•Eight-month delivery schedule for the finished collection
•Standard royalty terms as outlined in the attached contract
•World English rights with subsidiary rights to be negotiated separately
We envision releasing your books in rapid succession to build momentum and establish your presence in the market. The first book would be scheduled next fall, with subsequent releases every four months.
While this is an aggressive timeline, we believe your talent and the commercial appeal of your writing style make this an achievable goal.
Please review the attached contract proposal and reach out to us with any concerns you may have. We would appreciate your response within the next two weeks, as we are hard at work acquiring titles for our upcoming publication year.
I look forward to welcoming you to the Stratton family.
Sincerely,
Milo Brooks
Chief Executive Publisher
Stratton Publishing
I blink. Hard. Read the letter again. This is…this isn’t real, is it? And it’s signed by Milo Brooks himself. The CEO.
That’s weird, right? You’d think an acceptance letter would come from an editor. Or an agent liaison. Someone whose job is actually dealing with aspiring authors. But no. CEO signature. In actual ink. Is that a good sign or a red flag?
I read it again, this time combing through for anything that could possibly hint that this is some sort of sick, terrible joke.
There’s none.
I let out a laugh. They want my book. They want more than that—they want five books! I laugh again. Pull out my phone to text Brody—and stop.
All that excitement rushing in my blood slows. Cools. Hardens to a pit in my stomach.
Here’s the thing. It took me two years to write and illustrate the first book. Two years of nights and weekends and lunch breaks, fitting it into the margins around jobs that barely paid enough to cover rent and student loans. To meet an eight-month deadline for five books? I’d need to quit my job.
Could I even do that?
Before the contract with Brody came along, absolutely not.
And now…? I don’t know. Can I write that fast when I know the money is dwindling? Oh, the pressure!
I tuck the letter back into the folder without looking at the official contract proposals. Stuff it back into the tote of doom.
I’ll deal with it later. After the wedding. When I can think clearly and not while sitting in a honeymoon suite that’s mocking my entire life.
My phone buzzes.
Brody
Just passed Elk River. Be there soon. Miss you.
Miss you.
Two words that shouldn’t mean as much as they do.
I type back.
Chloe
