Episode 4: The Instant Million Dollar Book Deal Generator
Episode 4: The Instant Million Dollar Book Deal Generator
The Publish and Die Protocol-Fiction Series
“When you publish a book, it’s the world’s book. The world edits it.” — Philip Roth
In my spare time, I continued my research and writing on my book, “Renaissance Publishing,” which I had stopped working on for a while.
I thought about the predicament faced by so many young writers and Indie publishers, that although they had published their works, they could not get a book contract. Every Author could only dream about a big book deal coming their way.
My friend Shelly was a computer programmer and she was a genius at writing programs and designing apps. Shelly and I have been friends for several years, since college. We were just friends and we enjoyed being together, so we went to the movies and weekend outings. However, we were not really romantically involved.
I visited Shelly at her home, we had lunch and then we started to discuss plans for the new concept, which I had made a sketch to use.
“A Million Dollar Book Deal Generator,” said Shelly.
“Yes, that is what I was thinking of, it would be fantastic if such a generator could be available online, for authors who join the course,” I said.
“What components would you need to add to this generator,” asked Shelly, with her laptop on the desk as she was ready to key in all the features for the configuration of this particular project.
“The author’s manuscript, the requirements of a book worthy of a book deal, which I will give to you later, content and presentation being very important and of course a database of those publishers who are willing to offer a million-dollar book deal for such a book,” I said thinking about the details.
“Do you have a database for literary agents and publishers,” asked Shelly.
“No, I’m still working on the database and there are a large number of publishers I still need to contact. That is definitely a work in progress.”
“That’s fine, I’ll work on designing the application of the book deal generator for now,” said Shelly sipping a glass of orange juice.
Later that evening after I returned home, I started to draw up a blueprint of the proper publishing company I was going to establish. There was a lot of research that had to be done. I knew that it was just an idea that I had and it was not guaranteed to work. I wish that I had luck at my side as well. I started by finding the details of literary agents and book publishers.
I created form letters to send out to different publishers worldwide. This was going to be a large project and I would need all the information and the expertise which I could find. I was now beginning to think to myself that it was great and amusing to get the feeling of being a Publishing Magnate at home.
There were now some bestselling authors who had started their own publishing companies, after resounding success in the field of e-book publishing. The world of publishing had gone through a big change since the nineties and it was not going to stop. There was a surge in the number of people writing and self-publishing. The newly coined phrase “Indie-entrepreneurs” heralded the rise of indie authors, who could self-publish their works, without all the stringent rules placed by large publishing houses, agents, and publishers.
The rejection letters started to come in from literary agents and publishing houses, who did not want to join the Instant million-dollar book deal generator program.
The phone rang and I recognized the number, it was from Gary Bernstein from the Phoenix Flame Publishing House.
“Hi Richard,” said Gary in his familiar high-pitched voice.
“Hi Gary, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. I was just looking at this letter from you. The whole idea sounds good, but quite risky. I wouldn’t want to publish an author who writes garbage.”
“I know, but the program will eliminate, evaluate and approve authors who are up to standard.”
“But, up to whose standards?”
“It would be up to the standards of a bestseller book…”
“Sounds good, I’ll need to think about it though.”
“Phone me, Gary, if you change your mind.”
“I don’t think I will need to.”
“Thanks,” said Richard as he hung up the phone.
As Richard looks around him, he sees Shelly who has come back home after visiting her parents. Her twin brother James was with her. They went shopping and he took her back home. Although James was Shelly’s twin, he did not resemble her at all. He was six feet tall with brown hair, and brown eyes, and built like an athlete. Shelly is five feet four in height, blond, and with a slim figure.
James lived in his T-shirt and jeans. He carried a notepad with him and kept making notes about his electrical designs.
“Was that Gary, what did he say?” said Shelly.
“Not interested,” said Richard.
“I need some beer,” said Jim as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out some cans. He threw one to Richard, and handed one to Shelly.
