The process of submitting a manuscript is never smooth sailing. Even with a good manuscript, it's useless if no one is willing to publish it. A discerning eye is hard to come by, especially for an author like Jerry, who currently had no fame in the wizarding world.
The Daily Prophet Publishing House explicitly rejected Dudley's request. The Daily Prophet Publishing House is a subsidiary of the Daily Prophet newspaper and is currently one of the top large publishing houses in the European wizarding world. Dudley wasn't surprised by this; after all, everything is difficult at the start.
Malfoy, ever eager to please and display his influence, suggested he could contact his father, stating that with Lucius Malfoy's status in the wizarding world, such a problem would surely be easily resolved. But Dudley politely refused. He hadn't had any direct contact with Lucius and wasn't entirely sure about the man's true character. However, based on Draco's previous personality and descriptions of some of his father's deeds, Dudley could roughly guess that while Draco could be befriended, Lucius Malfoy was an entirely different matter—unless Draco himself became the head of the family. Lucius was definitely not someone easy to get along with, and Dudley preferred not to owe him favors.
So, he sought out someone else.
"Mr. Dursley, are you saying you plan to publish a book?" Richmond Carrow expressed some surprise that Dudley had come to him with such a request.
"Yes, Lord Carrow," Dudley affirmed. "I hope you can help me with this small matter."
The Carrow family controlled another large publishing house, 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher,' which was second only to the Daily Prophet Publishing House. Interestingly, the highly successful novels by Gilderoy Lockhart were published by this very house, and they had made a huge profit from his works.
"Even if you came to me, if the quality isn't up to par..." Carrow stopped there, letting the implied condition hang in the air. Showing goodwill was one thing, but when it came to profit, he wouldn't back down. After graduation, he was set to inherit the Carrow family's considerable business empire.
"You can take a look, my lord." Hearing this, Dudley wasn't offended and gently pushed the finished manuscript towards Carrow across the polished table.
Carrow initially didn't pay much attention, casually flipping through it a few times, intending to just humor Dudley. However, he only read a single plot point before being deeply captivated. Dudley wasn't in a hurry either. He took a small sip of his tea, then popped a small piece of pastry into his mouth, quietly waiting for Carrow. He was very experienced in this kind of negotiation.
Time passed minute by minute. Carrow's reading speed became slower and slower; he reread almost every passage for a long time, completely engrossed. The rich, intricate worldview of the Dungeons & Dragons-style Western fantasy novel and its compelling character descriptions were deeply captivating. Fortunately, the content of this initial manuscript wasn't extensive, and Carrow finished reading it before long.
"What about the rest?" Carrow's tone was filled with eager anticipation as he questioned Dudley, clearly desperate for more of the story.
"That's all," Dudley said, spreading his hands. "I haven't written that far yet." He paused, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Lord Carrow, what do you think?"
Carrow's expression became serious. "The book is very good, but..." He rambled on and on, weaving a complex web of excuses, but it all boiled down to two simple words: price reduction. It was a common tactic for publishing houses.
It must be said, Carrow had a remarkably sharp eye. He immediately saw the huge commercial value in 'Dragonlance Chronicles'. Once it made a name for itself, it might just be the next Gilderoy Lockhart. No! Even surpassing him!
"I heard The Quibbler Publishing House is also quite good," Dudley remarked, feigning casualness. "If you don't think it's suitable, I think I can try my luck there." Dudley wasn't in a hurry. The art of negotiation, he knew, lay in controlling the conversation.
In fact, he was initially inclined towards 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher' from the start. Submitting to the Daily Prophet Publishing House was merely a strategic move, a way to gauge general interest before negotiating with Carrow. However, it was unfortunate that the editor at that publishing house hadn't recognized the manuscript's immense value.
He had thoroughly researched 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher' and knew about their current predicament, which could be accurately described as 'made by Lockhart, broken by Lockhart'. The initial immense popularity of Lockhart's books had allowed them to make a huge profit and discover a massive business opportunity. As a result, they had focused solely on publishing Lockhart's books, neglecting to discover new authors. If they had continued cooperating with Lockhart like this, it would have been fine...
Just a month ago, when Lockhart was about to release his next new book, he had demanded a drastic redistribution of the profit share. Lockhart was already a famous author, and his value had naturally risen. It was understandable for him to want to increase his profit share with the publishing house, or else he would switch to another. With his fame, any publishing house would be willing to take him on. A simple price increase would have been fine, but the main reason was that Lockhart was asking for too much, to the point where 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher' simply couldn't afford it. And once 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher' lost Lockhart, their cash cow, and couldn't produce any decent new works to support themselves in the short term, they would face bankruptcy. This was the direct fault of the previous person in charge, who had expanded too quickly, leading to a break in the capital chain. Taking too big a step can indeed lead to trouble.
"No, Mr. Dursley, it's not suitable there," Carrow eagerly interrupted him as soon as he finished speaking, just as Dudley expected. Whoever is anxious is at a disadvantage.
"The Quibbler Publishing House isn't exactly a reputable place, after all."
"The Quibbler Publishing House is the publisher of The Quibbler magazine, and it's indeed not a reputable publishing house because the magazine never pays its contributors.
"But I heard The Quibbler's sales are better than the Daily Prophet's," Dudley countered smoothly.
"That's true, but..." Carrow began, but Dudley lightly tapped the table, interrupting him.
"It could be suitable for The Quibbler," Dudley said, a glint in his eyes. "Or it could be suitable for 'The Witch and the Poisoner'. That depends on you, my Lord Carrow." He paused, letting his gaze convey his meaning. "The publishing house's current situation is quite bad, isn't it?"
Dudley finished speaking, put down his teacup, and quietly watched Carrow. To be honest, even Carrow felt a lot of pressure under Dudley's gaze, despite being in his seventh year and a seasoned politician in the making.
Finally, he let out a long sigh. He had been seen through. Carrow thought, feeling a bit dejected. Truly... worthy of being Mr. Potter's older brother. I really want to know how their parents usually teach them. If Petunia were here, she would surely tell him that she hadn't taught Dudley anything; he was self-taught.
Since they had reached a consensus, the profit distribution became much easier. The profit share Dudley took neither made things difficult for the publishing house nor put himself at a disadvantage. The publishing house could even use this opportunity to overcome their financial difficulties. Of course, all of this had one crucial prerequisite: if the sales were good.
So, the question was, would the sales of 'Dragonlance Chronicles' be poor? Of course not.
Approximately three days after signing the contract, 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher' began building momentum, generating buzz within the wizarding community. A week later, the novel titled 'Dragonlance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight' was officially put on sale at Flourish and Blotts and other major wizarding bookstores.
Sales... were unexpectedly explosive. It sold out almost on the same day. The story of the continent of Ansalon, with its intricate world and compelling characters, deeply captivated every wizard who picked up a copy.
"Print more, print more! Get moving!"
Accompanied by the frantic shouts of the manager inside 'The Witch and the Poisoner Publisher', the wizards working there began their frantic routine of overtime. Of course, they all had overtime pay.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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