Publishing Deals for Upcoming Books
By Jane • Apr 24th, 2007 • Category: Publishing News • •What can I say? Readers must like Atlantis.
USA Today bestselling author Alyssa Day’s ATLANTIS UNBOUND plus two more novels and a novella in her Warriors of Poseidon paranormal romance series, about a race of Atlantaen warriors tasked to protect mankind in its darkest hour, again to Cindy Hwang at Berkley, in a very good deal, by Steve Axelrod at The Axelrod Agency (NA).
Unfortunately, this sounds incredibly boring. I think scrapbooking is neat (and expensive) but a story about a club?
Kathleen Reid’s SECRETS, LIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS, about the lives and loves of three very different women who meet at a scrapbooking club and the unexpected connections they make through their passion, to Shannon Jamieson Vazquez at Berkley, by Amy Jameson at A+B Works (World).
I thought she was writing some dark fantasy?
Jordan Summers’ REVENGE OF THE SKY GODDESS, about an ATF agent who’s afraid to fly, but is forced to go undercover as a flight attendant, in order to recruit a hunky ex-arms dealer and stop a shipment of illegal arms from entering the country, to Kathryn Lye at Harlequin Blaze, in a nice deal, by Jenny Rappaport at the L. Perkins Agency (World).
I don’t even know what dystopian means but the story sounds good.
NYT bestselling author of Intuition Allegra Goodman’s THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND, a post-apocalyptic dystopian tale told from the perspective of Honor, a girl whose parents have been abducted by Earth Mother, the corporation that controls the world and its new weather, to Ben Schrank at Razorbill, in a pre-empt, by Irene Skolnick (NA).
I can’t help think of the Dixieland Mafia whenever I see Chin’s name.
Cara Summers’s next three Blaze novels, to Brenda Chin at Harlequin, by Maureen Walters at Curtis Brown (World).
I wonder if this will be like the Julia Styles movie? Probably not.
Delta Dupree’s DANCE WITH ME, to Hilary Sares at Kensington Aphrodisia, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency (World).
I don’t ordinarily read men, but why not start with this guy. Off to email Ace.
Anthony Strout’s DEAD TO ME, in which an ex-thief with supernatural powers is hired to be a paranormal cop, but when he falls in love with a dead girl it all goes to hell, to Jessica Wade at Ace, in a two-book deal, by Montana Wojczuk at ICM (World).
I love this. I am going to buy it and then start using terms from the Pretentiousness Index in the reviews.
WHO’S WHOSE and FAUX PAS author Philip Gooden’s NAME DROPPING, a humorous guide to famous, infamous and intriguing names that have made it into our language as terms, such as Dickensian, Spartan, and Sphinx-like, complete with a handy ‘Pretentiousness Index’ for usage, to Daniela Rapp at St. Martin’s, in a nice deal, by Claire Goreat A&C Black (NA).
More demonology
Susan Wright’s CONFESSIONS OF A DEMON, in which a human/demon hybrid encounters the oldest demon in the world, who’s spent thousands of years stalking the worst elements of the demon subculture, to Liz Scheier of Roc, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary Agency (NA).
Could be very good.
Steven Goldman’s TWO PARTIES, ONE PROM AND A FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY ABOUT THE LETTER ‘Q’, about a 17-year old boy who, upon learning his only friend is gay, tries to convince himself that nothing will change, only to discover that nothing about his Junior year — not his homework, his haircuts, his dream date for the prom and, least of all, his best friendship, turn out to be simple, to Jill Davis at Bloomsbury, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.
I only mention this deal because I can’t figure out the Berkley Prime Crim imprint. It not only offers these “Coffeehouse Mysteries” but Ellora’s Cave author, Anya Bast, has a summer release under the imprint. I wonder how the readers of the cozy mysteries are going to react when they find the book filled with the three “c’s” of erotic romance?
Cleo Coyle’s next three Coffeehouse Mysteries, for hardcover, to Katie Day at Berkley Prime Crime, in a very nice deal, by John Talbot at Talbot Fortune Agency (world).
Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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Dystopian is like the opposite of utopian. I will be keeping an eye out for that book–it sounds very much like my kind of thing.
*blinks* Anya Bast has another summer release other than the para romance Witch Fire?
No, Witch Fire is the Berkley Prime Crime. At least that is what my arc says. Maybe it’s a mistake. It says “Printing History Berkley Prime Crim mass market edition June 2007″
I think it’s a mistake.
Her site says from Berkley Sensation.
I write both types of books, dark fantasy and Blaze. :)
I know, but I am really looking forward to the dark fantasy books!
Jane, can you explain the different kinds of deals again? I searched the site for your explanation, but couldn’t find it (a reflection of my lack of skills than your site search, I’m sure)
No, our search is terrible.
“nice deal” $1 - $49,000
“very nice deal” $50,000 - $99,000
“good deal” $100,000 - $250,000
“significant deal” $251,000 - $499,000
“major deal” $500,000 and up
Thanks, Jane. Now, one more question: is that up front money or an advance on both books or what? And is it true that if a book fails to sell up to the advance that an author has to return any additional monies? Oh, I guess that was two questions — sorry.
I believe it is an advance which is money up front as a future payment against royalties. I also believe that the contract dictates whether an advance will be paid back and it rarely, if ever, is.
If an author is paid a $5000 advance for two books, then he or she will need to sell a certain number of units to earn out the advance and start to receive royalty checks. So if an author’s royalty is an average of 8% on a mass market retail price, she would have to sell 7823 copies to earn out her advance (that would be for both books or whatever the contract is. I.e., both books and a novella).
The one nice thing, for authors, with hardcovers is that their royalty rate is higher, I think 15% or so is what I have read, and therefore they don’t have to sell as many copies to earn out the advance.
One of my versions of hell: perpetual scrapbooking. I have lots of friends addicted to it but would rather have my teeth pulled without anesthetic.
Of course, someday when we are all 80, locked away in the nursing home, they’ll have gorgeous scrapbooks to pour over, while I’ll be scrapbookless and too addled to remember any of my inglorious youth.
LOL. I was at Archivers the other day buying some ribbon for my girl’s dress (because they have very cool ribbon) and my DH said “Oh, I am so glad you don’t Scrapbook. It would bankrupt us.”
It’s a delightful hobby, I am sure, but I can’t see reading about it. I sew alot but I can’t see anyone finding that terribly interesting. Karen Templeton had a heroine who was a seamstress and while I found the sewing stuff interesting I don’t know how many people do. It’s not like Project Runway is all about the sewing!
I scrapbook. I have one for each of my son’s that covers birth to high school graduation. I did heritage scrapbooks for my boys and sibs. That’s it. I like it, enjoyed doing the projects I did, but don’t know what people have to scrapbook endlessly. That’s always puzzled me.
Oh and I’m a reader who doesn’t get the fascination with Atlantis.
Thanks for the info, Jane. I’ve always wondered about the author money thing, since it seems so mysterious to someone totally outside the industry.
As for scrapbooking, I’m the kind of person who takes pictures and then never does anything with them; in fact, when film cameras were the only game in town, I took tons of pictures and then never developed them. Now it’s kind of sad, of course, since I’ve taken trips to very unusual places (like Petra or Oland), but who knows if I have film or pictures in existence. Still, it’s not enough to motivate a change. That you sew impresses me, Jane, since that very much seems like a lost art, even though my Mom sewed tons of our clothes when I was little. I quilted for a while, too, but these days sleeping and eating are basically my only hobbies.