NEWS RELEASES: J.K. Rowling to create a film based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Warner Bros. Announces Expanded Creative Partnership with J.K. Rowling

Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expanded creative partnership with world-renowned, best-selling author J.K. Rowling. At the center of the partnership is a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander. The announcement was made by Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans.

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.” (Expanded Rowling quote at bottom of release.)

“We are incredibly honored that Jo has chosen to partner with Warner Bros. on this exciting new exploration of the world of wizardry which has been tremendously successful across all of our businesses,” said Tsujihara. “She is an extraordinary writer, who ignited a reading revolution around the world, which then became an unprecedented film phenomenon. We know that audiences will be as excited as we are to see what her brilliant and boundless imagination conjures up for us.”

In addition to the film series, “Fantastic Beasts” will also be developed across the Studio’s video game, consumer products and digital initiatives businesses, including enhanced links with Pottermore.com, Rowling’s digital online experience built around the Harry Potter stories.

The Studio’s expanded partnership with Rowling also covers the continued expansion of its Harry Potter activities, including the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks in conjunction with partner Universal Parks and Resorts (currently in Orlando, FL; opening in Hollywood, CA and Osaka, Japan), digital initiatives (including Pottermore), video games, consumer products and visitor attractions.

In addition, Warner Bros. will serve as the worldwide TV distributor (excluding the U.K.) of J.K. Rowling’s upcoming television adaptation for the BBC of “The Casual Vacancy,” her best-selling first novel aimed at adult audiences. This miniseries begins production in 2014.

The relationship will be managed in London by Neil Blair of The Blair Partnership, Rowling’s literary agency, and Josh Berger, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, Ireland and Spain, who will serve as Warner Bros.’ chief business contact for all J.K. Rowling initiatives going forward.

Rowling’s expanded quote regarding “Fantastic Beasts” is below:

“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.

Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.

I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

Press Release: Michelle Paver - Short Story Challenge - Gods and Warriors: The Burning Shadow - Puffin Books

BESTSELLING AUTHOR PUTS SHORT STORY CHALLENGE TO YOUNG WANNABE WRITERS

Michelle Paver invites youngsters to ‘Write for the Gods’

Gods and Warriors: The Burning Shadow released 1^st August

Young people with a talent for spinning an adventurous yarn are being invited to take part in a unique writing challenge by bestselling novelist Michelle Paver.

To mark the release of her new book, Gods and Warriors: The Burning Shadow, the award-winning children’s author is launching ‘Write for the Gods’, a short story contest offering youngsters of all ages the chance to show off their storytelling skills and scoop some money-can’t-buy prizes.

The Burning Shadow is the second instalment in an epic five-part series transporting readers back to the Mediterranean Bronze Age, most of the research for which was done first hand with Michelle climbing volcanoes and meeting animals – dolphins, falcons and lions – that feature in the stories.

Now the author is calling on young wannabe writers to take inspiration from her books and adventures and submit their own original tale of up to 450 words.

The ten most imaginative and exciting stories – as selected by Michelle herself – will be published online as part of an official Write for the Gods page on social media platform Tumblr, and appear on the new Gods and Warriors website.

Winning entrants will also receive signed copies of The Burning Shadow, as well as a copy of the first book in the Gods and Warriors series, The Outsiders.

Taking part is simple. Just visit http://www.writeforthegods.tumblr.com where you will find some opening lines written by Michelle to get your entry started, along with step by step instructions for sending in your finished story. The first two winners will be revealed on 26 July, with two more unveiled every week until 23 August 2013.

If you’re stuck for a brainwave, Michelle’s top writing tips should come in handy:

Ask yourself: who is my main character? What do they like, hate or fear? Most importantly, what do they want? To escape a lion? Pass a test? Get to safety?

Next, ask: what gets in their way of achieving their aim? An enemy? A blizzard? Self doubt? Putting an obstacle in your character’s way, then deciding how they deal with it, will give you the basis of a story

Now make your story real. If it’s set in a forest, take a walk in one and pretend to be your character. Take notes on whatever strikes you, using all five senses

Then, start writing. Just get something down. (You can either write on paper first, or straight onto a computer, whatever feels right for you.)

Now read your story through as if you were a new reader. Is anything unclear? A bit boring, wordy or unnecessary? Change it! You can rewrite anything. It’s your story. You’re in charge.

