On Chinese website, there were two main ways to sign a contract. First, the editor would take the initiative to contact the author to sign a contract. When the work meets certain requirements (such as different sites have different word count requirements, the main site has a word count of 100,000 words, Genesis Chinese Network, Yunqi Academy, Qidian Girls Network, Fiction-Reading Network, Red Sleeves and Romance Fictions Bar has a word count of 50,000 words, etc.), the editor may take the initiative to discover the potential of the work and contact the author to sign the contract. The second was for the author to apply for a contract. The work would be updated to 30,000 words in the website (only the main text, excluding the biography, afterword, foreword, relevant settings of the work, etc.). The work would automatically enter the backstage for review by the editor. It could also be submitted to the author's backstage for review according to the corresponding format. If it passed the review, there would be a short notice. The contract signing process was for the editor to send the contract to the author. After the author filled in the contract, it would be sent to the editor for review. Then, it would be printed and signed, and mailed to the company. The company would stamp it and send it back. This way, the contract signing would be completed.
The Qidian contract was divided into two parts: the requirements for the work and the requirements for signing the contract. The requirements were as follows: 1. In terms of genre, the contracted works must be original and must not violate the legal rights and interests of others such as copyright and portrait rights. 2. In terms of completion, the work had to be complete. There could not be unfinished, draft, or incomplete. 3. In terms of quality, the content should be logical, clear, fluent, and free of obvious typos and grammar errors. The contract requirements were as follows: 1. In terms of the author's identity, the contracted author must have a complete identification certificate and be at least 18 years old. 2. In terms of the ownership of the works, the contracted works must ensure that the author enjoyed complete copyright and could not violate the rights and interests of others. <a href="/?from=ask_words" style="color:red" target="_blank">Read more exciting novels for free</a>
Qidian didn't buy the copyright, but only the exclusive digital rights. After the creator signed the Qidian contract, he still retained the other forms of copyright of his work. According to the terms of the contract signed by Qidian, there were different ways to distribute the copyright of the work, such as buying out the copyright, sharing the copyright, and retaining part of the copyright. The specific ownership of the copyright would be clearly stated in the contract, including whether the author could continue to exercise some of the rights. Therefore, signing a contract with Qidian did not mean buying out the copyright. It was a form of cooperation. The author still retained other forms of copyright to the work.
You don't have to sign a contract to write articles at Qidian. However, if he did not sign the contract, he might face many unfavorable situations. For example, Qidian Platinum God Dance once mentioned that if a novel did not sign a contract at Qidian, it was basically impossible for the novel to become popular. This was because the platform's recommended resources were only for contracted novels. If the novel was not signed, it would be difficult for readers to read it. However, if the contract was not signed, the copyright would be in the hands of the author himself (under special circumstances such as not violating the platform service agreement). This was different from the situation after the contract was signed (the copyright still belonged to the author, and the profits were shared with the website) or the situation was bought out (the copyright belonged to the platform).
Unsigned works from Qidian could be updated. Generally speaking, the author's rights and interests on Qidian Platform would not be seriously affected if his work stopped updating. However, frequent interruption might negatively affect the popularity, reputation, ranking, author's reputation, reader support, and many other aspects of the work, thus affecting the long-term development of the work. For example, it might affect the reader's reading experience, affect the possibility of signing a contract with the work, cause the ranking of the work to drop, affect the credibility of the author, and might also cause the reader to lose confidence in the author, affecting the fan base and potential profit of the work.
The income of Qidian's contracted authors varied greatly. Among them, 20% had no income after signing the contract, 30% had an income of 1000 - 2000, 30% had an income of 3000 - 4000, and 20% had an income of more than 5000. The authors with the highest income could earn 100,000 to 200,000 yuan a month. With at least 500 readers (500 effective paid readers), Qidian's contracted writers earned 0.01 yuan (1 cent) per thousand words.
If the editor explicitly told him that he could not sign the contract after Qidian submitted the manuscript, it meant that he had been rejected. In addition, if you don't receive the contract signing notice after the stipulated review period, such as not receiving a positive reply from the editor for a long time after the internal submission (the internal submission editor can not read the article, if there is no response, it can be regarded as a rejection), or if the direct mail reaches 30,000 words, the editor does not accept it and does not receive the website short notice (the website short notice is the notice of the editor expressing his intention to sign the contract), it can also be considered as being rejected. <a href="/?from=ask_words" style="color:red" target="_blank">Read more exciting novels for free</a>
The Red Pomelo novel contract referred to the author submitting the novel on the Red Pomelo novel platform. After the review, the author would sign a contract with the platform to become one of the official authors of the Red Pomelo novel. He would have independent copyright and creative freedom. At the same time, he would also receive the support and guarantee provided by the platform for literary creation, editing, promotion, and so on. After signing the contract, the author could publish the novel on the platform and receive the novel's income and creation reward on a regular basis.
The contract requirements for Qidian novels to be published include: 1. Quality of works: Qidian had very high requirements for the quality of the works on the shelves. The author needed to have a certain degree of literary accomplishment and creative ability. 2. New subject matter: The works to be published must meet the requirements of Qidian's subject matter and have a certain market potential. 3. Word limit: The word limit of Qidian novels is very strict. Generally, the work is required to be between 500,000 to 1 million words. 4. Consecutive content: The plot and characters of the work should be coherent without logical loopholes and contradictions. 5. Contribution income: Qidian pays attention to the contribution income. An author needs to have certain writing skills and an audience in order to get more contributions. 6. Purchasing copyrights: Qidian will purchase the copyrights of the works so that the authors can independently operate and promote their works. These were some of the basic requirements for Qidian novels to be published and signed. The author needed to seriously consider and meet these requirements in order to push their works to a larger market.
It was fine to write novels at Qidian without signing a contract, but there were many disadvantages. If he didn't sign a contract, the platform wouldn't give him any recommendation resources. This meant that it was very difficult for readers to read the novel, and there was basically no chance of it becoming popular. Although there were a few authors who persisted in writing without signing a contract or receiving any income, and even wrote works of more than a million words, this was still a rare case. If most authors did not sign a contract, it would be difficult for them to earn any income, and it would be difficult for them to stand out among the many works.
A novel contract referred to the author reaching a creative cooperation agreement with a publishing house or an online platform after the novel was completed, granting the author the right to adapt, publish, and distribute his own novel. The signing of a novel usually included the following steps: 1. The author completes the novel and submit it to the relevant platform or publishing house. 2. The platform or the publishing house will review the novel and decide whether to accept the contract application. 3. If the author passes the review and reaches a cooperation agreement with the platform or the publishing house, he will become a signed author. 4. The author needs to provide novel materials and modify the content to meet the requirements of the publishing house or platform according to the agreement. 5. The platform or the publishing house will edit and proofread the novel to ensure that the quality of the novel meets the requirements. After the review, the author can start publishing the novel and enjoy the rights of publishing and distribution. The contract was an important guarantee for the author. It could bring copyright income and opportunities for literary publication. At the same time, the review and editing work of the platform or the publishing house would also help to improve the quality and legibility of the novel and bring a better reading experience to the readers.