HC Children's Inks Series Deal with Grogan

-- Publishers Weekly, 6/11/2009 7:58:00 AM

HarperCollins Children’s Books has acquired world rights to 13 children’s books featuring the Labrador John Grogan wrote about in his bestselling memoir, Marley & Me. The deal is an expansion on the children's book program HC has already built around Marley with the middle-grade Marley: A Dog Like No Other (an adaptation of Grogan's adult title) and the picture books Bad Dog, Marley! and A Very Marley Christmas.

All three of those titles hit the bestseller list for HC and the new deal will, according to the publisher, include titles in a variety of formats with picture books as well as several I Can Read! titles; one planned picture book is Marley Goes to School.

Laurie Abkemeier at DeFiore and Company negotiated the deal with Maria Modugno, v-p and editorial director of HC Children's Books; the first title in the program is scheduled to pub this summer.