Finally, reading your story out loud can really help, especially in writing natural-sounding dialogue

Gods and Warriors: The Burning Shadow is published in Puffin hardback on 1st August 2013. Follow on Twitter @PuffinBooks.

Press Release: Hot Key Books - Young Writers Competition 2013

                                          

HOT KEY BOOKS YOUNG WRITERS PRIZE RETURNS FOR A SECOND YEAR  Hot Key Books is delighted to announce its Young Writers Prize – that searches for unpublished young writing talent for children from around the world - will return for a second year. Sharing a commitment to supporting authors, we are pleased to be joined by Kobo, a global leader in eReading, to honour this year’s winners and make their work available at www.kobo.com.

The Prize looks to uncover new writing talent between the ages of 18 and 25, who submit their work in either of two categories: 9-12 and young adult (for ages 13-19). Last year saw over 350 entries from writers all over the world with two winners scooping the chance to be published by Hot Key Books. Their novels, The Rig by Joe Ducie and Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle are to be released in print and digital formats this September.

The winners will be selected by a panel of judges, including Director of the National Literacy Trust Jonathan Douglas, Guardian Children’s Books Editor Julia Eccleshare, Kobo’s Merchandiser of Children's Books Antonia Fowler, Hot Key Books Publisher Emily Thomas, authors Fleur Hitchcock and Matt Whyman, bookseller Katie Clapham from Storytellers, Inc. and bloggers from Serendipity Reviews and We Sat Down along with consultation with school children from Globe School, London and St John’s School in Buckinghamshire.

Each winner will be given editorial support, the chance to be published by Hot Key Books with a £10,000 advance and ten shortlisted finalists will also be given a Kobo eReader. Winners will also benefit from added exposure via Kobo’s eBookstore (www.kobo.com) and all entrants will have the opportunity to publish their work through the company’s self-publishing platform Kobo Writing Life. Through Kobo, the winners will have an opportunity to be promoted to a community of 14.5million readers from 190 countries around the world. 

Submissions of partial manuscripts will open on 20^th June and close on 22nd July, with a second stage of full manuscripts in November 2013. The winners will be announced at London Book Fair 2014. Full terms and conditions and the entry form are available on www.youngwritersprize.com

Sarah Odedina, Managing Director of Hot Key Books says: “We're delighted to be running our Young Writers Prize for the second year. It is imperative for the publishing business, and our readers, that we are constantly looking for new talent and what better way to do that than to encourage first time authors. Working with Kobo on the prize this year also indicates our absolute commitment to publish in all formats so readers can access fantastic storytelling however and wherever they choose to.”

Press Release: Egmont Press Acquire New Series - Sword of Kuromori by Jason Rohan -

                        

Egmont Press acquires major new series, Sword of Kuromori  

Egmont Press is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a major new fantasy adventure series set in modern Japan for readers of 9+. Sword of Kuromori is by debut author Jason Rohan.

Stella Paskins, Fiction Publisher at Egmont Press, pre-empted World rights in a three-book, six-figure sum deal from Anne Clark at Anne Clark Literary Agency. The first title in the series will publish in May 2014 and will be a lead title on Egmont’s list.

“I am massively excited about Sword of Kuromori,” commented Stella Paskins.  “Jason’s mix of page-turning action with smart dialogue and sparkling characters is brilliant. The fusion of hi-tech and ancient myth works really well and readers are going to devour this world of breathtaking battles and exotic monsters.”

Jason Rohan said, “As a long time admirer of Japanese culture, I’m honoured and thrilled to be bringing this rich and vibrant folklore to a wider audience. I’m also humbled by the faith that Stella and the Egmont team have placed in me by committing to three novels, and I can’t wait to see what ideas the design team come up with, given the wealth of source material.”

Jason Rohan has worked as a staff writer for Marvel Comics in New York and as an English teacher in Japan, where he lived for five years. He returned to the UK and now lives in West London with his wife and five children.

Press Release: COMPETITION TO MAKE NEW CHARLIE HIGSON BOOK TRAILER FOR - THE FALLEN

                                      

                   Competition launches to make official trailer for

                    Charlie Higson’s new zombie book, The Fallen

With Penguin Books and the BFI

www.the-enemy.co.uk

Penguin Books have joined with the BFI (British Film Institute) to launch a unique film making competition ahead of the release of The Fallen, the fifth book in Charlie Higson’s best-selling zombie series, The Enemy.

