Advice

Adam's eyes widened. He wasn't even paying attention to the ability to manipulate fate, his eyes were fixed on the ability of the "Author's Will.

The price was incredibly expensive for Adam, but he was sure it was the best he could get in a while. His breathing became labored, and darkness appeared in his eyes.

- If I... have it, then... - Adam smiled broadly and his eyes grew darken. - Ha-ha... ha-ha...

Adam grinned and his mood instantly improved. He grabbed his phone and checked his earnings:

Adam got $150 in the first few days for the book The Summoned Hero: The Battle with the Demon King, and now he had $250 in his hands (not counting the profits of the first few days).

For the book "Shadows of Death", on the first day, he got 240 dollars, and a month later the profit reached up to 780 dollars (not counting the profit for the first day).

Regarding Sakura and Haruto: A Springtime Romance, Adam got about $50 as a reward for high ratings, but monetization went no further.

All told, Adam had $1,980 on hand, counting $144 from the first week's royalties for printing.

Adam was completely satisfied, and a smile appeared on his lips. In a short timelapse, Adam was able to cover thirty-nine percent of the $5,000 spent. Adam sighed.

- You have to admit, though, that such progress is slow. - he sighed.

For Adam, whose first book racked up over a million hits and half a million libraries, his next books were like nothing more than pebbles.

Indeed, erotic content always gained more views. Adam could only swallow this resentment and keep writing, being true to himself.

"A writer who writes for money is not a writer!" thought Adam, and then smiled strangely. "Although, can I be called a writer?"

Adam shook his head and sighed. He suddenly felt like writing a new book, so he opened his laptop. In a good mood, Adam began to write the story.

***

A month passed. Adam was in the garden, looking at the letter he had received from Ronald. He smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

[Dear Adam,

How are you feeling? I hope you are eating well. I am writing this letter with good news.

You know, as soon as I got the sales report, I ran straight to my computer to write you this letter. Plus, I got a promotion, so I'll be celebrating soon!

Here it is: We sold 548 copies in one month. Your royalty is $654, which will be transferred to your account tomorrow morning. Congratulations!

In any case, I must say that it is a success. You have achieved quite a lot and the dark fantasy genre has become popular again. Your book "Shadows of Death" has recently become popular. A whole million views, that's a great result.

Well, I won't bother you anymore. I look forward to our next meeting.

With love,

Ronald Watson, Senior Editor, TypeUrBook]

Adam smiled when he saw the notation "senior editor. The publisher appreciated his move. Unintentionally, Adam decided to count the publisher's profits and then wilted.

"Man, their profit on those 548 copies is $4,597," Adam sighed bitterly, "Well, that just means I need to try to get more popular."

Adam recently started building a fandom: to do this, he started social media, where he didn't have followers yet. The next step for Adam was to gain an audience, which was a bit of a problematic topic.

For readers, he was only a good writer who had one or two successful works. Consequently, Adam had no special interest as a person. So he planned to talk to Ronald about it.

Adam got up and ordered a cab. He wanted to meet Ronald as soon as possible and go to the publisher's office at the same time.

***

Adam opened the door with a flick of his hand and entered the publishing house. The place was still lively. Adam looked up and saw the monitor announcing the latest book adaptations.

"The Devil's Swarm got a movie adaptation?". Adam frowned with a heavy feeling in his chest. "It's the same book in the dark fantasy genre and some ways inferior to my work, but... connections, eh.

Adam shook his head and grinned bitterly. He didn't even have the energy to be angry, much less jealous. It was incredibly difficult for him, with no connections whatsoever, to advance in his career.

The author of The Devil's Swarm was the son of one of the chief editors. Despite the rather average quality of the book, the author was able to get the print and then through aggressive publicity to reach the necessary criteria for a film adaptation.

And given that his father was editor-in-chief, it was only a matter of time before he got the approval of the other editors-in-chief. Adam gritted his teeth and walked over to the front desk.

- Good afternoon... oh, it's Sir Adam! - the girl said, clearly recognizing Adam.

- Hello, Anna. - Adam nodded and smiled. - Is Sir Ronald here?

- Yes, it's about time. - Anna smiled and said softly. - He was recently promoted to senior editor, and he and his friends are celebrating in his office. I'll let him know you're here.

Adam thanked the girl and looked around. His gaze fell inadvertently upon a strange man who was dressed rather untidily. He looked like he'd just walked in here by accident, compared to the rest of the crowd.

- Adam, Sir Ronald is ready for you. - Anna's voice sounded, causing him to look away.

When he turned in that direction again, the man seemed to be gone. Adam frowned but decided to ignore it. He stepped toward the stairs and started up to Ronald's office.

***

Adam blinked his eyes as Ronald and the other grown men dressed him up in formal attire. They looked at him from every angle, as if he were an exhibit in a museum.

- Not bad.

- You look great.

- Clear.

- Alpha!

Adam sighed at the behavior of the four grown men. The other three were junior editors and treated Adam like some kind of animal.

- Sir Ronald, congratulations on your promotion. Adam shook Ronald's hand with a strained smile, which was the reason for this introduction.

- Thank you, Sir Adam. - Ronald smiled genuinely. - Thanks to your book, I was able to get a recommendation and a promotion. So, what new ideas do you have?

Ronald looked at Adam with predatory eyes, who only smiled awkwardly. The next minute, however, he got serious.

- Sir Ronald and the others, I would like your advice. - Adam asked earnestly, to which Ronald nodded. After receiving his approval, Adam continued. - I'd like to know how I can recruit an audience.

When Adam's question sounded, everyone in the room got serious. Seeing this, Adam thought cynically, "Do they have a switch on his brain?"

- As for your question... Adam, I'll ask you a question-what are your favorite authors and why do you love them? - one of the younger editors, Andy, asked.

- Mm, I guess it's "Cuttlefish That Loves Diving". And as for this reason... his worlds are very elaborate, and the main characters are interesting. - Adam thought for a moment before continuing, "Plus, his style is very engaging.

- And if I'm not mistaken, his three books are in the "fantasy" genre, right? - another editor, Michael, asked.

- Yes. It's my favorite genre, which is why I love his books.

Then Adam began to understand what he was being told. But for the sake of greater understanding, Jacob did let him know.

- Adam, your books are certainly interesting, but you're trying to sit on several chairs. - Jacob concluded and smiled. - You should pick one genre you want to immerse yourself in soon, and in time you'll find the audience you want!