June meets Eden’s publicity and marketing teams, Emily and Jessica, who outline an ambitious plan and raise concerns about how to position a white author writing a China-centered story. They settle on branding June as “worldly,” rebranding her as Juniper Song and leveraging her peripatetic upbringing and Peace Corps stint.

Editorially, Daniella requests light line edits and a dramatis personae before copyedit. When assistant Candice Lee pushes for a Chinese or diaspora sensitivity reader, June refuses. A tense email chain follows; Brett suggests Candice as a reader, which Candice calls a microaggression. Daniella sides with June, removes Candice from the project, and promises direct communication through senior staff.

June studies Athena’s earlier rise to fame to craft her own public persona. She upgrades her author photos, cultivates an online presence attuned to conversations around China, and embraces the Juniper Song identity to signal credibility to readers.

Marketing escalates: ARCs go out, cover design emphasizes bold appeal with Chinese characters on the jacket, ads proliferate, foreign rights sell, list placements accumulate, a national book club picks the title, a UK book box commissions a special edition, and Barnes & Noble orders thousands of signed tip-ins. June concludes that bestsellers are chosen by publishers.

As early reader reviews trend highly positive, June discovers a one-star Goodreads rating from “CandiceLee,” recognizes Candice, and forwards it to Daniella. Daniella calls it unprofessional and will handle it internally, while June privately revels in the expected repercussions.