Publishing Industry Lowdown (March 26-30)

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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!

It’s been a rather quiet week this week (I blame Bologna), but let’s get started, shall we?

Deals

The Pleasure Was Mine and Executive Director of the Great Smokies Writing Program at University of North Carolina/Asheville Tommy Hays’s middle grade WHAT I CAME TO TELL YOU, exploring the changes in a North Carolina family’s life set in motion by the arrival of new neighbors from a close, but very different world.

Skila Brown’s debut middle grade CAMINAR, told in verse, about a twelve-year-old boy who survives the massacre of his village and must decide what it means to be a man in a time of war, set in Guatemala in 1981.

Timothy Miller’s young adult AWOKEN, when strange gremlin “dollmen” awaken a fourteen-year-old’s hidden powers, he embarks on a quest to save their people — and the rest of the world — from the monstrous Ven, for publication in August 2013.

NYT bestselling author Sarah Dessen’s young adult THE BEST AFTER EVER, about the last summer an 18 year-old spends in her seaside hometown before going off to college, for publication in May 2013.

Beth Ain’s middle grade STARRING JULES (AS HERSELF), a new series pitched in the vein of Clementine and Judy Moody featuring a spunky, lovable kid actress in New York City who balances dreams of stardom with family, friendship, and school problems that every kid can relate to, in a four-book deal, for publication in Spring 2013.

John Otte’s books 2 and 3 in the young adult FAILSTATE series, in which the teenage superhero battles a horde of superhero zombies (book 2) and uncovers the mystery behind the reappearance of fellow superhero Lux (book 3), for publication in 2013.

Dawn Sokol’s middle grade DOODLE CIRCLE, a girl-focused interactive journal and collaborative round-robin book geared to encourage creativity and camaraderie, for publication in Fall 2013.

Jacqueline Davies’s books four and five in the middle grade THE LEMONADE WAR series, for publication in Spring 2013 and Spring 2014.

American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults author of GRINGOLANDIA, Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s middle grade KIARA RULES, the story of an eighth grade girl with undiagnosed Asperger’s and an X-Men obsession, whose desire for a friend draws her into the harrowing life of a neighbor boy with parents who cook meth for a living, and a quest to find her own special powers.

(Source: Publisher’s Marketplace)

Other Stuff

In SUPER IMPORTANT NEWS, Sarah J. Maas’s second novella from the Throne of Glass universe releases today!! Yes. That’s right! You can read all about Celaena’s training with the Silent Assassins in the Red Desert. The novella only 99¢ and an hour of your time–an exciting, adventure-filled hour, I might add. But, if I still haven’t convinced you to buy the novella, then if you “like” this Facebook page, you can read the first chapter for FREE.

Ever wondered what it’s REALLY like to be a published writer? Rachelle Gardner’s very informative post takes away the glamour–but definitely tells the truth.

Want to know what happens at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair? I had NO idea until Joanna Volpe wrote this incredibly informative behind-the-scenes post. It’s way more busy and complicated than I expected…

And while I’m sharing behind-the-scenes post from Pub(lishing) Crawl, there’s this one from Vanessa DiGregorio that shows what exactly a book sales rep does. Again, I had NO idea.

Rachel Stark shares an insightful article on what makes Katniss a feminist–and it ain’t her kickbutt bow skills.

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has reported massive growth in the net sales revenue for January in the children’s and young adult categories. There was an almost 69 percent increase in hardcover sales and almost 62 percent increase in paperback sales compared to the same period last year. WOOHOO!!

We have a winner for the next slot on the Something Strange & Deadly ARC tour! Congrats to Amanda at Sister’s Unedited! I really hope you enjoy the book!

And if you’re still hoping to participate in the tour, have no fear! The lovely Holly Dodson will continue to host the tour–and offer more slots–for at least a few more months. 😉 You can enter the raffle now or try during the next round in May! And remember, if you get the book elsewhere, you’re still eligible to be on the tour–just snag the very cool button and send Holly or me your review!


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

♥