Publishing Industry Lowdown (Oct. 31-Nov. 4)

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share the biggest news in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday–big deals, important changes, etc.

My source for deal news is Publishers Marketplace, which requires a paid subscription. As such I’m only sharing part of the information here–basically, just author names and pitches. If you want to know deal sizes (e.g. advances), editors, publishers, and agents, I highly recommend you sign up for PM–it’s totally worth the cost!

Now, let’s get started!!

Deals

Rebekah Purdy’s young adult THE FAIRY GODMOTHER FILES: A Cinderella Complex, in which a sixteen-year-old has just become the Fairy Godmother, but what will happen to her own happy ending?

Martha Brockenbrough’s young adult DEVINE INTERVENTION, in which a guardian angel in a rehabilitation program for wayward souls accidentally kills the girl he’s supposed to watch over, fails to get her into heaven, and may or may not cause lasting psychological damage to a squirrel, for publication in Summer 2012.

Fleur Hitchcock’s DEAD LETTER BOXES, the tale of an eleven-year-old girl who is left a box of tools and clues in her dad’s will, and discovers his secret life that puts her on the trail of a very real mystery, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2013.

Author of the Skullduggery Pleasant series with over 2 million copies reportedly sold worldwide, Derek Landy’s books #7, #8 and #9, the final three books in the series.

Elizabeth May’s young adult THE FALCONER, set in a steampunk version of 19th-century Scotland, where a teen girl is the only human being alive who can stop the dark faeries threatening her life, her family, and her city, in a three-book deal, for publication starting in 2013.

Ashley Elston’s young adult THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, about a girl who, desperate to escape the Witness Protection program and discover what really happened the day that ruined her family’s lives, breaks her minders’ ultimate rule by falling for a boy and embarking with him on a perilous journey to outwit both cops and criminals, in a two-book deal, for publication in Winter 2013.

Laura Bickle’s young adult THE HALLOWED ONES, pitched as “Witness” meets “28 Days Later” in which an Amish girl must protect her family from a violent contagion, even as fear and denial threaten to erode her community from within, for publication in fall 2012 and a sequel in spring 2013.

Sashi Kaufman’s debut young adult GO WEST, the story of a classic underachiever who hits the breaking point of parental mismanagement and runs away on a spontaneous road trip with a group of dumpster-diving street performers.

MFA graduate Caroline Carlson’s middle grade MAGIC MARKS THE SPOT, pitched as Eva Ibbotson meets Lemony Snicket with a large twist of ‘yo ho ho’, set in a richly imagined world and to be illustrated with maps, journals and letters, in which a girl is rejected by the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates and shipped off to a Finishing School for Delicate Ladies instead, from where she must escape and set sail with a motley crew including a governess, a budgerigar and a talkative gargoyle on a treasure hunt for the kingdom’s lost magic, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2013.

Liesl Shurtliff’s middle grade RUMP, a fairy tale retelling in which the reviled Rumpelstiltskin is recast as a young boy who has inherited both a spinning magic he doesn’t yet understand and only the most unfortunate part of his name.

CRACKED author K.M. Walton’s untitled next young adult novel, in which an overweight teen’s life starts spiraling out of control when she is bullied and abused.

Robin Parrish’ young adult CORRIDOR, in which a boy, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, inexplicably finds himself in a massive, miles-long structure in which he must summon the strength and will to survive the perilous rooms inside in order to escape.

(Source: Publisher’s Marketplace)

Other News

The New York Times has announced its 10 best illustrated children’s books, and you can read free samples online thanks to GalleyCat. Free samples are always a WIN to me.

On Monday, Anne Rice–the “true” Queen of Vampire Fiction–bashed the more modern Queen, SMeyer. Mwuhaha. I luffs internet drama (as long as I’m on the outside, that is).

Speaking of outspoken authors, J.K. Rowling admitted that she almost killed off Ron “out of spite”. Wowzers. I’m glad she didn’t.

Participating in NaNoWriMo? Then you’ll definitely want to check out this post from Scott Westerfeld. He rounds up all 30 tips that he and Justine Larbalestier wrote up two years ago, and TRUST ME, these tips are GEMS.

My BFF/soul-twin-of-win, Sarah J. Maas, announced some crazy good news on Monday. She has 4 novellas set in the Queen of Glass world that are slated to come out starting early 2012. They show how Celaena–the youngest, most deadly assassin in the realm–became the feisty heroine she is in book 1. YAY, YAY, YAY!!!

The Lorax, the Lorax, the LORAX! I am so happy about this trailer.

Are you a part of the Miss Representation campaign? If not, you should be and it’s easy to sign up (thanks to Meredith for tuning me into this amazing movement). This week, they want families with daughters to dedicate a dinner conversation to the important topics of body image and media portrayal of women.

FINALLY, I have a biiiiiiig post coming up on Monday. It might involve covers…so be SURE to stop by! ♥

You tell me: Is there any industry news-bite I missed? Do you have an significant news you want to share?