Chapter 14 - Contracts and such

The next day, Tayaw and Chala met up at a sparsely crowded café near his dorm at 8 in the morning.

Yesterday evening, Chala, after a whole spending the entire afternoon in the negotiations, called back again to inform Tayaw that the negotiation has gone smoothly and would bring over the contracts for Tayaw to sign.

From Chala's voice over the phone yesterday, it seemed like this deal was better than the usual deal for debut authors.

Joining Chala, who was already waiting at a table furthest from the entrance of the café, Tayaw was wearing an anticipating expression on his face. "So, did it go well?"

Chala took out a few pages of papers from his briefcase handed them to Tayaw with a smile. "Oh. I think it went better than we expected. You can take a look." Tayaw also began reading the contract.

Topaz offered Tayaw a 12000 bgc credit with 15% starting royalty for net sales of hardcover books and 10% starting royalty for net sales of paperbacks.

Topaz, in accordance to Tayaw's demands, is planning on publishing hard cover and paperback in novel forms, instead of Topaz's original idea of making each story in the book into children's picture books.

They begrudgingly relented when Chala told them that Tayaw would rather not publish the book with them if they cannot meet this condition.

Regarding the hardcover versions, Tayaw's royalty will start at 15% for the first 3500 books sold. After that, it increases to 20% for the next 7000 books, after that to 25% for the consequent book sales.

With the paperbacks, Tayaw's starting royalty is at 10% for the first 3500 books sold, 15% for the next 7000 books sold, and finally at 20% fixed royalty for the consequent books sales.

This means that if a hardcover version is sold for 30 BGC in stores, Topaz's share from that sale is around 15 BGC, around 50%. Out of the 15 BGC that Topaz earned, Tayaw will get an initial 15% share of 2.25 BGC each hard cover book sold.

After the 3500th book sale, Tayaw's share will increase to 20%, 3BGC from each book sold. After the 10500th sale, his share will increase to 25%, 3.75 per hardcover book sold. The same principle applies to the paperback versions.

Tayaw was satisfied with the numbers. He was also sure that Chala deserves credit for a huge part in this deal. The royalties offered to him are better than the royalties offered to debut authors, which tells Tayaw of Topaz's confidence in his book.

"So, are we good?" Chala asked Tayaw rhetorically seeing the satisfied smile on Tayaw's face. He then handed Tayaw a thick envelope. Seeing this, Tayaw was confused, and as he opened the envelope, his confusion turned to surprise. Inside the envelope are tens of 100 bgc bills.

He looked at Chala for an explanation. "5,000 BGC, an off the books gift from Topaz. You're a smart lad, you know what this means right?" Chala said. Tayaw just nodded.

During the negotiation yesterday, Chala called Tayaw a couple of times for his opinions which included Tayaw's rejection of the Children's picture book idea. This gift therefore implies many things. One is that Topaz still has not given up with the Children's picture book ideas, and may want to ask Tayaw the rights to make the stories in his book into Children's picture books in the future.

Second, they are also asking Tayaw to publish his second volume with Topaz. After a minute of consideration, Tayaw took 1000 BGC from the stack and gave it to Chala and keeping the rest for himself. Chala, seeing this gesture, nodded in approval of Tayaw's decision.

It is best for Tayaw to keep publishing with Topaz. Topaz being generous to Tayaw, expressed their sincerity in working with him in the future. It is just unwise and will result to infamy for Tayaw to refuse.

"Good. If you're satisfied, you can sign the contract now. I'll get us coffee, what do you want? My treat." Chala urged Tayaw, satisfied with his smooth working relationship him.

"Café au lait." Tayaw replied as his newly bought Parker signing pen got busy.

A few minutes later, Chala gulped down the last of his coffee and received the signed contract which he put back inside his briefcase.

"Mr. Rotala, how about another cup of coffee? On me this time, plus some snacks." Tayaw said as he waved for a server. Chala was surprised. This meant Tayaw has another business with him. "Sure." He said.

