Han Han: A Letter to Mr. Robin Li

Dear Mr. Robin Li,

Last week, I went with my friend Shen Haobo from the publishing house to a paper factory in Shandong to destroy over one million copies of the second issue of "Solo Choir" that had already been printed. More than 300 tons of paper turned into waste and industrial garbage, all going into the pulping furnace. For you, the loss of several million yuan might be a small amount, but for a publishing company, it is almost equivalent to working for nothing for a whole year, and that too is one of the top publishing companies in the country. This industry is just so pitiful. A company with over a hundred people earns less profit in a year than speculating on an apartment in Shanghai, and at any moment they may bear the curse of being "heartless book merchants." But Shen Haobo has been very happy because he said the negotiation with Baidu finally had some results. Baidu agreed to send people to discuss the Baidu Wenku matter. Li Chengpeng, Mu Rongxuecun, Lu Jinbo, and Pang Haoxiang are all top-selling writers, directors, and publishers in the cultural industry. Everyone was excited and prepared various materials for several nights.

Then yesterday, the negotiation started. You sent a few arrogant middle-level managers who always denied that Baidu Wenku had any infringement behavior. You do not think that the 2.79 million documents containing almost all the newest and oldest books in China constitute infringement, but rather that they were uploaded by netizens for everyone to share. Your platform is just that, a platform. I think we don't need to discuss whether this is a platform or not, or whether there is infringement or not. You actually know everything clearly. With your long-term life experience in the United States, and now your wife and daughter are also in the United States, you must know what would happen if Baidu opened a search engine called Baidu America, then put all American writers' books and all musicians' music on Baidu America for free sharing. You wouldn't do that, nor would you tell Americans that this is just a platform, it has nothing to do with me, it's all done by the netizens themselves, the spirit of the Internet is sharing. Because you know that this thing can only stand in today's China. And you also know who can be bullied and who cannot. You see, you didn't create a Baidu Cinema to let everyone share the latest movies and TV series.

You may not understand the publishing industry very well, let me give you a brief introduction. In 1999, twelve years ago, my book sold for 18 yuan per copy, in 2011, it sells for 25 yuan per copy, and many readers still think it's expensive. Do you know how much paper, labor, logistics have increased in these twelve years, but publishers dare not raise prices too much, because they are afraid of being cursed. Cultural people have thin skins. For a 25-yuan book, the general author's royalty is 8%, which can earn 2 yuan, where you still have to pay about 30 fen in taxes, meaning you can earn 1.7 yuan. If a book sells 20,000 copies, it is already considered a bestseller. A writer can write one book every two years, one book can earn 34,000 yuan, and earn 17,000 yuan a year. If he only writes books, he would have to write for a hundred years without eating or drinking to afford a decent two-bedroom apartment in the suburbs of a big city. Assuming a book sells for 10 yuan, the composition is like this: the writer earns 1 yuan, printing costs more than 2 yuan, the publisher earns more than 1 yuan, and the bookstore earns 5 yuan. Writers with a bit of fame go out for signings and promotions, staying in three-star hotels, and being able to take flights is already quite good. Travel standards are definitely not as good as your low-level employees. In recent years, I no longer attend any promotional signing activities, but before 2004, I did dozens of promotional events in various cities. At that time, I was already a best-selling writer in the industry, and I never stayed in a hotel costing more than 300 yuan. Sometimes, along with the publisher's accompanying staff, we had to wait for hours at the airport because the discounted flight took off in the evening, and staying half a day longer in a hotel would cost extra money. This industry is so dire. The top entrepreneurs in this industry make only a few million yuan a year. The publishing industry and the Internet industry are originally industries of comparable levels. You calculate the entrepreneur's wealth in terms of billions and private planes and luxury yachts, while in our industry's entrepreneurs, I have almost never seen anyone travel in first class. We aren't jealous of your wealth, we just feel that since you are so rich, why won't you spend even a cent to forcibly obtain free copyright knowledge from our industry. Musicians can make money through commercial performances, but how will you let writers and the publishing industry survive? Perhaps you say that traditional publishing will eventually disappear, but that doesn't mean the publishing industry should be so dishonorable. Moreover, literary works and the publishing industry will not disappear; they just change mediums. Initially, they were painted on walls, later carved on bamboo, now there are books, and in the future, there may be other technologies, but copyright will always exist. I write these not to cry poor for this industry, but it indeed is the only industry in China that has many resources related to daily life yet lacks wealth. Especially under the harm of piracy and infringement. We are not asking you to close Baidu Wenku, we just hope that Baidu Wenku can actively protect copyrights. In the future, when digital reading matures, perhaps Baidu Wenku could become a source of living security for Chinese writers, instead of being the public enemy now. Because there are no eternal enemies, nor eternal interests. In 2006, I even fought with Shen Haobo of Mobite, arguing about modern poetry until we were furious, and now we are friends and partners. Baidu Wenku can completely become a base that benefits writers, rather than a graveyard that buries writers.

In our industry, I am relatively well-off. Mr. Robin Li, maybe we are alike, though fearless, we don't like these rights and wrongs. I like to bask in the sun and play with mud, you like to bask in the sun and grow flowers. No matter how you share my copyright knowledge, at least we can bask in the sun together, after all, my racing can support myself and my family. But for most writers, they should live decently through traditional publishing and digital publishing. Maybe they won't have their own yards to bask in the sun. Your products will drive them back into dark little rooms, writing non-stop for life, and the sun above your head won't get any bigger. So many Chinese writers are forced to provide countless copyright knowledge and traffic to Baidu for free. They not only haven't come to bother Baidu or ask Baidu to share profits, but they even have to endure the insults from Baidu supporters and the contempt from Baidu employees during negotiations. You are currently ranked first among Chinese entrepreneurs. As a role model for entrepreneurs, you must express your stance on the harm Baidu Wenku has brought to the publishing industry. If Baidu Wenku refuses to take a step back, then I can take a few more steps. Maybe one day not far away, when you look down from your office in Beijing, you can see me.

Wishing your daughter takes pride in her father

Han Han

March 26, 2011

-----------------------------------

As a man of letters, Han Han is still relatively timid, addressing you with "you" all the time. Can't you replace it with "you bastard"…