In China, You Don’t Need a Publisher to Rake in the Big Yuan | Publishing Perspectives

Wang Xi, founder and chief executive officer of Easou.com, a search engine aimed at people in China's so-called third- and fourth-tier cities told the Journal that, "China has entered the mobile internet world, which is about satisfying users' entertainment needs. The biggest growth potential is from people in small cities, who don't have PCs but are now watching videos and reading books on their hand-held devices." This means, of course, that there's money to be made. Mr. Zhang, 33, who uses the pen name Tang Jia San Shao (which translates as 'The third young member of the Tang family'), earned a staggering 26.5 million yuan in royalties alone in 2012 - roughly 4.3 million US dollars. (Among other successful online authors are Li Hu, 25,  aka "Great Silkworm potato" who earned 20 million yuan in 2012; Liu Wei, 35, aka "Bloody Red" with 14.5 million in earnings; and Zhu Hongzhi, 27, aka "Me eating a tomato" with 13 million.)