He took a can opened it and poured the contents into his mouth, as he walked over to the television and switched the channels to watch one of the nature programs. He let out a burp as he kept drinking from the beer can.
Richard and Shelly were in the kitchen looking at Jim lounging now in the living room, with his feet on the glass table.
“You brought him back with you,” said Richard.
“He wanted to reach me home,” said Shelly with a smile. She loved her twin but sometimes it could become too much for her. He was not working and although he was brilliant with computers and electronics, he preferred to live at home.
“Has he got a job?”, said Richard, quite upset at seeing Shelly’s useless brother.
“He says that he does some part-time work at the garage and trading on some web auctions.”
“Jim needs to get a proper job and stop sponging off your parents,” said Richard.
“Mum told me that he gives them money and he always had his wallet full of cash.”
“He’s not as useless as I thought he was, but he seems to have too much time on his hands.”
“Dad’s not happy that he’s still staying with them, but Mum doesn’t mind.”
“Anyway, I don’t want him to get too comfortable here. The last time he was here, he blew one of our fuses doing some of his computer work in the basement.”
“He’s off tomorrow morning and he’s got some friends to meet. I’ll serve dinner now.”
“I may as well go and sit and watch some television with Jim,” said Richard as he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
Shelly starts to prepare dinner for the three of them. She looks at Richard and Jim speaking and smiles.
Richard watched as the mobile Library van pulled into his street. A young man got out of the blue and yellow van. This was the regular door-to-door service provided by the local library and was used by most of the libraries in the country.
Over the last twenty years, eighty-percent of the libraries had disappeared. There were funding cuts and more people were left unemployed. The mobile library network was catching on and there were still people who wanted to read printed books.
The young man who may have been in his early twenties walked with a slight limp. He was tall and lanky with brown hair. He wore a blue shirt, black trousers, and a blue cap with the library emblem “Wayfarer Library” emblazoned on it with the design of a golden eagle with its wings outstretched.
The young man walked to the back of his van with his clipboard. He had a list of names that he was going through. He next picked up a pack of books and walked towards a building on the street. He pressed the bell and waited for the door to open.
The door opened and the young courier walked into the building.
Richard looked towards the top of the building and he saw a young girl standing on the ledge of a window about to leap to her death from the tenth floor of the building.
There is a big crowd collected on the street now looking at the young teenage girl about to jump.
The girl is shaking on the ledge as she stands with her light pink night suit.
The sounds of sirens can be heard. An ambulance has arrived, followed by three police cars and two fire engines.
At that moment, Richard sees the young man from the library walk out of the building.
As he looks around, he sees the confusion, he looks up next and calmly re-enters the building.
A few minutes later, Richard is surprised to see that the young librarian is peeping out of the window, speaking to the girl.
A few seconds later, it would seem, in the blink of an eye, the young man is standing on the ledge beside the girl.
He speaks to the girl, but she keeps moving away. The winds are growing stronger, as the girl appears to be losing her balance on the ledge. He keeps on talking to the girl who first appeared to resist his help. He places his finger on her forehead and then almost as if she was in a trance, the young girl stretches out her hand to him. The lips of the young man keep moving. That boy can surely talk, Richard thinks to himself. It is as if he has hypnotized the young lady.
The young librarian holds her hand and then helps the girl back into her room.
The crowds are cheering, as the young hero rescues the teenager who would have fallen to her death from the tall building.
Richard keeps watching the whole event taking place and he is impressed with the actions of the young man.
The crowds keep cheering as the young man walks out of the building.
The police and special emergency services rush into the building to assist the traumatized girl.
The young man walks back to his van and drives away amid all the confusion.
The next morning, the newspapers are plastered with the news of the mysterious young man who rescued the young girl from certain death. In the article, the reporter mentions that the library was contacted but they have no record of any young librarian being in that area at the time. A van was reported missing by the library that morning along with a uniform, but it turned up in their garage the next morning, with no trace of the good Samaritan.
