Chapter 84: Commercialization
Amidst the joy, there were more important matters at hand—how to quickly commercialize the new product.
In other words, how to make money with it as soon as possible.
"Next, what we need to do is to attract customers." Aeg gestured for everyone to quiet down, "First, let's calculate how many identical rectangles we can cut from this sheet of paper after trimming the irregular edges."
Finding the answer wasn't difficult; it just required folding the paper twice. Aeg did it himself and quickly concluded that one sheet of paper could be divided into six slightly larger-than-A4 rectangles with minimal waste. Considering the size of the printing plates and ergonomics for books, it should actually be halved again. That meant one sheet of paper could ultimately be turned into 12 medium-sized sheets suitable for use, which could be printed with text and bound into books or various other pamphlets.
"So far, how many sheets of this paper can the workshop produce in a day?"
Nina licked her lips, thinking for a few seconds: "It's hard to say. Some steps in the process from raw materials to finished paper require time to wait. Adding lime and other powders and finally baking with fire can speed up the process. If we can hire more people... and purchase more equipment to keep all processes running, it will be much faster."
"Then expand as soon as possible. Try to hire locals who are familiar with the work..." Aeg pondered for a moment and suggested: "Divide the papermaking process into several independent steps, with specific workers responsible for specific steps, creating an assembly line. This will not only speed up production but also make it necessary for anyone trying to steal the papermaking technique to poach the entire production line, which is a big investment and can't be done secretly."
"Assembly line?" Nina bit her lip again, pondering for a moment before quickly understanding Aeg's meaning.
"What can you do if someone openly poaches your workers?" Tyrion sighed, shrugging: "It's not a very complex craft. Once production scales up, you won't be able to stop others from learning the papermaking technique."
"Indeed, so we need to act fast. Before various competitors emerge, we need to establish cooperative relationships with as many big clients as possible to eliminate their potential threats and seize as much of the market as possible." Aeg nodded. In a world without the concept of intellectual property, trying to monopolize the market was simply wishful thinking. He wouldn't make such a futile effort: "By the way, gather the existing paper and print a copy of the Seven Stars Bible. Show it to the church and people from bookstores and general stores to try and secure some orders. Tyrion, you're good at this, I'll leave it to you."
"How can you tell I'm good at this!?"
"You're definitely better than me." Aeg flashed a mischievous smile. He wasn't sure about Tyrion's ability to negotiate business, but just being a member of House Lannister was already a huge advantage. Using everyone's talents and resources to their fullest was especially important in the start-up phase of a business. "Of course, we also need to quickly recruit more employees to share the workload. Don't sit idle before the big orders are secured. Keep researching and improving the process and don't stop making paper. Send all the paper produced to the printing house to be made into calendars. If someone wants them, we'll sell them in bulk. If no one wants them, give them to me to use as gifts at the Night's Watch office. I'll give a monthly calendar to each visitor, and a whole year's worth to those who purchase bonds. If we secure an investment deal, the Night's Watch will permanently supply their family's calendars."
"Good idea." Tyrion gave the plan a thumbs-up. Calendars were not Aeg's invention. In this world with irregular seasons, important dates for major festivals, etc., were simply called "the King's Calendar" and were set by the Citadel and approved by the Iron Throne before being released. Paper, having long been considered a luxury item, was not commonly used for such items. Officials and the wealthy who needed to keep track of time would have them at home, while ordinary city dwellers might share one among several households or even an entire street. In poorer rural areas, sometimes an entire village would only have one copy.
As a non-essential item, the impression of paper calendars being rare and uncommon was deeply ingrained in people's minds, not to mention neat and beautiful printed products. Using them as gifts was both face-saving and cost-effective, making them the perfect choice.
***
In this workshop, Aeg would always unconsciously become the leader and decision-maker, and the key was that everyone seemed to have no objections... After assigning tasks, he remembered himself: "Of course, I'm not doing nothing. I'll look for some storytellers and write some popular adventure novels. When our papermaking and printing capabilities are surplus in the future, we'll start printing novels."
"Master, you always tell me about your adventures before coming to Westeros. Just these stories are enough to fill a book!"
Aeg was about to habitually pat her head to tell her not to interrupt when he suddenly had a thought: Why didn't I think of that? The girl was too smart. To minimize the chances of being caught in a lie, he had actually prepared his bragging, writing down stories every night to serve as reminders. And the stories he could remember were all world-class excellent adventure novels—such as "XX Miles," "XX Island," "XX Adventure," "XX Drift," "Around the World in XX Days," etc. Organizing these exciting and interesting story outlines and handing them over to a novelist or bard, letting them fill in the details and polish them into a single adventure biography, becoming an alternative literary thief and impostor... What kind of adventure hero would that create?
Whether people believed it or not, the sales would certainly not be bad. These were all adventure stories that had stood the test of the market, suitable for all ages, and easy to understand.
Improving the Night's Watch's image in the public eye was a long and arduous task. Perhaps he should step forward and become an idol?
For once, Aeg acknowledged Arya's interjection: "Good idea."
Tyrion's eyes darted around, and he suddenly leaned close to Aeg, lowering his voice: "Don't forget one thing, although it's not presentable, but the masses love it."
"What is it!?" Arya's eavesdropping didn't escape her.
Related to the topic they were discussing, not presentable, but loved by the masses? That could only be erotic novels. It was actually a good idea. Aeg chuckled inwardly, whispering to reassure the girl: "Don't worry, I'll get you a copy to read when the time comes."
Would it corrupt the children? Eddard himself didn't have time to manage his daughter, letting her pester Aeg all day. Aeg hadn't even asked for a babysitting fee or tuition, so there was no need for such nonsense.
They had discussed everything that needed to be discussed. Now, as long as everyone did their part and executed their tasks well, the game of money was about to officially begin.
"One last thing, you two siblings, I promised you a reward." Aeg remembered, and this time the promise was the version he had discussed with Tyrion: "Last time I said I'd give you ten percent of the paper mill's profits, but that was unclear and didn't make sense. Forget about that. This workshop, half of it will be yours—not just the profits, but half of everything. In a few days, when funds are more abundant, I'll also try to buy this courtyard as your fixed location for process improvement and living quarters. This is the return on your technical and merit investment. I'll put it in writing to confirm your ownership of this half. In return, you are not allowed to change jobs or start your own business without my permission, and any new ideas or inventions must be reported to the Night's Watch first... If you have no objections, one of you siblings can come with me to the Night's Watch office later, and we'll sign the agreement today."
"Thank you, my lord!" Neil finally reacted quickly: "This... agreement, let Nina sign it."