Shen Zhifang is a wizard of publishing textbooks and a master of publishing bestsellers. He is familiar with the reading interests of ordinary citizens and has a good sense of smell and extraordinary courage in capturing best-selling themes. 1In the early 1920s, the works of Yuanyang Butterfly School were very popular. The world bookstore either sorts out the old novels, prints new punctuation marks and sells them cheaply. Or "buy out" popular writers' works with high remuneration, such as Zhang Henshui and Bu Xiaosheng (decorated by Xiang Kairan), and published some best-selling works with great influence and wide marketing scope. In addition, Shen Zhifang adopted the publishing strategy of book interaction, and published related magazines at the same time. Happy Life edited by Li and Zhang Yunshi, Red Magazine edited by Yan and Shi Jiqun, Red Rose edited by Yan and Zhao Yao Kuang, Family Magazine edited by Jiang, Detective World edited by Shi Jiqun and Cheng Xiaoqing have all been popular at home and abroad. Therefore, the world bookstore became the most important publishing position of Yuanyang Butterfly School at that time, and gained a lot of economic benefits.
After the May 4th Movement, advocating learning vernacular Chinese once became a social trend. Shen Zhifang caters to the trend of the times, and has published many books such as essays and letters which are compared with the vernacular for people to learn and imitate, which are greatly welcomed by students. During the period from 1924 to 1927 Great Revolution, Shen Zhifang figured out the trend of the times, and specially informed the World Bookstore that it was located in the Guangzhou branch of the revolutionary base camp, and collected revolutionary propaganda pamphlets such as "Questions and Answers on National Affairs" and "Questions and Answers on Farmers' Associations" nearby, and sent them to Shanghai for editing and processing in batches, and then published them in the name of Guangzhou World Bookstore, Guangzhou * * and Bookstore. When the Northern Expedition was raging in southern provinces, these revolutionary pamphlets were boldly published by world bookstores, and they also enjoyed the fruits of commercial victory.
In the late 1920s, China people who had been baptized by the New Culture Movement had deeply felt the importance of scientific knowledge in real life. When the Commercial Press was busy compiling short books on various subjects at the right time, Shen Zhifang also saw this realistic reading demand. Xu Weinan, a special editor, edited a set of ABC series of 150, which was published in June 1928. This series of books was published one year earlier than Universal Library published by the Commercial Press, and it has achieved great commercial success because of its comprehensive subject range, simple content, strong author lineup and meeting the needs of readers. At the same time, the world bookstore has also changed the image of a low-level bookstore specializing in Yuanyang Butterfly School books and periodicals in readers' minds. This is exactly what the world bookstores who entered the field of textbooks in the mid-1920s hoped. Many academic and cultural books and periodicals it later published were the result of its intention to adjust its publishing strategy and enhance its publishing image. Although popular novels continue to be printed by world bookstores, they have been quietly published in the name of sub-brands-Wenguang Bookstore and Puyi Bookstore. The world bookstore is only in a nominal distribution position, showing the society that it is a decent bookseller who publishes textbooks.
Shen Zhifang is also an expert in raising funds. Cheng Xiaoqing, a writer of detective stories, said that Shen "has the unique skill of spitting lotus flowers to raise funds". Wu, manager of Jincheng Bank, and overseas Chinese leaders were both early directors of the World Bookstore, and many important people in the business and judicial circles became major shareholders of the World Bookstore. Shen Zhifang also often lets the author buy shares and pays the author with the shares of the publishing house. The author becomes a shareholder and is expected to receive dividends at the end of the year, and is often willing to accept it; For the publishing house, it can not only save a cash payment, but also close the relationship with the author, which can be described as the best of both worlds. Around 1930, Shen Zhifang initiated the establishment of the World Commercial Savings Bank to absorb social hot money. In addition to the needs of the bookstore, he also used the extra savings to buy real estate, hoping to sell it for profit or revolving mortgage when necessary. However, things are unpredictable. Later, due to the turbulent situation, the real estate slump and falling prices affected the development of bookstores around the world. Shen Zhifang was not discouraged by his failure. At the end of each year, when colleagues in the World Bookstore talk to him as the general manager, they will always hear him say concisely and forcefully, "Start from scratch next year!" Fully embodies the verve of his publisher.
In the history of publishing, we should remember Shen Zhifang, not only because he founded the world bookstore, the third largest bookstore in the history of modern publishing, and published more than 5,000 books, which made important contributions to the cultural development of China; Because of his publishing talent and commercial endowment, he brought more fierce competition to the publishing industry and had an impact on improving the management level of the whole book industry. The life of Shen Zhifang's calligraphy industry shows the characteristics of businessmen incisively and vividly. For the sake of business interests, he also did something out of line. For example, he and Changzhou native Xu Zhiyan conspired to publish Xu's forged Diary of Shi Dakai, which sold well, but the means were extremely inadequate. He is also arrogant and disrespectful to his peers. But he is essentially different from those businessmen who have no business. When the national disaster came, he showed the respectable integrity of a patriotic publisher. After the Japanese army occupied Shanghai in August 1937, it seized the Shanghai World Bookstore General Factory in Dalian Bay Road, Hongkou as a military camp and threatened to cooperate with the World Bookstore. After Shen Zhifang's opposition, the Japanese Puppet Army made a time bomb explosion in the World Bookstore Press in June1938+065438+1October, causing one death and one injury to the bookstore staff. 1939, when Shen Zhifang was seriously ill, he made a will: "This is a national disaster, not an inducement, not a threat", and ordered future generations not to compromise with the Japanese puppet government. In September of the same year 1 1, Shen Zhifang died in Shanghai.