Employees who have worked in the bookstore for a long time.

No one underestimates the impact of a good poster on book sales.

The proportion of readers who only look at the cover to pick a book is more than most people think.

In the era of electronic flooding, people who are still willing to buy books in physical bookstores and read paper books have a collectible feeling for books in their hearts.

When they buy a book, they are not only buying words, but also a beloved collection.

Especially when the bookstore has no purpose to hang out, drink coffee, and post INS to show the petty bourgeois life mood. Those young men and women have a beautiful and lovely book in their hands, and it is an indispensable ornament.

Even in the display case of the Waterstone Bookstore, I like to put two books with beautiful covers in a conspicuous position.

It doesn't matter if the quality of the text is rough, it's the debut of an unpopular writer that no one has ever heard of, or it's a very obscure pure stream of consciousness or a book on spirituality.

As long as the cover painting is stylish and artistic conception enough.

There are always a few copies sold a week.

Over the course of a year, Zero Zero can always be sold for all ages.

In the book circle, these books belong to the category of eating by "appearance".

"Maybe the long-term sales of this "The Little Prince" are higher than many people think!" The thought came to the staff's mind.

"But miss, if you're willing to wait until the end of the afternoon signing session, you can take this poster away." He turned his face to look at Kelly and shrugged casually: "Anyway, the Waterstone Bookstore keeps it, and it needs to be disposed of." ”

"Thank you then."

Kelly nodded in satisfaction.

She turned her head sideways and laughed at her best friend: "Marca, let's get ready for a month-long platonic relationship with my boyfriend." ”

"Maybe it's okay to draw, but if it can impress my sister, it's not that good."

Maca snorted stiffly.

She has to say that the cover illustration effect of the detective cat is really a little beyond her expectations.

But from the very beginning of this agreement, Maca was invincible.

Whether you have the urge to buy a book or not, it's not up to you - it's just a fairy tale book, what's the big deal!

The old lady said that if you don't buy it, you won't buy it.

Maca tilted her head haughtily and looked away from the odd poster.

"I think it's beautiful because your aesthetic cultivation ability is not good, and the world's truly high-level art critics think that Detective Cat's works are very clumsy."

She whispered the words in her heart.

In order to strengthen her inner belief, Maca even took out her mobile phone and typed in this web address.

This is a portal that the professor recommended them to focus on collecting art consultations.

It does not produce any art criticism, but collects news links and summaries from various mainstream newspapers and magazines to make it easier for the audience to read the relevant information.

Maca typed in the name "Detective Cat".

Immediately, a large number of related art reports appeared on the screen.

[Why the new version of "The Little Prince" is a doomed work: Abandoning the original illustration is the worst decision the Scholastic Group has ever made. ——"Art Space"

[Non-mainstream "art speculators"? Internet celebrity illustrator detective cat's wonderful road to fame] - "London Art Match"

["From Internet gimmicks to commercial hype, it's time for this farce caused by unprofessional art critics and third-rate painters to put a rest"] - the latest interview with De Jong Van Doorne in The Moon.

[What is knife painting, and is it really an art form......]

……

In these newspapers, when the name of the detective cat is mentioned, more than 90% of the media has a negative opinion.

It's weird.

It seems that every art criticism press can't wait to tear up "The Little Prince" and its illustrators with their pens before they go public.

Some of the media outlets that made the comments were understandable.

In the past half century, the average annual shipment of "The Little Prince" has hardly been less than one million copies smaller. The newspaper mouthpiece controlled by the Scholastic group's old rival, Townsensmann, is naturally sneering at rivals trying to get a piece of the cash cow.

And "The Moon" and Van Doorne have always scoffed at detective cats, and it is normal to seize this point in time to jump out and take eye medicine.

It's just newspapers like "Art Space", "London Art Encounter", and "Literary Sunday".

They are all well-received veterans of art criticism.

