I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Catnip’s Ultimate Secret Technique!

 

Together with Xiao Mo, I enjoyed a hearty buffet meal, and with a round belly, I held the hand of the girl beside me as we returned to the exhibition hall.

 

As it was already afternoon, there were many people on this side of the exhibition hall, and many of them gave me the impression of being quite “high-end.” Quite a few people were even carrying professional cameras or leading professional filming teams.

 

Especially on the side of comics and animation cubes, at a glance, all I saw were journalists and media professionals, many of whom were tirelessly reporting to the surroundings—

 

“Good afternoon to the audience in front of the TV. This is Shenzhen Animation. I am the host, Xiaoman. Today, we are here at the second-floor animation area of the art exhibition. As you can see, there are already many animation enthusiasts gathered here…”

 

“What will the future of our domestic animation be like? Let’s follow the camera…”

 

“Now, the person in front of our screen is the famous cartoonist, Shijiufan. I believe that fans of the older generation of comics all know him. Back then, Shijiufan published the popular comic ‘The Rabbit Gang’…”

 

Thinking that it would be beneficial for our health to take a walk after dinner, I started wandering around the exhibition hall with Yin Xiamo.

 

“If you want to be an author, you can learn more about us. Signing is simple, with one-on-one editing guidance, and signing up means getting recommendations!”

 

“MangaCraft website welcomes all writers to join, and also welcomes readers to visit. The subscription price on our website is as low as 3 cents per 1000 words! You don’t even need to spend a penny to read a chapter of a novel!”

 

“Our site has no threshold for signing, and if you update with more than 5000 words daily, you will receive a full attendance award!”

 

“……”

 

After strolling around the literature area and looking at the various novel websites, I had a feeling for the first time that “signing seems to have become as easy to obtain as cabbage.” Due to some historical reasons, our current novel websites are still dominated by a “one super, many strong” pattern. Currently, the majority of online novel traffic is on the “Origin” side, followed by some others like “Tomato Novel,” “Feifei Novel,” and “Xijiang Novel.”

 

From the layout of the literature area, it can be seen that the monopolistic position of “Origin” novels seems not just a bit, but rather has reached an extremely exaggerated level. Origin also has all the novel websites under its umbrella, occupying nearly one-third of the entire literary area of the art exhibition.

 

As the largest second-dimensional light novel website, “Honeydew Novel Network,” in theory, has a very large scale. If I remember correctly, the top authors here can earn tens of thousands or even millions in manuscript fees per month. It is said that the top three authors on the Honeydew ranking list, if they receive recommendations, they can earn even more. Even if they only write about 200,000 words a month, they can still earn around eight to nine hundred thousand in manuscript fees.

 

Especially this month, Honeydew also merged with the Yae-Do Novel Network, which focuses on fantasy and urban novels. Now, the overall weight of Honeydew should be considerable. Before its closure, Yae-Do was a website with a very good operating status. Although its traffic was not as high as Honeydew’s, it was still a normally profitable novel website. Top authors like Pipi could earn hundreds of thousands. The reason for its closure was simply due to the poor management of the owner, Lu Xinjian, and his daughter’s affair.

 

Yae-Do as a whole was profitable, but their parent company, which is also Lu Xinjian’s main computer accessories company, was not. As a result, Yae-Do needed to be bailed out by the parent company, which eventually led to losses over time.

 

So, having solved the cash flow problem and merged with Honeydew, the main body of Yae-Do definitely didn’t have any major issues. However, Honeydew and Yae-Do, both considered “top-tier” novel websites among medium and small-sized platforms, only occupy a very small area in the literature section. It’s like… just accompanying the main act.

 

Actually, Honeydew is relatively okay. I saw many lesser-known small companies and websites here without proper storefronts or books for publication. It’s just a small tent with two staff sitting inside, with a banner hanging at the entrance and the table piled with website introductions.

 

These small websites mainly promote “no threshold for signing” or “high rewards for full attendance.” If an outsider comes and sees, they might be amazed at how simple signing seems and quickly come to inquire. After chatting with the editors of these small websites for a while, they might feel like they could become successful, sign the contract on the spot, and go home to start writing, unaware that their books will end up in the library of the small website.