Tayaw opened his back pack and pulled out a thick envelope, removed its contents and handed it to Chala. Chala, accepting what could only be a manuscript, widened his eyes when he saw the title page. 'Grimm's Fairy Tales for A.d.u.l.ts – Vol. 1'. "This-"he was stunned as he looked at Tayaw, who only gestured him to take a look inside.

Chala read a good part of Tayaw's Grimm's Fairy Tales for Children, so he was shocked at the contrast that the manuscript he is currently reading provided. He was familiar with the stories but reading them in a gloomier, darker, and gorier form made him appreciate the stories better.

As a middle aged man, he felt like he would not be embarrassed reading this in front of strangers. The stories despite being fairy tales are more logical, more immersive, and most importantly more relatable to his tastes and to him as a person. While unknowingly giving a View Point to Tayaw, he slowly immersed himself in the manuscript. He also did not notice the server's arrival along with the coffee she set on the table.

"Mr. Rotala, your coffee is getting colder." Chala was interrupted by Tayaw who pushed a cup of black coffee to his field of vision. He put down the manuscript and picked up the cup as and absentmindedly drank. He is still mulling over the images in his head while he was reading the manuscript. He wants to ask Tayaw about the manuscript but don't know which questions to ask.

"What do you think of the manuscript, Mr. Rotala?" Tayaw asked after letting Chala sort his thoughts.

"It was… an experience. I feel like the characters are more alive." Chala, who was usually more eloquent, replied shortly but meaningfully.

Tayaw agreed with his assessment. While reading the fairy tales while they were still in his head, he also enjoyed the a.d.u.l.ts version and he felt like they are more expandable.

"I am thinking about publishing it as well." Tayaw said.

Chala nodded at this. "I think it's a good idea to publish it along with the Children's version. It will also boost your name as an author by releasing two books. Although they have the same stories, their contrast will gather the attention of a wider range of audiences."

"I think so too. We can sign another contract immediately if you want to work on this book as well." Tayaw offered Chala.

Chala can see Tayaw's generosity and sincerity in the offer. Even if it will take longer, Tayaw can just find another agent. And yet, Tayaw still chose him for the job.

"Of course I want to! I like you kid, so I can accept less than my pay with the Children's version. I will print up an agreement later on. In the meantime, I will bring this manuscript along with me back to Topaz to see what they think."

Seeing his untouched confection on the table, Chala picked up the fork as he sliced into the slice of blueberry cake. While enjoying the sweetness and creaminess of the cake, something popped up inside Chala's mind. He preferred the a.d.u.l.ts' version more, so he was confused at why Tayaw decided to release the children's version first.

"By the way, I think the a.d.u.l.ts' version is better. Why didn't you release it first?"

"Do you still remember the contents of my letter when I first e-mailed you?" Tayaw replied with another question.

Remembering Tayaw's critique on the existing fairy tales and the dissatisfaction he expressed on his letter, Chala finally understood Tayaw's reasoning.

"Not only do I want the current and future generation of children be told more nuanced fairy tales, I also want their parents, who didn't get to have the chance to enjoy my fairy tales as children, appreciate the my fairy tales as a.d.u.l.ts." Tayaw elaborated with resolve in his eyes.

If it was another typical debut author that said this, Chala would just curse their arrogance in his mind while fawning outwardly. Tayaw, to him, however is different to other authors even the established ones. An author of Tayaw's level should just be concerned about his book being published, but what Chala is currently witnessing in Tayaw is something that is bigger and beyond of just writing books.

Chala's impression of Tayaw has elevated even higher. In his eyes, Tayaw is no longer just a promising talent. He now sees Tayaw as a real artist. Not just an author who want to tell their story, but a real literary artist who can affect the world with his work. Whether or not Tayaw will succeed to become a famous author in the future, to Chala will always respect him as an artist

If Tayaw is to know what Chala is thinking, he would be looking for a hole to hide. The intentions he told Chala are real, but an artist? He is not. Not yet, anyways.