Iwa had been in the industry for less than a year, so how could he be so highly regarded by Editor-in-Chief Sato?
As for Kitahara Iwao's works such as "Midnight Bell," "Confession," and "Love Letter," these literary peers, who are accustomed to belittling each other, can still find some flaws.
Then, Editor-in-Chief Sato raised his glass to Kitahara Iwa from afar, and solemnly said, "A toast to literature, and to all the teachers present!"
There were no lengthy award ceremonies or empty formalities. This verbal praise and toast, based purely on the editor-in-chief's personal standing, actually gave the writers a great deal of face.
"Please feel free to share your thoughts in the time that follows."
Editor-in-Chief Sato smiled and put down the microphone, saying, "There's plenty of champagne tonight, everyone please enjoy."
As the soft jazz music resumed, the banquet hall returned to its lively atmosphere of clinking glasses and toasts.
Kitahara Iwa stayed in a corner, watching the other writers exchange words, occasionally clinking glasses with colleagues who came over to offer a toast.
A few hours later, as night deepened and most of the guests were slightly tipsy, the organizer of the year-end party took to the stage to wrap things up.
"All good things must come to an end. Thank you all for joining us tonight."
The organizer raised the last glass of wine high and said loudly, "Let us raise this last glass to wish everyone a year of abundant inspiration and to wish the Shincho Society great success in its martial arts endeavors!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
With a final, unified toast, this year-end party, symbolizing the essence of the New Wave Society, finally came to a successful close amidst the glitz and glamour.
The following morning, amidst the eager anticipation of all of Tokyo, the latest issue of "Shosetsu Shincho," featuring the highly anticipated serialization of "Zekyo," officially hit bookstores across Tokyo.