Generally speaking,

No matter how much the writers of these newspapers and periodicals hate a painter, they are reluctant to publish such a fierce opinion before actually seeing the other person's paintings.

This can make them seem unprofessional and overly biased.

In the unlikely event of a slap in the face, it is really not fun to be caught and attacked by competing media.

The formation of such a trend of public opinion is more due to the influence of the shareholders of "Oil Painting" magazine.

The art world is a big spider web woven by connections.

The shareholders of Oil Painting magazine are the big spiders in the middle of the network.

Their disciples and grandchildren, their old disciples, are all over the art criticism system.

Shareholders can convey their ideas from the inside out, and implant the negative expectations of detective cats in the hearts of every enthusiast and collector who cares about the art field in advance.

Therefore, Sir Brown also has the nickname of "Art Pope" in the casual chatter of some artists.

He is the spokesperson of the muse in the world.

The majority shareholder of the magazine was his Cardinal Order.

The lower-level magazines such as "Art Space" and "London Art Encounter" are small church priests who use their connections as a bridge.

Perhaps in the deepest part of their hearts, each of them has the ambition to replace Oil Painting magazine, but in general, they do not have the courage to go against the flag.

Don't say anything else.

It is a kitsch magazine that caters to Middle Eastern buyers and oil nouveau riche for engaging in art speculation.

This was enough to bankrupt the credibility of these newspapers in the eyes of collectors.

Sir Brown has such an influence that he can use his own will to make some art magazines that were originally cautious and wait and see also put down their temperament, and form a unified tone of criticism of the detective cat and the Anna behind it.

These magazines don't care what competitors pick the wrong one, either.

Anyway, you're scolding, and your competitors are also scolding, so why are you afraid of capsizing?

For example, "Art Space" and "Literary Sunday" are competing newspapers with the main readership in the British Isles, and there is a lot of friction with each other in the past. In the past, they were all-for-tat media that did not like each other in terms of avant-garde art, Dadaism, and trendy toys.

But in the case of the detective cat, the tone retains a high degree of consistency.

However, the magazine itself remained silent on this issue.

Except for the video of the resolution of the shareholders' meeting, there is not a single word in the daily official magazine that mentions anything related to the detective cat.

Silence is the highest form of contempt.

"Oh, detective cat, I actually admire her, who doesn't have the right to pursue their hobbies? It's just that she was pushed to an inappropriate height by the inappropriate person at the inappropriate time. That's all, not a personal vendetta. ”

The other day, at the welcoming ceremony where Ole Kruger, the equity representative of the Kruger Brothers Bank, officially replaced Miss Elena as the executive director of Oil Painting magazine.

Sir Brown told reporters who raised the issue: "We are an authoritative magazine for serious media. Unfortunately, the quality of the web artist is not within the scope of our normal work discussion. ”

It's different from the roommates who are confused by the detective cat.

There is an authority side in Maca's character.

When designing clothes for her regular classes, she spends a long time studying the artistic language of luxury brand designers such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and expresses them in her own designs.

Art critics have a lot of weight in Maca's heart.

From the first moment she saw the media articles, she was a big fan of these arguments.

Every time she argues with Kelly to criticize the detective cat, Maca can feel as if there are countless senior masters standing behind her, speaking with her.

Reading these words at this time.

Gradually, the strange illustration of the detective cat, the charm that had just been created in her heart, was expelled from her heart again.

"Please, I'm a student at the Royal Academy of Art, so I don't want to be like those tasteless mountain cannons, buy the works of some online illustrators and put them on the bookshelf, there is no style at all!"

Maca pursed her lips vigorously.

She spoke a little loudly this time, but she didn't mumble to her best friend Kelly, but to her inexplicably wavering self.

When she saw that poster, there was really a moment when she kind of liked this knife painting.

Damn it!

Maca was angry that her artistic taste was so far from the masters.

"The signing session is almost underway."

The staff placed all the advertising signs.

