Golden Dawn Publishing Group.
"Crow, are you joking with me?!"
Ms. Hassan, the president of the publishing group, chuckled as she looked at the blonde middle-aged man in front of her.
The blonde middle-aged man, named Crow Favell, was the Senior Vice President of Random House. His purpose for coming to Golden Dawn Publishing Group this time was very clear: to secure the overseas distribution rights for the "Harry Potter" books.
"Heh heh!"
Hassan sneered, "You want to get 'Harry Potter' for 450,000 US dollars, and our Golden Dawn Publishing Group only gets 18% of the copyright profit?! Who are you trying to fool? It's merely an A-level contract, which is an insult to everyone's intelligence. Crow, don't forget, the Vice President position you currently hold used to be mine!"
Upon hearing this, Crow Favell, the representative of Random House, was not angered.
Because Ms. Hassan was right.
If she hadn't left, it wouldn't have been his turn, Crow Favell, to serve as the Senior Vice President of Random House.
Well, even though there were twelve Senior Vice Presidents at Random House, it wasn't a position just anyone could hold.
At the same time.
The negotiating representatives from both sides, seated in the conference room, chose to remain silent.
Let the big shots talk.
"Hassan, my Old boss, there's a saying: 'Times have changed.' Crow said slowly.
"What do you mean?"
Hassan was not in a hurry, but rather waited with interest for him to explain.
"Hassan, today's Random House is no longer the Random House of the past. After it was acquired by Bertelsmann Group at the end of May this year, it merged with Bantam Publishing Group, the oldest and largest publishing group in America."
"As of now, our Random House alone has 9 major publishing brands in America, each with different publishing directions."
"Its subsidiary, Bantam Publishing Group, has 8 publishing houses, mainly publishing popular fiction;"
"Crown Publishing Group has 9 publishing houses, mainly publishing social science and business fiction;"
"Doubleday Publishing Group has 14 publishing houses, mainly publishing high-end popular fiction with rich cultural content;"
"Knopf Publishing Group has 6 publishing houses, mainly publishing high-end literary works and political books;"
"In addition, it also includes Random House Children's Publishing Group, Random House Information Group, Random House Audio Publishing Group, and Random House Film & Motion Picture Publishing Group, etc."
Crow introduced the current situation of Random House to Ms. Hassan in one breath, his words filled with pride.
The negotiating representatives from Random House in the conference room also felt honored.
Big companies, after all, bring glory wherever they go.
"Are you saying all this to imply that your Random House is currently the number one publishing group in terms of overall strength globally?" Ms. Hassan asked with a smile.
"Exactly." Crow was supremely confident.
In fact, Random House was indeed the largest publishing group at the time.
Of course, after its future merger with Penguin Publishing Group in the UK, it would become the undisputed overlord of the global publishing industry.
Well, the kind that dominates half the market.
The "Harry Potter" books were currently selling like hotcakes, clearly a bestseller, and as the world's leading Random House, they naturally didn't want to miss out on the overseas distribution rights for the books.
"Hassan, my Old boss!"
Crow said meaningfully, "I know 'Harry Potter' is excellent, but its current booming sales are mainly due to Dylan's strong inherent influence. It hasn't been adapted into a film yet, so its influence is ultimately limited. Therefore, it is entirely reasonable for our Random House to offer an A-level contract, second only to an S-level contract."
He paused, then added, "According to the A-level contract, you only need to grant authorization and do nothing else, and you'll still receive 18% of the proceeds from each 'Harry Potter' book. This shows considerable sincerity."
As soon as he finished speaking.
The representatives from Golden Dawn Publishing Group all turned their gaze to their president, Hassan.
After all, they weren't the ones who could make the final decision.
"Crow, you're still using the same old tricks, no progress at all!"
Hassan smiled.
Indeed, the contract Crow offered was very sincere.
However... Hassan said indifferently, "In fact, our group's Page Pictures has already started the project for the film adaptation of 'Harry Potter,' and filming is expected to begin next year. At the same time, the book's game adaptation will also be launched soon."
