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The process of submitting a manuscript was never going to be smooth.
Even if you had a strong manuscript in hand, if no one was willing to publish it, everything would still be in vain.
Editors capable of recognizing talent were rare, especially for someone like Dudley, who still had no reputation in the wizarding world.
The Prophet Publishing House directly rejected Dudley's submission.
The Prophet Publishing House was affiliated with the Daily Prophet and was currently one of the largest publishing houses in the European wizarding world. Its position was secure, and it had no need to take chances on unknown authors.
Dudley was not surprised by that response. To him, it had been expected from the very beginning. After all, every beginning was difficult, and no one became well-known overnight.
Malfoy had even suggested that he could speak to his father. With Lucius's position in the wizarding world, that kind of problem would be easy to solve.
But Dudley declined politely.
He had never had direct contact with Lucius, so he did not know his personality in any real sense. Still, based on Draco's past behavior and the descriptions he had already heard, he could form a general idea.
Draco was someone worth maintaining a relationship with, but Lucius was not... unless, in the future, Draco took control of the family.
Lucius Malfoy was definitely not someone easy to deal with.
With that in mind, Dudley decided to look for another alternative.
"Mr. Dursley, are you planning to publish a book?"
Carrow showed surprise when he saw Dudley seeking him out.
"Yes, Mr. Carrow. I hope you can help me with that."
The Carrow family controlled another major publishing house, Witches and Potions Publishing. Its standing was just below that of the Prophet Publishing House. Lockhart's books, for example, were published by them, and that had earned them enormous profits over the years.
"Even if you come to me, if the quality is not good enough..."
Carrow did not finish the sentence.
He did not need to continue. His meaning was already clear. He could show goodwill, but when interests were involved, he would not make concessions. After all, he would inherit the family business in the future.
"Take a look."
Dudley didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He merely pushed the manuscript toward him calmly.
At first, Carrow did not think much of it. He flipped through a few pages casually, as if he were only going through the motions.
However, after reading one passage more carefully, his expression changed.
He kept reading.
And little by little, he became completely drawn into the story.
Dudley did not show any impatience. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, then popped a sweet into his mouth and waited calmly.
He had enough experience to know that in that kind of situation, the most important thing was not to show anxiety.
Time passed slowly.
Carrow's reading speed gradually slowed down. He began rereading passages, lingering longer over each part. Some sections were revisited more than once.
The fantasy world Dudley had built, based on a D&D-style setting, had a rich and detailed structure. On top of that, the characters were vivid, well-defined, and full of personality.
It was impossible not to get drawn in.
Since the manuscript was not very long, Carrow finished reading it after some time.
"What happens next?"
The question came out immediately, laced with impatience.
He was clearly already immersed in the story.
"That's the end. I haven't written that part yet."
Dudley replied naturally, shrugging.
"So, Mr. Carrow, what did you think?"
Carrow straightened up.
"The book is very good, but..."
He began to speak.
And he spoke at length.
A large part of what he said revolved around pointing out areas for improvement, raising doubts, and highlighting possible risks. However, in the end, it all came down to an attempt to lower the price, a classic method used by publishers in negotiations.
Even so, Carrow had a sharp eye. He had clearly seen the commercial potential of that work. If handled well, it could become a phenomenon comparable to Lockhart.
Perhaps even surpass him.
"I've heard that The Quibbler Publishing House isn't bad either. If it won't work here, I can try my luck there."
Dudley spoke calmly, without the slightest hurry.
The essence of a negotiation lay in who controlled the situation. Dudley might have had an impressive physique, but his greatest strength was not just that. He knew exactly what he was doing.
In truth, from the very beginning, his preferred choice had always been Witches and Potions Publishing. Sending the manuscript to the Prophet Publishing House had only been a strategic step. However, the editor there had failed to recognize the value of the work.
Dudley also knew the situation of Witches and Potions Publishing very well.
They had achieved great success thanks to Lockhart, but had also become excessively dependent on him. After realizing the enormous profits his books generated, they had focused almost exclusively on his publications, no longer investing in discovering new authors.
If that relationship had continued steadily, there would have been no problem.
But a month earlier, everything changed.
Lockhart demanded a renegotiation.
He wanted to increase his share of the profits.
That kind of demand, in itself, was not absurd. After all, with the growth of his fame, it was only natural that his market value would rise.
The problem was the proportion he demanded.
It was too high.
So high that Witches and Potions Publishing could not sustain it.
If they lost Lockhart, and at the same time had no new authors capable of supporting their list, the publishing house would run a serious risk of collapse.
Their earlier expansion had been too fast.
And now, their financial structure was starting to show weaknesses.
"No, Mr. Dursley. This work is not suitable for them."
Carrow cut in quickly.
"Why?"
"The Quibbler Publishing House is not exactly... suitable."
It was a polite way of saying it was not reliable. After all, that publishing house did not even pay its authors.
"But I heard they sell more than the Daily Prophet."
"That's true, but..."
Dudley lightly tapped the table, interrupting him.
"It can go to The Quibbler."
"Or it can go to Witches and Potions."
"That depends on you, Mr. Carrow."
"The publishing house's situation isn't very good, is it?"
Dudley set his teacup down on the table and looked directly at him.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Even as a seventh-year student, Carrow could clearly feel the pressure.
After a few seconds, he let out a long sigh.
He had been completely seen through.
And there was no way to deny it.
Truly... worthy of being Harry Potter's cousin.
If Petunia had been there, she probably would have said she had never taught Dudley any of this. He had learned it all on his own.
After they came to an understanding, the negotiation became much simpler.
The profit split was established in a balanced way. Dudley did not try to exploit the publishing house excessively, but he also did not accept terms that would put him at a disadvantage.
Even so, everything still depended on one essential factor.
Sales.
And then the question arose.
Would The Dragonlance Chronicles sell poorly?
The answer was obvious.
No.
Three days after signing the contract, Witches and Potions Publishing began promoting the work.
A week later, the book The Dragonlance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight was officially released in the major bookstores of the wizarding world, including Flourish and Blotts.
The result was immediate.
On the very day of release, the copies sold out completely.
The story of the continent of Ansalon quickly won readers over.
"Reprint them! Quickly! Get the machines running!"
Inside the publishing house, the manager in charge shouted orders nonstop.
The employees immediately threw themselves into intense work. Production was accelerated to the maximum.
Fortunately, all overtime was properly paid.
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