Publishing Deal - Veronica Roth

Very exciting news today - HarperCollins have signed two books by Veronica Roth. Scant details so far but here's what the Bookseller knows:

HarperCollins has acquired two new titles by bestselling YA author Veronica Roth.

Katherine Tegen, vice president and publisher of her eponymous imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books in the US, acquired the world English rights from Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary. In the UK, the books will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books UK.

The first book is yet untitled and will be published in 2017. It tells the story of a boy who forms an unlikely alliance with an enemy, and how they help each other attain what they most desire. The sequel will follow in 2018.

Publishing Deal - Jennifer Donnelly

This sounds fab!

From The Bookseller:

Hot Key Books has acquired a new standalone fiction title from Carnegie Medal winning author Jennifer Donnelly in a six-figure pre-empt deal.

Junior editor at Hot Key Books, Naomi Colthurst, struck a deal for UK and Commonwealth rights to These Shallow Graves [] These Shallow Graves is described as “a return to the style of A Gathering Light, with a thrilling plot that is part murder mystery and part historical romance”.

The book centres on Josephine Montfort, a girl from one of New York’s oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families. Jo’s future looks set for marriage she has other dreams and desires that make her long for a more meaningful and exciting life as an investigative journalist like her heroine Nellie Bly. However, when her father is found dead in his study after an alleged accident, her life becomes far more exciting than she would wish.

Colthurst said: “These Shallow Graves is everything a historical novel for young adults should be – Jennifer deftly illustrates an exciting and dangerous time for New York whilst keeping her characters and story wonderfully vivid and completely relatable for a modern audience. Jo is a fantastic heroine who I know will inspire a whole new generation of Jennifer’s readers to be brave and question the status quo, in just the same way Mattie from A Gathering Light inspired me.”

Hot Key will publish These Shallow Graves simultaneously in hardback with Delacorte in the US in October 2015.

News: Egmont USA & 2 Publishing Deals for Hot Key Books

Some more YA news from Friday's Booktrade: Egmont USA is up for sale, and details of two publishing deals by Hot Key Books:

Norse fantasy and dark psychological thrills abound in two exciting debut acquisitions for Hot Key Books: BIRDY by writer Jess Vallance, and THE YELLING STONES by twenty-six-year-old historian Oskar Jensen.

BIRDY is a troubling and deliciously dark thriller about the all-consuming friendship between two teenage girls. Vallance works as a freelance writer and has written articles on everything from business accounting to embalming a body. Hot Key acquired BIRDY in a two book deal.

In a very different genre is Oskar Jensen's Nordic fantasy THE YELLING STONES. Set in the Danish court of Jelling, Astrid, a Viking princess, and Leif, a brave poet, must unravel the mysteries of their ancient land in order to protect it from a dangerous force. Rich in historical detail, THE YELLING STONES echoes Rosemary Sutcliffe's classic storytelling and Rick Riordan's sense of adventure. Jensen's Danish heritage inspired him to write THE YELLING STONES. He has spent the past seven years at Oxford, reading three successive degrees in History, and is now a post-doctoral researcher in the Music Department of King's College London.

Oskar Jensen says: "I wrote The Yelling Stones because of two stones I once saw standing in a Danish graveyard. This is a world of beauty and of poetry, magic and death all mixed together. It's a world that really existed, and it thrills me to the core that I get to share it."

THE YELLING STONES will be published in paperback in April 2015, with BIRDY following in paperback in July 2015.

Read the whole article here.

Publishing Deal - Amy Alward & James Dawson on Diversity Monitoring

In today's Bookseller, news of a publishing deal for Amy Alward (aka Amy McCulloch):

Simon and Schuster Children’s Books has acquired a new title from Amy Alward, author and editorial director at Puffin.

The Potion Diaries is about a girl called Samantha Kemi who dreams of going to university to study potions. She has absolutely no magical talent but her instinct for putting together a potion is second to none. When the city’s princess is accidentally poisoned Samantha sets off on an adventure to find all the ingredients.

Elv Moody, fiction editorial director, and Jane Griffiths, commissioning editor at S&S Children’s UK, acquired the world English rights from Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group in a six figure pre-emptive deal.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything that feels as fresh as this,” said Moody. “With pulse-pounding thrills, a contest to save a princess (who is much more Kate Middleton than Rapunzel) takes place in a whirlwind of paparazzi and social media – with just a touch of perfect romantic chemistry.”

