In a somewhat cramped office, the president hung up the phone. The scant light reflected off the opposite wall and into the window.
It was an office building in a... very poor location, but for the Publishing House, they were already quite satisfied.
Competition in print media was fierce. The industry had gradually changed from one where there were opportunities to pick up overlooked gems into one where people often misjudged things.
Back when Publishing Houses had an easier time, many unknown authors would bring their books to them. As long as the books could be printed, the authors would agree to any terms.
They often did this in the past. Of course, they would not accept bad books either. Anything they selected was an excellent work.
But soon, large amounts of capital began flowing into the publishing industry, and Publishing Houses became increasingly difficult to operate.
Now, before authors could finish their books and call around asking who could publish them, purely commercial Publishing Houses were already waiting outside the authors' homes, eager to sign contracts with them!
The president had even seen a Publishing House's salesperson serve one author from morning to night like a nanny, all for the purpose of signing the contract as quickly as possible.
They had no shame, and they were willing to throw money around!
As a result, many Publishing Houses without substantial capital were gradually eliminated by the mainstream during the industry's rapid development. In the end, they could not even see the former leading wave's shadow.
This Publishing House was one of them.
Magazine sales were terrible. They could barely cover the cost of printing and distributing the magazines, and they might not even be able to pay all the salaries.
The various books they published still brought in a little