Jenkins, LaHaye Plan More Left Behind Titles

by Sean Fowlds -- Publishers Weekly, 10/4/2004

The bestselling team of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is partnering again for two more titles in the Left Behind series in addition to the series' so-called prequel and sequel titles previously under contract.

The new books create a total of three titles that will serve as prequels to the series, leaving the one sequel title to conclude the series, assuming no other agreements are signed. The series to date has more than 65 million copies in print, counting ancillary products.

Titled The Rising, the first prequel is set to release March 1, 2005. The other as-yet-untitled books are slated for release in November 2005, spring 2006 and spring 2007, according to Ron Beers, senior v-p and publisher for Tyndale House. Beers said the house had been talking about covering the backstory of the characters since the early stages of the series. "We want to communicate very clearly to readers that this is not an afterthought," said Beers.

In addition to the Left Behind extension, the pair also is in the process of inking an agreement with Viking for another series of novels. LaHaye told PW that the details are still being hammered out. The working title is the Jesus Chronicles, but LaHaye said that the number of books and content have not been confirmed.

Although the two also work on other projects, Jenkins acknowledged that "we do better together than apart or with anyone else." Indeed the first title in LaHaye's four-book Babylon Rising series for Bantam did not turn in a Left Behind–style sales performance.

As for his other projects, LaHaye told PW that a series of books with Kensington is in the discussion phase but that nothing has been finalized. "We are considering a three-book holiday series, Christmas, Easter and Fourth of July, with Greg Dinallo as the co-author," said LaHaye. Dinallo served as LaHaye's co-author on the first title in the series for Bantam, but LaHaye's longtime friend Bob Phillips worked with LaHaye on the second title, The Secret on Ararat, and is contracted for the remaining two titles in the series.

Jenkins also has inked a deal with Tyndale for a 20-title juvenile fiction series to be co-authored with Chris Fabry, who worked on the Left Behind: The Kids series. The first four books are set to debut in May 2005, with the rest of the titles scheduled to release within a two-year period. The books are for readers 8-12 years of age. Tyndale's Beers described the series as "a Christian-themed contemporary Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys."

Jenkins has another project in the pipeline with Crossway Books. Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It, is slated to release in June 2005 with a 100,000-copy print run and is being supported by a $100,000 marketing campaign.