Writing fiction in China used to be tedious work bringing almost
little aside from occasional fleeting fame, but now writers'
diligence has started to pay off.
Eryuehe, a middle-aged novelist, has received enviable remuneration
and royalties for his bestsellers vividly describing the history of
famous emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
A
series of TV dramas adapted from one of his novels is being aired
by China Central
Television (CCTV) and reports say he has earned at least 1
million yuan (US$120,000) for his script.
Popular contemporary writers will have no problem getting royalties
of more than 10 per cent of the cover price for each book sold,
according to the Chinese Writers Association.
China's millionaire writers have made an appearance, and their
number will gradually increase as the huge market for cultural
products continues its steady growth, according to many analysts
and senior writers attending the conference of the sixth national
committee of the Chinese Writers Association, opened on Tuesday in
Beijing.
"Chinese writers are now connected with the market, more or less,
and the market mechanism is stimulating their creative work," said
Liu Heng, whose novel about the contented life of an ordinary
Beijing resident has been a hit with readers.
For today's Chinese writers, the road to fortune and fame is
connected with movie and TV offers.
"Like an ordinary farmer, a writer will feel greatly pleased if his
work wins recognition and economic reward," said best-selling
novelist Bi Shumin.
Another hurdle facing today's talented writers is the rampant
piracy of intellectual property which began in the early 1980s and
is still active. Illegal pirated products, especially material
published on the Internet, have robbed income from Chinese
writers.
China approved amendments to its Copyright Law
on November 27, 2001, which focused on protecting intellectual
property and aligning China's law with international treaties on
copyright protection, as well as WTO copyright stipulations.
Wang Huapeng, an official with National Copyright Administration of
China, said the amendments cover the legal rights and
responsibilities of copyright holders and collective administration
of copyrights. The amended law also deals with online copyright
protection.
(Xinhua News
Agency January 7, 2002)