Book and Author of the Year Announced by Police-Writers.com

Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. Police-Writers.com announced the 2008 Book of the Year and 2008 Author of the Year.

What Every Chief Executive Should Know: Using Data to Measure Police Performance, (Looseleaf Law Publications, 2007) by Captain Jon M. Shane (ret.), was selected as the 2008 Police-Writers.com Book of the Year. In December 1985, Jon Shane Joined the Newark Police Department (New Jersey) and was assigned to the South Police District. During his 20 year law enforcement career, he worked a variety of assignments and worked his way through the ranks of detective, sergeant and lieutenant, eventually reaching the rank of Captain.

Jon Shane's book stood out among the entrants because it significantly advances management decision making in the field of law enforcement. The book provides models and mathematical approaches to management questions like: "How many officers do we need? Are we efficiently using the ones we have? Is there a relationship between the number of officers we have and our crime rate? What is the status of our patrol car fleet? Are citizens satisfied with our work? What is the cost of our special programs and what are the actual benefits?"

James H. Lilley was selected as the 2008 Police-Writers.com Author of the Year. The author of the year selection was based in part on writing ability and in part on career and community service.

James H. Lilley began his lifetime as a United States Marine in 1961. Shortly after his discharge, he joined the Howard County Police Department (Maryland), graduating first in his class. During his career his received numerous honors such as Medal of Valor, four Bronze Stars, four Unit Citations and the Governor's Citation. James H. Lilley has published six novels, articles in Police Chief Magazine and authored an International Association of Chiefs of Police training key. Moreover, he began studying Martial Arts in the early 1960s and is a 8th Degree Black Belt in Shorin Ryu Karate; the first American to achieve this recognition and honor from Sensei Takeshi Miyagi.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 839 police officers (representing 382 police departments) and their 1772 law enforcement books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books. Website: http://www.police-writers.com/

Author Tony Eldridge Represented by The Literary Group International

Frank Weimann, founder and president of The Literary Group International, now represents all literary rights for Dallas, TX author Tony Eldridge.

Tony is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first class thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." The novel has already garnered Editor's Choice and Publisher's Choice honors. The Samson Effect follows the pursuit of two scholars who are close to discovering a secret of biblical proportions. However, two opposing forces will do anything to stop them.

A major Los Angeles based producer is currently in negotiations with the author to acquire the movie rights to The Samson Effect.

"I am excited to represent this book," Frank Weimann said. "I believe the mix of action and historical references will appeal to the mass of action/adventure readers."

Founded in 1986 by Frank Weimann, The Literary Group International is one of the premier literary agencies in the book publishing industry. The company represents more than 200 authors worldwide. Its formidable client list ranges from novelists, celebrities and public figures, to Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning authors.

Known as the "home of bestselling authors," the agency has represented more than fifty bestsellers during the last six years. Among the agency's current popular titles are The Alchemyst by Michael Scott; Red Helmet by Homer Hickam; Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley; and Dog and Bear by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.

Eldridge grew up in Westfield, IN., and now resides in Forney, TX., just east of Dallas. For more information on The Samson Effect, visit http://www.samsoneffect.com/

Simon & Schuster Names Priscilla Painton Editor in Chief

Priscilla Painton has been named Editor in Chief of the Simon & Schuster adult trade imprint. Ms. Painton, who was most recently Deputy Managing Editor of Time Magazine, will begin her new position on March 3rd. Her appointment was announced by David Rosenthal, Executive Vice President and Publisher of the Simon & Schuster imprint.

Ms. Painton joined Time in 1989 as a reporter and went on to edit every section of the magazine. She served longest as Time's Nation editor responsible for all political and domestic news. In that role she oversaw Time's investigation of the campaign finance scandals, which won a prestigious Goldsmith Investigative Journalism Prize. She also served as Time's executive editor before being appointed deputy managing editor, which made her the highest ranking woman editor ever in the history of the magazine.

Prior to joining Time, Ms. Painton worked for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, where she was a political and projects reporter. She has also worked at The Washington Post and The Berkshire Eagle, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Ms. Painton has a B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke College. Born in Rome and raised in Paris -- she is fluent in French -- she now lives in New York and has two teenagers.

