Chapitre 46: Chapter 46: The Trailblazer of Sports Fiction
"Received."
"Received."
"Received."
"Let's see tonight."
Ding Sheng's editors responded in their group chat.
As for the thought of "Did the Chief Editor make a mistake somewhere?" Well, that was only discussed silently in their hearts; no one dared to voice it.
After work, the perplexed Ding Sheng editors headed to bookstores. To their surprise, they found similar promotional signs at the entrances of major bookstores.
The sign read:
"This bookstore's 'Tennis Prince' is sold out. The supply will be replenished tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Sold out? Bookstores were putting up special signs? At that moment, Ding Sheng's editors began to sense that something was amiss. After all, having bookstores put up signs meant there were many readers interested in buying "Tennis Prince." This was a treatment only given to hot-selling books!
So...
Is this book a bestseller? One of Ding Sheng's editors looked at a colleague in astonishment.
"Have you ever heard of a sports fiction novel becoming a bestseller?"
"No," replied the colleague.
After pondering for a while, the colleague shook their head and decisively uttered four words, "Unprecedented in history."
Bookstores are a barometer of sales trends.
They always know which books are hot and which ones are not. With their close ties to major publishers, they could easily find out about the sales of "Tennis Prince."
So, in the following days, the entire industry's attention was focused on this book and its author, Chu Kuang.
[]: "Unbelievable."
Even many experienced editors in the industry exclaimed, "A sports fiction genre can sell so well."
[]: "Incredible."
[]: "This newcomer novelist, Chu Kuang, has proven one thing with 'Tennis Prince'—if you write well, even sports fiction can perform."
[]: "This is a trailblazer, isn't it?"
[]: "The sports fiction genre hasn't been completely uncharted, but no one has ever made it big. According to industry standards, whoever makes a genre popular is considered the trailblazer. So, this term is spot on."
[]: "Yes."
"In the future, there will probably be quite a few writers following the trend of writing sports fiction. Even these authors will acknowledge Chu Kuang's status as the trailblazer of sports fiction."
Not only in the editing circle...
Discussions within the readers' circles about "Tennis Prince" were incredibly lively. Many novel forums were filled with threads about this book:
[]: "Highly recommend 'Tennis Prince'!"
[]: "I've read this book too, it's really good."
[]: "I've been into youth fantasy novels for years, especially fond of interdimensional adventure themes. After reading 'Tennis Prince,' I found myself interested in this genre for the first time in my life."
[]: "I thought my tastes were too niche, but it turns out there are so many people who like 'Tennis Prince'!"
[]: "Haha, same here. Yesterday, I recommended 'Tennis Prince' to a buddy, and he was reluctant, saying he wasn't interested in tennis-themed stories. But after I forcefully made him read the first chapter, my book became his..."
The book market in Qin Prefecture was always bustling.
In terms of sales alone, there were a few books that outsold "Tennis Prince."
Many popular novelists had terrifying monthly sales figures for their works.
But the frightening aspect of "Tennis Prince" lay in the fact that, although it was a sports-themed book, from the conventional industry perspective, it was as niche as it could get. Yet, it managed to attract readers, just like many mainstream genres!
For the industry, this was undoubtedly a bombshell.
While the industry was in disarray, major publishing houses suddenly intensified their support and promotion of sports-themed novels.
...
Han Qi was a tennis player.
He was a well-known professional tennis player in Qin Prefecture.
As he finished his internal training for the day and was strolling outside, he suddenly received a message on his phone from a friend: "I just found out today that tennis is so interesting. You have a match tomorrow, right? I'll come watch. Remember to save me a ticket!"
"Sure, but why the sudden interest?" Han Qi was puzzled; this friend had never shown any interest in tennis.
After becoming a professional player, he had dragged this friend to watch two tennis matches before, only to see them yawning. He never expected this friend to voluntarily suggest watching a professional tennis match today.
"I knew you hadn't heard about it!" the friend replied. "I've recently read a novel called 'The Prince of Tennis.' It's about tennis and really engrossing. If you have time, you should check it out too!"
"..."
Han Qi sent a series of ellipses, then said, "Tennis novels are probably written by laymen, just to dupe readers like you who are not into tennis."
"Well, I felt the descriptions of tennis in it were quite professional, similar to what you've told me before."
Han Qi shook his head, "That's for sure. Basic tennis knowledge can be found with a simple online search. Since they dared to write a tennis novel, they must have done their homework. Maybe the author is a tennis enthusiast; there are quite a few amateur tennis lovers in Qin Prefecture."
"Whatever."
The friend didn't want to discuss it further. "Anyway, check out the novel, talk to you tomorrow."
"Alright."
Han Qi chuckled. It was ironic that, as a professional tennis player, he couldn't get his friend interested in tennis, yet a novel managed to do so.
At that moment, Han Qi happened to pass by a bookstore.
Feeling a tug at his heart, he walked right in and purchased the novel his friend had mentioned, "Tennis Prince."
As a professional in the world of tennis, he was genuinely pleased to see someone writing a novel centered on the sport. Who wouldn't want their profession to gain more popularity? This kind of writer deserves support.
Back at the dorm, Han Qi picked up "Tennis Prince" and casually flipped through a page.
"Huh?"
After a couple of minutes, Han Qi was surprised to find that the book contained rather professional tennis knowledge; the author didn't try to fool novices.
However, this knowledge was relatively basic.
So, Han Qi casually flipped through further and was astounded to discover that even when the book delved into advanced tennis knowledge, the textual descriptions were extremely precise, without a single mistake!
"Looks like the author knows their stuff."
Ordinary amateur tennis enthusiasts didn't possess such a rich knowledge of tennis! He started to become increasingly interested and officially opened the first chapter, beginning to read from the start.
During his student days, Han Qi was an avid reader of novels.
It's just that after graduation, tennis kept him incredibly busy, so he didn't read much. Today, reading this novel was his way of relaxing before tomorrow's match.
Swipe.
The pages, emitting the fragrance of fresh ink, turned one after another. Han Qi became more and more engrossed...
By this time, night had fallen.
Suddenly, his phone blared an alarm, jolting Han Qi back to reality. "Holy smokes, it's already ten? I've got a match tomorrow!"
It felt terrible, like splitting open! Han Qi was completely absorbed by "Tennis Prince," desperate to finish it in one go.
But if he did, it might compromise his rest tonight and affect tomorrow's match.
"I'll finish it after the match!"
Gritting his teeth, Han Qi reluctantly closed the book and, with immense determination, switched off the light to sleep!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone