101 Interview Program
The American version of The Voice had already settled into its proper course, and Daniel Li no longer needed to worry about it.
One could even say that, with its distinctive format, the second season, the third, and as many seasons as followed could all be handled entirely by Quinn.
TC Entertainment Media, too, had found its footing because of the program.
But Daniel Li’s busyness did not end with that matter. He still had to prepare for the release of his new book.
Unlike his first novel, The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series was not highly regarded at the outset. What Daniel Li needed to do was let more people know about the book, and then rely on readers’ word of mouth, which differed from the judgments of professionals, to make it a runaway success.
Professionals did not decide the market. They could only use years of industry experience to judge whether a book would sell.
On the eve of the new book’s release, Daniel Li appeared on a talk show. The program, called The Oprah Show, was the highest-rated talk show in the United States. Each episode drew more than forty million viewers, and at its peak, it was said to have reached fifty-seven million.
The show was rather similar to a talk show interview program Daniel Li had known in his previous life. Its guests were all leaders in their fields, such as the President of the United States, top athletes, Hollywood stars, and the like.
The reason Daniel Li had been able to appear on the show, aside from the efforts of Sunrise Publishing, was that he had already been hailed as the author of the best-selling novel of all time.
Because it was a live broadcast, Daniel Li spent the half hour before the show going over his lines with the host.
Do not imagine that a live talk show truly leaves the host and guest to improvise on the spot. In truth, all live programs have their talking points discussed in advance between the production team and the guest’s representatives, and then recited on the show.
The director’s team handed Daniel Li a sheet of questions, listing everything the host wanted to ask. Daniel Li was then asked to mark the questions he did not want to answer. For the questions he did wish to answer, he also had to provide his answers in advance so that the host could prepare.
After half an hour of rehearsal, Daniel Li and the host, Oprah, had grown at least somewhat familiar with each other.
When the program began, the host first came onstage to introduce him.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we are honored to welcome a guest who has never appeared on any program before. And no, that is not because he is ugly, but because he became famous far too suddenly.”
Amid the applause of the studio audience, the host said, “Now, please welcome the author of the best-selling novel of all time, the King of Tuvalu, Tarek.”
At a cue from the director on set, Daniel Li walked slowly onto the stage, then greeted the audience and the host.
After Oprah invited Daniel Li to take a seat, the interview began.
“Before we start, I have a question for you. Would you prefer me to call you Mr. Tarek, or Your Majesty? I have heard that in Tuvalu, everyone, including government employees, must address you with great respect.”
Daniel Li smiled. Although this question had not been on the prepared list, he could accept that degree of spontaneity from the host.
“Just call me Tarek. The laws of Tuvalu do not apply in the United States.”
Oprah laughed as well. “Could you tell us a little about Tuvalu? I believe many viewers are very curious about your country.”
“Of course.” Daniel Li nodded and began his introduction.
“Tuvalu is a very unfamiliar place to many people. That is not only because it is so small, ranking fourth from the bottom among the world’s smallest countries by land area, but also because our location is extremely remote. We are situated in...”
Daniel Li and the host worked together in perfect rhythm, introducing Tuvalu from every angle, including the matter of buying the Auckland Islands to build a new Tuvalu.
“Tarek, I have here a recent research report claiming that a new ice age is coming, global temperatures will fall, glaciers will no longer melt because of the greenhouse effect, and in other words, sea levels will not rise. Do you regret buying the Auckland Islands now?”
“Of course not.” Daniel Li shook his head. “First of all, Tuvalu’s highest point is only a little over three meters above sea level. Can you imagine sitting at home, eating hot pot, singing songs, and then a giant wave suddenly slams from the coastline straight into your house, even into your hot pot? What would that feel like? Second, our home islands simply do not have enough water resources. All our drinking water has to be imported. I don’t think anyone would want to drink rainwater or seawater purified by a water filter.”
“Lastly, I have always felt that some experts are extremely irresponsible. One moment they say sea levels are rising, the next they say an ice age is coming. Which experts are we supposed to believe? It is better to prepare in advance. Then, no matter which scenario comes true, we can face it calmly.”
The audience burst into applause.
The host went on, “As a king, you must have many affairs of state to handle. We all know you took a leave of absence from Harvard University, an Ivy League school, in order to ascend the throne. So why did you think of writing? And when your first book was still selling like wildfire, why was there already another one coming out?”
“Writing is one of my hobbies. Whether it is The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, which comes out tomorrow, they were novels I wrote in my spare time before. After I inherited the throne, Tuvalu was desperately short of money, so I wondered whether I could publish my novels and earn some royalties to support the country’s development. And then... well, you know the rest.”
“Of course I do. One book, The Lord of the Rings, brought you an island chain of more than six hundred square kilometers.” The host made a look of exaggerated astonishment. “And that single book alone led Wall Street to estimate your net worth at two billion dollars. Before your book was published, did you ever imagine that?”
“I imagined I might make some money, but I never expected to make that much.” Daniel Li shrugged.
The studio erupted in laughter and applause.
“To be honest, this is the first time I have ever met an author who openly says that he writes books to make money. Of course, I believe all authors write for money, or for fame.”
The host then asked, “What about The American Voice? You know, I am a devoted viewer of that show. I watched both episodes all the way to the end, and I have been eagerly anticipating what comes next. Our director has been saying these past few days that he is grateful our program did not air at the same time as The American Voice, or our ratings would surely have dropped.”
“I created this show because I have always felt that singing competitions should judge only the voice. Looks and age have nothing to do with singing. After all, music knows no borders and no race. If even borders and race can be set aside, why should looks and age matter?”
Daniel Li’s answer drew another round of thunderous applause. Part of it was due to the director’s instructions, but many of the cheers were heartfelt, because the average singing ability of the contestants on this show was indeed stronger than that of any other talent competition.
“There are rumors that you want to invest one hundred billion dollars in Tuvalu within five years. Are you serious about that?”
“I believe a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier. Likewise, a king who does not want his country to grow rich and strong is not a good king.” Daniel Li winked at the camera. “If a person has no dreams at all, then what is the difference between him and a salted fish?”
...
At the end of the program came Daniel Li’s advertising time. In addition to promoting the new book coming out tomorrow, he also took the opportunity to advertise the film he had previously shot, Paranormal Footage.
That movie would be released in one week.
By then, discussion online about those few terrifying video clips had already begun to die down, but TC Entertainment had started spreading the news that the clips had been woven into a feature film.
Very few people truly believed in ghosts. Daniel Li’s purpose was to let more people know about the movie. Once more people knew, naturally more people would watch.
And with the film’s terrifying effect, Daniel Li was convinced that its box office would certainly be able to rival the earnings of the same film in his previous life.