"A moving fable, written with a brilliant imagination, about the pangs of loss and the pain of adolescence." --Los Angeles Times
"Written in a lucid and engaging style, 'Dark Fairy Tales' is an enchanting, magical, and thoughtfully conceived book." - USA Today
Andy was a little flattered when reading the book reviews in major newspapers. He knew that "Dark Fairy Tales" was not as good as some newspapers boasted. Scholastic Publishing House had made a huge contribution to it, and this was probably the biggest gain after signing the contract with them.
The book review in USA Today was quite pertinent, written in a clear and engaging manner, which was indeed his current writing style, with descriptions of movie scenes that were full of visual imagery. Andy folded the newspapers one by one and placed them on the side of the dining table, continuing to eat his mixed Chinese and Western breakfast.
After breakfast, he took a short rest and then started exercising in the gym. Under the guidance of his fitness coach for a month, his fitness training has become a habit.
After a month of training, the fitness coach discovered that Andy's physical fitness was not as weak as he appeared. Instead, he found that his strength was rapidly increasing with training. However, Andy did not know how to use this strength and just used the equipment to consume it. Therefore, the coach suggested that Andy learn boxing and yoga to better control his body strength.
Andy was a little distressed as he saw his muscles becoming more and more obvious. He didn't want to become that muscular man.
As for Chinese Kung Fu, Andy didn't have any thoughts about it. Without the foundation of practicing since childhood, relying on his current brute force would be like a moon in the water and a flower in the mirror. If he practiced splits again and ruined his body, it would be a waste of time.
Boxing and yoga can both control the way of using strength and exercise the body's flexibility. Coaches are easy to find, but finding a good martial arts master is like looking for a needle in a haystack. As for those martial arts gyms, Andy can only laugh.
After an hour of exercise, Andy was sweating all over. He wiped the sweat off his face and neck with a towel, sat on a lounge chair, took off his shoes and socks, walked into the bathroom barefoot, took off his sports vest and shorts that were wet with sweat, turned on the water valve and started to shower.
When he thought about the new book he was going to write, he couldn't help but hesitate. It was really difficult to choose between "The Bourne Supremacy", "National Treasure" and "Inception".
It seems that spy war and treasure hunting themes cannot be published at the moment. After all, he still has the aura of a young writer and has no experience or accumulation. How can he convince people?
He could write the story of "Inception," but Andy didn't care about the original author, the renowned director Christopher Nolan. He didn't even consider the script. A new screenwriter in Hollywood only made $50,000 to $80,000 a script, while a screenwriter earning $600,000 a year was considered a well-known screenwriter's salary. The difference was worlds compared to a renowned author's income.
I put on comfortable casual clothes, went to the study, sat in front of the computer and started to recall with my eyes closed.
The story of "Inception" tells the story of Dom Cobb, a skilled thief who is considered the best in his profession because he can sneak into people's dreams when their minds are most vulnerable and steal valuable secrets from the subconscious. Cobb's rare skill makes him a most coveted target in the dangerous world of corporate espionage, but it also makes him an international fugitive and loses his love. Now Cobb has a chance to redeem himself.
With one final mission, his life will return to normal. Unlike previous attempts, Cobb and his team's mission this time isn't to steal minds, but to implant them. If they succeed, it'll be the perfect crime. But even with meticulous and expert planning, they can't foresee a dangerous enemy with complete knowledge of their actions, and only Cobb can predict their movements.
Andy pinched his fingers gently.
As he started typing, there was a knock on the door. Andy, who was busy on the keyboard, said "Come in" without even looking up and continued typing away to finish a paragraph.
"Sir, your coffee." Liu Yan put the coffee on the desk.
"Thank you," Andy said with a gentle smile, his fingers not stopping typing. It seemed that doing two things at once was not a difficult task for him now.
After watching Liu Yan leave the study, Andy looked at the finished work. The words he used were becoming more and more skillful and appropriate, and the descriptions were very vivid. It seemed that his fake writer skills were not bad. Andy shrugged and took a sip of fragrant coffee. However, this life of being a nerd was a bit hard, and he sighed softly.
