Chapter 12

Dave's office was simply furnished. Against the wall stood a large, dark bookshelf filled with neatly arranged books. Next to it was a filing cabinet, its shelves brimming with brown paper bags, undoubtedly containing various documents.

On the other side of the room was Dave's large desk, where a computer, files, and various office supplies were neatly arranged. A photo frame with a picture of him and his family also sat on the desk.

Beside the desk was a large safe, clearly meant for storing important items or documents, rather than leaving them in the filing cabinet.

There was also a shelf in the office, displaying various trophies, honor frames, and photos of Dave himself.

With just a glance, Xian Tai noticed that in the photos, Dave was either playing golf, riding a horse, or fishing. It was evident that Dave was someone who enjoyed life and had a rich array of leisure activities.

Of course, having lived in the United States for half a year in this parallel world, and having access to information about the U.S. through the internet in his original world, Xian Tai was not surprised by this. In this world, as in the original, Americans like Dave were very fond of enjoying leisure activities outside of work.

Xian Tai retracted his gaze and got straight to the point, not wanting to waste time on pleasantries. "Mr. Dave, please forgive my directness, but I don't want to waste your time or mine. So, what conditions is your publishing house willing to offer?"

If this were in the East, Xian Tai's approach would have been considered impolite, as people in the East usually engage in small talk before getting to the main topic. However, this was America, and even though it was a parallel world, the Americans here had similar customs to those in the original world.

Thus, Dave did not react strongly to Xian Tai's directness, as Westerners often prefer straightforward communication.

Sitting across from Xian Tai, Dave sized up the young Asian man and also noticed the daughter in Xian Tai's arms, his gaze lingering on the child for a moment.

"Our publishing house is willing to handle the publication of your novel in the United States. We will not claim any rights to film or other media adaptations, which will remain with you. We will have the right to act as your agent for foreign publications if such opportunities arise.

Regarding the copyright fee, we are willing to offer you 10%, which I believe is a very generous offer. I assume you have done your research on the publishing industry, so you should know that this is a very favorable condition."

Since Xian Tai had been direct, Dave did not beat around the bush and immediately laid out the publishing house's terms.

Xian Tai's mind raced as he listened to Dave. Dave's offer was indeed generous, with no obvious flaws.

Before coming here, Xian Tai had researched the publishing industry through the internet and knew that Dave was not exaggerating. For a new author with no reputation, even a 5-6% copyright fee would be considered a stroke of luck.

Some publishers even offered as low as 2% to new authors.

It was unrealistic to compare this to authors who could command 30% copyright fees, as those were usually established authors with multiple bestsellers and significant fame.

Why should a nobody like him have such ambitions?

Xian Tai was not such a person; he knew his limits.

Before coming to meet Dave, he had set a bottom line for himself, but he never expected the offer to be so generous.

Dave's terms were so favorable that Xian Tai was almost speechless.

Fortunately, beneath his young appearance, Xian Tai had the soul of a middle-aged man, and he managed to keep his emotions in check, avoiding any embarrassing outbursts.

"Please forgive my boldness, Mr. Dave. Your offer is indeed very generous. If the publishing agreement is drafted according to your terms, I can't think of any reason to refuse it.

However, I am very curious. I am just a new author, and although I have confidence in my novel, I don't think it warrants such a generous offer."

Xian Tai was not foolish. He knew that while his novel was a bestseller in the original world, there were many other bestsellers in this world, and he was not necessarily better than those authors.

Moreover, Dave's California Cultural Publishing House had several well-known authors, including some who had sold over ten million copies of their novels.

Given this, why would he receive such a generous offer without a special reason?

Xian Tai did not let the generous offer cloud his judgment. Instead, he quickly regained his composure and began to think critically.

After all, his intelligence had undergone a transformation, making him much smarter than in his original world. This transformation had brought him increased mental agility and a higher IQ.

If he couldn't figure this out, he would be a fool.

"I have personally read your novel, and it is very well-written. In my opinion, it is definitely a bestseller. However, you are right. As a new author, no matter how good your novel is, you shouldn't receive such a generous offer, especially since we are only taking the rights to publish the novel in the United States and not considering any derivative rights. This is quite unusual.

After all, we are not fools or philanthropists. Our publishing house must also consider profitability."

Dave appreciated Xian Tai's reaction. The young Asian man was not blinded by the offer and remained clear-headed, indicating that he had some special qualities.

Most new authors would have been overjoyed and overwhelmed by such an offer.

Few would have the presence of mind to question it like Xian Tai.

"Why...?" Xian Tai's face was filled with confusion, his eyes probing as he looked at Dave.

"This is the decision of our major shareholder, who holds 60% of our company's shares. She has instructed us to offer you these generous terms, and as a minority shareholder, I have no choice but to comply."

Dave shrugged, offering a brief explanation.

However, this only added to Xian Tai's confusion.

The major shareholder of California Cultural Publishing House?

He didn't know such a person, so why would she insist on offering him such generous terms?

It was incomprehensible!

Truly incomprehensible!

Despite his enhanced intelligence, Xian Tai was still at a loss.

Seeing Xian Tai's puzzled and deep-in-thought expression, Dave smiled.

"Enough, you don't need to think too much about it. You just need to understand that our publishing house is very sincere and willing to offer you the best terms. Why worry about the details?"

Dave's words indeed brought Xian Tai back to his senses, and he found the logic in Dave's words.

After all, he was getting a good deal. As long as the contract had no hidden traps, he could sign it.

There was no way he would lose out, so why stress over it?

Xian Tai smiled and said, "I apologize, but I am still young, and reacting this way is quite normal, isn't it?"

Well, Xian Tai was using his age as an excuse.

But Dave found this reasonable.

After all, from their initial email exchanges, Dave knew that Xian Tai was only 16 years old, a minor.

So, it was normal for a 16-year-old to react this way.

What Dave didn't know was that the 16-year-old Xian Tai had the soul of a 36-year-old man.

"Basically, that's the situation. If you have no objections, I will instruct our lawyer to draft the publishing agreement."

Xian Tai, of course, had no objections. They had only discussed the terms verbally, and if there were no issues, the next step was to formalize it.

Xian Tai had no problems with the terms, as Dave's offer was already impeccable.

The only thing left was to check the contract for any issues.

It was that simple.

Thanks to Annie's intervention, what would have been a complicated process became very straightforward.

For a typical new author, this would not have been so easy, and they would not have received such favorable terms.

"Who is the major shareholder of the publishing house? I should meet this person someday. Could it be that they read the novel I pirated and believe I have the potential to become a famous author?"

Secretary Laura entered with coffee, placing it on the coffee table in front of Xian Tai and Dave. Dave then instructed Laura to call the lawyer and have the contract prepared.

"If you don't mind, you can wait here. The contract will be drafted quickly, but the lawyer might take some time," Dave said, lifting his coffee cup and gesturing to Xian Tai.

Xian Tai was not one to be formal and also picked up his coffee, taking a small sip before setting it down.

"No problem, I have plenty of time."