The book, described as "a clean teen title for readers aged 11 plus", will be published in paperback in summer 2015.

Also in The Bookseller, James Dawson speaking about diversity:

YA author James Dawson has called for “diversity monitoring” from children’s publishers.

The author proposed the idea as he delivered the annual Patrick Hardy lecture to the Children’s Book Circle in London last night (17th September). In the speech, Dawson said children’s and YA books should feature characters of different gender, sexualities, faiths, abilities, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Children’s books are actually quite diverse but it’s hard to know for sure either way,” he explained to The Bookseller. “It would be a big job to monitor for diversity but it would come down to publishers. It they kept track of diversity they would have actual statistics. They would keep on top of good practice as well.” He added: “There’s always the risk of ticking a box then moving along. We want to track the industry to check that we don’t get a situation where, for example, suddenly it’s been 10 years since they last published a title with a gay character.”

Publishing Deal - Eugene Lambert

From today's Book Trade, news of SF trilogy from Eugene Lambert, snapped up by Egmont:

Egmont Publishing has acquired a "page-turning sci-fi thriller trilogy" by debut novelist Eugene Lambert.

The first book, THE SIGN OF ONE, will publish in Spring 2016, in paperback on Egmont's Electric Monkey list, with books 2 & 3 following 9-12 months apart.

On Wrath, a dump-world for human outcasts, identical twins are feared. Only one will grow up human, while the other becomes a condemned monster with 'twisted' blood. When sixteen-year-old Kyle realises he's a Twist, he flees for his life with the help of Sky, a rebel glider pilot. To survive, they must confront what Kyle is, then find out who he is.

"This is compulsive YA at its very best – perfect for fans of Suzanne Collins, Michael Grant and Sally Green," commented Stella Paskins, Fiction Publisher, Egmont Publishing.

Read the whole article at Book Trade.

Hot Key buy E Lockhart's We Were Liars

From Book Trade, news of a UK publishing deal for E Lockhart's We Were Liars:

Emma Matthewson, Editor-at-Large at Hot Key Books, has acquired UK and Ireland rights in National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart's YA novel WE WERE LIARS.

The book is already hotly anticipated in the industry as one of the top titles for 2014, and Hot Key Books will publish on 15 May, within days of Delacorte USA. They aim to make this one of the most talked about global launches of the year.

Described as: 'Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart ... utterly unforgettable' by John Green, WE WERE LIARS is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel that follows the tragic destruction of a wealthy, privileged family in New England.

A major sales and marketing campaign will support publication, including mailing out proof copies which are being produced within a week from the book's acquisition, as well as a big trade buzz-building campaign, including a dedicated helpline that booksellers can call to talk about the ending. The consumer launch will include a 'live read' on Twitter using the hashtag #wewereliars where readers will be asked to tweet as they read, plus blogger and vlogger outreach, promoting the global tumblr site wewereliars.tumblr.com and 'takeovers' on key consumer websites.

Sarah Odedina, Managing Director, says: 'Everyone at Hot Key Books is so excited and energised by having this breathtaking book on the list. It is a one-sitting heart-pounding read. It is quite simply unique and we know we are going to have a spectacular time bringing it to the attention of readers.'

Publishing Deal - Abbie Rushton

From today's The Bookseller, Abbie Rushton's debut, Unspeakable has been bought by Little, Brown and will appear under the Atom imprint:

Unspeakable tells the story of a the relationship between Megan, who hasn’t spoken for a year, and Jasmine, a new girl at Megan’s school.

Atom said it is committed to publishing important YA novels that deal with a range of contemporary and challenging issues, and Unspeakable tackles the themes of selective mutism and same-sex teen relationships.

“When I started to read Unspeakable I was gripped; by the time I had finished I was certain I'd found a fantastic new voice for UK YA,” said Agar [commissioning editor at Atom]. “The writing draws you in immediately and difficult topics are handled with ease. Unspeakable is a thriller, certainly, but it's the assured handling of first love and complicated friendships in this debut that will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.”

Publishing Deal - Holly Smale

A new publishing deal was announced yesterday for Holly Smale:

Roald Dahl Funny Prize finalist Holly Smale, the author of the biggest children's debut of 2013, GEEK GIRL, has signed a new three-book world rights deal with HarperCollins. Negotiated by Elizabeth Clifford, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books,  this new deal sees Holly's publishing extending to six titles.