Open to anyone of any age - whether they are fans of the books, budding film makers, or just huge zombie fans - the competition offers the chance to make the official trailer for The Fallen, published on 12 September 2013.

Previous trailers for the series have had more than 100,000 combined viewings on YouTube and Charlie Higson has played a pivotal role in each of them.  He starred in the first and wrote and directed the latest trailer which was the publisher’s most ambitious trailer for a book ever.

Charlie Higson launches the competition with a twitter Q&A today, 22 May 2013, at 8pm BST.  The deadline for entries is midnight on Friday 23 August.

There are three categories in the competition: under 16s, 16-24s and 25 year-olds and over.    Charlie Higson will choose a winner from each category alongside a judging panel from Penguin Books and the BFI.   An overall winner will be chosen as the official trailer for The Fallen, and will be announced by Charlie at a Future Film event inspired by the BFI’s forthcoming Gothic season at BFI Southbank on Saturday 7 September.

The overall winner will become the official trailer, but there will be prizes for all winning entries.  The 16 – 24s winner wins a mentoring experience with IdeasTap and the winner of the over 25s category will have the chance to speak to industry specialists at the BFI Film Fund.  Each category winner will get £350 vouchers for film making equipment, BFI Membership, signed copies of The Enemy series and a ticket to the BFI Future Film event on 7 September.

Charlie Higson comments, “We want you to make the trailer for The Fallen.  It doesn’t matter how you make it or what equipment you’ve got, whether you’ve got a 3D 35 mm camera or just your phone.  What we’re looking for is great ideas, imagination, loads of atmosphere and plenty of gore.  The winning film will become the official trailer for my next book which means it will be seen by thousands of people all over the world.  Not just that, there will be money can’t buy prizes for the runners up.  If you’ve ever dreamed of making your own zombie movie, now is your chance.”

The BFI comments, “This competition offers aspiring filmmakers of all ages a great opportunity to practice working to a brief and the BFI is thrilled to be able to help provide some of the prizes on offer from BFI Membership to invaluable career advice from the BFI Film Fund”

The Enemy series is set in a post-apocalyptic London after a mystery illness attacks everyone over the age of fourteen.  Some survive, but those that do face a more terrifying fate – they turn into hideous zombies with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Children form gangs and attempt to survive in an unrecognisable world where there are dangers around every corner.

Further details including information on how to enter and a brief story arc to be used as a narrative guideline, can be found at www.the-enemy.co.uk.   

The Fallen is published by Penguin Books on 12 September 2013 at £12.99

Press Release: Michael Grant's - Gone Online Goes Virtual - Egmont Press

                                     

Gone Online 

A new online game based on Michael Grant’s GONE series for teens marks the sixth and final book

www.gone-online.com

To celebrate the publication of LIGHT, the sixth and final book in Michael Grant’s bestselling GONE series, Egmont Press has created an online game, Gone Online, based on the books.  It launches today, Monday 11 March.

GONE was the first instalment in the epic teen series which has become hugely popular with teenagers internationally and has been lauded by Stephen King as ‘exciting, high-tension … told in a driving, torrential narrative that never lets up.’  Over 400,000 copies of the books have now been sold in the UK alone.

Gone Online can be played at www.gone-online.com over a six week period.  It draws on content from all five of the books so far and leads up to the much-anticipated publication of LIGHT, on 28 March.  Starting with four games at launch - Zeke Zap, Word Search, Hacker and a GONE quiz - there will be further games and challenges released on a weekly basis until the winner is announced. 

The object of the game is to score as many points as possible.  Highly addictive, the games are designed to challenge, infuriate and test your skills, and to get you completely hooked.  Some of the games will reward time and speed, others ability and knowledge of the books.  Using the latest in location-based marketing, players can pick up extra points by checking in with their smart phones at specific locations – bookshops or libraries.

The winner of the game - the highest scorer at the end of the six weeks - will win an Apple iPad and the chance to meet Michael Grant in a private capsule on the EDF Energy London Eye on 4 May.  Participation will also be rewarded with prizes along the way, including signed editions and book tokens as well as never-before-seen content such as extra chapters and video messages from the author.

Michael Grant comments, “If you’ve been reading the GONE series all along, you probably know that we have reached the end. I have to admit that I felt a bit sad typing the last sentence of LIGHT.  It seemed strange that I would no longer be spending quite as much time with the gang.  I was concerned that some of you, the true fans, might have a bit of withdrawal.  So now you can play the game, which is all about the GONE universe. You do have to read the books to play some of the games so I consider this gaming of the best kind.”  

