"When did against the law become whatsome people aspire to?"
"...In the past month, an online novel has gone viral on the internet."
"I must admit, the author's writing is exquisite, and he was indeed a talented writer."
"...But the content of the novel is quite unacceptable. Many people might not know what ' tomb raiding ' means—it's a term for theft method. Thanks to this author, I now know there's so much intricacy involved in grave robbery."
"Such a novel, suspected of violating the law, is being eagerly sought after by people. It's inexplicably heartbreaking. It's sold millions of copies in a short time and received as many as 400,000 tips."
"...Who knows how many minors have read this novel? How many minors have tipped the author?"
"Such a novel promoting illegal activities is boldly sold online for a fee. It's poisoning the next generation of teenagers."
"...With this author's talent, why did he choose to write something harmful to others and themselves?"
Zack furrowed his brow as he read the article posted on Weibo.
The article was from a public account with about a hundred thousand followers on Weibo.
Don't be fooled by the seemingly small number of followers; it's not comparable to those famous bloggers with millions of followers.
But judging from the number of shares of its posts, this public account still has some skill. At least it has many active followers.
The entire article was filled with concern for teenagers, positioning the writer on the moral high ground.
Moreover, the author of this soft advertisement was clever; they intentionally or unintentionally mentioned the money Zack's "Notes of Tomb Raiding" earned in just a month.
Such income could be unattainable for an ordinary salaryman in a decade.
Yet he earned it in just a month. Naturally, this triggers people's resentment towards wealth, putting you unwittingly on the opposite side of everyone.
"No wonder it has so many active followers. I don't know who runs this public account, but this person isquite impressive."
Zack had studied marketing, albeit not very well.
But from a marketing perspective, he could find many elements in this article that capture people's hearts.
Such as creating conflicts, evoking emotions, and fostering opposition—all these are marketing tactics.
Especially on the internet, where herd mentality is severe, many people lack independent thinking. Even master's degree holders can be swayed by others, let alone those with less education.
This is the frightening power of emotional manipulation.
If this article had nothing to do with him, Zack might have commented on it with his professional knowledge and admired the author.
But when the article was about him, Zack felt somewhat upset.
"I anticipated the sensitivity of the tomb-raiding theme. I didn't even use that word in the title, and the content avoids tomb raiding as much as possible."
"...My book is more like a mystery novel. The author of this article clearly hasn't read what I wrote."
Zack cursed.
He had foreseen this situation, so he prepared for it in advance.
But it doesn't matter whether you really wrote such content or not, whether you have one bowl of rice noodles or two in your stomach.
What marketing accounts write doesn't necessarily have to be true; they just write about what people want to see.
Indeed, when Zack opened the comments, all he saw were condemnations of him.
"Making millions a month by just writing casually? Wow, making money is so easy now."
"Writing such controversial content, of course, you can make money. If you read the Criminal Law more, you'll find even more ways to make money."
"People nowadays come up with tricks just to make money."
"Deal with it seriously!"
"This stuff is severely polluted teenagers. Let's report it together!"
"This person must be beaten to death to serve as an example."
"..."
"Can marketing accounts stop blindly leading the crowd? Have they even read the book? What does it contain that's related to tomb raiding? It's clearly a mystery novel."
"These marketing accounts are disgusting. They're all telling a bare-faced lie. Isn't there anyone to regulate them?"
"They don't care about these things. They make money from marketing accounts!"
"Ooh, here comes someone to whitewash."
"They're probably all students. Students are the easiest to sway."
"That's why this kind of author is the easiest to corrupt teenagers."
"..."
The article was quickly shared thousands of times, making a significant impact on Weibo.
Although some comments defended Zack, their comments were quickly overwhelmed by others.
Although Zack now has many followers, compared to the entire online environment, this number is insignificant.
For these onlookers who thrive on chaos, they won't really check the content of your book.
They simply see that you're making money, a lot of money, and they envy you, hatching schemes to bring you down.
Watching once lofty figures fall from grace is probably a delight for most people.
Although Zack hasn't ascended to a god-like status yet, his income has made many people envious.
Why should I slave away for a couple of thousand a month while you casually write and make millions?
You're breaking the law, using illegal means.
Let me check the content of the book. I won't listen. I have no time for that.
This situation is somewhat tricky.
Most people can't withstand such online public opinion.
As Zack pondered how this would affect him, Waite sent him a message.
"Don't worry, Zack. The company has an emergency response plan for such things."
"...If it were an ordinary book, the company might abandon it if the situation escalates, but your book will be fine."
"The business department has already negotiated with the publisher, who is very interested in your book and has basically decided to publish it in print."
"...Zack, you know that the print publishing industry is currently in a downturn. Most print books are printed in small quantities and can't be sold."
"But a popular novel like this is a major source of income for publishers."
Waite wrote a long message to reassure Zack.
"The publisher we're cooperating with has a state-owned background. Honestly, this marketing account is quite powerful, stirring up people's emotions, but they've kicked a steel plate this time."
"...Going against a state-owned enterprise and blocking their revenue stream is asking for trouble!"
Seeing Waite's message, Zack felt much calmer.
He doesn't really care about public opinion. He only cares if the more than two million in royalties will be paid on time.
If the royalties are gone due to public opinion, all the pain of writing 50,000 words a day for a month would be in vain!
"What's going on here? The author of that soft advertisement definitely hasn't read my book. Why are they targeting me?"
Zack was slightly confused and asked.
Waite hesitated, seemingly pondering how to respond to Zack.
Finally, he ambiguously said, "...This isn't actually aimed at you, Zack, but at the entire online novel industry."
"...Some things are better left unsaid. You probably understand, Zack. Online novel aligns more with popular aesthetics, and the threshold for writing online novels is low, leading to some criticism of their writing style."
"Those traditional literature authors who pride themselves on their writing skills and profound books can't make money. Seeing how much these online novels without talent or depth earn, of course, they become envious."
Waite's veiled reminder made Zack realize the social situation.
This is a conflict between two interest groups. He has become a target because his book has become popular in the past month and has controversial themes.
But since Waite said he didn't need to worry, then Zack didn't dwell on it and concentrated on finishing the last few ten thousand words.
Actually, if this incident can be handled well, it can be turned into a counter-marketing opportunity, further enhancing Zack's fame.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]