The GEEK GIRL series champions loveable self confessed geek Harriet Manners as she struggles to navigate the glamorous yet ridiculous world of fashion. 

The best in the business at launching home-grown talent, HarperCollins Children's Books has seen GEEK GIRL off to a flying start. This trendsetting debut coined a new sub-genre 'clean teen' in the children's market. 

First published in March, GEEK GIRL is 2013's highest-selling UK debut in the children's and teen market. The hotly anticipated sequel , MODEL MISFIT, followed in October and series sales in the UK total over 100,000 copies.

Elizabeth Clifford said, "Holly has conquered the market with her fresh funny 'clean teen' series and looks set to dominate the charts for many years to come. I'm absolutely thrilled to sign up more GEEK GIRL books with the brilliant Holly Smale."  

Read the whole article at Book 2 Book.

Publishing Deal - Teri Terry

Announced today on Book Trade, two new books for Orchard from Teri Terry, the first, Game of the Few (which sounds fantastic) is out in Autumn 2014.

Orchard Books announce a further two books from multi-award winning author, Teri Terry.

Game of the Few is a futuristic thriller scheduled for publication in Autumn 2014; the second book is untitled.

About Game of the Few: A futuristic thriller about a power-hungry organisation who manage the Game, a virtual world that the majority of people now live half their lives in.

Luna has always been able to exist in the virtual and real worlds at the same time, feeling what is happening in the real world while plugged into the Game. It is a secret she is warned to keep, so she hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can't hide any longer. The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing...

Publishing Deal - Maggie Stiefvater

Good news for Shiver fans as Scholastic announce Sinner a companion novel from Maggie Stiefvater. Read the whole press release at Booktrade:

Scholastic has bought world rights in a companion book to the Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater, set to feature Shiver character Cole St Clair.

Sinner will be published simultaneously in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada on July 1st 2014. The deal was negotiated by Scholastic publisher David Levithan with Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Levithan said: "Legions of fans—myself included—have wanted Maggie to return to the world of Shiver,and now she's found an ingenious, sexy, utterly compelling way to do it."

Scholastic UK group m.d. Catherine Bell said: "Maggie's loyal fans will devour Sinner and new generations of readers have the pleasure of succumbing to the addictive world of The Wolves of Mercy Falls afresh."

Stiefvater said: "For me, finishing the Shiver trilogy was a bittersweet moment—I knew that I wouldn't be returning to Mercy Falls once Sam and Grace's story was over. But Cole and Isabel still lurked in the back of my mind. Both of them were only half-fixed at the end of the trilogy, and I wanted to know if they could be fixed the rest of the way."

Sinner will be published as a £14.99 hardback and simultaneous e-book.

Publishing Deal - Nick Lake

From today's Book Trade:

Bloomsbury Publishing is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English rights for two young adult novels by Nick Lake, author of In Darkness, winner of the 2013 Michael L. Printz Award and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

The as-yet-untitled first book, a literary thriller, will publish in the US, UK, and Australia in 2014. It follows Shelby Jane Cooper, whose life is turned upside-down when she is hit by a car and discovers everything she knows about herself and her family might possibly be a complete and utter lie. As she is drawn into an increasingly complicated, foreign reality, she must grapple with tough questions about the past, the future, and ultimately who she can trust. Lake's emotionally charged story also challenges the reader to decide between fact and fiction in Shelby's world as it twists and turns throughout the narrative to its shocking conclusion.

The novel will be supported by a major global marketing plan, including an international author tour. Lake's second novel in the new deal will publish globally in 2015.

Read the rest of the article here.

Publishing News: Cassandra Clare & The Bane Chronicles

From Booktrade:

Ahead of the highly anticipated major movie release of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Walker Books has acquired the innovative digital The Bane Chronicles story cycle from Cassandra Clare in which she co-authors with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson a sequence of ten short stories.

The Bane Chronicles feature Magnus Bane, a flamboyant immortal warlock who appears in The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series which Walker Books has published with great success since 2007. In the forthcoming film, Magnus Bane will be played by Godfrey Gao, a Taiwanese actor enormously popular throughout Asia. Launching this April, one digital story will be published every month (priced £1.99) with the complete collection available as a book during 2014.

Post movie release, Walker Books will extend the publishing programme further with the release of The Shadowhunter's Codex, the essential background handbook to the Shadowhunters' world, by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis in November 2013. 