Now that everything has been planned, I must complete it unswervingly. Once this book is published, it will definitely attract the attention of major Hollywood film companies and directors. This is also the stepping stone for me to become famous in Hollywood, the film factory, and I must take it seriously.
"My life has just begun."
Two days later, negotiations between Nielsen and NBC entered their final stages. After learning that the UK rights to the talent show had sold for £20 million, NBC and CBS contacted Nielsen again for further discussions. However, due to the price, CBS ultimately withdrew from the bidding, believing that spending tens of millions of dollars on a program idea was too risky.
However, NBC is more determined to buy the copyright. They are too jealous of the ratings of FOX's American Idol every spring. Since the British Independent Television is willing to spend a high amount of money to buy the copyright, they will not be stingy with this little money. For NBC, which is willing to spend 12 billion US dollars to buy the North American broadcasting rights of the Olympic Games, tens of millions are nothing.
Apple's stock had already begun to rebound, and Andy didn't want to drag it out any longer. So, with both parties willing to cooperate, they made concessions. NBC paid $40 million plus a 5% commission on advertising revenue for the North American rights (Canada, the United States, and Mexico).
At Andy's request, NBC agreed to only mention the Mockingjay copyright company in its promotional materials, downplaying Andy's role as the show's creator.
As soon as the money arrived, Andy met with his financial management team and made the same request: to buy all Apple stocks.
David was speechless about his boss's paranoia and advised him more than once not to put all his eggs in one basket as there were many stocks with potential to trade. However, Andy remained noncommittal. Although he did not adopt David's suggestion, he still expressed his appreciation and praise for his professionalism.
As for Jobs and smartphones, Andy, who came later, knew what kind of changes they would bring to the world.
After obtaining the copyright of Britain's Got Talent, ITV began to operate at full capacity. Because of the detailed program process and plan written by Andy, after two weeks of preparation and after completely copying Andy's suggestions on the judges, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden became judges of Britain's Got Talent.
Because only the semi-finals are broadcast live, the audition advertisements for the talent show have been fully rolled out in the UK with great fanfare. The champion will not only get the empty title, but also a prize of 100,000 pounds and the opportunity to perform for the British royal family.
The program selection has no age, region or race restrictions. During the audition period, no matter which city the program crew comes to, it will trigger a wave of registrations. The program has ignited the enthusiasm and curiosity of the British people before it was broadcast.
Everyone wants to be a star and take home the prize money. All kinds of eccentrics and talents, coupled with the three judges' ruthless judgments and the glaring X-shaped red lights, undoubtedly make people look forward to this show.
Britain's Got Talent was in full swing and became the subject of much attention in British newspapers. It was only a matter of time before the show became a huge hit. This undoubtedly made NBC in the United States feel much more at ease and also increased its publicity efforts in the United States.
"There's nothing you can't see, only things you can't imagine. America's Got Talent, this summer, I want you to look good!"
This advertising slogan appeared on almost all NBC TV stations, and they even raised the prize money to 1 million US dollars. The phone calls asking about registration matters were almost overwhelmed every day. The popularity of the program caused competitor FOX TV station to feel deeply worried.
Summer had just begun and America's Got Talent had begun, hosted by Regis Philbin and featuring a panel of judges consisting of David Hasselhoff (Knight Rider), Piers Morgan, and Brandi Norwood.
A singer with an out-of-tune singing style, a middle-aged man over 50 who still wants to show off his muscular body, a folk acrobat, a mediocre dancer... As the contestants' performances are all kinds of weird, the judges become more and more harsh and sarcastic.
The first episode set a new peak in ratings and set off a trend across the United States. NBC executives were so happy to see the soaring ratings and sponsors waving checks that they could hardly stop smiling.
Andy watched the first episode at home and learned the ratings numbers at the end of the show, with a smug smile on his face.
With a successful example, the copyright in his hands will be easier to sell. As for the plagiarism problem in some countries, he can only laugh it off. In China, counterfeiting is a common phenomenon and people have long been accustomed to it. Besides, his ideas are also plagiarized.
However, he still has two program ideas that he has not put on the market yet. He will wait until the talent show becomes a global trend and then release them. Then he will be able to make a fortune again.