"So the question is, do you still think an A-level contract with an 18% share is sincere?"
"…"
Crow was instantly speechless.
Damn it~~
Crow cursed endlessly in his heart!
Actually, he initially didn't want to come and negotiate the contract with Hassan, because they were too familiar, and he was very clear about his old boss's capabilities.
She was very difficult to deal with!
"Phew~~~!"
After his momentary speechlessness, Crow also breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Old boss, you win! I knew this would be the outcome before I came. I don't know what the new CEO was thinking? He clearly knew I wasn't your match, yet he insisted on sending me here. Isn't this just trying to make me look bad?!"
"Hahahaha!" Hassan also laughed very ungraciously.
The subsequent negotiations were very relaxed.
Under the witness of both teams and drafted by the legal team, the overseas distribution rights for the first book in the "Harry Potter" series were finalized.
A preliminary letter of intent was drafted!
Random House would execute an A-level contract, paying 1.2 million US dollars for the overseas distribution rights, and giving Golden Dawn Group a 25% share of each book.
Some subsequent details of the contract, such as the duration of authorization, still required several days of discussion, but the general terms would not change much... Random House.
Crow, who had just finalized the contract, returned to his group company to report the contract details to his boss, Bertelsmann.
"Do you know why I sent you, Crow?" Bertelsmann asked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Crow immediately said, "Boss, speaking of which, I'm also full of doubts. You clearly knew that I wasn't a match for Ms. Hassan in negotiations, yet you insisted on sending me."
Bertelsmann smiled, "Do you know how many publishing houses are eyeing the overseas rights to the 'Harry Potter' books? I'll tell you, I know of at least 12, including the formidable Penguin Publishing Group."
"Uh… I see." Crow's expression tightened.
With the conversation reaching this point, how could he not understand?!
A-level contract?
That was just a test!
In fact, the contract Bertelsmann initially set was precisely an S-level contract.
Knowing that Crow was not Hassan's match, he still sent him because Hassan was Crow's Old boss. This allowed them to maximize their chances of beating out all competitors and securing the rights to "Harry Potter"… Golden Dawn Entertainment Group.
"Hassan, you're really cunning."
Kyle looked at Ms. Hassan in front of him and smiled, "You actually managed to persuade 12 large publishing groups, including Penguin Publishing Group, to act as if they would fight to the death for the 'Harry Potter' rights."
Hassan accepted Kyle's compliment without ceremony.
"Bertelsmann is also cunning enough to let Crow handle the negotiations. He wanted to make us lower our guard!" Hassan said with a smile.
In fact, Bertelsmann guessed Hassan's thoughts;
Hassan also anticipated Bertelsmann's plan;
However, neither of them explicitly stated it behind the scenes; one was willing to strike, and the other was willing to endure, so there was nothing more to say. This was mainly because the old man Bertelsmann was indeed optimistic about the prospects of "Harry Potter," especially on the eve of its upcoming film adaptation.
Therefore, no one who has been in the workplace for many years is a simple character.
After Hassan left, Kyle picked up the drafted contract again and began to read it.
"Very good indeed~"
The 1.2 million US dollar payment for overseas rights was actually not a low price.
Books are, after all, books. In today's commercialized market, their influence is far less than that of movies, and the price difference is significant.
In the future, the famous "The Da Vinci Code," which topped the North American bestseller list for as long as 6 months, had an overseas copyright price of only 900,000 US dollars; of course, there was also a share, but it was only 19%.
To be able to sell for this price now, Hassan's operation was already excellent.
In the original timeline, "Harry Potter" was first released in the UK and then in the US. The North American copyright fee it sold for was only 12,000 US dollars, not to mention the share. It was only later that Warner Bros. helped J.K. Rowling fight a lawsuit to regain a higher share.
Selling the overseas distribution rights for the "Harry Potter" books this time was actually a last resort.
Kyle lacked the ability for overseas distribution.
The next day.
Kyle received good news.
The two adapted screenplays, "Spider-Man" and "Harry Potter," were officially finalized!