Macmillan Acquires Hayden-McNeil Publishing

Macmillan (www.macmillan.com), a leading publisher of books, textbooks, magazines, and digital media, has acquired Hayden-McNeil Publishing (www.hmpublishing.com), the leading publisher of custom textbooks and lab manuals for the higher education market based in Plymouth, Michigan. The acquisition adds to Macmillan’s portfolio of leading higher education publishers which includes Bedford St. Martin’s, W.H. Freeman, Worth Publishers, and i
Hayden-McNeil, founded by Patrick Olson, publishes textbooks, lab manuals, and curriculum supplements across a range of subject areas for colleges and universities nationwide.

The merger with Macmillan is expected to provide Hayden-McNeil with a platform for future growth by delivering the added reach and resources through access to Macmillan’s content, educational technology, and distribution assets.

IDW Publishing Launches New Children's Imprint

IDW Publishing, an established leader in the comic book and graphic novel arena, is launching a children's division called Jonas Publishing and a new imprint, Worthwhile Books. The move will allow IDW Publishing to expand its library of successful print titles, which to date has been particularly focused in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, such as 30 Days of Night and The Transformers. To launch the imprint, IDW Publishing has inked a significant agreement with a renowned UK children's publisher and is striking deals with top Hollywood writers to create children's books.

Worthwhile Books has finalized a first-look arrangement with UK children's publisher Meadowside Books (http://www.meadowsidebooks.com/), known for its unique character-driven picture books for young readers. Worthwhile will be the exclusive U.S. publisher of selected Meadowside titles and will retain domestic film and television rights on those properties. The first Meadowside Books title in the deal, Michael Recycle, by Ellie Bethel, follows the escapades of a "green-caped" environmental hero and will be released in March by Worthwhile Books. Worthwhile expects to issue approximately 10 Meadowside titles over the course of the first year, including William's Dinosaurs, by Alan Baker, which tells the tale of a little boy who finds more than trees in the dark woods near his home.

Worthwhile's Hollywood outreach is tapping into the top ranks of movie and television writing talent to bring original literary stories to the young reading audience. The collective credits of the entertainment writers include some of the industry's most successful television series and movies. These writers include:

-- David N. Weiss, whose writing credits include Shrek 2, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and both Rugrats movies

-- David Sacks, a writer/producer on The Simpsons, producer on Malcolm in the Middle, and writer on 3rd Rock from the Sun

-- Dava Savel, an Emmy Award- winning comedy writer with credits on shows such as Grace Under Fire and Will & Grace, in addition to being an executive producer on the children's program That's So Raven

-- David Steinberg, whose producing credits include Meet the Robinsons, Home on the Range and Cats Don't Dance

-- Robert Kurtz, who wrote for the movie Everyone's Hero and has written for such shows as Boy Meets World and Grace Under Fire

Simon & Schuster to Create Virtual Author Series

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and Ball State University have partnered to bring S&S authors and illustrators into more than 30,000 schools nationwide through live, interactive Web broadcasts. Too few students today have had the opportunity to engage with authors and artists on a firsthand level, but Electronic Author Visits (EAV) utilize the BSU's groundbreaking Electronic Field Trips program to allow students and teachers to interact directly with authors and illustrators through live video, discussion forums, and downloadable learning activities.

S&S has formed an exclusive three-year agreement with Ball State University and plans to host three EAVs each year. Andrew Clements, the bestselling author of classroom favorites FRINDLE and NO TALKING, will kick off the program as the first EAV author on March 18. D. J. MacHale, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pendragon series and Margaret Peterson Haddix, national bestselling author of the Shadow Children series, have signed on to participate as well.

An Electronic Author Visit is a unique experience that makes the rich content of S&S's bestselling and award-winning authors accessible to children and teachers. Each visit is a combination of several components. First, a website is created specifically for each EAV and serves two purposes: to provide teachers with background information that can be used to help students prepare for the author's visit and to offer interactive material that relates to the subject discussed in the author's or artist's book. In preparation for the EAV, the program also offers a series of classroom activities and curriculum binders. Simon & Schuster and BSU provide the author's books to a select group of teachers who then develop grade-appropriate activities for other teachers to use before the live broadcast. Booksource has signed on to be the sponsoring book supplier. To facilitate preparation for the EAV, Booksource will assist participating teachers with book orders through a convenient link to their site and ordering information.

The live Web broadcast is the culmination of the EAV experience. As a live broadcast, it has the potential to be much more interactive than a static television program and much more far-reaching than a typical Webinar. This 45- minute segment includes a presentation from the author, a reading or excerpt from the book, and a question-and-answer session in which the author fields questions from the students. Teachers can sign up for the first EAV with Andrew Clements by visiting the MyVisit website: http://www.bsu.edu/myvisit/

Little, Brown and Company Acquires New Tom Wolfe Novel

Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, has acquired rights to publish the new novel by Tom Wolfe, the celebrated bestselling novelist and journalist, author of such American classics as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and most recently I Am Charlotte Simmons.

