On February 22nd, a rather fitting date for a quirky debut, *Twilight* hit the shelves, stocked in sixty-eight major bookstores across New York State. On its first day, the novel sold over 3,800 copies, a decent performance for a debut author.
However, just as the media was starting to hype up supermodel Kate's transition to author Kate, the sales took a nosedive over the next two days.
Only 1,000 copies were sold on the second day.
On the third day, fewer than 1,500 copies were sold.
With this sharp decline, the media quickly shifted gears to ridicule the situation.
Max, a well-known *New York Times* critic, gave a scathing one-liner about the book: "A naïve young girl fantasizing about romance with vampires and werewolves."
*The New York Post* critiqued it as well, stating, "This book feels entirely like Ms. Kate Kelly's personal fantasy. There's no immersion. It barely has any sexual content, and Ms. Kelly seems to advocate for abstaining from premarital sex. Really? This might be suitable for readers under eighteen."
Meanwhile, *The New York Tribune*'s book section, which regularly reviews books from new authors, took the opportunity to critique *Twilight*, perhaps because of Kate Kelly's fame.
The *Tribune*'s review read, "When I first read that supermodel Kate Kelly was writing a novel, I was intrigued. Finally, a talented female writer from the modeling world, and a stunningly beautiful one at that! I was eagerly anticipating the release."
"I bought the book a couple of days ago, expecting it to be as beautiful as its author. However, I was disappointed. The story revolves around a love triangle between a daydreaming girl and two handsome vampires, completely lacking the suspense and excitement you'd expect from a vampire novel."
There were both criticisms and praise from the press.
The *Pyramid Times* had a glowing review, stating, "What a surprise! It's hard to believe such an epic, breathtaking piece came from the hands of Ms. Kate Kelly, a mere 23-year-old! The novel is filled with tension between love and hate, yet refined and elegant, like the works of Jane Austen. It's the pinnacle of romance novels. The best book recommendation of the year!"
Another *Tribune* review said, "Set against a faintly Gothic backdrop, *Twilight* weaves a haunting love story intertwined with supernatural elements, delivering a heart-pounding, emotional experience. Highly recommended!"
*The New Yorker* commented with admiration, "Kate's work is imbued with a passionate intensity, and the supernatural elements are utterly captivating."
In the first few days, public opinion was polarized, and the sales rebounded, reaching 4,000 copies sold on the fourth day.
The initial 10,000 copies sold out.
Greenwood Publishing quickly printed an additional 50,000 copies.
On the fifth day, the book sold 10,800 copies.
Just when it seemed like *Twilight* was on the verge of becoming a hit, an interview with *The New York Times* derailed the promotional efforts of Roka and Felix, who had been trying to boost sales through PR strategies.
On the fifth day, *The New York Times* interviewed Anne Rice, the "mother of vampire fiction," and asked if she had read *Twilight* and what she thought of it.
Anne Rice bluntly replied, "*Twilight*? The novel by supermodel Kate Kelly? I'm sorry, I don't have time to read a book written by someone who hasn't even finished college. This isn't about discrimination, it's just the truth."
"A woman like Ms. Kelly, who didn't finish college and is focused on her modeling career, how much literary value can her novel have? My advice to her is to stay in the fashion world. The brilliance of literature, like sunlight to a vampire, isn't something just anyone can handle."
With that single comment about Kate's lack of education, Anne Rice dismissed the book as lacking literary merit and not worth reading.
Sales plummeted. On the sixth day, only 3,400 copies were sold. By the seventh day, fewer than 1,000 copies were sold.
The novel had flopped.
Greenwood Publishing couldn't move the second batch of printed books.
More articles criticizing Kate began to appear in the press.
*The New York News* said she wasn't writing out of a love for literature but to gain a shiny new label to boost her status.
*Book Weekly* delivered the hardest blow, providing undeniable proof of *Twilight*'s sales manipulation.
According to *Book Weekly*, their reporter saw Kate Kelly purchasing a truckload of her own books from a bookstore — at least 1,000 copies.