Here the UK trailer for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones:

New Series from Lauren Kate

I received the following press release from Random House regarding a new series from Fallen's Lauren Kate:

RHCP signs up new series from bestselling author Lauren Kate

Random House Children’s Publishers have acquired a new series by Lauren Kate the author of the internationally bestselling series, Fallen. Three books were acquired in the UK by Annie Eaton and Becky Stradwick, the first; TEARDROP will be released in the UK in October 2013.

The story stars a seventeen-year old named Eureka Boudreaux whose tears possess the power to raise the lost continent of Atlantis. The TEARDROP jacket will be exclusively revealed on the Fallen Facebook page on Monday 11th February.

Which reminds me that I mus get on and read/listen to Rapture...

Publishing News

A couple of links in today's Booktrade about buy outs and new imprints and a publishing deal:

1. Templar Publishing Buys Piccadilly Press (Publishers Weekly)

Piccadilly Press, the children’s book publisher founded by Brenda Gardner 29 years ago, has been acquired by Templar Publishing, the children’s publisher owned by Bonnier Publishing Ltd. Under Gardner’s direction [] Piccadilly Press will continue to publish under its own imprint and Gardner will remain publisher.


2. Choc Lit is to launch a young adult imprint called Choc Lit Rocks [Booktrade]

The first book under the new YA label will be New England Rocks, to be published worldwide in August 2013 in ebook and paperback formats. This title is the first in the New England series written by Christina Courtenay, marking a departure from her award winning historical fiction.

The heroine of the New England series is Rain Mackenzie, a young woman who trouble just seems to stick to. Expelled from her British boarding school, she can't believe her bad luck. Not only is she forced to move to New England, USA, she's also sent to the local high school, as a punishment. She's determined to hate everything, and her rebellious nature soon finds new ways to court controversy. And that's not all she's courting...

Publishing Deal - Julie Kagawa

News of a huge deal for Julie Kagawa in today's Publishers Weekly:

Harlequin Teen has signed one of its bestselling authors to a seven-figure deal. Julie Kagawa, who writes the Blood Eden and Iron Fey series for the imprint, has inked a multibook contract for a new series. Harlequin said the new books will offer a contemporary story featuring “mythical creatures.”

The first book is the series is set for 2015.

Iron Fey unfolds over five books and three novellas and has, Harlequin said, been published in over 20 countries; film rights to Blood Eden, the second book of which is coming in May 2013, have been optioned by Palomar Pictures.

Publishing Deal - Kami Garcia

One exciting publishing deal after another this week, with yesterday's announcement of a solo deal for Kami Garcia. From the press release sent out by Simon & Schuster:

Simon & Schuster signs first solo series from Beautiful Creatures co-author

28th November 2012, London—Simon and Schuster Children’s Books today announced the acquisition of Beautiful Creatures co-author Kami Garcia’s first solo YA novels.

Kami Garcia has shot to fame for her bestselling Beautiful Creatures series, co-written with Margaret Stohl. The movie adaptation will be released in February 2013, starring Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Rossum and Alice Englert, and the publishing programme for the series is ongoing.

Venetia Gosling, Editorial Director at Simon & Schuster UK, has bought UK & Commonwealth rights, including ebook and audio, from Angharad Kowal at Writer’s House in two books in Garcia’s Legion series, her first solo novels. A film adaptation of the series is already in development with Mark Morgan, the producer of The Twilight saga and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

In the first book, Unbreakable, seventeen-year-old Kennedy Waters’ whole life changes the night she comes home to find her mother dead, and two mysterious twins breaking into her house, saying they are trying to save her from a murderous vengeful spirit. Kennedy learns that she is the fifth member of a secret society, The Legion of the Black Dove, formed 200 years ago to protect the world from a powerful demon determined to find a way out of his dimension and into ours. Kennedy and the twins, Lukas and Jared, are joined by Priest, a teenage engineer who designs ghost-hunting weapons, and Alara, a girl trained in voodoo arts, and the five teens race to find the pieces of the shift, a device they believe will help them destroy the demon. But each piece of the shift is located in a place more terrifying than the last, and the teens must battle their own personal demons to find them, even as Kennedy fights her feelings for two very different boys, who look exactly alike. Suspense, romance and dark paranormal forces meet in this frightening and thrilling urban fantasy.

