Author's Note on Completing the Book
This book was started on May 20th last year and completed on May 30th this year, taking a full year to finish. The word count also remained at exactly 2 million words, which was the length expected when the book was started.
This is also the author's longest book to date.
First of all, I want to say sorry when I finish writing this.
The original plan was to finish the book before May 18th, but due to work matters (the author writes part-time), the progress was delayed, and subsequent updates were intermittent, causing a bad experience for readers who were following the story.
Forget about objective reasons. I've been writing books for five years and I know this industry well. Unless you're sick or your book is banned, other difficulties are subjective and can be overcome if you want to.
I remember the night my daughter was born two and a half years ago. I was sitting on a chair outside the delivery room, holding my laptop, typing away, when I heard my daughter's first cry.
I clasp my hands in a fist salute again, for I failed to overcome the difficulties!
Then I'll report the results.
The book's average daily subscriptions once exceeded 7,000, then declined, but reached nearly 6,700 by the time it was completed, which can be considered as stabilizing its core readership.
I'd like to share a book review from a reader named "Kongtiao Zhenre":
I don't understand football, but I can tell this book is more professional than most similar books. At least, few other books I've read offer such detailed tactical explanations and techniques. I also really like the protagonist's technically skilled player background. Other books give me the feeling that the author has only studied and watched matches, but this one makes me feel like the author has actually played professionally. This is the first football novel I'm willing to subscribe to; other books mostly rely on references and jokes and aren't this hardcore, so I wouldn't subscribe to them.
However, I've reached over 400 chapters and can't keep reading anymore. I don't want to subscribe. The protagonist is basically invincible; he's using all sorts of manga skills. Maybe I'm just ignorant about football, but it's definitely getting more and more fantastical. It doesn't seem like something you could play in reality. The fact that AI-simulated training can be fed back to real-world sparring partners is also ridiculous. Most importantly, the writing is becoming increasingly monotonous. Every game is just the protagonist showing off his skills and winning, without any ups and downs or suspense, because the protagonist is so invincible that it's practically impossible for him to lose.
The progression is too fast; the protagonist is like a rocket, and now there are no opponents who can put pressure on him anymore. I still prefer the earlier Inter Milan matches, with their pressure and passion, where teammates were more camaraderie, there were conflicts, but they also worked together towards a common goal with great unity. In short, I think this book could end here, and starting a new one with a faster progression pace might be even better.
This reader is absolutely right. They've clearly pointed out both the book's strengths and weaknesses. I applaud you!
The author believes that writing a novel mainly involves depicting changes in character relationships; if the characters are well-developed, the plot will not be too bad.
Berni, Chivu, Mancini, Icardi, Ranocchia, Bonazzoli, Guarin...
These characters appear from the beginning to the end of the article.
My personal biggest regret is that of Icardi.
In reality, he wasn't as amazing as the character in the novel, and he never won the European Golden Shoe. However, he was indeed the youngest Golden Boot winner in the century-long history of Serie A, at the age of 22.
If Icardi were still at Inter Milan, he would be the club's all-time top scorer.
(Which supporting character in the book left the deepest impression on you? Let's discuss.)
As the author stated in their acceptance speech:
The focus is on developing character relationships, rather than simply writing FM battle reports.
The characters in this book are not NPCs; each has a role and purpose, and the plot unfolds around the protagonist. Supporting characters will appear throughout the book and grow alongside the protagonist.
In the future, some of them will continue to be Tang Long's teammates, embracing and celebrating together after a victory; others will become opponents, meeting on a narrow path in major competitions.
With familiar teammates undergoing changes in status, strength, mindset, and goals, this book will paint a broader picture, making the intertwining of characters and conflicts even more compelling.
Everyday life is also interspersed throughout, and each character has their own story.
Every character has their own story—whether positive or negative, they all have their own principles. This is the author's understanding.
The author has written football articles on other websites before, and like this book, some readers who don't watch football have come to like the author's books. I think that's why.
This book is divided into two parts: Serie A Inter Milan in Serie A and Manchester City in the Premier League.
The stories about Inter Milan's players are written more naturally; "teammates are more humane, they may have conflicts, but they are also very united and work together towards their goals."
The Manchester City section was weakened in this aspect, resulting in a decrease in the readability of subsequent articles.
The Inter Milan section was better written, and I know that myself.
The reason is that the author is more familiar with Serie A and the people and events there.
I watch the Premier League, but I'm not as familiar with it as I am with Serie A. To be honest, I wasn't prepared enough and my level wasn't high enough. I need to reflect on this again.
As for tactics and techniques, the author has been playing football for 25 years and watching football for 18 years, so he has some expertise in this area.
Speaking of leveling up, I have to admit that this is an area where the author's control is relatively weak, and I feel deeply ashamed. This book has given me a lot of experience and lessons; failing to write leveling up well is a serious flaw.
We will learn from this experience and improve upon it in the next book.
Finally, let me conclude this article.
I know that abruptly stopping the UEFA Champions League final and switching to a flashback would be a major point of controversy.
This was actually an experiment for the author, and regardless of the outcome, at least I tried.
If this has caused any readers a bad experience, the author once again clasps his hands in apology. (I'm still holding my head in apology; I can't be slapped in the face.)
Finally, to all the readers who have made it this far, thank you for your support throughout the year!
From 0 to 2 million, every word was born from countless keystrokes. It has been a long journey... Now the journey has come to an end.
Tang Long's story is coming to an end.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival!
This afternoon, the author is flying to Chengdu to attend the university anniversary celebration with his college roommates. He is incredibly excited, as he will be able to reunite with his best buddies again!
The new book will be released next month.
Also, there will be a few bonus chapters, which I will write after I return from Chengdu.
Goodbye! (Clasping hands in greeting)