Furthermore, many of Kelly's friends had bought significant quantities of the novel. For example, Gisele Bündchen had bought 100 copies. It was no wonder that everyone in the modeling world had a copy of *Twilight*, explaining the 3,800 sales on the first day.
This revelation confirmed that the initial sales figures were inflated.
"Fuck, Gisele, that bitch!"
At Kate's IMG agency office, she almost exploded with rage upon seeing the report.
She and Gisele weren't even friends, and she hadn't asked Gisele to buy her book.
Why could everyone else buy 100 copies, but Gisele's purchase made the news?
"Kate, calm down. Remember, you're a model. Being an author was just an accident. My advice is to pull *Twilight* from the shelves and let this whole thing blow over, or it will hurt your career. Understand?"
Nina, Kate's manager, spoke sternly.
"Take it off the shelves? But what about Roka..."
Kate was hesitant. Roka had worked hard, writing for so long, despite his injuries, to finish the book. Could they really just pull it?
"Nina, why should we take it off? I think *Twilight* is a great read."
Miranda, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, suddenly spoke up.
She had picked up the book out of curiosity after hearing about Kate's novel, and ended up binge-reading it for two days, even skipping meals. She thought it was fantastic.
Nina shot her a glare. Just like her daughter, Miranda was a naïve reader, drawn to a sappy romance story with a sugary-sweet heroine.
Miranda stuck out her tongue and, knowing she had overstepped, retreated with her copy of *Twilight* to read in peace.
Nina turned back to Kate, who was still hesitant, and sighed, "There's something else I need to tell you. Because of all this, last year's Best Model of the Year award is pretty much confirmed to go to Gisele."
"What?!"
Kate's eyes widened in disbelief. *Vogue* magazine selected one Best Model each year. This year, the top three contenders were Gisele, Kate, and Karolina Kurkova (the model famously born without a belly button).
Kate had originally felt no chance of winning, but her "superwoman incident" had won her a wave of popularity, giving her a real shot at becoming one of the top three finalists.
Initially, she didn't care much about the award.
But now, hearing that Gisele had secured it, she was fuming.
"Is there any way we can help Karolina win?"
She asked with a cold expression.
"Are you serious?"
Nina snapped, annoyed.
Kate and Gisele were both IMG models, while Karolina worked for a rival agency. Was Kate really asking her to help the competition?
Kate smirked, "Never mind, pretend I didn't say anything."
"Hmph."
Nina pointed to the scattered papers on the floor. "Clean this mess up and go home. Stop worrying about the book. And tell your brother to stop meddling. You guys aren't short on money anymore. Why even bother writing a novel? It's a dead end."
"But, but..."
Kate scratched her head in frustration. "So, Gisele wins this round?"
"Are you going to punch her?"
"Do you think I won't?"
"Go ahead then."
"I will!"
Kate, known for her temper, even took swings at her brother when provoked, so Gisele would be no exception.
She stomped out in her high heels, ready for battle.
Nina rubbed her forehead, quickly following after her.
As luck would have it, Kate ran into Gisele as soon as she stepped outside.
"Hey, Kate! I heard over 1,000 copies of Twilight sold again today. Not bad at all! Keep it up, big-shot author, hahaha."
Gisele and her little entourage covered their mouths and giggled.
Creaaaak
Kate stomped her heel hard, ready to go on a rampage.
Nina quickly grabbed her hand and whispered, "Calm down, or you're just falling into her trap."
Phew
Kate quietly exhaled, gently brushing her blonde hair behind her ear, and smiled. "Thanks, Gisele. Thanks for buying 100 copies to support me."
"No need to thank me! We're all friends here!"
Gisele gave a snort, raised her long neck, and strutted off arrogantly.
"That b****," Kate muttered coldly.
"Don't get mad. The more upset you are, the happier Gisele gets," Nina said wisely.
Kate shot her a glare. As Luca would say, "It's easy to talk when you're not the one dealing with it."