 

Amidst the bustling art exhibition, I stood in front of a small shop with a sign saying “Manga Crafts Novel Network” and glanced at the advertisements hanging on their door.

 

?No threshold for signing??One-on-one editing guidance??Full attendance requires only 3000 words updated daily??Backed by XX listed company?

 

Seeing such advertisements, I couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

 

If I were a novice author, I might have been fooled into signing up at this moment. However, as a seasoned author who has been tricked into writing tens of thousands of words for small websites without receiving a penny in the end, I can basically see through the tricks of this website at a glance.

 

“No threshold for signing” means that this novel website will sign you up as long as you write a novel. Many novice authors who are new to this industry might think that “signing” represents being a “master,” but signing only means that you have signed a contract with this company. It’s basically the same as signing a contract with a landlord when renting a house, or lending money to someone and signing a “loan contract.”

 

When you sign a contract with a novel website, or when a tenant signs a contract with a landlord, essentially, it’s a contract. Both parties outline their obligations and responsibilities, list breach protocols, and establish terms and conditions. Once both parties agree, they sign the contract and the signing is completed.

 

For example, if Yin Xiamo and I were to sign a contract, with Yin Xiamo as the landlord and me as the tenant, the contract might state that Yin Xiamo is the owner of me, and I unconditionally become Yin Xiamo’s wife. Both sides sign the contract, even if it’s unequal, it’s still a contract.

 

Similarly, when some novel websites sign you up, they may stipulate that as the first party, you must write a certain number of words each month, while the novel website, as the second party, only needs to supervise your writing without paying a manuscript fee. This too is a form of contract.

 

Experienced authors pay attention to the contract terms, mutual obligations, and the rights they are entitled to. However, newcomers often see “signing” as a symbol of status and may unwittingly allow themselves to be exploited by websites, claiming themselves to be “signed authors,” when in reality, they are just being used to fill the website’s library.

 

Furthermore, phrases like “one-on-one editing guidance” are commonplace now. As long as you sign up with a website, most editors will provide you with book reviews and editing suggestions. After all, if your novel becomes popular, they, as your responsible editor, will also receive a commission.

 

Then there’s the “full attendance requires only 3000 words updated daily” clause. I’m not in a position to judge this, as the criteria for full attendance vary from one website to another. For example, Honeydew has two conditions for full attendance: 1. You can take one day off per month without any responsibility (on other days, you must update at least 2000 words), and 2. The total number of words updated each month must be at least the number of days in that month multiplied by 3000 words.

 

Honeydew’s criteria for full attendance are easy to understand, each author can take one day off per month without needing to apply to the editor or report it in the backend. They can take the day off whenever they want, and then for the remaining days, they must update at least 2000 words per day, ensuring that the total number of words updated by the end of the month meets the required quota.

 

For example, if May has 31 days, then the author needs to update 31 multiplied by 3000, which equals 93,000 words. They can skip updating any day or even explode with updates on any day, or simply steadily update with 3000 words each day. For instance, if I decide to skip updating on May 1st, and start writing on May 2nd, updating only 2000 words per day, taking it easy.

 

I maintain this pace of 2000 words per day until May 31st. Then, on May 31st, I wake up and check the backend, realizing that I only have a little over 60,000 words updated for the month. No problem, to achieve full attendance, I decide to explode with updates and add 30,000 words on May 31st to meet the requirement of 93,000 words for full attendance, and this is acceptable.

 

On the other hand, Honeydew’s “full attendance” basically only requires self-written content, and as long as the word count meets the criteria, it can be claimed.

 

However, some websites only mention “updating 3000 words daily for full attendance,” but when you sign the contract, it states that “the novel must receive 100 monthly tickets to qualify for full attendance” or “the monthly collection must increase by 1000 to activate full attendance rewards.”

 

Newbie authors who fail to pay attention sign the contract, get their new book published, happily update for a month, and then realize they fall short of the required metrics, losing their full attendance rewards.

