Chapter 473


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    Roseanne flopped onto the couch, stretching her arms back with a contented sigh. "Ah, this is great. It feels like home again."


    "How could it not?" Norrisughed, shaking his head. "Three hours of cleaning by the hourly workers. Your mom was supervising them like a hawk, making sure they didn''t miss a spot."


    Speaking of Madge...


    "Hey, where''s Mom?" Roseanne looked around the room.


    Norris shrugged, "She was just here watching TV. How did she vanish so quickly?"


    Just then, Madge burst out of the study, phone in hand, her cheeks flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkling like she''d just discovered gold.


    "It''s a hit!"


    Norris blinked in confusion. "Huh?"


    Roseanne frowned. "What''s a hit?"


    Both were clearly out of the loop.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Madge eximed, "My book! My new book!"


    Since theirst meeting in Lumina City, Stoner had been working tirelessly on the publishing details. The initial buzz was all about the mystery queen Madge''seback after twelve years, following the sesses of The Weapon and Abandoned Vige School. It was a promising hook, but... the response was lukewarm.


    First off, Madge had been out of the game for years. Her past glory still shone, but with new faces constantly emerging, most readers weren''t too interested.


    Moreover, the trend was now


    towards "fan base marketing," with authors promoting themselves like celebrities to build a following. This strategy helps in driving book sales both online and offline,


    complemented by strategie Ove


    marketing articles to boo poprity.  to


    But Madge, having been offline for years with no social media presence,cked the "fan army" to champion her cause.


    So, the buzz leading up to theunch was pretty underwhelming.


    Disheartened, Madge felt down for a couple of days. However, Stoner remained optimistic, reassuring her that trends are fleeting, but quality content is what ultimately matters.


    Under Stoner''s guidance, Madge''s


    new book Seven Days, originally titled "The Lantern" - a name the marketing team found too mundane - was officially published a month ago, they settled on the new title after some deliberation but kept the original name in small print on the cover as a nod to its origins.  to


    Theunch was a disaster, with national sales hitting a mere 72 copies, setting a new low for Stoner''s publishing career.


    Madge was a mess, all restless and


    unable to concentrate on her writing. Even her interactions with Stoner were filled with unprecedented guilt and remorse. She had been given his utmost trust and resources, only to repay him with dismal sales.  to


    Doubting her path as a writer, Madge wondered if her stories were still worth reading. If no one read her work, could she even call herself an author? Norris saw her struggle and felt helpless, knowing nothing about the writing world.


    Then, out of the blue, Stoner called.


    "Ms. Madge, do you have any idea what the current daily sales figures are for Seven Days?!"


    Madge''s heart sank. Had the numbers dropped even further?


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Stoner, I think I might have..."