The sales of the English version of "Life of Pi" in the world are indeed not very good, and it has not yet exceeded one million copies, you must know that the Chinese version has moved towards 4.8 million!

This huge gap made both Zhou Kang and Random House wonder, and they wanted to promote it, after all, the quality of this book is really good, and it is worth reading by readers.

"Maybe you can pause, I emailed Chris earlier, here's his reply. ”

Zhang Chu took out his mobile phone, and a series of English words appeared on the screen.

Zhou Kang's eyes were a little dizzy, he shook his head and said, "I can't understand this thing at all, you better tell me directly, what did he reply." ”

"I'm sorry to tell us that Life of Pi didn't make it to the Booker Prize longlist, because we were mistaken. ”

It's actually an oolong!

Zhou Kang's whole face stiffened, and he couldn't believe this reality at all!

"It's impossible, the People's Daily's Weibo has a special report, and they have a special team in charge of overseas affairs, how can this be fake news!"

The mood fluctuated, Zhou Kang was already six gods, he couldn't read English at all, and the sources were all external.

Fortunately, at this time, Zhang Chu explained: "It is estimated that the Booker Prize is a bit complicated, and my "Life of Pi" was shortlisted for the Booker International Literature Award, which is an important part of the Booker Prize. The team at the People's Daily probably didn't distinguish the difference between the two, so they confused it. ”

patted his chest fiercely, Zhou Kang finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, I don't have a heart attack, otherwise I would have been scared out of my illness by you." It doesn't matter if it's the Booker Prize for International Literature or the Booker Prize, it's just a shortlist. Just now I was worried that the media or netizens found out that you would be discredited after the incident, it was too terrifying, I didn't dare to think about it!"

After this kind of skin, Zhang Chu can be regarded as happy, at least more and more readers can see Youth Pi and see this fantasy drifting story.

Of course, it's better to win the award, it doesn't matter if he doesn't get the award, anyway, he still has a lot of works in his head to come up with!

At least the momentum was good, and the judges liked his writing, liked the story, and didn't turn it away.

Zhou Kang took a sip of mineral water, and then said, "Then what is the difference between these two awards? ”

If it weren't for Chris, the editor of Random House, who replied in detail in the email, Zhang Chu himself would have been a little confused.

No wonder the People's Daily is confused, because these two awards are the kind that complement each other!

"The Booker Prize has always regarded itself as the highest prize for English literature, but it has always faced the embarrassment of being outside the scope of the Booker Prize for American writers, who are also writing in English, who are constantly working hard and aggressive. Therefore, in order to consolidate the status of the Booker Prize as the highest award for English literature, anyone who writes in English from all over the world can participate in the selection of the Booker International Literary Award, as long as the work has been published in the United Kingdom in English translation. And once the award is won, the translator and the author will share the prize money of £50,000 equally. ”

The Booker Prize and the Man Booker Prize for International Literature echo and complement each other: the original English language prize (the Booker Prize) is awarded in the fall, and the translation prize is awarded in the late spring and early summer (the Booker International Literary Prize). So far, the scope of the Booker Prize covers all international awards.

Although he was a little embarrassed, Zhou Kang still understood, because no Chinese work had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize before, so the media didn't study it at all, anyway, there was just the word Booker!

"Since they are all Booker Prizes, the mistakes are also caused by the People's Daily, and they have nothing to do with us. I hope that your "Life of Pi" can be shortlisted, and it would be best if it could win an award. In that case, Hollywood or European film companies will take a fancy to it and adapt it into a movie. ”

Zhou Kang said with a little wistfulness that he and Zhang Chu know very well that the protagonist of "Youth Pi" is an Indian teenager, and this perspective alone will not attract any domestic film company.

Obviously, the Chinese version has been on the market for so long, and obviously the sales and reputation are not bad, but no company is willing to buy it for shooting.

After all, filming a work with a foreigner as the main character, and it is also a one-man show, it is too risky!

Menglong Culture Media can only pin its hopes on Hollywood and European film companies, after all, the film manufacturers and cultural customs in these places are more diverse and inclusive.

However, the sales of "Youth Pi" have not been able to rise, and it has not been able to enter the eyes of those film companies at all.

Hollywood has never lacked scripts, which company does not lie down with all kinds of scripts, what they lack is a sense of freshness!

Zhou Kang now hopes that "Life of Pi" can be favored by some of them or a film company, because the Booker Award is the best platform.

The Booker Prize not only bears the responsibility of literary criticism, but also becomes an affirmation and price tag for an IP.

There is a saying abroad that the Booker Prize-winning works are the best stepping stone to the Oscars!

According to incomplete statistics, about one-third of the Booker Prize-winning works have been adapted into films, and these films have a place at the Academy Awards.

Just like classic films such as "Schindler's List", "Oscar and Lucinda", "Farewell to Love", "Hopelessly in Love with You", and "The English Patient" are all adapted from Booker Prize-winning works.

Paying attention to the Booker Award seems to have become the most successful prediction of the Oscars!

Schindler's List is based on Schindler's Ark by Australian Thomas Keneally, a four-time Booker Prize nominee who won the award in 1982, and the film adaptation won seven awards at the 66th Academy Awards in 1994.

In 1992, Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient won the Booker Prize that year just after it came out. In 1996, the film adaptation of the same name used a strong cast of Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and other strong actors, and won 12 nominations for the 1997 Oscars in one fell swoop, sweeping all the way!

It is worthy of being known as the cultivation base of popular IP, and the Booker Award can be described as a countless chaser, and various publishers want to push their own works up.

As long as it can win an award, it will not be a problem to increase the sales of the work several times.

If you are lucky and it is adapted into a movie, the sales and influence will go to another level!

Whether "Life of Pi" can become this lucky person depends on the ability of Random House and its own charm, after all, Zhang Chu is far away in China, and his influence abroad is limited.