Gone Online was created with the help of special think tanks –children from Horniman School in South London and Stoke Newington School in Hackney, East London.   Thirteen year-old Maliaka from Stoke Newington comments, “I love the different dilemmas and problems that the children have to go through to survive the FAYZ.  I am very excited about the idea of a game based on the series. It has been one of my favourite books to read so I can’t wait for the game.  I loved being involved with coming up with ideas for the game. It was really fun to get our heads together to make it as great as possible.  I spend any free time I have reading and I play games either with my family or friends. I love books and all the different characters and stories. It is like travelling through different worlds. ”

Mike Richards, Marketing Director at Egmont Press, comments, “We wanted to have some fun with the publication of LIGHT and give the fans of the series something challenging with a great prize – and it doesn’t come much better than being locked in a revolving glass pod with Michael Grant. Publishers are becoming more creative in the way that they connect authors with readers and I think this is a good example of that. I particularly like the element of the game that connects readers with bookshops via a physical check-in, which reinforces the idea that this is all about a game experience around Michael’s amazing novels, not for its own sake.”

Gone Online is hosted on a dedicated website and can also be played on smart phones.  Players of any age can take part and you don’t have to be a fan of the books, but it will certainly help.

After the initial six week competition, fans of Gone Online can continue to play, though no prizes will be available.

About the series

The six books in the series, published by Egmont Press, are GONE (2008), HUNGER (2009), LIES (2010), PLAGUE (2011), FEAR (2012) and LIGHT (28 March 2013).

The story starts when everyone over the age of 15 disappears in the blink of an eye, leaving hundreds of children trapped in a Californian town encased by a mysterious, impenetrable dome.  Inside, it is a matter of survival.  With no adults there are no rules and somehow the physics of the universe as we know it have changed, causing some of the children to develop strange powers.

Michael Grant 

Michael Grant has always been fast-paced.  He’s lived in almost 50 different homes in 14 US states, and moved in with his wife, Katherine Applegate, after knowing her for less than 24 hours. His long list of previous occupations includes: law librarian, cartoonist, bowling alley mechanic, restaurant reviewer, waiter, documentary film producer and political media consultant.  

Michael and Katherine have co-authored more than 150 books, including the massive hit series Animorphs, which has sold more than 35 million copies. Working solo, Michael is the author of the internationally bestselling series GONE and the ground-breaking transmedia trilogy BZRK. Michael, Katherine and their two children live in the San Francisco Bay Area, not far from Silicon Valley. 

PUBLISHER NEWS:EGMONT PRESS ACQUIRES MAJOR NEW SERIES - MARS EVACUEES BY SOPHIA McDOUGALL

EGMONT PRESS ACQUIRES MAJOR NEW SERIES, MARS EVACUEES!

Egmont Press is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a major new series for readers of 9+, Mars Evacuees, by bestselling adult author Sophia McDougall. 

Sarah Hughes, Fiction Publishing Director at Egmont Press, bought two books with UK and Commonwealth rights in a keenly contested auction from Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates. The first title in the series will publish in Spring 2014. This is Sophia's first book for children.

Mars Evacuees is the story of a group of children who are evacuated to Mars when their future on Earth is under threat. None of them knows what to expect at their destination. And when the adults in charge of them disappear, they are on their own…

                                                        

‘This is my first major acquisition since arriving at Egmont in December,’ said Sarah Hughes.  ‘I was looking for a very special project: something that not only has fantastic child-appeal and editorial integrity but that also has a killer hook. I didn't expect one to cross my desk so quickly and I am thrilled. Sophia has a lightness of touch and an eye for the kind of detail that makes her writing incredibly distinctive and memorable.’

Sophia McDougall said, ‘I first had the idea for Mars Evacuees when I was nine; I was fascinated by Michelle Magorian’s novels of children evacuated to the English countryside or to America in WWII, and I wondered, in a future war, where else could you send people? Obviously Mars. And what would happen to them next? It’s taken me almost twenty-five years  to come up with the answers, but I’m so happy to be going to Mars at last with Egmont – I was so impressed by their energy and enthusiasm for the book.’

