The shrill ringtone of the phone broke Jessica''s concentration. After ncing at the screen, she answered the call.


    "We had a meeting at the publishing house. We''ve decided to print 500,000 copies of your book." Pa paused before asking, "How many copies have you sold on your homepage so far?" At that moment, Jessica felt she had found an answer to her earlier doubts.


    If she worked hard, she''d still be able to support herself when the day came that she had no man to rely on.


    Jessica gently caressed her growing belly. While it was fine to lean on others, she didn''t want to lose her independence.


    With renewed purpose, Jessica checked her sales figures. "Over 350,000 copies," she replied.


    "Are you certain?" Pa said in surprise.


    Jessica assured her, "I''m sure. You''re wee to check for yourself."


    Pa did just that, confirming Jessica''s numbers. The sales were indeed as reported, and still climbing. She was momentarily lost for words.


    "Is something wrong?" Jessica asked.


    Pa wanted to say that after their meeting, they worried that 500,000 copies might be too ambitious. But at this rate, they''d likely sell out within a month. Strong online sales usually indicated good offline demand, too.


    Realizing they might have


    underestimated the print run, Pa simply said, "Everything''s fine. We''ll start printing once we get approval. After these 500,000 sell out, we''ll begin a reprint."  en


    "Sounds good," Jessica replied.


    Jessica knew it was wise to consult the publishing house''s experts on the publishing details.


    Pa continued, "Given your significant investment in promotion, we''re prepared to offer you a 20% royalty rate."


    Jessica quickly remembered that Annalise''s rate was only 15%. This meant she''d earn an extra 5% for the same number of books sold a small victory that brought a smile to her face.


    "Sounds good to me," Jessica replied. The more books she published, the more ie she had.


    After wrapping up the call with Pa, Jessica curled up on the couch, crunching numbers. With full rights to her work and control over every aspect, she realized she could leverage a single marketing campaign to boost both book and merchandise sales.


    Her heart raced as the possibilities unfolded. She might have stumbled onto something big without even realizing it.


    Even if her merchandise sales only matched Annalise''s, her profits would be significantly higher. After all, apart from the production cost, all that merchandise revenue was hers to keep.


    The more Jessica pondered her situation, the brighter her mood became. She used to envy Annalise''s carefree lifestyle, with everything managed for her. However, it was different now.


    Annalise''s


    e''sics required a whole team-and teams didn''t work for free. So, while Annalise was already earning less overall, she also had to pay her staff, leaving her with an even smaller slice of the pie.