LaHaye's Big Deal at Bantam
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 2/18/2002
Evangelical novelist Tim LaHaye, who has been making hay with his Left Behind series of end-time novels for Tyndale, has a new agency, AMG/Renaissance in Los Angeles, and a new book deal: a four-book one with Bantam Dell, which reportedly pays him well over $10 million a book. It was negotiated by AMG's Joel Gotler and Alan Nevins with Bantam president Irwyn Applebaum himself, as the culmination of an auction. Gotler would not confirm the amount, but said reports of nearly $45 million total were "close." The idea is for the new series to revolve around a hero described as an Indiana Jones--type Christian archeologist, whatever that may be. LaHaye will write these on his own, without former collaborator Jerry Jenkins--and meanwhile has a nonfiction title, The Merciful God of Prophecy, in the pipeline at Warner for publication in October. First of the new novels should be out next spring.
