The Manager's Negotiation Skills
The lighting that had been subtly dimmed for the presentation suddenly blazed brightly once more.
While the people seated around the table adjusted to the renewed illumination, the staff began their bustling activity.
“Thirty minutes from now, we’ll have a simple after-party downstairs. I hope everyone can join us.”
No… I’m already exhausted.
Just send me home!
“Before that, however, we’ll proceed with the contract. Here is the contract you received via email in advance. Please review it one last time, and if you have any questions, ask freely.”
The staff distributed envelopes addressed with each author’s name.
“You may sign right here. If you’d like a bit more time to think it over, feel free to take it home and check it, then return it to us by this week.”
This was a company that handled electronic contracts so smoothly, it seemed quite conservative.
*Thud.*
It was time to examine their own contracts.
As expected, when I opened mine, the terms we had negotiated through email were properly reflected.
While the others seemed to be glancing at their contracts, I noticed some were tucking them neatly back into their envelopes, and others—like James—were pulling out fountain pens from their pockets, signing with flair, and handing them straight over.
Cassandra leaned in close beside me and whispered, “What are you going to do, Jun?”
“I’ve already checked everything, so signing right here should be fine. Would you like to take a look?”
There had been no particularly unreasonable clauses, and I had no intention of backing out. After all, I wanted that advance payment.
I had already spent this much time here. At the very least, the publisher’s strategy of having everyone gather together for the final contract had gone smoothly.
Most people were signing under the prevailing mood.
Still, while Cassandra carefully reviewed my contract, I quietly checked that Luca had fallen completely asleep during the presentation and gently closed the stroller lid.
I sat still, taking in my surroundings. People with additional items to discuss were exchanging seats with the staff.
At that moment, Cassandra quietly tapped my arm and whispered, “Jun, let’s just revise a few clauses.”
“What clauses?”
“It’s about the YouTube channel advertising after the recipe book’s release. Here, it says one thousand dollars per video we upload. If we shoot three videos, we’d only receive three thousand dollars.”
I had actually thought that was a pretty decent condition. I asked honestly, “Isn’t that okay?”
When I asked in a small voice, Cassandra’s eyes widened. Thanks to that, her whispered words seemed to ring out with enormous psychological volume.
“You have no idea how much our channel will have grown in just a few months! This contract must definitely be structured as an incentive plan.”
“That’s…”
What Cassandra meant was that we would receive a percentage of those who watched the videos on our channel and then clicked the posted link to buy the recipe book.
“But no matter how I think about it, reaching three thousand dollars that way won’t be easy…”
We didn’t know the exact price of the book yet, but it would likely be set between twenty and fifty dollars. And even then, the incentive would be only one to three percent at best.
Even at the maximum three percent, if the book was thirty dollars, we’d get ninety cents. Selling a hundred copies would only net ninety dollars…
I quickly ran the numbers.
To fill three thousand dollars, we’d have to sell roughly three thousand four hundred books.
“Cassandra, no matter how I think about it, people won’t be that eager to buy the book.”
A video wouldn’t stay popular forever… It would be better to just receive three thousand dollars at a flat thousand per video?
“It’s fine. Trust me, Jun.”
“Hmm…”
I glanced back and forth between the amount written in the contract and Cassandra’s face, shrugged my shoulders, and thought, I have no choice.
“Sure. Well, it’s not like dying without the money.”
I said it, but even I was a little surprised. I had really grown up. I could live without thousands of dollars?
But it was hard to ignore the words of someone far more expert than me when it came to YouTube.
Especially since Cassandra was closer to the main readership of the recipe book than I was. If she said it like this, it might actually be right.
“Great! Should I handle the negotiation?”
“Yes, please.”
As soon as my permission was granted, Cassandra raised her hand briskly to catch the staff’s attention. But Evan interrupted.
“Oh, you’re Jun’s manager, right?”
At the word “manager,” every person in the room turned toward our side.
I strained to keep my expression neutral. “Partner,” “colleague”… so many good words.
However, Cassandra stood up proudly and answered.
“Yes, that’s right. I have a few final points I’d like to negotiate regarding the contract.”
Evan nodded and stood up as well.
“You two should come talk to me directly. Shall we go to my office?”
