Page 5 of Modern Persuasion

"Has this agent worked with you before?"

"Nope."

"That's weird," Mary said before leaning back and taking a bite of her salad.

"He wasn't the only one who requested it, either," I added before sitting back. "He's just the one with an author that I think has potential to have a great book."

"It doesn't really surprise me that people want to work with you," Mary said, giving me a wink. "You work with what, ten authors regularly?"

"There are about fifteen on my plate, but only ten really need any attention," I said, turning my hand a few times.

"Right," Mary added, stabbing some lettuce with a fork, "all ten of those are popular authors who regularly appear on bestseller lists and win awards. From what I saw today, your newest author is another win for you. You know how to pick books and get them to readers. From what I remember when Daddy ran the publishing house, I am surprised you don't get a ton of offers to work for other publishers."

Mary didn't know how right she was. Part of the reason I didn't wander around PubCon was that I often got stopped by publishers and offered jobs. I had never considered changing anything about my job.

Chapter Four

I arrived alone and early at PubCon on the second day. I had been thinking about my dinner with Mary since I got home, and my walk to Javits Center didn't help clear my head. I had always trusted Karen to steer my career in the right direction and never regretted it. She had mentored me for the first few years, and I was quickly promoted to editor. Karen remained the Executive Editor supervising me. While I was free to pick authors and books to work with, she could veto my decisions. These weird requests from agents and authors to add me to their contracts were not something I had ever been asked to do before. I couldn't help but dwell on what I was missing.

It was true that my career had slowed as my father's finances had diminished. That sucked up so much of my time and energy. I had nothing left for office politics and to fight for myself. Karen knew what I was dealing with because she was one of the two people trying to support me - the other being Mary. I promised myself that, now that my father and Elizabeth's situation was better, I would use PubCon to shift my focus back on fighting for the career I wanted. If these editors wanted to work directly with me, I would fight to make sure that happened. I needed to make sure I was paying attention to the political games. This week was always when interesting shifts happened.

As I walked into the quiet convention center, I put that out of my mind. I was here early for a ticketed breakfast that I had been invited to attend by one of the authors on the panel, Tom Scott. My father had once been his publisher, and even though Tom changed publishers years later, they remained friends. He was the biggest draw to this breakfast, and his new book was prominently displayed around the open areas. I planned to stay just long enough to hear him speak. My VIP status allowed me to go backstage early, where I found him reading over his notes.

"Emma, sweetheart!" Tom said, getting to his feet to hug me.

"The line is so long it has doubled on itself," I said, letting him give me one of his long, comforting hugs like he had done when I was a kid. "They're finally letting everyone take their seats."

"Yes," he said when he let me go, and we sat down again. "This breakfast has a lot of attention. Some popular books and authors are included."

I looked around, surprised that he was the only one here so soon before they were going to take their spots. It gave me a moment to assess how Tom looked and adjust a few details. He was a tall, rail-thin man with jet black hair and a long oval face. He usually wore bifocals, but the lack of line across his glasses lenses made it clear he had finally upgraded his eyewear. He was dressed in baggy, stonewashed jeans that I was sure he had purchased around the time I was born but held up with black suspenders over a bright white button-down shirt with a pocket on each breast.

"Thank you for making me one of your VIPs," I said, happy to have this time alone with him.

Tom folded up his notes and put the paper in his front shirt pocket. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about that, first," he said and looked around to make sure we were alone before lowering his voice. "This is my last book under my contract. I'm considering a new publisher, and I want to work with you, no matter what company you work for. Are you up for it?"

I stared at him and blinked a few times. I wasn't sure what to make of that comment. "What?" I asked, doing my best to regain my composure. "Why would you switch publishers, and why might my position be in question?"

Tom tilted his head to the side and looked at me before smiling. "Personal reasons, and you have become the hottest editor. Everyone wants to work with you. There are rumors."

"Rumors?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Tom turned his head and looked around. I turned to look in the same direction and noticed people were beginning to enter. "I hear that you are going to start your own imprint, that you are switching jobs, that you are getting promoted, that you're taking back your family's publishing company and tons of others. All the talk is about you," he said, leaning close and whispering to me.

The requests from authors and agents were starting to make sense. I was sure these rumors were making people anxious, but I had no idea what had prompted them. I opened my mouth to assure him this was just gossip until I heard my name.

"OMG! Emma!" Someone called out from the other side of the room.

I looked up and saw Louisa waving to me. Standing next to her was Fredrick Wentworth with a look of complete shock on his face.

I don't know how much time passed once I met Fredrick's eyes. It seemed like he and Louisa walked towards me in slow motion. I could see Tom stand up and extend his hand to Louisa and Fredrick from the corner of my eye. My mind yelled at me to introduce Tom and to act like I was meeting Fredrick for the first time. I managed to get to my feet, but it felt like someone had punched me in the gut, and I was focused simply on breathing. Fortunately, Louisa kept talking as if nobody else had something to say.

"So, we were standing here getting ready, and Freddy... Can I call you Freddy? So, Freddy asks who is talking to Tom Scott. I mean, right, who is so important that she gets to talk to TOM SCOTT! And I was all like, that's my sister-in-law EMMA! You know Tom Scott? I mean, WOW! That is, like, huge, and Tom Scott is like the most important author in the world. I knew I just had to introduce you to Freddy, but also so I could introduce Freddy to Tom Scott. You know, so I could also meet Tom Scott. It is like a total honor to meet you, sir," Louisa continued on as Fredrick Wentworth and I stared at each other.

Even after all this time, I could still read Fredrick. The shock faded from his face as he worked through the logic of why I was here. I wondered if he had even considered me when picking a publisher for his book. I watched as he cringed and realized he hadn't even thought about where I would be working. He had given no thought to me when he entered the world I left him to be part of.

Fredrick was the panel moderator, and Tom was the first speaker. I really didn't want to sit through anything Fredrick Wentworth had to say. I had seen the movie, so I knew what he thought of me, and I didn't need to hear more. Still, I owed Tom my time and attention since he had used one of his three passes to invite me.

The ample space was filled with people. At the front of the room was a stage where the five featured authors sat at a long table in speaking order. That put Fredrick and Tom right next to each other over breakfast. Next were the tables where guests of the authors and those willing to pay for the expensive tickets sat. We got a higher quality breakfast - basically, more than muffins. Behind us was another group of tables. These people paid to only get muffins. The back of the space, taking up more than half of the audience, were the rows of chairs. These were the least expensive tickets, and there was no food for them. Most brought something in from the many restaurants serving breakfast. Food might not have been an option for everyone, but we all got free copies of the books being promoted by the featured authors. One of the more prominent publishing companies had provided the tote bag, and inside was a variety of items. All five books were included and in hardback, which I knew was a calculated expense. There were flyers and catalogs for other books and a handful of sample booklets. Other than the books, the biggest splurge was for Tom's book - a cellphone stand with the cover of his book printed on it. I made a mental note to give that to my father.