1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Chapter 102 is my assessment of you.

£10,000!

The moment the number was uttered, Murray and his servants were terrified.

What does this mean?

This huge sum of money is enough to buy a house in the most prime location in London!

That's equivalent to several hundred years' worth of wages for a low-level London clerk at that time!

In this era, even the most outstanding writers would never receive more than this amount in advance for a single work.

Speaking of this, we have to mention the so-called "prepayment".

The so-called advance payment is actually a one-time cash payment made by the publisher to the author before the manuscript is published, which is used to offset future royalties or profit sharing.

Essentially, it's a form of advance payment for manuscripts.

Otherwise, by the time the book is published, most of the authors will probably have starved to death.

While advance payments are not unique to the UK, there is no doubt that the UK has the most mature advance payment system in the world, bar none.

The United States goes without saying; piracy is rampant, and authors don't even receive normal royalties, let alone advance payments. So, let's take neighboring France as an example.

Although France also has advance payments, copyright protection is weak and piracy is rampant, so publishers dare not give too high an advance payment.

Otherwise they would suffer huge losses...

Therefore, French writers relied more on newspaper serialization fees than on advance payments.

As for the UK, this is thanks to its well-established copyright laws.

As early as 1710, Britain enacted the famous Statute of Anne, the world's first modern copyright law, which was later revised in 1814.

Simply put, this law states that:

Whoever writes the book has the exclusive right to print and sell it; others cannot simply pirate it.

In addition, copyrights have a time limit; they are not permanent. Once they expire, they become public resources.

The crackdown on piracy has been quite severe.

The copyright period has also been greatly extended, which has emboldened publishers to pay large upfront fees.

Anyway, with so many years of copyright, there's not much piracy, so we'll break even eventually by selling them all.

To get back to the point, generally speaking, for an average novelist, the advance payment for a three-volume novel is usually between £100 and £300.

As for Dickens's *Oliver Twist*, which is currently being serialized in *Bentley's Notebooks*, Bentley has prepaid a whopping 500 [currency unspecified].

GBP.

The highest prepayment record in the UK was set by Scott at his peak.

More than a decade ago, Murray paid an advance of up to £3000!

Now, Harper has offered an astronomical price that would make anyone's heart stop.

However, before Harper could finish speaking, an angry voice interrupted him.

"You're dreaming!"

John Murray stood up.

All his previous elegance, reserve, and aristocratic demeanor were completely thrown to the winds at this moment.

He ripped up the "standard contract" he had brought with him on the table, and scraps of paper scattered like snowflakes.

"Harper! You money-grubbing idiot! You don't understand! You don't understand the value of this work at all!"

"And besides, I'm afraid you'll also be signing an exclusive contract for that ten thousand pounds, won't you?"

"How is this any different from a contract of servitude?"

He roared, completely losing his usual composure.

"This is not something that can be measured in money! This is our Faust! The Don Quixote of the next century!"

He turned to Michelle, his attitude completely reversed.

The arrogant attitude they had before has completely vanished.

Harper blushed slightly at Murray's words.

Indeed, his £10,000 advance payment was not so easy to obtain.

After all, the United States does not recognize British copyright at all, so piracy is a legal act and it happens everywhere.

The money American publishers give to British authors is more of a "first-release fee".

This money is used to secure first-launch deals and monopolize the market.

If Michelle is to receive this £10,000 advance payment, she will also have to accept a stringent contract.

In the end, it's not much better than the three-year monopoly that Murray proposed before.

"Mr. Michel!"

Murray also pulled a checkbook from his pocket, but his movements were much more solemn than Harper's.

"I'm willing to pay a £5000 upfront fee, with no other additional terms."

His voice was hoarse with excitement, yet it resonated with unparalleled clarity.

"I believe this is far more sincere than Mr. Harper's £10,000."

""

Indeed, Murray's £5000 advance payment, while not as much as Harper's, also had fewer restrictions.

This is undoubtedly more in line with Michelle's taste.

If Harper's £10,000 was a bombshell, then Murray's unconditional advance payment was a precise, one-on-one breakthrough.

This means that Murray is willing to offer the highest advance payment in British publishing history for this novel.

Even higher than Scott at his peak!

Harper was stunned by Murray's crazy actions.

He gritted his teeth and quoted an equally astonishing price.

"A £6000 upfront payment, with no other additional terms!"

The air in the living room seemed to freeze.

Two publishing giants are locked in a fierce battle over the publishing rights to Michelle's new book.

Michelle suspected that if things continued like this, the two might have to fight.

Of course, given Murray's age, he's probably too old for a duel.

While they were arguing, Michelle simply leaned back in her chair.

He even had the leisure to refill his almost empty cup of black tea with hot water.

His calmness contrasted sharply with the fervor of the two bigwigs.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, both Murray and Harper had offered their highest bids.

Michelle knew it was time for this good show to come to an end.

He finally put down his teacup and gently tapped it on the tray, making a crisp "ding" sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but it brought all the fervor and noise to an abrupt halt.

"Gentlemen."

A faint smile curved at the corners of Michelle's lips.

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

He slowly stood up, and under their tense gazes, reached out and snatched the manuscript of "The Great Gatsby," which they treasured, back from their hands.

Michelle took the manuscript in her hand and patted it gently.

"Now, it's not you choosing me."

"I'm the one evaluating you."

The moment those words were spoken, the living room fell silent.

Both Murray and Harper fell silent.

Michelle's words completely overturned all the rules they had come to know.

Traditionally, it has been publishers who select authors and evaluate their works.

When has a writer ever turned around and evaluated them?

But looking at the manuscript in Michel's hand that had just made their souls tremble, they felt that this statement was... perfectly natural.

An author capable of producing such a work certainly has the right to say such things.

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