"This is actually the same as what many people think when they first start writing novels, but someone as young as you, that's a first," Chen Changming said, pausing for a moment before continuing.
"Lin Jai, I hope you don't mind me speaking frankly. You're very young and haven't attended university. Perhaps you've read a lot of martial arts novels, but reading novels and writing them are two different things. Just because you've read novels for many years doesn't mean you can write one well."
"Editor Chen, I understand what you mean, but my novel does have a certain level of quality. If you don't believe me, you can take a look first."
Lin Baicheng immediately picked up the manuscript. With his age against him, it was natural for people to doubt his reliability.
"Not so fast," Chen Changming raised a hand, not taking the manuscript. "There are a few things I need to tell you first. Usually, we have certain requirements for new writers. For instance, a degree from a Chinese university, or a background in history or law, or having written essays or similar works."
"For complete newcomers without any experience in this field, we look at their university and major. After all, our editorial staff is limited. If we had to review every single manuscript brought in by anyone, we'd be overwhelmed."
Lin Baicheng did not meet any of these requirements. He was silent for a moment but unwilling to give up so easily.
"Editor Chen, isn't there any other way?"
"Not exactly," Chen Changming replied. "If you have a recommendation from a well-known writer or a professor, your work would be taken more seriously and could at least reach the chief editor. Whether it gets serialized depends entirely on the quality of the novel itself."
"So you're saying that for people like us, who didn't graduate from a Chinese university, there's no chance at all?"
Lin Baicheng had no connections with writers or professors, so he felt disappointed. He hadn't expected his ambitions to be blocked at the very first step.
"That's not the case," Chen Changming shook his head with a smile. "Newcomers do have a chance, even someone as young as you, Lin Jai. But if they meet certain criteria, we give them priority: their novels are reviewed first, and if accepted, serialized first. I mentioned these conditions to be upfront with you, so you don't think we're deliberately making things difficult just because of your age."
"No, no," Lin Baicheng quickly replied. "Editor Chen, please continue."
"First, Lin Jai, you're writing a long novel. You said you've written about 180,000 characters, which meets our submission requirements. For newcomers, we require a certain word count because many beginners start well, but once serialization begins, the daily deadlines can easily lower the quality of their work. Having some reserve content helps manage revisions."
"If a serialized novel encounters problems, it's tricky: if we don't publish, readers complain; if we remove it suddenly, the backlash is even worse."
"Fortunately, you've written 180,000 characters. If we find the quality acceptable and decide to serialize, having this much in reserve gives you some leeway even if you have a few bad days later."
Chen Changming looked Lin Baicheng in the eye and said seriously: "Lin Jai, I need to tell you this upfront: even if you've written 180,000 characters, if the quality isn't good, we might reject the manuscript after reading only a few thousand characters. It doesn't matter how much you've written; if the story isn't good, it's no good. That's our professional judgment."
"Editor Chen, don't worry. I understand. If the novel isn't good, it certainly can't be serialized," Lin Baicheng said, nodding immediately. Quality is everything—even decades later, a poor online novel may be listed, but without subscriptions, it earns nothing.
"Good, I'm glad you understand," Chen nodded. "There's one more thing: even if we like your novel and decide to serialize it, it could still take at least three months, possibly six months to a year."
"Why is that?" Lin Baicheng asked, puzzled.
Chen explained: "Serialized novels take a long time. We already have several running in Ming Pao. The soonest one can finish its serialization is in three months. The three-month timeframe is the shortest because we receive many new submissions. Which book gets serialized first is decided by the chief editor. Only if your novel is truly exceptional can it be prioritized in three months."
"I see," Lin Baicheng nodded, slightly disappointed. The newspaper's method was fair, but it was not friendly to newcomers. Moreover, many well-known authors collaborate with Ming Pao. If a famous writer submits, their work would get priority, pushing newcomers further back. Lin didn't even know when his novel would finally be serialized.
Suddenly, Lin Baicheng realized that a major newspaper like Ming Pao might not be the best choice. Big newspapers favor established writers since their novels come with guaranteed quality and a ready readership.
That said, serializing with a big newspaper does have advantages; otherwise, Lin wouldn't have approached Ming Pao first. Large circulation means a novel could quickly become popular across Hong Kong.
Lin Baicheng soon left Ming Pao without having Chen Changming review his manuscript. He had already decided not to serialize there. Since he wouldn't serialize at Ming Pao, it wouldn't make sense to waste the editor's time.
Chen Changming felt no regret at Lin's departure; in fact, he was relieved. His original purpose was to dissuade Lin. Young writers like him were hard to handle—if pressured too harshly, they could become combative. It was better to explain reasonably and let them decide to walk away.
There were many difficulties ahead, but Lin Baicheng had no intention of giving up on serializing his novel. This time, he had a new plan: he would target smaller second- or third-tier newspapers, which might be friendlier to newcomers.
As for circulation, that could be dealt with later. The key was getting the novel serialized and earning the manuscript fee first.