Chapter 124: Fame and Fortune

In the fifth-floor economic research office, Xia Yu inquired about the progress of the second issue of *Economy* magazine. After understanding the situation, he was very satisfied and felt relieved.

At this moment, the economic research office had ten more people, including five researchers and five assistants. These were recruited by Lin Shanyuan and others over the past three days. Upon their arrival, Xia Yu had assigned them assistants to help them quickly get familiar with the system.

Compared to the highly analytical researchers, the assistants, who were responsible for data collection and organization, were easier to find. They could even be directly transferred from other departments within the company.

In addition to the five who had already joined, Lin Shanyuan and others had contacted more candidates, but they were still considering their options. Xia Yu was not anxious. Once the *Economy* magazine hit the shelves and made a big splash in Hong Kong, they would undoubtedly be eager to join.

Xia Yu believed that such an excellent platform for showcasing one's abilities and economic viewpoints in Hong Kong and even Asia had no rival other than his *Economy* magazine.

Plant the phoenix tree, and the phoenix will come. Xia Yu was confident in *Economy* magazine, viewing it with the same perspective as the former CEO of Warner Bros. Thus, his confidence was well-founded!

Seeing Lin Shanyuan and Xu Zhixue's eager expressions, Xia Yu smiled inwardly, knowing what they wanted to ask. This was also why he had called Yan Wenhan to join them—to provide them with the details right away.

"Wenhan, how are the pre-sales and distribution of *Economy* magazine going?" Xia Yu asked Yan Wenhan, who was beside him.

Feeling the gaze of everyone around him, Yan Wenhan smiled slightly. He had personally handled this matter and was very familiar with the specifics. He began to report in a clear and confident manner.

"Boss, in the past few days, our dedicated personnel have been contacting the sales channels. Initially, the distributors were not very interested in *Economy* magazine. However, after our recent promotions and seeing the changes in public opinion, they have started placing orders in increasing amounts."

"As of now, the total orders have reached 150,000 copies. Among them, local Hong Kong book dealers and newsstands have ordered 80,000 copies, dealers in Taiwan have taken 20,000 copies, and Southeast Asian distributors have ordered 50,000 copies. The orders from Taiwan and Southeast Asia have already been dispatched and are being urgently transported, ensuring delivery to the distributors before tonight to avoid delays in tomorrow's sales. However, local Hong Kong orders have not yet been shipped."

"Since it is a high-end magazine with higher production costs, each copy is priced at 2.5 Hong Kong dollars. We offer the distributors a price of 1.8 Hong Kong dollars per copy, and after deducting material and labor costs, our profit per copy is only 0.3 Hong Kong dollars."

"Our company has printed a total of 200,000 copies so far, with only 50,000 copies remaining in stock. I've instructed the printing plant to be on standby and start printing immediately to avoid a supply shortage like with *The Legend of Qin*."

Yan Wenhan finished his report in one breath and looked at Xia Yu, awaiting his feedback.

Xia Yu smiled and nodded, saying, "Very good!"

Afterward, Xia Yu turned to Lin Shanyuan and Xu Zhixue, who were all smiling with evident satisfaction. Clearly, they were thrilled to learn about the production and distribution status of *Economy* magazine, and their previously anxious hearts were now at ease.

At least the distributors recognized it, meaning they believed in its market value. If all 200,000 copies were sold, *Economy* magazine would be deemed a success! Moreover, since the magazine was a weekly publication, with strong sales, the subsequent issues would continue to sell well!

According to their understanding, there were no famous magazines in Hong Kong, with the best magazines having weekly sales of just over 10,000 copies. The market was virtually untouched, and now *Economy* magazine was finally making its debut.

The more it sold, the greater its influence would be, and the more fame they would gain.

Every article had the author's name, and the rich list and top 100 companies list included all their names.

The greater the influence of *Economy* magazine, the more people would read their articles and become familiar with their names. This was something they could never achieve before, but now, with *Economy* magazine as a golden platform, they could easily expand their influence. Moreover, Jiuding Media had offered them a substantial salary.

Gaining both fame and fortune—nothing could be better!

Such a good position was rare to find even with a lantern in Hong Kong!

"Professor Lin, Professor Xu, and everyone present, if you need copies of the first issue, just ask Wenhan. You can distribute them to your friends and family and take them away tonight. The more you distribute, the happier I will be! It will also increase the influence of our magazine!"

Xia Yu said with a smile to Lin Shanyuan and others.

"Thank you, Xia Sheng! We will definitely promote it vigorously!" Lin Shanyuan thanked Xia Yu with a smile, eager to share this success with friends.

Afterward, seeing Lin Shanyuan and others surrounding Yan Wenhan to state their desired quantities, Xia Yu smiled.

In fact, producing magazines and newspapers is similar; it's just a different platform and medium. The real profit comes from advertising revenue once the platform is established, not from selling the magazine itself.

Unlike selling novels like *The Legend of Qin*, which is a one-time sale where profits come directly from book sales!

*Economy* magazine is priced at 2.5 Hong Kong dollars per copy, which is quite high, but the production cost is also high. With high-quality paper, color printing, labor costs, and machine wear, the biggest cost is the salaries of Lin Shanyuan and others, plus taxes.

Given these costs, the production cost of *Economy* magazine has risen to 1.5 Hong Kong dollars per copy. Xia Yu's profit of 0.3 Hong Kong dollars per copy is already quite good. Many magazines operate at a loss without advertising revenue, and breaking even is considered successful. It's rare that *Economy* magazine has a 0.3 Hong Kong dollar profit per copy, thanks to its large print run.

The more copies printed, the lower the cost per copy!

If the sales volume continues to grow, reducing the price to 2 Hong Kong dollars or even 1.5 Hong Kong dollars could be more appropriate. Even if it incurs losses here, it could be compensated by advertising revenue. However, Xia Yu decided against this plan, as it would affect the magazine's positioning and prestige.

Since the magazine aims to be a high-end financial publication, a lower price would diminish its status. For wealthy people, an additional 0.5 Hong Kong dollars or 1 Hong Kong dollar is insignificant!

Providing the first issue to Lin Shanyuan and others for free was a minor expense but could win their goodwill and enhance their sense of belonging to the company. Moreover, it could help expand the magazine's influence through their connections!

High-caliber friends and associates—the very people who are potential customers for *Economy* magazine—would likely become subscribers with greater ease due to their trust and influence.

After leaving the fifth floor and arriving at the second-floor office, Xia Yu told Yan Wenhan, "Wenhan, arrange for specific people to deliver the magazines to the listed companies first thing tomorrow morning. Make sure the magazines reach HSBC as soon as possible, and inform HSBC employees that they should be delivered to Chairman Shen Bi. Remember?"

"Boss, don't worry. I will arrange this!" Yan Wenhan said earnestly.

"Go ahead and make the arrangements!" Xia Yu waved his hand, dismissing Yan Wenhan. He took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and began to ponder.