Listen, everyone, the book "Old Wine" has made it to the Three Rivers list, something I never thought would happen. I've been reading on Qidian for ten years, and every old reader knows the importance of the Three Rivers list. I never imagined that one day Old Wine's book would make it to the Three Rivers list, and even be featured on the homepage.
When I first started writing, many people told me to give up, saying it had no future.
I asked them, "Why?"
The big names in the industry said, "It's simple. No editor would sign a contract for a book with only 30,000 words. When I applied for the Three Rivers list with 50,000 words, it was rejected. When I applied for a potential contract with 100,000 words, it was rejected again. With 150,000 words, no one cared. Why keep going?"
I thought about it and realized they were right. Why keep going? But in my heart, I thought, I already have 500,000 words written. I might as well upload them; they're useless otherwise. So I continued to apply for the Three Rivers list and for a contract every week.
It wasn't until I had written 170,000 words that Sister Persimmon from the Wireless Team noticed my book. I was so excited that I was in a daze for the entire afternoon, not even knowing how I got home. I was just so happy.
Even after signing the contract, many people still told me to give up. The first week, the member clicks were only in the dozens. The second week, they were in the hundreds. The third week, they were in the four hundreds. The recommendations were always in the single digits. Many authors had already concluded that this book had no value.
But I wasn't willing to give up. Although my writing skills weren't as outstanding as the big names, I revised every chapter at least three times. Every day before uploading, I would read my own novel to see if it could move me, make me sad, happy, or painful. I would also check if the character's inner thoughts were well-expressed. Finally, I would see if the story contributed to the overall plot.
Each chapter was filled with my sincere emotions.
Even though the weekly metrics were still poor, I continued to write with ease. Since I had received the editor's recognition, I believed that the novel still had its merits. I just kept writing.
It wasn't until I reached 100,000 words that I noticed more people were reading my book. The daily clicks started to increase, and the member clicks also grew. The daily favorites increased by about twenty each day.
In the week before the Wireless Potential List, my favorite activity was to refresh my book's page whenever I was bored, watching the favorites increase one by one. I was so happy. Of course, sometimes a favorite would drop, and I would be depressed for hours. Was I just a fool?
Then, last Friday, after I got home from work, I opened my computer and logged into the author's backend to refresh the page and check if the favorites had increased. Suddenly, three messages popped up. My heart sank. I thought, "I only applied for the Three Rivers recommendation once, why are there three rejection messages?" I was on the verge of tears.
But when I opened the messages, I saw that I had been recommended for the Wireless Potential List and a category page recommendation. My heart raced with excitement.
Of course, the Three Rivers recommendation was still rejected, but I'm naturally optimistic. I had already written 170,000 words before signing the contract; I wasn't afraid of a little setback. I would apply again next week.
I had never heard of the Wireless Potential List or the category page recommendation before. I quickly asked the big names, and they told me that if the daily favorites didn't increase by 80 to 120 after being listed, I should give up, as it would have no writing value.
My heart sank. If I couldn't even reach the minimum of 80, how could I continue writing? Even the most optimistic person would be discouraged.
So, I became a happy refresher, refreshing the page every ten minutes during my free time at work, checking if the favorites had increased.
On Sunday afternoon, my favorites increased by 150 by the next morning. I laughed, thinking I had met the standard.
Then, on Tuesday morning, after subtracting the favorites I had recorded the day before, I saw that my favorites had increased by 241. I almost ran two laps in the office (I would have if I wasn't afraid of being seen as a fool). I had exceeded the target. On Wednesday, it was 200, on Thursday, 221, and on Friday, Saturday...
Finally, this morning, I saw that my favorites had increased by 1,200. I felt like I had created a miracle.
I truly thank my reader friends for supporting me. I believe that those who have read my book have developed feelings for the characters, which is why they have added it to their favorites.
On Thursday, I received another message from the backend, but this time it was around 1 PM (I hope the editors won't be mad at me for revealing this). I instinctively felt a glimmer of hope. When I opened the message, sure enough, my Three Rivers application had been approved. My heart raced, and my brain went blank.
But when I looked closely, I almost cried. There was an initial review and a final review for the Three Rivers list. I had only passed the initial review and still needed to pass the final review.
A sense of unease washed over me. I was pessimistic because I was a new author. They say Qidian is a deep and complex place. Would I fail the final review?
I sought help from the big names in the author group, and they told me that the chances of passing the final review were zero. They advised me to focus on the Wireless Potential List.
OK, I have a big heart. Since I had already passed the initial review, the Wireless Potential List was also good. Oh yeah!
But deep down, I still had a small hope. I had already created so many miracles; why not one more?
So, I silently prayed, "Pass the final review, pass the final review." The next afternoon, I received another message. When I opened it, I laughed, "Passed!"
I smoothly passed the final review. I thank the Three Rivers team for their recognition of my book and my editor for their support. Most importantly, I deeply thank my dear reader friends. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you for liking my book and adding it to your favorites.
Tomorrow, I will be on the list. I'm trying to write a Three Rivers statement, but I don't even know what I'm saying. It might be my rant, which could make you realize I'm a clown. Anyway, thank you all for your support and help.
I have an even more miraculous thing to tell you. With the Wireless Potential List recommendation, my book jumped from 60th place on the new book list to 8th place on the urban new book list.
Brothers, sisters, and fellow countrymen, give me a hand. Let's take down the top eight and stand at the top together, marveling at the miracle that has happened again.
Miracles are all around you. I'm asking for recommendations, favorites, Three Rivers votes, clicks, and anything else you can give.