I forced a slight upward curve to my lips.
I want to go home.
* * *
Evan’s office was far larger and more spacious than I had expected. Behind his desk, a grand bookshelf lined with countless books stood, and the faint scent of paper mingled with a subtle eucalyptus aroma.
“Please, have a seat.”
Evan gestured for Cassandra and me to sit, then took the seat opposite us, folding his hands neatly as if preparing to listen intently.
“I hope we can finalize the contract before the after-party begins. May I ask which parts you’d like to revise?”
I glanced briefly at Cassandra, who unfolded the contract and spoke boldly.
“Let me be direct. Change this clause from a one-time advertising fee payment to an incentive structure.”
“Hmm…”
As expected, Evan showed some difficulty.
He paused, as if rereading a clause he already knew, and asked, “Our conditions were never bad. Would you mind telling me the reason for suddenly wanting to change this part?”
He looked at me, but before I could answer, Cassandra cut in.
“Actually, Jun has been so busy that he didn’t have enough time to review the contract. That’s why I came along today. So you can talk to me instead.”
Evan blinked once, offered a faint smile, and gazed at Cassandra. It was clear he was asking why she was insisting on this now.
“I don’t think this clause is particularly bad. Unlike what the editor said, I believe it’s quite unfavorable. We’re not hobbyists on YouTube—we’re professionals with a solid fan base. One thousand dollars per video…”
“However, Jun’s channel isn’t a cooking channel, and even the most popular video wasn’t cooking-related. Given that, we offered a pretty reasonable condition.”
I couldn’t agree with the other side, but the words were correct. Still, the objection that followed from Cassandra seemed equally valid.
“Jun’s channel has grown to its current level in just two and a half months. Even without any SNS activity before, and without showing his face.”
Cassandra raised her hand to point at my face. It was embarrassing, but I kept my expression neutral.
“Jun will surely become a huge influencer soon. The editor saw the channel’s growth potential and Jun’s possibilities, so he put effort into proposing this contract.”
“… ”
Evan fell silent for a moment. Since I had offered him coffee before, it wasn’t easy to deny outright.
There was meaning in having spoken with Cassandra in advance.
Cassandra smiled knowingly and continued.
“Honestly, among the ten people participating in this project, who has that kind of star power?”
“You don’t seem to know, but Vanessa is also an influencer with a considerable number of followers…”
“She’s a woman. Among men, besides Jun, there’s no one in their twenties with such youthful charm, good looks, and internet influence. The editor is clearly thinking of Vanessa and Jun as the two people most likely to cause a stir for this recipe book project.”
“… ”
Evan kept silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The silence stretched on.
It was suffocating. I wanted to go home.
Amid the tense silence between the two of them, I worried the contract might fall through.
If telepathy worked, I would be desperately pleading with Cassandra to just sign something casual.
My five thousand dollar advance… If I could just create three recipes…
Honestly, if I couldn’t come up with the recipes, I was ready to call the Gregs for help.
At that moment, Evan suddenly looked at me and asked, “Jun, are you sure? If the advertising revenue comes in below the amount we first offered, won’t you regret it?”
I would definitely regret it a lot.
…That was what I felt inside, but I answered as calmly as possible.
“Yes… but honestly, I trust my partner’s judgment on these matters.”
“… I see.”
Cassandra spoke with her usual pride.
“I’m someone who will be closest to the group of readers once this recipe book is released. My friends and I will definitely buy the book with a very high probability through the videos Jun posted.”
“Even if he doesn’t show his face?”
“Of course. Don’t you know about the mystery? And if that’s a problem, we can just show his body.”
“What?”
Both I and Evan looked at Cassandra with expressions of having heard something wrong.
“Jun, if Jun just wears an apron and cooks…”
“There’s absolutely no way that’ll happen, Cassandra.”
“No, pants!”
“Cooking videos will always be only my hands, like usual.”
I spoke firmly, and Evan raised one hand briefly to cover his eyes and mouth before maintaining his neutral expression to the end.
It was a barely noticeable expression of respect as a working adult.
Still, the shock Evan received didn’t seem much different from mine. He stared blankly somewhere distant for a moment, as if unable to look away.
* * *