The Legion series has already sold in Italy, Germany, France and Brazil, with Little, Brown as the US publisher. Unbreakable will publish as a paperback original in Autumn 2013, with the second title in the series following in Autumn 2014.

Gosling says: “I loved Unbreakable – it’s page-turning and frightening and absolutely gripping and I’m desperate to know what happens in the second book! It’s also incredibly visual, and I can absolutely see why it has been optioned for film. With this new series launch, as well as the film of Beautiful Creatures hitting cinemas in February, Kami is guaranteed a big year in 2013, and we’re delighted to be part of it as we launch the Legion series on the S&S list.”

Publishing Deal - Maureen Johnson

Big news was announced yesterday that Maureen Johnson is moving to Hot Key Books from Harper Collins. Hot Key will publish books 3 and 4 in the Shades of London series and several earlier works. Here're the highlights from the press release:

QUEEN OF TEEN MAUREEN JOHNSON MOVES UK RESIDENCE TO HOT KEY BOOKS

Hot Key Books Editorial Director Sara O’Connor has completed a multi-book deal with The New York Times bestselling YA author Maureen Johnson: three books in the SUITE SCARLETT series, and the final two books in THE SHADES OF LONDON series, currently published in the UK by HarperCollins. At the same time, Hot Key has acquired Johnson’s debut novel THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD,
never before published in the UK.

Hot Key Books announced the acquisition with a fan-targeted series of video blogs and ‘We Stare Because We Care’ social media campaign – a tongue-in-cheek play on Maureen’s own Twitter description: ‘There's a fine line between good eye contact and the piercing stare of a psychopath. Maureen is on the wrong side of it.’ Fans will be challenged to submit their best stare to win a place
in a Google Hangout with Maureen.

Maureen Johnson says: "I am thrilled to be joining Hot Key Books. I love what they are doing, and I think they are going to be an extremely exciting voice for YA books in the UK. I spend a lot of time in the UK, and being there means a lot to me. I've been practicing the language to fit in: Petrol! Nandos! Twitching! ASBO! Top Gear! I feel READY for this!"

Sara O’Connor says: “Maureen is hilarious, generous and a great spokesperson for teen reading. We can’t wait to celebrate her reign as Queen of Teen in ever more entertaining ways with her fans.”

Hot Key Books acquired the SCARLETT and SHADES UK and Commonwealth rights from KT Literary via RightsMix, and will publish the five titles over the next two years, with the new titles launching
simultaneously with the US editions. THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD was acquired from Jean McGInley at HarperCollins.

Here's more on the competition.
Maureen Johnson's website is here.

Publishing Deal - Allen Zadoff

News in today's Bookseller that Orchard Books have picked up a trilogy from Allen Zadoff:

Orchard Books has acquired a YA trilogy by US author Allen Zadoff it is billing as "Jason Bourne meets James Bond for teens".

The series follows a brainwashed teenage assassin, with the first title, Boy Nobody, to be published simultaneously with the US in June 2013. 

Boy Nobody is "a young soldier trained not to feel", working for The Program, a shadowy government organisation that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere inside Boy Nobody is "the boy he once was".

Read the whole article here.

Publishing Deal - David Levithan

David Levithan has signed a deal with Electric Monkey for Every Day. See this press release in yesterday's Booktrade:

Electric Monkey will publish David Levithan's YA novel EVERY DAY in July 2013. Publisher Stella Paskins bought two David Levithan books.

EVERY DAY published in the US in September reaching the New York Times bestsellers list. It tells the story of A, who wakes up in the body of a different person every day. It's all fine until A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon, someone he finally wants to be with day after day.

David Levithan said: "Every Day has had such an amazing impact here in the US, and I'm so excited to have Electric Monkey bringing it to life for UK audiences."

Read the whole article here.

Publishing Deal - Ingrid Jonach

News of a publishing deal for Ingrid Jonach with Strange Chemistry. Sounds fabulous. Excerpted from the Bookseller:

Strange Chemistry, the YA imprint of Angry Robot, has signed world English rights in a one-book deal for debut When the World was Flat (and we were in love).

The novel, by Ingrid Jonach, tells the story of 16-year-old Lillie Hart and the mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith, who arrives in her small Nebraskan town. Tom and Lillie have been in love before—in a different dimension, and there is a powerful enemy who is determined they will never be together again, in this dimension or the next.

Read more about Ingrid at Strange Chemistry.