Chapter 3 #2
His lips twist wryly. “Our children’s imprint, Squire, isn’t doing well.
In fact, it’s been failing for some time now, and the board has recommended that we close the imprint altogether.
My father, however, refuses. You see, Squire was started by my great-grandfather to honor my grandmother’s birth.
While every imprint of King Publishing is a legacy, my father feels especially tied to Squire because he sees it as hers personally.
I think he feels that if he closes its doors, he’d be letting Grandma down.
He won’t admit it, but I think in some way it’s his attempt to keep her alive and with him.
That if he lets it die, he’ll in some way experience losing her all over again. ”
Julien takes in a long breath. “Anyway, he’s just now decided that the litmus test that will convince him I can capably take over the publishing house is for me to not only make Squire solvent again but a front-page-worthy success story.”
“But wouldn’t that take years to accomplish?”
“I’m pretty sure that was part of the reason he made this the condition instead of something else.
He’s approaching retirement kicking and screaming, like a toddler told it’s naptime.
He’s a man used to being in control, and instead of loosening his grip and slowing down per his doctor’s orders, he’s willing to put his life at risk by hanging on even tighter and refusing to admit he’s hit the sunset years. ”
“I’m sorry, Julien. That’s really hard.”
He nods once in agreement.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“I’ve already tried reasoning with him until I’m blue in the face—both about closing Squire and about him stepping down. He won’t hear a single word on either score. Which leads us to now.
“I know nothing about children’s books, Martha.
I can’t even list three current children’s authors, much less know what the market is like.
I’ve worked in so many departments in this company, learning everything I thought I would need to keep our family legacy thriving, from copy editor to marketing assistant to everything in between.
Squire’s projections have been bad for so long that I honestly thought their doors would’ve shut by now.
Because of that, I haven’t given it or children’s literature much of my energy. I’m operating at a deficit.”
Julien sits up and leans forward, elbows resting on his thighs and his face earnest. “Please say you’ll accept my offer. I know it’s a lot, but I really need your help.”
The way he’s looking at me would put May’s puppy-dog eyes to shame.
I can feel the pull of his cobalt irises down to my toes.
The arm of his suit jacket has ridden up, exposing his wrist and a row of thin leather bracelets stacked on top of one another.
The casual look is so incongruent with the no-nonsense business vibe he’s pulling off with his tailored suit and gelled-to-sculptural-perfection hair.
I lick my dry lips. “I’m not sure how I can help. I know books and stories and children, not the publishing industry. What, umm, what would you even need me to do?”
“First, coach me a bit on children’s books. Help me get up to speed. But more importantly, Squire needs a bestseller. A title that will catapult revenue and, essentially, save my dad from himself.”
“Don’t you have acquisitions editors to find that for you? And even if I was able to unearth such a book, wouldn’t it still take years to turn Squire around enough to satisfy your dad? The publishing industry is known to run at a glacial pace.”
He grimaces. “I have some ideas to melt the ice, so to speak, and get things hopefully progressing a lot quicker. They aren’t traditional or conventional, but I also don’t have time to do things the same way things have always been done.
As far as our acquisitions editor, she just went on maternity leave.
She’s going to do light work remotely, but it won’t be enough. ”
“Why do you think that I—”
“You said it yourself. You know books and stories and children. You know what books kids are reading. The series they can’t get enough of and the titles they keep coming back to over and over again.”
“You’re giving me too much credit. How am I supposed to find an undiscovered bestseller when there are agents and editors from dozens of publishing houses who are also all looking for the same thing?”
“I never said it would be easy, but I thought we could start by going to where the writers are. There’s a conference near Cocoa Beach, Florida, in a couple of weeks.
King is already booked to take pitch appointments.
You can listen to story ideas and tell me if any of them have the possibility of matching Harry Potter sales numbers. ”
I give him a deadpanned side-eye. “Easy peasy.”
“Lemon squeezy.” He grins cheekily.
The unexpectedness of him finishing the rest of the saying has me huffing out an unexpected laugh. “If I do this—”
“When.”
I stare hard at him, but my still-smiling lips betray me. “If I do this, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to find the perfect story you’re looking for.”
“I have faith in you. So, do we have an agreement? For the span of, let’s say, six weeks? Does that timeframe allow you to get the money to the library on time?”
“Let me double-check with my supervisor, but I think so.” The roofers weren’t going to be able to start work for another few weeks, so that pushes back when the library will need to transfer funds.
And speaking of funds, it’s a good thing I have a bit of savings put aside if I’m going to go at least a month without income. ”
“Okay. So, for the next six weeks, you will provide your professional expertise and teach me all I need to know about children’s books as well as accompany me to a writer’s conference where we will hopefully discover the next big children’s author who will save my grandmother’s imprint.
There’s also a slush pile of proposals you’ll need to sift through to see if there’s a diamond amid the dross.
” He holds his hand out for me to shake.
“Am I looking at the new freelance consultant for Squire?”
As if I ever had another choice if I want to save the library programs. Hoping this isn’t a pivotal turning point in the story plot of my life, I place my hand in his and shake.