Titled Back to Blood, the novel will consider class, family, wealth, race, crime, sex, corruption, and ambition in Miami, the city where America's future has arrived first. Characters include a young nurse of Cuban ancestry married to a famous French-emigre sex doctor, a freshman journalist on the trail of a Russian-mob-comes-to-Miami story, his wary editor, a second-generation Cuban police officer, a woman of Haitian background who passes for Anglo, and dozens more.

Mr. Wolfe was represented in the negotiation by his longtime agent, Lynn Nesbit of Janklow & Nesbit. The book will be edited by Little, Brown senior editor Pat Strachan. Ms. Strachan was formerly Mr. Wolfe's editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where she worked with him on The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and four other books. Little, Brown acquired North American rights, and publication is planned for 2009.

Scholastic to Publish the 39 Clues

Scholastic breaks new ground with the launch of The 39 Clues, a multi-platform adventure series for ages 8-12. Scholastic's Trade publishing division will launch the program simultaneously in September 2008 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Combining reading with online gaming and collecting, The 39 Clues will include 10 adrenaline-charged books to be released over a 24-month period, 350 collectible cards, and a dynamic online game where readers uncover information beyond what is revealed in the books and cards and compete for prizes.

All rights for The 39 Clues are controlled by Scholastic, and Scholastic Media, will be extending the print and internet components by developing the property across other media and consumer products.

The first book in the series, The Maze of Bones is written by #1 New York Times best-selling author Rick Riordan, who also outlined the program's 10-book story arc. The Maze of Bones will be released in September 2008, and the official The 39 Clues game will begin worldwide on September 9, 2008.

Oberon Media Takes World's Best-Selling Author to Online Gaming

James Patterson, the world's best-selling author with 140 million books sold globally, is blazing a trail in the interactive arena by making his casual games debut based on one of his best-selling series of novels, Women's Murder Club (WMC). The WMC game in 2008 will be the first property to be brought to the mass-market casual games audience through James Patterson Entertainment's exclusive partnership with Oberon Media, the world's leading multi-platform casual-games company.

Following on from the success of ABC Television's hit new series, "Women's Murder Club" fans as well as mystery fans everywhere will have opportunity to interact with Patterson's much loved super-sleuths. Players will get to play as each of the founding members of the Women's Murder Club: Lindsay Boxer, Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn and Jill Bernhardt. All four are talented women, each a success in her own field, who use their expertise, their close friendship and their instincts to uncover clues to San Francisco's most grisly homicides.

The game is being produced by Oberon Media, publisher of mass-market casual hits like Dream Day: Wedding and Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile. In close collaboration with James Patterson Entertainment, Oberon Media will create a series of casual games based on the Women's Murder Club franchise and release them via its extensive network of multi-platform distribution partnerships worldwide.

Simon & Schuster Adds Beacon Street Girls

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, one of the leading children's book publishers in the world, and B*tween Productions, Inc., creators of the Beacon Street Girls(R) (BSG) brand, announced that Aladdin M!X, Simon & Schuster's tween program, will add the wildly successful Beacon Street Girls book series to its list beginning May 2008. Aladdin M!X will license, market and distribute the books world wide. B*tween will continue to create the award-winning stories. The company will focus on growing the brand through the company's online presence and expanding its product and media licensing operations.

With the introduction of the Aladdin M!X program earlier this year, Simon & Schuster is the first major publisher to focus on the 9-13 year-old audience with a branded line of paperback originals and reprints. Created in 2004, the Beacon Street Girls was the first brand designed specifically to help preteen girls navigate adolescence using friendship-focused contemporary fiction. Today, the Beacon Street Girls books, website and line of gifts provide tween girls everywhere with positive media and strong role models.

Novelist Brandon Sanderson will finish Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series

Tor Books has chosen novelist Brandon Sanderson to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died September 16th after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

The new novel, A MEMORY OF LIGHT, will be the twelfth and final book in the beloved fantasy series which has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade fans have been eagerly awaiting the final novel that would bring the epic story to its conclusion.

