The county magistrate's daughter only wants to farm

"Uncle Niu, are you there?" Gu Yin called out as he approached the blacksmith shop.

"Miss, why are you here?" Niu Dachui was surprised. Why would the county magistrate's daughter come to his shop?

"Uncle Niu, I'm here to ask you to help me make an oven. Can you see if you can do it?" He handed over the drawings that had been prepared long ago.

Niu Dachui took the drawing and looked at it carefully. After thinking about it, he nodded and said, "It can be done, but it will take two or three days."

"Okay, then I'll trouble Uncle Niu. I'll come to pick it up in three days." Gu Yin said simply.

The problem with the oven has been solved. Gu Yin plans to try her luck at Qingfeng Tower. She has handed the sketchbook to Zhang Letian a few days ago and wonders what the progress is like there.

Unexpectedly, I ran into him as soon as I walked onto the street.

"Mr. Zhang, what a coincidence! I was just looking for you." Gu Yin stepped forward and greeted him.

Zhang Letian was selecting items at a stall selling small gadgets when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He turned around and looked at the person who was coming.

"Miss Gu, you're looking for me?"

"Yes, I want to ask how the sketchbook is progressing now?"

"This is a long story. My family's bookstore is not far ahead. Why don't we go there and talk slowly?"

Gu Yin naturally had no objection, and the two of them came to the front of the bookstore. Gu Yin looked up and saw a carved sign hanging on the door. The three words "Han Mo Fang" were majestic and majestic, and it was obvious that they were written by a master.

When the servant saw that it was his young master, he hurried forward and said:

"Master, you are here." He took the two upstairs. The first floor of the bookstore was filled with bookshelves, and there were rows of books on the shelves. There was a wide area on the right, and the walls were covered with various calligraphy and paintings. Many people were selecting books on the first floor, and the only sound in the room was the rustling of flipping books.

"Go and call Manager Zhang." Zhang Letian waved his hand, indicating that he should go upstairs. The servant took the order and turned around to look for someone.

"Ms. Gu, this way please~"

Boiling water poured into the teacup. After a while, a clear and moist tea aroma spread out, and the two chatted while drinking.

Soon, Manager Zhang came and exchanged polite greetings with Zhang Letian. Zhang Letian introduced Gu Yin to him. Manager Zhang learned that Gu Yin provided the Monkey King, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.

"Manager Zhang, just tell me directly, what stage has the script been processed at present?" Zhang Letian went straight to the point.

"The content has been adjusted. We plan to split The Monkey King into 12 volumes, each with about words. We have hired a group of people to copy it urgently. The number is too large. We have only completed copies of the first volume in the past few days."

Before a book is published, it needs to be reviewed, similar to modern times, but here it is mainly to avoid some taboos. In this dynasty where imperial power is supreme, first of all, you cannot make some anti-imperial remarks, otherwise you will be imprisoned at the least and beheaded at the worst...

It’s just that the copying speed… is a bit slow, but it’s not a big problem. Not many people can afford to buy books in this era.

"Then, when does Manager Zhang plan to start selling?"

"At the current speed, it will take nearly two months to complete 12 volumes, with 50 books in each volume." Manager Zhang made an estimate in advance.

"Manager Zhang, you're not planning to sell the whole book at once, are you? How much will it cost?" Gu Yin asked puzzledly.

"Yes, each volume is priced at 15 taels, so the whole volume is 180 taels." Manager Zhang said truthfully.

"180 taels! So expensive?" Gu Yin was shocked. She knew that ancient books were expensive, but she didn't expect them to be so expensive.

"Miss Gu, you may not know that this price is normal. The complete version of The Monkey King consists of 12 volumes, each with 5 chapters, and each chapter has about words. The cost of copying the book is one tael per chapter."

"So each volume costs five taels of silver, and this is the price of the pens, ink, paper and inkstone provided by the bookstore. In addition, there is the cost of binding, and the illustrations in the book also need to be painted by another artist."

"In this way, the estimated cost of each volume is seven or eight taels, and the selling price of 15 taels is not high," explained Manager Zhang.

Having said that, it’s just that… who would spend 180 taels to buy a storybook that they haven’t read?

You have to know that the purchasing power of one tael of silver here is about the same as one thousand yuan today, so 180 taels... doesn't that mean... 18 yuan???

Gu Yin was stunned by this realization. Was she careless? Could this business really make money? Where could she find so many innocent people?

Having already boarded the pirate ship, it is not Gu Yin's style to give up.

"Will you spend 180 taels at once to buy the storybook?" Gu Yin looked at the two of them.

Zhang Letian looked indifferent. He could afford 180 taels. Manager Zhang remained silent. He had no money...

“Not many people would spend money like that, right?”

"Why don't we sell them separately and serialize them? The whole book will have 12 volumes in total, and we can release one volume every half month. This way, we can complete the whole book in half a year." Gu Yin suggested.

"Serial?" Zhang Letian was curious.

"Yes, it is serialized. A new volume is published every two weeks. Before the new book is sold, the copyist needs to keep the content confidential. It is best to arrange to copy the book in one place and not take it outside. Also, remember to sign a confidentiality agreement."

“Not only does this keep the price per purchase down, it also keeps the heat, which means freshness.”

"Great! This is a really good idea." Zhang Letian praised. Manager Zhang also nodded repeatedly, his excitement evident in his words.

"In this way, it can be put on sale tomorrow." Manager Zhang said excitedly.

"Don't worry, wait until I make the posters and hang them up for two or three days before selling them. You can also ask the scholars to copy more."

"Poster?" The two looked at each other.

"Well...it's a large portrait with the date of sale written next to it. After it's finished, it's placed in front of the bookstore for two or three days. At the same time, we arrange for some people to promote it and spread the word." Gu Yin explained.

The two were stunned. It was the first time they heard of such a sales method. After thinking about it carefully, they felt that it was very feasible.

Zhang Letian: Such business talent is rare in the world. Fortunately, I am the one working with her.

Several people were even more excited about the sales of "The Monkey King".

Gu Yin had thought about bringing out the papermaking and printing techniques, but these two were big projects, and it was basically impossible to carry them out without the court's leadership. Besides, Gu Yin did not dare to introduce such a technique that had a great impact on the course of the dynasty. He thought that if he was innocent, he would be guilty of possessing a treasure, and it might bring disaster.

It’s not too late to consider it when you have the chance in the future.

The most urgent task was to make the poster. Fortunately, Gu Yin had learned to paint before traveling through time because he liked it and felt that his painting skills were good enough, so it was not a big problem.

The next day, Gu Yin stayed in the house to draw all day, and finally finished the poster after a whole day's work. In order to have a smooth exhibition the next day, it was sent to the Hanmofang in the evening of the same day, and Zhang, the manager, arranged for binding.

Manager Zhang looked at the huge portrait in front of him and was so shocked that he was speechless.