 

Such contracts are particularly common on newly opened websites where there are hardly any readers. Even if the novel is featured on the homepage, it receives minimal clicks. Their contracts stipulate that “the novel must have at least 100 followers for full attendance rewards,” effectively exploiting authors’ work for free.

 

This kind of tactic is akin to when buying a computer, and they don’t specify the models of the CPU, GPU, or power supply, instead just mentioning “powerful 4-core CPU” or “top-tier GPU, smooth AAA gaming,” which is essentially deceptive.

 

“What’s wrong, little lady, interested in our website?”

 

The middle-aged shop assistant, who was originally playing on his phone, stood up when he noticed me standing in front of the “Cool Manga Novel Network” advertisement for a few seconds and asked, “Have you written novels before?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Snap out of various thoughts, I raised my head and noticed that the counter of this shop was surprisingly taller than my own chest. Subconsciously, I waved to the shop owner, “No, just browsing.”

 

“Is the lady next to you your mother or sister?”

 

The shop assistant turned to Yin Xiamo and said, “Madam, if you have spare time at home, you can consider writing novels to earn some pocket money.”

 

“Madam…”

 

At that moment, not only me but even Yin Xiamo couldn’t help but feel amused and bewildered. She twitched her mouth slightly, “Do I really… look that old?”

 

Yes.

 

Your age is over six thousand years

 

However, Yin Xiamo indeed did not give off any “motherly” vibes. Her appearance and figure were more akin to that of a “college girl” or “high school girl.”

 

“Haha, sorry sorry, I just casually mentioned it. Previously, there was a concern about mothers writing books while taking care of their children, earning thousands of dollars a month.”

 

The shop assistant apologized with a chuckle, then handed us a promotional brochure. “Take a look?”

 

I casually took the booklet—

 

?Manga Crafts Network: Featuring novels like “The Main King,” “Son-in-law,” “Urban War God” and more…?

 

It seems to be not my area of expertise?

 

Now, as people’s lives become increasingly fast-paced, many novels have also begun to follow a “template” production mode. For example, some routine texts, like the ones claimed to be the main focus on this small website, “The Main King” and “Son-in-law” novels, have the same core ideas.

 

The difference lies in the names of the protagonist and supporting characters, as well as who is writing them. Similar routines were used by game developers in those “legendary” online games a few years ago. After all, these types of novels have a low entry barrier, anyone can read them, anyone can write them. Readers enjoy reading, authors earn fees, a win-win situation.

 

I know that these types of novels are lucrative and easy to write, but the main problem is… I might really struggle to come up with such plots.

 

“Nuo’er!”

 

As I was looking at this promotional booklet, Pipi and his friends, led by Cockroach Bully, jogged over from a distance. “We’ve finally found you. The author’s meeting is about to start. You…”

 

Approaching my side, Pipi noticed Yin Xiamo’s presence. “Xiamo, hello.”

 

“Hello.”

 

Yin Xiamo energetically waved at them. “Is Little Pipi a good girl lately?”

 

“Huh?” Pipi seemed somewhat surprised that Yin Xiamo knew him and nodded, “Very good, just a bit mischievous.”

 

What does “very good, just a bit mischievous” mean, is this from Mao Dun’s literature?

 

“I heard you guys are going to have a secret meeting at a nearby hotel later.”

 

Yin Xiamo held my hand. “Can I join too?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Pipi seemed a bit bewildered. “Um… this author’s meeting wasn’t arranged by me. If you want to go, you can talk to Nuo’er’s editor. I remember her editor’s name is Catnip, she’s in the warehouse upstairs.”

 

“Oh, Catnip.”

 

Yin Xiamo nodded thoughtfully, released my hand, and said to me, “I’ll go talk to your editor, Nuo’er, about something. You two wait here for a moment.”

 

With that said, she hurried towards the staircase nearby and soon disappeared around the corner.

 

No way, did she really go?

 

Yin Xiamo’s actions left me unsure of how to react for a moment. And why do I feel like… I forgot something important when I heard the name “Catnip”?

