MacHale Inks Multi-Book Deal with S&S
By John A. Sellers -- Publishers Weekly, 2/28/2008 12:55:00 PM
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D.J. MacHale. |
“It’s a thrill and honor to have Aladdin’s first major hardcover acquisition be with D.J., who brought Aladdin such great success with his early books in paperback,” says Bethany Buck, v-p and publisher of Simon Pulse and Aladdin. “D.J. MacHale is the quintessential author for the new Aladdin/Pulse group—smart, commercial, kid-friendly publishing.” Aladdin senior editor Liesa Abrams will edit MacHale’s novels and will work in conjunction with a picture book editor on the appropriate titles.
MacHale cites Simon & Schuster’s dedication to his career from the beginning as a significant factor in his decision to sign the multi-book deal. “It came down to comfort level,” says MacHale. “They gauged the market and saw there was an upward curve in the popularity of the [Pendragon] books, and they really pounced on that. They have taken the big picture approach and seen Pendragon as a franchise, and they’ve looked for ways to grow and maximize its success.”
The new books and series will each target a different range of readers, in an effort to broaden MacHale’s fan base. “Ideally, I would love to have kids first discover my books when they’re three or four, and as they get older and more sophisticated they move to Pendragon and Morpheus Road,” MacHale says. “And, of course, that S&S totally sees that is a great thing.”
The Equinox Curiosity Shop, a four-book series that MacHale says is “for those just starting to read,” is slated to debut in fall 2009; the Morpheus Road trilogy, about a 16-year-old haunted by ghosts, will launch in fall 2010. Dates for MacHale’s first picture books, The Monster Princess and its untitled sequel, have yet to be determined; an additional middle-grade trilogy is tentatively scheduled for 2013.
These new titles come in addition to the two final Pendragon novels (arriving in summer 2008 and 2009); a Pendragon graphic novel series, adapted from the novels, beginning this summer; and three Pendragon prequels, the first of which will arrive this fall. MacHale is currently at work on the 10th Pendragon book and looking ahead to the new projects. “A friend of mine told me, ‘I hope you like that chair—you’ll be sitting in it a lot.’ ”
