Novelist Adam Silvera has joined Paper Lantern Lit as community manager, adding another entry to his publishing resumé. Before he published his debut novel, More Happy Than Not, with Soho Teen in June 2015, Silvera worked as a bookseller in Manhattan, first at Barnes & Noble and then at Books of Wonder. This is not Silvera’s first stint at Paper Lantern: in 2013, he spent eight months working at the “literary incubator” and book development company founded in 2010 by novelists (and former Penguin/Razorbill colleagues) Lauren Oliver and Lexa Hillyer.
During his initial stint at Paper Lantern, Silvera served as the company’s first marketing intern, and was later promoted to marketing assistant, but left the firm after deciding he wanted to focus on his debut novel instead of helping to launch other authors. But, Silvera, who has two YA novels due out in 2017, including History Is All You Left Me (Soho Teen, Jan.), jumped at the chance to return to Paper Lantern when Oliver contacted him about taking on the newly created role of community manager.
“I had definitely missed the literary development game with Paper Lantern Lit, and writing exclusively wasn’t giving me complete fulfillment,” Silvera said. “This position offers everything I was looking for. I’ll be able to work with new writers, with an eye for diverse and unrepresented voices, help market them, work closely with industry professionals, and travel the country raising awareness for the company. And, most importantly, I’m returning to the familythat never stopped being there for me.”
Oliver is happy to welcome Silvera back on board to help extend Paper Lantern Lit’s outreach into the publishing, writing, and bookselling communities. “The past year has been a transformative phase for the company,” she said, “and we’ve seen an enormous uptick in terms of the number and breadth of the projects we are doing. We felt we’ve been missing connecting with certain communities, and we wanted to resolve that. Adam already has a strong presence in the book community and is universally well liked, and with his intelligence, social media savvy, and profound love of books, he will be instrumental in helping us open new conversations.”
Currently staffed by seven full-time employees, the company is, in fact, breaking new creative ground, announcing yesterday its first adult project, The Hunger, which offers a fictional spin on the story of the Donner Party. Developed by Paper Lantern Lit, the novel will be written by Alma Katsu, author of The Taker. In March, Putnam editorial director Sally Kim acquired the book, scheduled for release in early 2018, in a six-figure preempt, and movie rights have just been acquired by 20th Century Fox. Oliver and Hillyer will serve as executive producers of the film, and Luke Scott will be both scriptwriter and director.
