The morning sun streamed into the living room through the French windows. Voss was sitting at his desk, organizing the he had bought yesterday. The environment of his new home was indeed much quieter than Hell's Kitchen, perfect for writing.
"Master, that guy is calling again—"
The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Voss's thoughts.
"Mr. Voss, good morning! This is Oscar." The editor's excited voice came from the other end of the line.
"Oscar? What's up with the early call?" Voss put down his pen, a little puzzled.
"I have some amazing news to tell you!" Oscar's tone was full of joy, "About your Reborn and Transmigrated into WWII, I Became Captain America's Comrade."
Voss's heart tightened. Could it be that sales were too poor and they were going to stop publishing? No, that's not right. A few days ago, he saw a bunch of teenagers scrambling for his book in a bookstore. Could it be something else?
"Mr. Voss, congratulations! Your novel's sales have exceeded our expectations. In just three days, several bookstores have requested restocking."
"We've decided to print an additional 10,000 copies, and we hope you can complete the outline for the sequel as soon as possible. Also, several publishing houses have expressed interest in your work and wish to meet with you."
Voss was stunned, almost dropping his phone.
"Oh my god!" Voss jumped up from his chair in excitement, "They're printing an additional 10,000 copies!"
"What?" Aqua, who was playing games in the living room, put down her phone and looked at Voss curiously, "What happened?"
"My book is getting a reprint!" Voss excitedly waved his fists, "10,000 copies! Based on royalties, that's…"
Voss quickly calculated in his mind: 36 dollars a copy, 20% royalty, 10,000 copies is 36,000 dollars!
"36,000 dollars!" Voss was so excited he was incoherent, "I'm going to be rich!"
Artoria walked out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula: "Master, what did you just say?"
"Artoria! We're rich!" Voss excitedly hugged the bewildered Artoria and spun her around.
Tom and Jerry were also attracted by Voss's shouting and ran over from their respective corners, looking at the gesticulating Voss with puzzled expressions.
"Wait, wait!" Aqua stood up in dissatisfaction, "This goddess hasn't figured out what happened yet!"
Oscar, on the other end of the phone, heard the commotion and chuckled, "It seems you're very excited. But Mr. Voss, we need to meet as soon as possible to discuss the next publishing plan. Do you have time today?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Of course!" Voss nodded repeatedly, "I can come over right now!"
"Great, then please come to the publishing house, and we'll discuss the sequel's plan in detail."
After hanging up the phone, Voss was still in a state of excitement.
"36,000 dollars!" He looked at the ceiling, his eyes full of stars.
"Now I really don't have to worry about rent!"
"So what exactly happened?" Aqua asked impatiently.
"My novel sold incredibly well!" Voss excitedly explained, "The editor said they're printing an additional 10,000 copies, and other publishing houses want to collaborate!"
"Wow! Voss, you're amazing!" Aqua clapped her hands, "Does that mean we can buy more delicious food?"
"Of course!" Voss waved grandly, "I'm treating tonight, you can eat whatever you want!"
Artoria smiled beside him, looking at the excited Voss: "Congratulations, Master. Your hard work has paid off."
"This is all thanks to everyone!" Voss said gratefully, "If it weren't for your support, I wouldn't have been able to write such a good story."
Tom made a gesture of "When did we support you?", while Jerry snickered beside him.
"Ah, ah, ah, I need to get to the publishing house quickly!" Voss suddenly realized time was short, "Oscar said we need to discuss the sequel's plan!"
He hastily changed his clothes, not even bothering to eat breakfast.
"Master, aren't you eating breakfast?" Artoria asked worriedly.
"No time! I'm too excited, I can't eat anything!" Voss said while putting on his jacket, "You guys wait for me at home, I'll be back soon!"
"Then what about this goddess's adventure plan for today?" Aqua asked.
"Another day, another day! This is more important today!" Voss grabbed his wallet and phone and ran out, "You guys play by yourselves, I might not be back until the afternoon!"
Watching Voss leave in a hurry, Artoria shook her head helplessly: "Master is really impatient."
"Men are all like this, they get so excited when they hear about making money." Aqua said with the air of an experienced person, "This goddess has seen too much of it in the heavens."
Tom and Jerry exchanged glances, both thinking that Voss was a bit unusual today. Although he usually cared about money, he had never been this exaggerated.
Meanwhile, Voss sat on the subway to Manhattan, his mood still incredibly excited.
36,000 dollars was an astronomical sum to him now. He used to pay only 800 dollars a month for rent in Hell's Kitchen, so this money was enough for him to live in his new home for over a year.
More importantly, this was just the income from one reprint. If the novel continued to sell well, the subsequent royalty income would be even more substantial.
"Maybe I really can get rich by writing novels in the Marvel world." Voss thought happily.
"Then I'll buy a mansion, hire a few bodyguards, and safety issues will be completely resolved."
After the subway arrived at the station, Voss practically ran towards the small building of Glory Publishing House.
"Mr. Voss!" Oscar was already waiting for him in the office, his smile even brighter than their last meeting.
"You came so fast!"
"How could I not be fast!" Voss panted, "This is amazing news!"
The two went to Oscar's office. A thick stack of documents and data tables were on the desk.
"Please sit, let's talk in detail." Oscar poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Voss, "First, congratulations on the success of your work."
"Thank you!" Voss excitedly took the coffee, "I didn't even expect it to be so popular."
"It shows that your story is indeed very appealing." Oscar picked up a report.
"Especially among teenagers, many have become your fans. They all say that the friendship between your protagonist and Captain America, and your handling of historical details, are very innovative."
"I enjoy studying history." Voss said modestly.
"Here's the situation." Oscar opened the document, "In addition to the 10,000 copies we're reprinting, three other publishing houses have expressed interest in collaborating. This includes Penguin Random House, and they are very interested in your sequel."
Voss almost spat out his coffee, thinking to himself:
"Penguin Random House? Weren't those the publishing houses that mercilessly rejected my submissions before? They probably didn't expect my book to explode in popularity, but who would turn down money? With the influence of these major publishing houses as a boost, I believe I can become famous and make money faster."
So Voss pretended to be very surprised and replied: "Then am I really going to become an overnight sensation with one book?"
"Exactly." Oscar nodded, "But our top priority is to release the sequel as soon as possible. Readers are eagerly awaiting the next plot, and we must strike while the iron is hot."
"I'm already brainstorming the outline for the sequel." Voss patted his chest, "I can definitely complete the first draft within a month!"
"Excellent!" Oscar stood up excitedly, "Then it's settled. I'll prepare the new contract shortly, and we can adjust the royalty rate appropriately, after all, you are now our publishing house's star author!"
Hearing the title "star author," Voss was overjoyed.
He had never imagined that one day he would also become a "star author" in other people's mouths.
In fact, Voss had already thought of the story for the next volume.