Chapter 4: The Ruthless Competition in Publishing

After the two finished their introductions at the cash register, Asimov was still thinking about discussing the science fiction concept of the "Galactic Empire" he wanted to build with Ernie.

However...

*Clang, clang!*

The wind chime above the shop entrance rang, and a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses, already sporting a receding hairline at such a tender age, walked in.

As soon as he saw Asimov, the young man pushed up his glasses, which nearly covered half his face, and urged, "Is your manuscript revised yet?"

Seeing this young man, Asimov did not show much excitement, but calmly replied, "It's done. Once I'm off duty this evening, I'll mail it to you. The manuscript isn't in the shop right now."

With that, Asimov looked at Ernie and introduced the young man, who appeared to be about their age: "This is Frederik Pohl, an editor at *Super Science Stories* magazine."

Following Asimov's lead, Frederik turned to Ernie, reached out a hand, and said, "Nice to meet you. If you can be a friend of Isaac's, you must enjoy science fiction literature, right? If you're looking to submit work, remember to choose *Super Science Stories*."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ernie," Ernie replied in kind.

He was inwardly surprised, not expecting to encounter yet another figure in the world of science fiction literature. Although Frederik Pohl would not be widely famous in later generations, those familiar with the history of science fiction literature knew that Frederik was an excellent science fiction magazine editor who had collaborated with many masters of the genre, as well as being a formidable science fiction writer in his own right.

However, the public's recognition of him remained largely tied to his editorial work. Because of his outstanding achievements in editing, he had won the "International Science Fiction Achievement Award" for three consecutive years and had even served as the president of the Science Fiction Writers of America—though, of course, no such association existed yet.

After Frederik and Ernie finished their introductions, Frederik turned back to Asimov: "If you're sure there are no issues with the manuscript, I'll publish it in the September issue of *Super Science Stories* this year. The rate is 0.75 cents per word."

"What?"

"Only 0.75 cents a word?"

"That would mean my total payment is only 100.06 dollars?"

Asimov quickly calculated in his head; his short story about robots was 13,342 words long. For so many words, the pay was only 100 dollars. It could be considered cheap. After all, his typing speed was 500 words per hour, which translated to an hourly wage of 3.75 dollars—and that was without factoring in the time cost of conceptualizing the story. Most importantly, Asimov had already published three pieces in *Astounding Science Fiction*, a top-tier magazine in the field. He was, in a sense, a writer with a small reputation.

Yet, his friend Frederik was only willing to offer such a meager payment.

"Hey, Isaac, you should be content."

"Thanks to my strenuous efforts, you are allowed to publish under your own pen name."

Frederik was somewhat annoyed by Asimov’s attitude; he had fought for quite a few benefits for Asimov at the magazine. The most important of these was the ability to use his own name. After all, science fiction magazines were generally perceived by the public as pulp magazines. Pulp magazines usually required writers to use different pen names to prevent them from demanding higher rates once they became famous.

Of course... the "benefits" Frederik spoke of were actually due to the fact that Asimov already had a small reputation, so the magazine decided not to "exploit his pen name." After all, the name "Asimov" could help boost sales for *Super Science Stories*. One had to understand that it was not easy for a science fiction magazine to be founded and survive, let alone a second-rate one like *Super Science Stories*. In short... the rate of 0.75 cents per word was actually an exceptional, high rate that Frederik had granted out of friendship.

"..."

Asimov was speechless.

Before Asimov could recover, Frederik delivered another blow: "Oh, right, I forgot to mention one thing. You need to change the title of your novel. 'Little Machine' is too vague. Let's change it to, um... 'Strange Playfellow'."

"No!"

"You cannot change the title of my novel at will!" Asimov’s eyes widened, his spectacles nearly cracking.

"Actually, Isaac, I can."

"The title I’ve chosen for you is much more popular and straightforward."

Frederik flashed a grating smile, picked up a chocolate bar from the shelf, greeted Mrs. Anna, and strolled out of the shop.

"That shameless guy!"

"Ernie, remember never to submit to this Frederik. He has a terrible habit... he loves to mess with other people's titles! And he almost always changes them for the worse without even realizing it!" Asimov said indignantly. Then, he paused and added, sounding somewhat dejected, "But who told me I couldn't pass Campbell's screening? I have no choice but to publish in *Super Science Stories*."

Ernie patted Asimov on the shoulder in comfort: "Don't be so dejected. As you said yourself, this line of work isn't that easy."

"You're right."

Asimov felt a bit more encouraged and continued: "However, even though that guy Frederik is a jerk, his eye for talent isn't bad. Last year, he was only 19 and already an editor at *Astounding Science Fiction*. It’s because he wanted to surpass Campbell that he switched to another magazine as editor-in-chief this year. If you submit to *Astounding Science Fiction* for the first time and don't pass Campbell's screening, you can also consider submitting to Frederik."

Asimov offered this sincere advice to Ernie, a "newbie" in science fiction literature.

"Of course, I will do that."

Ernie’s mind inexplicably drifted to a great writer from his previous life, Mr. Yu Hua.

...Refusing to revise a manuscript was impossible; that was never going to happen—one just had to keep dropping down to lower-tier publications until it was accepted!

However, while he said that, Ernie had his own pride. He couldn't help but say, "It's just that, although this advice is very sound... I would feel regret regardless unless I signed the work with John Campbell."

It was a bold statement. But Asimov did not mock him. Instead, he patted Ernie on the shoulder in complete agreement: "You're right!"

—At that moment, Frederik, having just walked a block away, suddenly sneezed, feeling as though someone was talking behind his back.

But it had to be said that in Asimov's heart, John Campbell was not merely an editor, but absolutely a guiding light. When his early submissions failed, Campbell had kindly written letters to encourage him, giving him a great deal of confidence. Compared to the pay, gaining Campbell's approval was what mattered most. If he could get his "Little Machine" published in *Astounding Science Fiction*, he would be willing to take even half a cent per word.

"I must work hard to write the next robot story well and submit it to Campbell."

"You keep at it too. Remember to show it to me as soon as you finish." Asimov did not forget to remind Ernie, looking forward to the work Ernie was about to write.

"Of course, I'll show it to you first thing."

Ernie smiled and nodded. Seeing that it was getting late, he began to pick out some candy in the shop.