I am Hollywood

Chapter 4: Heartfelt



[Chapter 4: Heartfelt]

"It's like this, Eric. Would you be able to hand this book over to my publishing company for some work?" Michael Krauss didn't hide his intentions and spoke directly.

Eric glanced over at the young Black girl who was binding the printed copies and then replied to Michael Krauss, "I appreciate your recognition, but I'd like to try my luck with some bigger publishers. It's like every parent wishing their child could get into an Ivy League school, don't you think?"

Michael didn't seem offended at all and smiled back, "Eric, have you done your homework on those big publishers? Maybe we can find a place to talk. I know a cafe just around the corner; my treat. How does that sound?"

Eric took the bound manuscript from the Black girl and packed away the draft into his bag, firmly turning Michael down. "Sorry, Michael, but I'm going to be late for work. If those publishers reject the manuscript in the future, I'll definitely get in touch with you."

With that, Eric picked up his backpack, Michael Krauss's contact card and left the print shop, driving his car toward the Italian restaurant. Michael hesitated for just a moment before rushing out after him, getting into his own car and following suit. He had a gut feeling that if he missed this chance, he might regret it for the rest of his life. Three parts of that instinct were about the novel titled Jurassic Park, and seven parts were truly about this young man, Eric.

Although Michael had only read the first half of the book, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that Eric had seamlessly woven in many high-tech themes that teenagers of his age might not have heard of, like genetic engineering, chaos theory, and nanotechnology, without losing the novel's fun and engaging plot.

He had seen plenty of examples where high-tech elements were awkwardly integrated into stories, often turning what should have been novels into dry science explanations, which rarely appealed to any type of reader.

...

Eric parked his car and turned around to find a black sedan had pulled up not far behind him; it was Michael Krauss, clearly following him. This gave Eric a minute spike of vanity and unexpectedly, he started to feel a bit of warmth toward Michael.

"Hey, Eric." Michael waved at Eric, about to say something else, but Eric pointed to his watch and said, "Uh, Michael, look, it's almost nine. I work as a waiter at this Italian restaurant. Perhaps you wouldn't mind ordering another breakfast? The place is pretty slow before ten, so we'd have an hour."

Michael nodded in understanding and followed Eric into the restaurant.

After changing clothes, Eric came out to find Michael already seated by the window, a plate of breakfast in front of him, which he had nearly finished.

"I explained everything to Mr. Jones, but you have to hurry," Eric said as he took a seat across from Michael. "I might be young, but I'm not that easily swayed."

Michael laughed, "I believe once you hear my explanation, you will hand over that book to me. I just mentioned that you might not know much about those big publishers, and as it happens, I spent eleven years at Simon & Schuster, starting from the most basic editorial position, until I left to start Nightshade Publishing after the competition for department manager failed."

"What does that have to do with what we're discussing now?" Eric interjected, feeling weary at hearing another 'struggle story' from someone who would only wind up as a loser in his past life.

"Just hold on, young man. I'm telling you this to reassure you that what I'm going to say next is true and credible," Michael replied. "Did you know, when I first started as an editor, I reviewed tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of words every day? While there were many terrible manuscripts, I accumulated quite a number of publishable ones. At one point, the number of book types I published in a single year reached two thousand. Just imagine, as a newcomer, how much marketing resources could you leverage from those thousands of publications?"

Michael paused to take a sip of water, giving Eric some time to think. Eric acknowledged Michael's words internally but didn't say anything, simply gesturing with his eyes for Michael to continue.

Michael slightly raised his hand, as if delivering a speech. "Though my publishing house is small, I have extensive experience in book marketing. Our focus over the past few years has been publishing science fiction, adventure, and thriller novels. We publish about a dozen titles each year, but we've already gained a solid reputation in the industry. If you hand Jurassic Park over to me, I will guarantee to use all my resources to promote this book and make sure it gains significant recognition in the shortest time possible. With my experience, there's a good chance it could make it onto the bestseller list."

Michael laid out all his cards, then quietly waited for Eric's decision.

Initially, Eric had found Michael's grandstanding distracting; a small or even micro- publishing house had limited resources, so how impactful could it really be?

Deep down, Eric felt like a middle-aged man, having seen a range of bizarre scenarios in his complicated former life. There was no way he would change his mind based on a few enticing words from Michael Krauss like some naive youngster. However, one of Michael's statements struck a chord within Eric: making Jurassic Park famous in a short period.

No matter the era, fame was an intangible yet potent resource. Eric needed to realize his plans, and his biggest drawback was his age; younger individuals often triggered a sense of distrust.

But if he gained sufficient fame, that flaw could be obscured. An eighteen-year-old high school kid directing a film would get critiqued for being overreaching, while the same age genius writer making a film would surely be viewed differently; sure, criticism would still come, but more people would likely say: "Oh, what amazing stunt has that genius kid pulled now?"

Eric tested the waters, "I have to admit, Michael, your terms are indeed tempting. But these are just your words; I don't know anything about your publishing house."

"That can easily be verified," Michael replied calmly. "On the latest New York Times bestseller list, there's a book from my publishing house, though it's at the bottom, it has already been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox for a movie, and could possibly be produced in the

coming years."

Eric believed Michael's words. He had no reason to lie about such an easily debunked claim. "Well, how about we find time to discuss the specifics of the partnership?"

Michael blinked, surprised. "You... you agree?"

"Yes," Eric nodded with a smile. "To be honest, I can't wait to see my novel published."

"How about tonight? I think you might need to work now," Michael pointed to the

restaurant, which was gradually filling up with more guests.

After agreeing on a meeting spot, Michael left the restaurant, satisfied.

...

"Hey, Eric, what were you talking about with that guy? You look pretty happy," Jeff asked, curious because Eric had only mentioned talking business with a friend.

Eric handed over the menu that a customer had just requested to a colleague in the kitchen and replied to Jeff, who was working as a substitute waiter, "Good news, Jeff. That guy just happens to be the owner of a publishing house, and I'm about to publish my novel!"

Jeff looked puzzled and a bit skeptical. "A novel? I thought you said yesterday you were writing a script. Are you giving up your directing dream already and planning to be a writer?" "Not at all! My goals will not change easily. Directing and writing novels aren't mutually exclusive, right? Oh, my novel is in my backpack in the changing room; you can check it out and give me some feedback."

Jeff turned toward the changing room, feeling confused. He thought Eric's novel was just a short story of a few thousand words, but when he saw the thick stack of manuscript pages, his eyes nearly popped out. It had to be over a hundred thousand words; he had never written that

much in his life.

...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After the lunch rush, the restaurant saw a brief lull in activity. The staff noticed that the boss had seemingly disappeared for several hours -- unusually rare for the man who loved to wander around flaunting his presence.

As the employees debated whether they should look for the boss, Jeff emerged from the changing room and patted Eric's shoulder. "This is quite the novel! I can now assure you that you'll be quitting your job soon." With that, Jeff left confidently.

As soon as the boss's figure was gone, a crowd gathered around, asking Eric what had

happened.

Thus, throughout the afternoon, servers and even kitchen staff took turns sneaking into the changing room to read Eric's manuscript. Even at closing time, a pretty waitress sweetly

asked if she could take a copy home to read.

Though the waitress's flirting made Eric's heart flutter, he had to politely decline. While he had no use for the copied manuscripts anymore, he didn't want anything to go wrong before his work got published. He had lived through enough situations where someone's work was claimed as their own, and he certainly didn't want to experience that again.

*****

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