"Alright, stop standing around. Let's go home and rest," Nina suggested.
"But I really want to punch someone!"
"Then go home and punch Luca. He definitely deserves it."
"Emmm... you're right!"
"Luca, Luca, where are you?" Kate called out as she got home, not even bothering to change her shoes. The clacking of her heels echoed on the hardwood floor as she went upstairs.
Without waiting for a response, she burst into the room and saw Luca typing at the computer. The moment he noticed her, he scrambled to shut it down.
"Stop!" Kate swiftly reached out and yanked his ear.
"Ow! Ow!" Luca gasped. "Kate, what are you doing?"
"Oh, what am I doing? You've been hiding upstairs like a ghost for days, and every time I come in, you shut down your computer. Care to explain why?" Kate twisted his ear, demanding an answer.
"Uh, nothing much. Just writing a script," Luca replied through gritted teeth.
"A script?" Kate shoved him aside and scrolled through the document. It was filled with over 100 reviews of Twilight, both positive and negative.
"Luca, don't tell me all those reviews in the media about Twilight recently were written by you?"
"Emmm, yeah, most of them. Think about it – the book had just hit the shelves. How could there be so many reviews already? Felix and I came up with the idea to stir things up. I wrote the articles, and Felix handled the PR. That's why it's been so lively in the papers lately," Luca admitted shamelessly.
Kate shot him a sideways glance. "You're pretty sneaky, huh?"
"Sneaky? Oh no, Kate. I think you meant smart. 'Treacherous' doesn't mean smart, you know," Luca quickly corrected.
"No, I said sneaky, and sneaky is exactly what I meant," Kate retorted, raising her eyebrows.
"Uh... okay, fine, I admit it. I'm a little sly," Luca said, covering his face like he was about to cry.
"Don't give me that act. I've got a question!" Kate grabbed his collar and pointed at the computer. "If you were trying to stir things up, why did you write so many negative reviews? Why not just write good ones?"
"Well, this gets into mass communication theory. In public opinion, what catches the most attention isn't just heaps of praise or total dismissal. It's the debate – when there's a contentious topic, both sides argue, and you get opposing opinions. That creates interest."
"Speak plainly!" Kate snapped, frowning.
Luca forced a smile. "You've seen a propeller, right? The bigger the propeller, the faster the plane flies. The propeller's arms represent public opinion. One side is positive reviews, the other is negative. Only when both sides are balanced can the propeller keep spinning. The more opinions on both sides, the more media get involved, generating more energy. This increases the topic's heat."
"When Twilight first hit the shelves, there weren't any reviews, so we created a debate to draw attention. Soon, more media started covering it, and we got the most return on our investment with minimal promotion."
Kate nodded as she began to understand. "You really are sneaky."
Luca covered his forehead, wanting to hit something. "That's called being smart, okay? Ugh, whatever, she's my sister... I'll let it go."
"So you're telling me that most of the reviews in the papers in the first few days were written by you?"
"Emmm, yep. The first three days, all of them," Luca confirmed.
Creaaaak
Kate slowly ground her heel into the floor. "So, that article saying I'm pretty but have no writing talent and that my leg length is inversely proportional to my skills – you wrote that one too?"
"Oh, Kate, I told you, it's all for the publicity. You promised you wouldn't get mad!"
"Hahaha, am I mad? No, I'm not mad at all! I just want to teach you a move from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu... a triangle choke from the bottom."
Bam!
"Ah! My spine!"
Slap! Thud!
"Ow! Kate, not the face! Don't hit the face – I have a music video shoot tomorrow!"
"Hmph, fine. I won't hit your face."
Smack, smack, smack!
"Ahh! My butt! Mercy, my queen, mercy! I was wrong!"
@﹏@
Luca regretted it all. Why did he even bother changing the original story? If he hadn't, maybe the book would've been a hit from the start, and he wouldn't have to work so hard to sell it. Ugh, next time he copies a book, he should just stick to being a shameless plagiarist.
"Oh, what a painful realization..."
(End of Chapter)