Chapter 122: The Bright Scheme
A week later, the popularity of *The Qin Chronicles* finally began to wane. The daily total sales had dropped to 70,000 copies, with 30,000 of those coming from Southeast Asia.
Over this period, the total sales of *The Qin Chronicles* had exceeded 800,000 copies: 380,000 copies in Southeast Asia, 320,000 in Hong Kong, and 100,000 in Taiwan, totaling 1.6 million copies.
With the factory price of 3 HKD per copy, the total sales revenue for *The Qin Chronicles* during this time was 4.8 million HKD, yielding at least 2.4 million HKD in gross profit for Xia Yu and the company. This was a substantial profit!
However, this was not the final result. Bookstores continued to place new orders, and the printing plant was still busy printing new books! The backlog of orders had been resolved. After a surge in new orders, the numbers began to decline daily, with current daily new orders at about 80,000 copies.
The printing plant's maximum capacity was 250,000 copies, so the remaining capacity of 90,000 copies had been allocated for printing *The Economics* magazine!
Over this period, the sales of *Jiuding Daily* in Southeast Asia could be described with one phrase—overwhelming!
The first day saw sales of 280,000 copies, followed by 300,000 copies, 330,000 copies, 350,000 copies, 370,000 copies, and 380,000 copies…
By yesterday, *Jiuding Daily*'s total sales in Southeast Asia had reached 400,000 copies! It had long surpassed the 360,000 copies record of *Sing Tao Daily*, securing the top position in Southeast Asia and exceeding *Sing Tao Daily*'s sales by 40,000 copies!
Although, according to statistics, *Jiuding Daily* had not yet claimed the top sales spot in several other countries, it had largely secured a top-three position. Achieving first place in every country was challenging, as local competitors also had their own strengths to counter *Jiuding Daily*.
There was no other way; only when branches were established could *Jiuding Daily* become more deeply involved in local affairs, continue to expand its sales and influence, and strive to top the charts.
Despite not topping the charts in several countries and regions, *Jiuding Daily* had already reached the top in Southeast Asia! Other national newspapers might be powerful, but they couldn't match *Jiuding Daily*'s international presence. They were only strong in their own regions!
As of yesterday, the total sales in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan had reached 770,000 copies! This truly lived up to the title of the world's number one Chinese newspaper! And even though it had just claimed the top spot, it was becoming more stable!
Of course, to claim this title, one must exclude mainland China; otherwise, if *People's Daily* were included, *Jiuding Daily* would still be crushed. That's an incomparable difference!
...
It must be said that the soaring sales were indeed greatly aided by the popularity of *The Qin Chronicles*.
The success of *Jiuding Daily* also partially benefited *The Qin Chronicles*, increasing its influence and boosting its sales. It was a mutual benefit!
Fortunately, both *The Qin Chronicles* and *Jiuding Daily* belonged to Xia Yu, so the benefits all went to him, not to outsiders.
Of course, *Jiuding Daily*'s high sales were also due to its undeniable quality!
Now that the sales of *The Qin Chronicles* had entered a stable phase, it could be put aside. The next focus should be the grand debut of *The Economics* magazine!
Moreover, with *Jiuding Daily*'s explosive sales and ongoing expansion in Southeast Asia, and with its popularity still high, it was the perfect time for *The Economics* magazine to leverage this momentum.
Not only could it launch *The Economics* magazine with a bang and boost sales, but the connection between *The Economics* magazine and *Jiuding Daily* could also strengthen *Jiuding Daily*'s foundation and accelerate its establishment.
It might even further drive up the sales of *Jiuding Daily*! Choosing this timing for the release was highly advantageous!
...
After the printing plant had spare capacity, Xia Yu immediately arranged for the printing of *The Economics* magazine and simultaneously launched its promotional plan!
With the knowledge from those big shots, Xia Yu was an expert in marketing, knowing how to stir up customer curiosity and desire to buy, creating a hot atmosphere.
Starting the day before yesterday, the promotional campaign in *Jiuding Daily* had already begun!
The day before yesterday, the best spot on the first page of *Jiuding Daily* was given to *The Economics* magazine, but the content was only a single sentence in large, bold font to attract the most attention.
The content was very brief: "Do you know which company is the largest in Hong Kong?"
Many people scoffed at this question because everyone knew that HSBC was the undisputed leader in Hong Kong, far surpassing even the Jardine Matheson and Swire groups.
At the time, many people felt puzzled, wondering if the editor-in-chief of *Jiuding Daily* had lost his mind to waste such a large space on such a simple question.
However, more people became curious. Did *Jiuding Daily* believe there was a company even greater than HSBC? They wanted to see what extraordinary viewpoint *Jiuding Daily* could present.
Similarly, since *Jiuding Daily* was the leader of the Hong Kong newspaper industry and had become a trendsetter, other newspapers quickly learned about this news.
They didn't think like ordinary readers. Being more informed, they knew *Jiuding Daily* never engaged in meaningless activities, so this must have a deeper significance.
To uncover *Jiuding Daily*'s purpose, other newspapers scrambled to gather information, looking for opportunities or trying to capitalize on *Jiuding Daily*'s heat. Each newspaper used its own methods to investigate the matter.
This investigation revealed that *Jiuding Daily* was preparing to launch a financial magazine named *The Economics*! Other details were not disclosed.
The leak of this information, aided by *Jiuding Daily*, was part of the marketing plan. By creating a contrast and maintaining an air of mystery, it effectively aroused readers' curiosity and attracted attention.
Xia Yu employed a blatant bright scheme. Even though many newspapers might guess *Jiuding Daily*'s intentions, this news was undeniably newsworthy. If his own newspaper didn't report it, others would. Thus, reporting it as well helped to ride the wave and boost sales.
Other newspapers consoled themselves by saying that this time the promotion was for a magazine, not a newspaper, so it wouldn't impact their sales.
Moreover, *Jiuding Daily* had been on sale for a long time. If it were going to affect their sales, it would have done so already, not now.
So, benefits first, deal with the consequences later! Despite helping *Jiuding Daily*, there was no way around it. To ride the wave, one had to pay the price.
No one could take advantage of Xia Yu. He always aimed to maximize profits!