1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 89 Editing

Ring ring, ring ring!

The telephone rang urgently in the living room.

Xu Shengjie opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table; it was only ten o'clock.

"Here it comes!"

He rubbed his head, got out of bed, and staggered out of the bedroom.

After having lunch with Menken and Vanessa yesterday, the group returned to Vanessa's studio and started talking about music.

Alan Menken is Disney's top composer and score composer.

He gave Xu Shengjie a lot of insightful advice, which made him see the light.

With Vanessa's help, and Christina and Britney's occasional seemingly improbable suggestions...

Everyone was busy all afternoon, and then they had dinner together.

Xu Shengjie felt like his mind was completely filled, and he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he got home.

Today is Sunday, and the film crew has a day off.

I was planning to sleep in, but who knew...

"This is Jeffrey Shoes!"

He yawned and said weakly.

"Jeffrey, still sleeping?"

"Mr. Gottlieb?"

Xu Shengjie was stunned for a moment, then recognized who was on the other end of the phone.

"Otherwise what?"

"Um, I worked with Mr. Manken and Vanessa yesterday, so I'm sleeping. I'm a little tired."

What's up?"

Robert chuckled and said, "I'm very sorry to have disturbed your peaceful sleep."

"Well, Jason called early this morning to talk about the book. From what I gathered, he hopes 'Buffett' can be released earlier. Also, he's planning to assign you an editor so we can communicate more easily."

"edit?"

Xu Shengjie didn't react for a moment.

"You're at home now, right?"

"certainly!"

"Then wait for me, I'll come find you... um, is that convenient?"

"If there's anything inconvenient, please feel free to contact me anytime."

Xu Shengjie put down the phone, stood in front of it for a few minutes, then shivered and suddenly became fully awake.

Is Robert coming over?

He rubbed his face, turned around and rushed into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face, and only then did he truly wake up.

Brush your teeth and wash your face.

Then I brewed a pot of fragrant coffee.

After drinking the coffee, the fatigue was also eliminated.

He went back to his bedroom, drew back the curtains, and then took out a clean set of clothes from the closet.

Shirt, trousers, leather shoes.

Even at home, one shouldn't be too casual.

To be honest, Gottlieb is old enough to be his grandfather. Even if you're very familiar with someone, you still need to be mindful of etiquette.

You can't just wear shorts and a t-shirt; it's just not very polite.

……

Gottlieb didn't keep Xu Shengjie waiting for long.

About half an hour later, he knocked on Xu Shengjie's door.

"Robert, it looks like good news."

I guess so.

Robert sat down in the chair, and Xu Shengjie brought him a cup of coffee.

He took a sip and then said, "What did you do? Why is Jason suddenly deciding to publish 'Buffett' ahead of schedule?"

"I don't know!"

Xu Shengjie scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, "I remember now, the first part of 'Buffy' has passed ABC's review and is going through the process... Well, besides that reason, I can't understand why Jason changed his mind."

When will ABC announce it?

"It depends on Diane's progress. I expect it to be late September or early October."

She might ride the coattails of Lola's popularity... well, that would benefit Lola too, it's a win-win situation.

"That must be the reason."

"so……"

"So Jason hopes to officially release it on the day you launch the game."

"Aren't you too nervous? There's only a little over a month left... You haven't done any preparation at all. Isn't that a bit hasty?"

Robert shrugged and laughed, "With Buffett being acquired, ABC will definitely make a move."

The start of your first film shoot is also a publicity stunt. There's definitely some nervousness, but it's not a bad thing… Jason's idea is to postpone the release of Danielle Steel's new book and redirect all the resources and materials originally intended for it to *Buffy*. At the same time, Random House will also promote *Canal Street*.

"Is Canal Street also being developed ahead of schedule?"

"Highly likely!"

Everything was promoted around Xu Shengjie personally.

A 19-year-old director and screenwriter.