 

Did I also go to see Catnip before this? What did we talk about then?

 

“Hey, folks, are you also interested in novels?”

 

Perhaps seeing me attracting such a crowd, the only shop assistant from “Cool Manga Novel Network” walked out from inside: “Have you all written novels? You could consider joining us.”

 

“Join you guys?”

 

Pipi turned around, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “What’s the deal like?”

 

“Here, it’s all written here.”

 

The middle-aged shop assistant handed a booklet identical to the one I was holding to Pipi and Cockroach Bully: “Today, I see we have some fate, so I’m offering each of you the privilege of signing up without any barriers. When you return, just submit your work on our website, add my QQ in the backend, and I’ll sign the contract for you directly.”

 

As if to create an atmosphere, the middle-aged man lowered his voice mysteriously, “When you go back, don’t tell other authors. Other authors’ novels need to be reviewed when they come to our website.”

 

“Manga Crafts… Novel Network?”

 

After a quick glance at the contents of the booklet, Pipi took out his phone and seemed to look something up online. After a while, he said, “Is this a newly opened small website? Mainly focusing on military king… son-in-law? And war god novels?”

 

“It’s newly opened.”

 

The middle-aged man nodded, “But our major shareholder is Sheng Entertainment Company. You can check it out. We have strong financial backing, guaranteed not to deceive.”

 

“Oh—”

 

Pipi elongated his tone, “So what’s your position on the website? Are you a regular editor or the chief editor?”

 

“Me?”

 

Seemingly caught off guard by Pipi’s question, the middle-aged man was momentarily stunned, then chuckled, “Our chief editor is busy entertaining outside. I’m a managing editor.”

 

“Since you guys were just talking about editors, you must have written novels too. How’s the treatment after signing? Shouldn’t be as good as ours, right?”

 

The middle-aged man chuckled and took a flyer from the side, “Our full attendance threshold is really low, and the benefits for authors here are basically the best on the entire internet.”

 

“Can you really get full attendance by updating 3000 words a day? Is it true?”

 

Pipi handed the flyer back to the shopkeeper, “What if I update over 10,000 words a day? Can I get triple full attendance?”

 

“What?”

 

This time it was the middle-aged man’s turn to be shocked, “You can write over 10,000 words a day?”

 

“Thirty thousand words at the limit, and if my daughter behaves a bit better, it could be forty thousand words.”

 

Pipi pulled a chair and sat down. “If I switch to your side, are there any other benefits?”

 

“Pipi, you’re too gentle. Let me handle this,”

 

Shark Chili couldn’t stand it anymore and walked over to Pipi’s side, facing the shopkeeper uncle, “No need to fool us with full attendance and such. We’re all experienced. Just tell us straight, if we go to your side to write, do we have a guaranteed income?”

 

“Guaranteed income?”

 

“Yes, you can search online for my pen name, Shark Chili, and this one, Poison Fang. Our previous best-selling books each had nearly twenty thousand subscriptions, with ordinary ones having seven to eight thousand. The highest monthly income is three hundred thousand, with a daily update of ten thousand words as a baseline. I can provide screenshots of the income from all of my books. If we go to your side, we can definitely bring most of my loyal readers.”

 

Compared to the more “gentle” Pipi, Shark Chili’s tone was not polite at all. He directly addressed the shopkeeper seriously, “Excluding the highest income book, I’ll give you a hundred thousand yuan per month. That’s an average of three thousand per day. In the previous novel website, for every thousand words, I earned three hundred yuan. Considering your website’s low traffic, two hundred yuan per thousand words. Can you accept?”

 

“Ah, this…”

 

Seemingly not expecting to encounter such a “master” while chatting casually, the shopkeeper uncle was dumbfounded, “Two hundred yuan per thousand words? I… this… this…”

 

“If you can’t even offer two hundred yuan per thousand words, then you can forget about trying to recruit Pipi.”

 

Shark Chili pointed to Pipi, the former legendary author on our website. Even editors from Origin Novel Website would offer a rate of a thousand yuan per thousand words. If you expect others to come here and write, offering only a few hundred yuan for full attendance, isn’t that like trying to get something for nothing?”

