Publishing Industry Lowdown (March 5 – 9)

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share all the deals I know if in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday.

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!

I can always tell how fast a week has flown past by how quickly it’s That Time again–time to round up the week’s deals. 🙂 This was an especially quick week–but let’s get started, shall we?

Deals

Author and illustrator of the JUST GRACE series and the FASHION KITTY series and CUPCAKE, Charise Harper’s tenth installment in the JUST GRACE chapter book series, about a dazzling young girl whose superpower is empathy.

Debut author Jess Verdi’s young adult ON THE PLUS SIDE, in which an aspiring theatre star finds out she’s HIV-positive and learns how to deal with this abrupt change in the script, in a two-book deal.

Debut author Lindsey Scheibe’s young adult RIPTIDE, pitched as Jennifer Echols/Simone Elkeles meets the movie BLUE CRUSH, in which a seventeen-year-old is training for a big surf competition — her ticket out of an abusive household — and trying desperately to keep from falling in love with her best friend, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2013.

Robyn Schneider’s young adult SEVERED HEADS, BROKEN HEARTS, pitched as reminiscent of John Green, with a respectful nod to Salinger, covering one shocking year in the life of a California Prom King whose charmed existence spectacularly collides with not one, but two life-changing misfortunes, in a two-book deal.

Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson’s middle grade LINNEA IN MONET’S GARDEN, the innovative art book, for publication in Fall 2012, on the anniversary of its twenty-fifth publication in the U.S.

Kimberly Newton Fusco’s middle grade BEHOLDING BEE, in which an eleven-year old orphan escapes a traveling carnival but cannot escape the diamond-shaped birthmark on her face; with a little help from some very old friends, she discovers that the real jewel is within herself,  for publication in Winter 2013.

Theodor Geisel award-winning author Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson young adult series spin-off, about a cowboy-thief, who first appeared stealing kitchen appliances in the series and now returns, accompanied by an oh-so-beautiful horse.

Amy Spalding’s young adult THE REECE MALCOLM LIST, about a daughter reconnecting with her reclusive bestselling author mother, and finding a place for herself at a performing arts high school, and INK IS THICKER THAN WATER, centered around a family-run tattoo parlour in St. Louis, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2013.

A.E. Rought’s young adult BROKEN, pitched as a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all, in a two-book deal, for publication in January 2013.

Kimberly Ann Miller’s young adult TRIANGLES, in which a seventeen-year-old girl on a cruise through the Bermuda Triangle wakes up in an alternate reality, or maybe she’s just going insane, for publication in June 2013.

Seth Rudetsky’s young adult MY TERRIFIC/TERRIBLE TIME IN NEW YORK, the sequel to MY AWESOME/AWFUL POPULARITY PLAN, this time with a high-school-musical nerd spending his junior year buffeted by the clashing of titanic theatrical egos as he interns on a new Broadway show, for publication in Spring 2014.

(Source: Publisher’s Marketplace)

Other Stuff

In the never-ending world of ebook fiascos, the US Justice Department is warning Apple and 5 publishers that it might sue them for “colluding to raise the price of electronic books”. Basically, Apple and the 5 are being accused of all getting together and agreeing to all charge more for ebooks. Honestly, I have no idea how I feel about this. Part of me is like, yeah! Ebooks should cost more or else we’ll have an Amazon monopoly! And then part of me is like, “Huh. Maybe this is screwing consumers over.” I just don’t know, folks..

In a similarly growing world of news, self-publishing is–according to Nathan Bransford–here to stay, so we should all get used to it. I’m definitely in agreement with Ye Olde Nathan, and I think that more and more traditionally published authors (at least those with substantial followings) will be turning to self-publishing as their dissatisfaction with traditional publishers continues to grow.

Now, ZOMG, in something totally unrelated to all that, who wants to write for video games?! MEEEE!!! MEEEE!!! Seriously, as a kid, this was one of my dream jobs (I wanted to write Zelda story lines. No kidding.), and here’s why it’s actually a viable job for writers these days. I mean, just look at this trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Revelation which I have literally been watching on repeat.

If that doesn’t make you want to go Fight Stuff and Save The World, then you’re crazy. Also, I can tell you–as an Assassin’s Creed player myself–that these games are heavy on great storytelling. Character depth, plot twists, and wonderful voice acting–this series has it all.

You tell me: Is there any industry news-bite or fun link you wanna share?