Writing Web Novels In America-Chapter 342 - 326: Change of Attitude

After a night of contemplation, the President of Universal finally figured out what to use to lure that bestselling author to the negotiation table.

Artists...

They seem to prefer fame over tangible benefits.

So, an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay would be a suitable choice.

Although securing the award for the other party at the end would be challenging.

But just being nominated, with the power of Universal, was still easy to achieve.

Besides, this year’s nominations were already announced, "I’m so rich" could only compete for next year now.

By then, even if the author was displeased with not winning the award and consequently chose to halt the negotiations.

The historical war epic, "Cutthroat Island," would likely have already been a great success.

Of course, to ensure the ultimate goal was reached, Ron Meyer also offered a series of concessions during the negotiations.

Aside from instructing the legal team that the initial quote should not be too low, but rather decrease the amount gradually.

He even proposed, like MGM in the golden age seeking adaptation rights for Hemingway’s works, to cover the opposite party’s legal fees.

Little Bronfman, rich from countless generations, aside from making embarrassing offers, was quite relaxed in other management aspects.

"Even if we hire some actors for shooting, we still have to pay their fees, right?" Ron Meyer put down the phone, mumbling to himself.

But the conditions he proposed really took Wang Jian by surprise.

"What you fear, comes to you..."

"The success of ’I’m so rich’ made Universal so optimistic about the adaptation of online literature IP that they proposed such advantageous conditions?"

He pondered for a moment, picked up his phone, and directly made a blunt request to Tom.

"Contact Matthew’s law firm, have them go to Los Angeles for negotiations, and also post announcements on the website to inform as many authors as possible."

"Our offer for ’Arcane Throne’ is an authorization fee of 3.5 million US dollars, plus 10% of total revenue, including box office and merchandise."

Wang Jian thought for a moment and felt it still was not secure.

With such sincere conditions from the other party, there really was a possibility they would agree...

So, after another pause, he added, "We also want PricewaterhouseCoopers to perform a comprehensive audit of all revenues."

"And the commission, that also needs to be provided by Universal."

"The authorization fee and profit sharing can be discussed," Tom’s voice, even through the phone, could convey his astonishment, "but a comprehensive audit?"

"There’s never been a precedent for this in Hollywood, Universal will never agree!"

Nonsense, of course, I know!

If they had agreed, I’d have already eagerly sought adaptation rights!

After all, compared to cable networks, the big screen has a wider audience and higher profits.

Wang Jian paused, then slowly said, "We shouldn’t give our bottom price right away, but rather gradually increase our price."

"Remember, it’s not the outcome of the negotiation that matters, it’s the process."

"We need to treat it like a grueling marathon, show the authors how hard we’re trying!"

"Uh, you mean to..." Tom paused, likely grasping Wang Jian’s intent.

However, he immediately raised another question.

"We certainly can do that, but how can we ensure that Universal will cooperate?"

Well... that was also Wang Jian’s concern.

He had these interests, but one of Hollywood’s six giants, Universal, didn’t.

It wasn’t possible that Ron Meyer, a professional executive, or Little Bronfman, one of the richest family heirs in the world, were fools, right?!

Wang Jian put himself in the shoes of an inheritor from an old-money family who began with crimes, absolutely rational.

What circumstances would cause one to endure repeated price increases, rather than storming out of negotiations angrily?

"Only if the stakes are high enough, and the other party is a sincere collaborator," Wang Jian muttered to himself.

Currently, the only project related to their interests was "I’m so rich."

What it truly meant to hope for the success of a project, striving for box office returns, what should the disposition be like...

He picked up the document on the table, looked at it for a while, and slightly nodded.

"Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman are heading to the charity auction."

"The lead actress Renée Zellweger has also been involved in a scandal with the black actor playing the secondary male role."

"Jerry Maguire’s real-life counterpart, Lee Steinberg, rallied football fans to head into the cinemas."

Wang Jian had no plans to participate in the charity auction.

Those things, spending little had no effect, spending a lot made him feel somewhat heartbroken.

"Besides, it’s inexplicably funding some black people in South Africa."

So, should he, like Lee Steinberg, use his influence in other areas?

After weighing the pros and cons, Wang Jian picked up the phone and called Ron Meyer again.

"Mr. President, our movie is currently slightly behind the competition."

"Should I rally the book fans to step into the cinemas?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Hm?

Ron Meyer was slightly startled, somewhat puzzled.

Didn’t this bestselling author hope for the project to fail a while ago?

Could it be, an Oscar for Best Screenplay really has that much appeal?

However...

This was a positive sign, at the very least it indicated that the other party was tempted by the terms he had proposed.

Then, it was time to test how far Wang could endure, to set a reference for the discount range at the negotiation table.

Anyway, the success of this project wouldn’t affect his career plans.

"According to audience research, most book fans have already gone to the cinemas."

"I think instead of rallying them, why not leak some street and lifestyle photos of you with the person you’re portraying, to give the audience more room to imagine?"

"You know, the cast is mostly female leads, there’s an inherent deficiency when it comes to actors falling in love due to the filming."

"And those guest Italian movie stars are too high-profile, their status somewhat unequal."

Ron Meyer gauged his tone, ready to immediately reconsider his approach if Wang objected.

"Spread scandals?" Wang Jian, upon hearing this, was slightly angered, "Do you really treat me like one of those actors dependent on Universal?"

However, thinking that he still needed Universal to obediently sit at the negotiation table and play out this act, he had to show a weaker stance.

"Good idea," Wang Jian said, holding back his disgust.

Then, he changed the topic and suggested, "I think the initial promotion for this project was insufficient, so we must resort to these tactics."

"In ’Arcane Throne,’ we should learn from this and start the buildup early like other major productions."

"Of course." Ron Meyer, considering his boss’s request, decided to confuse the other party as best he could, to prevent Wang Jian from leaving the negotiation table too early.

"We’ll start by promoting the novel, further increasing its notoriety."

Afterward, the two engaged in a deep conversation about fabricating scandals and preheating ’Arcane Throne,’ as if they were earnest.

Their sincerity was akin to that of 16th-century French helping the United States achieve independence.

But just after hanging up the phone, Wang Jian immediately called Tom, "Universal will start the preheat and invest in early channels."

"Their sincerity is substantial; we just need to make good use of it."

"Also, tell Matthew to ensure there’s no text, video, or audio that could prove our quoting too high."

"Also, gather evidence of unreasonable demands from the other party."

Simultaneously, Ron Meyer had just hung up a call to the publicity department.

"With certain promotional resources, we should be able to entice that bestselling author to not walk away from the negotiation table."

"After all, although artists’ personal lives are chaotic, they generally do not want them to be publicly disclosed."

Quickly, as if something occurred to him, he called Universal’s legal department.

"In negotiations, remember to handle things cleanly, leaving no evidence of us playing the other party."

"Also, pay attention to record any excessive demands from wangwen.com’s negotiation representative."

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