 

Watching Shark Chili’s fierce “output” speech, I couldn’t help but cover my eyes. Is this the “pressure” from a legendary author? Truly terrifying.

 

“By the way, how much does this website pay you as an editor?”

 

Perhaps seeing that the uncle editor from this small website was intimidated by his speech, Shark Chili changed the topic, “I see your company address is also in Shenzhen City. Do you get four thousand yuan per month?”

 

The uncle hesitated for a moment. “It’s three thousand five hundred yuan.”

 

“You’re working so hard for only three thousand five hundred? You might as well come to Yae-Do Hall… Oh, it’s probably called Yae-Honeydew now.”

 

Shark Chili patted the uncle’s shoulder and leaned in, “Even interns at Honeydew get over four thousand yuan a month, plus benefits like social insurance, lunch and dinner subsidies. I have some connections with their chief editor. If you’re interested, contact me.”

 

“……”

 

When Pipi and the others returned to the storefront of Yae-Do Hall, I saw that there were already many people gathered here, both men and women. There were fewer girls, and most of the boys looked quite refined, with many of them wearing glasses, giving off a scholarly vibe. They all seemed to be famous authors from Honeydew who had come to attend the author’s conference.

 

“Pipi! Oh, my Pipi!”

 

The guy who had come with me earlier was still here and approached Pipi as soon as he returned. “Pipi, forgive me. I really didn’t remember what you looked like before…”

 

“I had almost forgotten about that. Why bring it up again?”

 

“What’s up? Do you need me to sign something?”

 

“No, no, I just came over to express my feelings. Seeing my idol after so many years, I… I’m excited inside.”

 

The guy spoke in a pleasing tone. “I want to talk to you more so that when I go back, I can boast to my friends for years.”

 

“You don’t really need to do that. Nuo’er is much more famous than me. Just sitting on the same bus with Nuo’er earlier is something many people dream of.”

 

Pipi gestured towards me. “You’d better go build a good relationship with Nuo’er. That’ll last you a lifetime.”

 

“Is she really famous?”

 

The guy was puzzled. “I talked to her on the bus earlier, and she seemed like just a new author.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Following a burst of exclamations, several girls ran towards me in the crowd. “Are you Yin Nuo’er? You’re the recently popular little sister Nuo’er who works at the café, right?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Suddenly being surrounded by so many people, I felt a bit overwhelmed. “Um, I…”

 

“What?”

 

The guy who was talking to Pipi became uneasy, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at me. “Are you really that famous?”

 

“Just as it says online, Nuo’er in real life is just as cute!”

 

A girl came up to me, her eyes shining like Keke Tang‘s. “Are you also an author? Are you here to attend the author’s conference too?”

 

“She can’t attend the author’s conference, can she?”

 

The boy who was looking at me gave a puzzled expression. “Isn’t she a new author?”

 

“Um, I… I’m here to attend the author’s conference.”

 

To this, I could only tell the truth: “The editor sent me.”

 

“You’re really here to attend the author’s conference?!”

 

The boy nearby was completely dumbfounded. “No way! Did I just bring a famous author into the new author group?”

 

“Why are there so many people? The author’s conference is about to start. Authors who are attending, please gather upstairs. We’ll briefly get to know each other and chat before heading to the hotel for the event.”

 

At this moment, I saw my editor, Catnip, walking out from the back staircase with Xiao Mo. When she saw me, she walked straight through the crowd towards me. “Sorry, Nuo’er, I need to borrow you for a moment.”

 

“Oh, sorry.”

 

The girl in front of me took a step back, hesitating for a few seconds. “Um, are you Catnip, the famous editor from Honeydew?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Catnip gestured for me to follow her. “Are you one of my authors?”

 

“No, I just wanted to ask, um…”

 

The girl felt a bit embarrassed. “Are you a boy or a girl?”

 

Seemingly accustomed to being asked this question many times, Catnip leaned in towards the girl and patted her shoulder. “If you’re planning to marry me, then I can be a boy.”

