Chapter 9

After taking nearly a hundred photos, everything was finally over.

"You have a good foundation; maybe you should consider acting or something." Holman praised Katherine.

"You can be very natural; modeling suits you well." Then he said the same to Ada.

"This is my business card. If you have the chance, I hope you can come and let me take some photos for you. I can pay you, and you can keep a copy of the photos as well." Holman handed a business card to Katherine.

"Thank you."

Holman had a lot of clothing, and it all looked very luxurious and beautiful. Although Katherine was a minor, there were still many outfits that fit her well.

After saying this, he came to Ada's side and gave her a business card as well.

"Kate, if you have time, let's come together~" Ada seemed very excited.

"Sure."

Seeing her excited look, Katherine couldn't refuse.

"Alright, you can come to pick them up next week..." Holman put the camera aside.

"What do you think about your fashion design company? I heard you need an agent; maybe I can help you."

The group looked at each other, at a loss.

To be honest, because of the photoshoot, they had forgotten about this matter and hadn't thought about it at all.

"I will invest 50,000 US dollars, Lisa and Jenny will temporarily handle the fashion design, Ada and I can act as models, and Lily will be the photographer."

Katherine proposed her plan.

"Not a bad combination." Holman nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

"Maybe my studio can also invest?"

Joining a company run by a few middle school students seemed absurd, but Holman didn't seem to mind.

"How will the shares be distributed?"

"In my opinion, it should be like this..."

Katherine would invest 50,000 US dollars and also act as a model for the fashion design company, holding 35% of the shares—after all, 50,000 US dollars was very valuable at the time, equivalent to over ten times its value later.

Holman would act as the CEO, responsible for daily operations, and would contribute the studio to the company, holding 30% of the shares.

Lisa would be the "chief designer," holding 15% of the shares. Lily would hold 10%, and Jenny and Ada would each hold 5%.

"What should we name our company?"

This was an important question.

Don't underestimate the name of a company; it can often be the deciding factor at critical moments.

After all, a catchy name is easier to spread.

Who would remember a mediocre or tongue-twisting name?

What should we name our company?

"Let's do this: we'll first sort out the initial matters, and then think of a name?"

"Anyway, it's not urgent. Lisa, take this time to design more clothes, and Jenny can help as well."

"Maybe we can gather more fashion designers in the future?"

"In short, let's do it this way for now. Think about the company's name, the sales channels after the company is established, and how to build our brand..."

"I think if Ada and Kate walk around the streets, all the problems will be solved. That's the best promotion."

"Um... I still have to go to SAB for class, see you all tomorrow..."

As the saying goes, three women are like three thousand ducks. Katherine finally experienced it, but still, their suggestions were somewhat valuable. However, the final suggestion left her no choice but to leave early.

It was just past noon, and there was still some time before class. Katherine didn't choose to go to class; instead, she went home first. Maybe her parents could offer some good ideas. But when she got home, Emma handed her a letter.

"Kate, you have a letter from the publisher."

Kate opened the letter.

The content of the letter indicated that the editors saw Katherine's book as a series and hoped to secure the copyright for the subsequent works, forming a series. They even offered Katherine a 15% royalty.

Hmm, another letter revealing the bottom line?

Katherine looked at the signature: Robert.

This greenhorn seemed to have gained some experience, knowing to send a letter instead of coming directly. However, he still revealed the company's bottom line.

The "Harry Potter" series was slow to heat up, but its sales were consistently stable. Including both hardcover and paperback editions, it had already brought Katherine 10,000 US dollars in income. With her previous earnings, the total reached 60,000 US dollars—though after taxes, it was only 50,000.

But why was the paperback publisher so interested in her novel? Katherine began to analyze.

Initially, "The Lord of the Rings" had decent sales when it entered the American market, but the price of 15 dollars for a hardcover was not affordable for the general public—although paperback publishing had become mainstream after World War II, Tolkien seemed uninterested in the cheap paperback and story-paper formats.

When Ace Books contacted him about a paperback edition of "The Lord of the Rings," he did not respond. So, Ace Books printed the paperback without Tolkien's or the publisher's permission, not paying the author any royalties, making it a standard pirated edition.

Tolkien, enraged by the copyright infringement, quickly authorized Ballantine Books to publish the official paperback edition in the United States. However, the pirated edition had already dominated the market, and the official edition did not sell as well. Tolkien himself stepped in to protect his rights, reminding American readers in his letters that the Ace version was illegal and asking them to tell their friends. This quickly had a significant effect, with American readers refusing to buy the Ace version and demanding that bookstores remove it from shelves. In the end, Ace Books paid Tolkien a substantial royalty and stopped reprinting after their inventory was sold out. This copyright battle lasted for a long time, and the sales of "The Lord of the Rings" paperback edition soared, entering the bestseller list and quickly becoming a sensation on college campuses.

It was 1960, and "The Lord of the Rings" had been pirated in the United States until 1965, when Ballantine Books would officially publish the paperback edition.

"The Lord of the Rings" had a hardcover edition in the United States but no paperback edition, and Ace Books' piracy had just begun.

Therefore, Katherine's "Harry Potter" filled the "gap" in the market for fantasy novels, at least in the eyes of the publishers. Her book had already sold over 5,000 copies, and it was only October 9th, just one week after "Harry Potter" was published. More importantly, her sales were steadily increasing, not decreasing.

Katherine chose the paperback publisher, whose scale and business acumen were unquestionable.

Their interest in "Harry Potter" might have been to counter the pirated "The Lord of the Rings" and expand the influence of the paperback publisher.

After all, everyone wants to consolidate their position and achieve a monopoly, and multi-faceted development seems to be the strategy of the paperback publisher.

Given this, they decided to capitalize on the momentum and prepare to release "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on December 25, 1960.

With the release of the two books, "Harry Potter" would gain a significant advantage.

The paperback publisher saw this and offered Katherine such a high royalty.

Of course, Katherine also made some minor adjustments to "Harry Potter," setting the location in New York, USA, rather than London, UK. "Immersion" is crucial, especially on the eve of this passionate moment.

...

And here's another secret.

If it can enter the category list, it will become 3 updates per day...

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