Chapter 121: The Terror Effect

"Regarding the infringement lawsuit filed by Mr. Hua Ye against Beifei a few days ago, what are your thoughts on the future and hope for the commercialization of fan-fiction?"

The reporter finally asked the question they had been itching to pose. They were desperate for Zhang Chu to say something sensational—perhaps to lash out at Mr. Hua Ye, or to express deep sympathy or disdain for Beifei. Such comments would provide enough fodder to stir up headlines for the next few days.

However, Zhang Chu had long since seen through the reporters' attempts to sow discord. Remaining unmoved and deftly avoiding their traps, he replied, "I think the hope lies in the fields—just kidding. Fan-fiction is inevitably linked to copyright issues. It is best to obtain official authorization from the original author or the publishing company. Alternatively, one could create works based on stories in the public domain, like *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* or *Journey to the West*; that way, you can largely avoid trouble. Fan-fiction is built on the spirit of sharing; if it isn't used for commercial purposes, there shouldn't be any issues."

Just like the two fan-fiction novels he was writing, he avoided anything that might touch upon copyright; both *Sherlock Holmes* and *Journey to the West* were already public resources.

Zhang Chu had no intention of becoming a full-time fan-fiction author, nor did he want to dwell on this topic. Both Hua Ye and Beifei were heavyweights in the industry, and he himself hadn't even truly established his place in the literary scene yet—who was he to judge others?

"Thank you everyone. Today's interview ends here. Please keep your focus on Zhang Chu's works."

Zhou Kang, playing the bad cop, stepped in immediately. An agent's primary role was to handle the media and expand copyright opportunities, thereby liberating Zhang Chu from such burdens.

Gu Xinxue gave Zhang Chu a thumbs-up and said with a smile, "Today's launch event seems quite successful. We sold 400 of the 500 copies of *Psychological Crime* we had on-site. If the remaining copies don't sell, we'll just give them to the reporters here."

"How could they not sell? Just leave them there; they'll sell eventually."

Zhang Chu was a penny-pincher at heart. Five percent of those hundred books belonged to him, and giving them away for free truly pained him.

Within the "Book Fragrance China" mega book fair, the only place where books could be sold was at the Trending Booth. Every day, one could see which books were selling the most at this stall.

Over the past two days, *Sherlock Holmes* had climbed into the top 100 out of over ten thousand books, standing alone as the only suspense-thriller novel on the list. One had to admit, its appeal was immense.

Some might think that being in the top 100 wasn't the same as being in the top 10, but the Trending Booth only featured classic bestsellers. Regardless of literary merit, it was all about sales figures. A new work, no matter how good its word-of-mouth, often paled in comparison to books that had been selling for decades or even centuries. In the annual book sales charts, classics almost always occupied more than half the spots.

Of course, the primary reason for this success was the overwhelming media coverage. The exposure was something no other book could match. Many readers were simply curious to see just how impressive a work had to be to dare to go to the United States and file a lawsuit.

The sales results at the book fair were merely a microcosm of the explosive popularity of *Sherlock Holmes*!

...

"I wonder if yesterday's sales rankings have been updated yet. I've nearly refreshed the webpage to death."

Gu Xinxue said jokingly. Official statistics were based on the previous 24 hours of data, and they certainly wouldn't update at midnight; they were usually released during the day, though the timing varied.

News of Zhang Chu joining forces with three major law firms to sue the estate foundation had only just broken yesterday. With the overwhelming coverage everywhere, everyone knew this would undoubtedly boost the sales of *Sherlock Holmes*, though no one knew by how much.

Zhou Kang was also keeping a close eye on the book's sales. Only when a book became a hit could the path to full-rights adaptation open up; after all, no one would adapt a book that no one cared about.

Compared to the nervousness of those around him, Zhang Chu was much calmer. In any case, the prestige points in his system were steadily climbing, and with so many points gained, book sales should logically follow suit!

"It's updated! It's updated!"

Gu Xinxue shouted. The group huddled together, their heads leaning in to see the clear rankings on the small phone screen.

"Quick, find where *Sherlock Holmes* is," urged Zhou Kang, staring intently at the screen, unable to spot the title.

Zhang Chu was also puzzled. Where had his book gone?

Gu Xinxue said with frustration, "When I zoomed in on the image, I started scrolling from the middle of the rankings. It's not after the fiftieth, so it must be in the top fifty! Let's start from the top."

It was a scare indeed; Zhang Chu had been worried his ranking had dropped instead of rising.

The number one spot was held by *The Kite Runner*, a foreign book that had occupied the top position for several weeks, only occasionally being knocked down.

It wasn't in the top three, nor the top ten. But as Gu Xinxue's finger scrolled down to the fifteenth position, the three of them held their breath simultaneously!

What else could it be but *Sherlock Holmes*?

On August 31st alone, it sold 25,000 copies in physical form!

It was less than 1,000 copies away from the tenth-place book, *My Youth Is Not Confused*!

This staggering sales figure made Gu Xinxue beam with joy. "I knew it! Fifteenth place! I don't think a suspense-thriller has ever reached this spot since this sales chart started operating!"

"I think you're right. The news broke yesterday, and it probably hasn't fully spread yet. I think today's sales might be even higher."

The smile on Zhou Kang's face was impossible to hide. Zhang Chu was almost certainly the most impressive new writer of the year.

"It's a pity, though. Your book has a high search volume abroad, but there's no English version. If there were, and global media reported on it collectively, how many more copies could you have sold?" Gu Xinxue shook his head, feeling a hint of regret for the wasted opportunity.

Zhang Chu was already satisfied. He smiled and said, "Don't be too greedy. We haven't even reached the bestseller level domestically yet, and you're already thinking about going abroad. Don't set me up for a fall, editor Gu."

"Fair enough. It looks like *Sherlock Holmes* has a chance to hit the top ten today. But *Psychological Crime* is also launching today; won't that split the audience?" Zhou Kang asked with concern. He wanted *Sherlock Holmes* to break into the top ten, but he also wanted *Psychological Crime* to sell well so that film and television companies would come knocking.

No one had expected *Sherlock Holmes* to make such a comeback to challenge the top ten. Now that Zhang Chu's own new book was also climbing the charts, whether they would cannibalize each other or complement one another remained to be seen tomorrow.

After all, the market for suspense-thrillers was limited. Once *Sherlock Holmes* took a share, only a small portion would be left for *Psychological Crime*.

In their eyes, *Psychological Crime* had become an unfortunate piece of cannon fodder. But was that really the case?