 

“……”

 

Together with Catnip, we arrived at the hallway behind the staircase of the shop. The editor in front of me gestured for me and Yin Xiamo to find a public bench and sit down.

 

“We might not have time to go to the hotel after the meeting upstairs, so let me get straight to the point. I wanted to talk to you about your situation.”

 

After sitting down on the chair, Catnip looked at me. “It’s like this, Uncle loves loli… cough cough, Yin Nuo’er, can I just call you Nuo’er?”

 

I nodded. “Sure.”

 

“Your new book features a traditional male protagonist, and the plot is rather slow-paced. I’ve carefully read through your new book and some of your old ones over the past few days, and I have a few suggestions.”

 

Catnip continued earnestly, “When do you plan to finish your old book, the one with several million words?”

 

“In these two months,” I replied without hesitation. “Not many people are reading it anymore, and the main storyline is almost complete. I should be able to finish it by May or June.”

 

Currently, I am updating two books simultaneously. After the merger of Yae-Do and Honeydew, almost all readers have moved away from my old book, and the main plot of that book is almost finished. So, I plan to finish that book in these two months and focus on writing the new one.

 

“Wise decision.”

 

After hearing my response, Catnip, the editor, nodded. “The second question, about your new book… When you’re writing it, do you ever feel… inadequate, or awkward? Do you?”

 

“Huh?” I was puzzled for a moment. “Is there something wrong with my book?”

 

“It’s not necessarily that something is wrong. It’s quite good, actually. It’s just that it’s a traditional male protagonist leveling up and fighting monsters. Although this genre isn’t easy to make popular, the general readership is relatively stable. However, while reading it, I had a feeling that you might not be suited for this style.”

 

At this moment, Catnip seemed like a trusted teacher. “In male protagonist novels, the emphasis is on dominance, masculinity, and the plot needs to be fast, precise, and ruthless. If you want this type of novel to perform well, you need to portray the male character’s vigor and excitement. But Nuo’er, I feel like you might not be very adept at this kind of content.”

 

“Huh…” I didn’t quite understand the editor’s meaning at first. “Can you be more explicit? Does this book need major revisions?”

 

“It’s not about whether it needs revisions or not. The main issue is with your protagonist… You know what, let me be blunt. Nuo’er, I don’t think you’re very suitable for writing male protagonist novels. Your personality and writing style are more suited for female protagonist novels.”

 

Catnip, the editor, stared into my eyes. “Melon Bag focuses on second-dimensional novels, and in the realm of second-dimensional light novels… there’s a certain audience for yuri and gender-bending stories. Since you’re currently living with Yin Xiamo, even if you only write about daily life and cohabitation with girls, the novel’s performance would be much better than if you were to continue writing male protagonist novels with your current mindset. The upper limit would also be much higher.”

 

“Does that mean…”

 

“I finally understand,” I said. “So, should I start a new book?”

 

“It’s not about starting a new book, but rather opening a new author account. Your previous pen name, ‘Uncle Loves Loli,’ is a bit problematic. I suggest you choose a cuter or more neutral name and start writing about female protagonists, yuri daily life, or simply draw inspiration from your own daily life. My intuition tells me you’re very suited for this type of novel.”

 

Sitting on the slightly echoing bench by the staircase, Catnip gestured with her eyes towards Yin Xiamo beside me.

 

“Also, I suggest that if you create a new author account, don’t publicly announce yourself as a female author. Some readers may have biases in that regard. Just say you’re a male. Nowadays, males writing yuri novels are quite popular and more mainstream. There are so many strange comments in the comment section under your current author account, and starting a new one could help you avoid those harassments.”

 

With that, Catnip stood up from the chair.

 

“That’s all I wanted to say, just two suggestions. Firstly, your writing style is more suitable for female protagonist novels. If the first recommendation for this male protagonist novel doesn’t perform well, you can try writing yuri novels. Secondly, you can create a new author account and establish the persona of an uncle.”

 

“These are just my private suggestions and do not represent Honeydew or its editors. Whether you follow them or not is up to you.”

 

“……”

 

……