He looked at the time, walked back and took off the "temporarily closed" sign in front of the Waterstone Bookstore.

The audience began to pour in slowly.

Without saying a word, Maca followed Kelly to the front door of the bookstore.

Standing under the black sign that says "Waterstone's" on the shop, you are about to step in front of the black glass door. The girl involuntarily glanced back at the advertising illustration in the distance facing the crowd.

Again, it's still beautiful.

Just across the road, an elementary school student holding a hydrogen balloon pointed to a poster and said something, and then walked towards the bookstore with his father.

This scene fell into Maka's eyes.

For the first time, Maca's mind was shaken by the authoritative views of art critics.

"This painting ...... Is it true that my artistic attainments are very low, and I have indescribable shortcomings, but I can't see it because my artistic accomplishment is not enough? ”

"At least, it's not as bad as the media say."

Illustrations that produce such an appeal are not good enough.

so

What about the work of other illustrators she'd seen before? ——

Kelly got a purchase intention survey card from the staff at the door, and couldn't wait to walk into the main hall.

The bookstore has been given a new look.

The Oxford Street Waterstone Bookstore is not small.

They have a lot of experience in undertaking all kinds of new book signings, and under the careful arrangement of the staff, it is immediately like entering the fairy tale world of "The Little Prince".

The one-meter-diameter orange orb, which looks like a round cheese, hangs from the celestial drawing board overhead, a model of the asteroid B612 in the Little Prince's hometown.

The surface of the model has chocolate-colored volcanic protrusions.

In the next display window, there is a pair of goggles with dark leather straps that Saint-Exupéry used to fly a water reconnaissance plane during World War II, as well as his fountain pen.

There is also a 50-centimeter-tall wax figure of the Little Prince, holding a rose in a glass windscreen.

Under the spotlight, the wax doll of the little prince comes to life.

Even the wallpaper on the load-bearing columns around it has been replaced with the main body of roses.

What attracted Kelly the most was not these, but the display cases with books around her.

There are special sections in the Waterstone Bookstore, from the outermost best-selling works area, children's area, science fiction area, to the emotional reading area on the inside...... The whole nine yards.

Since today is the first day of the signing of "The Little Prince".

So the staff removed the innermost part of the bookstore yesterday, and placed the R18+ restricted works area with yellow storm covers such as convex and backward exposed girls, which is not quite suitable for the fairy tale theme.

And by the door, there are four large display cases full of physical books of "The Little Prince".

The covers of the brand-new "The Little Prince" are neatly stacked on the shelves, and the scent of ink that has just rolled out of the assembly line of the printing house remains between the pages.

There are 280 paperback editions of The Little Prince, as well as 70 hardcover editions of The Little Prince, printed on thicker paper and with a stiff book cover, for readers at the signing to pick up as soon as they enter.

Kelly couldn't wait to hold a book in her hand.

Ooh!

Goldilocks twisted her neck suddenly, and couldn't help but exclaim.

“OMG。”

The moment when she and the little prince looked at each other in the illustration on the cover of "The Little Prince", it was like a hallucination.

The little man sitting at the top of the golden sand dune seemed to blink his eyes!

Kelly blinked her eyelids hard as well.

This time, the illustration is still the same illustration.

The four-dimensional space can't be broken, and the little prince hasn't really come to life.

But the feeling in her field of vision as if the little prince was really going to come out of the picture at any time did not retreat together.

It's so vivid!

Kelly lowered her head and couldn't help but say hello to the character in the cover painting.

"Hello, Your Excellency the Little Prince."

In the publisher's simulated market research, Kelly saw the cover of "The Little Prince".

Her expectations were mostly focused on the other illustrations in the book.

At this moment, hold the physical book in your hand.

Suddenly, she felt that the painting in front of her was the same as the photo she had seen before bound in white text.

It looks the same and it's not the same!

Go home in a few days and it should be updated.

(End of chapter)