A directorial debut, where the producer, director, and screenwriter all took the lead, has begun filming, backed by Paul Verhoeven and Spike, and boasting the hype of a $600,000 script acquisition. Now, the adaptation rights to "Buffy" have been bought by ABC.

With so many factors combined, how could Jason possibly give up?

This will be a huge publicity boost for both "Buffett" and "Canal Street".

It was a success; both books sold extremely well, Xu Shengjie enjoyed the glory, the publishing house profited, and the television station also benefited.

The failure was due to Xu Shengjie's own lack of ability.

"Could it be that Jason has communicated with ABC?"

"Forehead!"

Robert paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very likely."

"However, this means all the pressure will be on you."

Can you handle it?

"I can't wait!"

Robert smiled too.

He then took out several resumes from his briefcase and handed them to Xu Shengjie.

"These are all Langdon's best editors, take a look."

"Editors are very important. They can help you communicate with publishers, and they can also discuss any good ideas you have with them. If I hadn't already retired, I might have tried to get this position."

Xu Shengjie was an editor in his past life.

Having worked for six years, I'm considered a senior employee.

A good editor is undoubtedly very important for an author.

Xu Shengjie didn't stand on ceremony and took the resume, then carefully examined it.

Robert then provided him with a detailed introduction, as he knew all the editors on the resume and had a close relationship with them.

"Robert Loomis has served at Random for over half a century, and has mentored many great writers, including William Styron and Maya Angelou. He has a knack for helping authors win awards, having received the Pen Editors Award..."

William Styron was an American novelist.

Her representative works include "Lying Down in the Dark" and "Sophie's Choice".

Xu Shengjie had read "Sophie's Choice" in his past life.

Maya Angelo, an African-American author.

Her representative work is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". She was Hollywood's first African-American female screenwriter and was a special guest at Don Goethe's inauguration ceremony in 93.

"This might not be suitable for me."

"How about Toni Morrison?"

Xu Shengjie was taken aback and asked, "Isn't she a writer? I remember she was a Nobel laureate, wasn't she?"

"A writer can also be an editor, what's so strange about that?"

"But looking at the authors under her name, it seems like they are all Black authors."

"Yes, she has been working hard to improve the status of African American writers in the American literary world..."

Do you think she'll try to get me resources?

"this……"

Robert frowned slightly.

Black people have a particularly good habit: sticking together!

However, there is a certain degree of exclusion towards people of other ethnicities or skin colors.

Xu Shengjie's concerns are not without merit.

"How is Ann Friedgood?"

"Also a recipient of the PEN/Roger Klein Editor's Award?"

This award, called the Rogers Editing Award, is a sub-award of the PEN America Awards and is a highly prestigious award in the United States. From a purely literary perspective, it is even superior to the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. However, the Pulitzer Prize has a greater influence.

"It doesn't feel like my style."

This is a writer who pays great attention to language and writing techniques.

In other words, an old-school editor.

If Xu Shengjie were reborn in the 1980s, he would definitely choose this person.

But in the 1990s, this was similar to how a platinum or legendary author of 10 years would flop in large numbers over 25 years.

Out of touch with the times!

"So... that leaves only her!"

Robert took out the last resume and placed it in front of Xu Shengjie.

Kate Medina?

This name sounds familiar. As a former editor of a series on modern European and American writers, Xu Shengjie actually knows her.

Compared to other editors, Kate is very young.

She has collaborated with many renowned authors, such as Nancy Regan and Isabel Wilkerson. She also worked with a Chinese-American author, Li Yiyun, who is very famous internationally and considers herself comparable to Lin Yutang and Eileen Chang. However, their collaboration was not pleasant; it seems Kate wanted her to make some revisions, but she refused.

She felt that Kate didn't understand her.

Because when she was revising her debut novel, *The Wanderer*, Kate advised her to remove a birthmark from the face of a young female character…

Anyway, Xu Shengjie doesn't like Li Yiyun's works.

"She's the one!"

After a moment's thought, Xu Shengjie made his decision.

……