Sophia McDougall is the author of bestselling Romanitas trilogy (Orion/Gollancz). Her short stories have been published by Jurassic Fiction, Solaris and NewCon press. She has appeared on Radio 3's Night Waves discussing Mars in literature with Samira Ahmed and A Clockwork Orange with Will Self.   She was a panellist at the 2012 'How the Light Gets In' arts and philosophy festival in Hay.  She is 33 and lives in London

Press Release:Macmillan Children’s Books buys three-book series by Andrew Lane

                                 

(Picture by Helen Stirling)

MCB Associate Publishing Director, Polly Nolan, has bought world rights in a new three-book series by Andrew Lane, author of the hugely popular Young Sherlock Holmes series. Rights were acquired from Robert Kirby at United Agents.

Entitled Lost Worlds, Macmillan Children’s Books will publish one novel a year from May 2013 in ebook and paperback original, the paperback retailing at £5.99.  The launch will be backed by a major marketing and publicity campaign.

The Lost Worlds novels will feature fifteen-year-old Calum Challenger, a genius on a mission to track down creatures considered so rare that most people don’t believe they exist. Calum is doing it for two reasons – to take their DNA and use that to help protect these species, but also to search for a cure for his paralysis. From his state-of-the-art bedroom in London he commands a group of fearless misfit friends – a computer hacker, a free runner, an ex-marine and a pathological liar – in a race around the globe against those who want to wipe out these endangered creatures.

Andrew Lane comments:

‘I'm more than overjoyed to be working on this exciting new series with the highly talented editorial, marketing and publicity teams at Macmillan. I've had an amazing time working with them on Young Sherlock Holmes, and Lost Worlds will bring the same sense of intelligent adventure and excitement to a modern-day setting.

‘That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing Young Sherlock Holmes. The series gets more popular every day, and I've got plenty of ideas up my sleeve that will keep both series bubbling merrily along!’

Belinda Rasmussen, Publisher, Macmillan Children's Books, adds:

‘We are delighted to be working with Andrew Lane on a new series to sit alongside the Young Sherlock Holmes series. Lost Worlds has a captivating cast of characters and a pacy, narrative style combined with nail-biting adventure and thrilling plot twists. As with Young Sherlock Holmes, all these elements make a truly addictive read.’

Andrew Lane is an author, journalist and lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan. Macmillan Children’s Books publishes his bestselling Young Sherlock Holmes series, with a fifth novel, Snake Bite, due to be launched in October 2012.

Andrew's passion for the original novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his determination to create an authentic teenage Sherlock Holmes made him the perfect choice to work with the Conan Doyle Estate to reinvent the world’s most famous detective in this new series.

He lives in Hampshire with his wife and son.

Press Release: HarperCollins Signs Chris Columbus For New Book Series

                                                 

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS SIGNS DIRECTOR CHRIS COLUMBUS FOR NEW BOOK SERIES

DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER TO PEN MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES WITH BESTSELLING

TEEN AUTHOR NED VIZZINI

New York, NY/ London (January 5, 2012)—HarperCollins Publishers announced today that it has preempted rights to a three-book middle-grade series, House of Secrets by iconic Hollywood director and producer Chris Columbus, co-authored by acclaimed young adult novelist Ned Vizzini. This is Columbus’s debut series for young readers with the first book slated for global publication in Spring 2013.

Master storytellers Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini have created a high-stakes fantasy,” said Balzer. “From the very first page I knew we had to publish this series. It’s an incredibly imaginative adventure with clever plot twists and nonstop action—not to mention a family that readers will immediately fall in love with. House of Secrets has all the hallmarks of a new classic."

Denwood added, “Combining classic adventure with sublime offbeat humor, and with three brilliant siblings at its heart, this has the potential to be the next big series. It's going to be epic.”

“The opportunity to write this novel is a dream come true," said Columbus. "I have lived with the characters of this novel and their world for many years, and was saving them for something very special. Working on House of Secrets with Ned has been a thrill.”

The Pagett kids had it all: loving parents, a big house in San Francisco, all the latest video games . . . But everything changed when their father lost his job as a result of an inexplicable transgression. Now the family is moving into Kristoff House, a mysterious place built nearly acentury earlier by a troubled fantasy writer with a penchant for the occult. Suddenly the siblings find themselves launched on an epic journey into a mash-up world born of Kristoff's dangerous imagination, to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Pagett family's secret history and save their parents . . . and maybe even the world.