Like Jordan, Sanderson was an avid reader and writer from an early age. His debut novel, Elantris, was an unagented gem discovered after Sanderson, then a college student writing during his late night shift at a local hotel, approached Tor editor Moshe Feder at a fantasy convention. Several months later, after reading the manuscript and deciding he had to have it, Feder tried to find the author, who had since moved. Using the internet, he tracked down Sanderson through a campus directory-and the rest is history.

Sanderson has since gone on to establish a loyal fan base as the author of three critically acclaimed fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn, and The Well of Ascension, as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Publishing trade magazines Publishers Weekly and Library Journal gave Elantris starred reviews and it was the winner of the Romantic Times Award for best epic fantasy. The Washington Post also praised Sanderson for his creation of "a fascinating world" in Mistborn.

Now Brandon Sanderson has signed on to complete A MEMORY OF LIGHT, with scheduled delivery of the manuscript in December 2008 and a planned publication date of Fall 2009. "The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time..."

Website: http://www.tor-forge.com/

Nolo Brands USA Today Book Series

The first three titles in a series of books co-produced by Nolo and USA TODAY -- now in the final stages of production -- will be the standard bearers for a new relationship between two leaders of the print world.

Nolo, the premier publisher of legal information for consumers, and USA TODAY, the country's top-circulation newspaper, will team up to produce at least 12 books over the next two years. The first three, to be released in February, are:

-- The Busy Family's Guide to Money by USA TODAY journalists Sandra
Block, Kathy Chu and John Waggoner.

-- Retire Happy: What You Can Do NOW to Guarantee a Great Retirement, by
Nolo co-founder Ralph Warner and Nolo editor Rich Stim.

-- The Work From Home Handbook: Flex Your Time, Improve Your Life by Nolo
editor Diana Fitzpatrick and Stephen Fishman.

Each title in the new series incorporates material from USA TODAY's vast resources of data and graphics and Nolo's expertise in writing and editing do-it-yourself guides for consumers and small business owners. Averaging about 200 pages each, the guides will focus on legal and practical aspects of owning real estate, retiring, handling personal finances and other situations where law touches your life.

For USA TODAY, the partnership represents a new vehicle for delivering content beyond the traditional newspaper. In addition to Nolo, the company signed deals with five other book and calendar publishers for products ranging from sports and puzzle books and calendars to books about USA TODAY and its parent company, Gannett Co., Inc.

Nolo's website, http://www.nolo.com/, offers comprehensive, plain-English legal information and a wide array of electronic and traditional legal tools including online legal documents, guides, books and software.

Author Walter Mosley Signs Three-Book Deal with Riverhead Books

Walter Mosley, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning New York Times-bestselling author, has agreed to a three-book deal with Riverhead Books. The books will be edited by Sean McDonald, Vice President, Executive Editor, Riverhead Books, who acquired world hardcover, paperback and audio rights to these works from literary agent Gloria Loomis of Watkins Loomis. Two of the books will be part of a new mystery series Mr. Mosley is launching that will feature Leonid McGill, an African-American private investigator based in contemporary New York City. This character was first introduced by Mr. Mosley in one of his short stories, "Karma," which was included in the Best American Mystery Stories of 2006 anthology. The first book in Mr. Mosley's new mystery series will be published in hardcover by Riverhead in 2009, with NAL publishing the title in paperback the following year. Mr. Mosley will also be writing a literary novel for Riverhead.

One of the most prolific, highly regarded and widely read writers of our time, Walter Mosley is the author of twenty-seven critically acclaimed books and his work has been translated into twenty-three languages. His popular mysteries featuring Easy Rawlins began with Devil in a Blue Dress in 1990. Others in the series include Black Betty, A Little Yellow Dog and the current New York Times bestseller, Blonde Faith.

Mr. Mosley has won numerous awards, including the Anisfield Wolf Award, an honor given to works that increase the appreciation and understanding of race in America. He has also been honored with the Sundance Institute's Risktaker Award and PEN American Center's Lifetime Achievement Award, and has won a Grammy Award (for the liner notes of a career-spanning Richard Pryor CD box set) and an O'Henry Award, among other honors.

Two motion pictures have been made from his work, including the 1995 TriStar release of Devil in a Blue Dress, produced by Jonathan Demme, directed by Carl Franklin, and starring Denzel Washington and Jennifer Beals.

Tor Books and Seven Seas Form New Manga Imprint

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC -- the largest publisher of science fiction in the world -- has formed a new manga imprint with Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC. Seven Seas, founded in 2004, publishes manga, manga-inspired novels, illustrated juvenile fiction, and more, and is one of the only publishers that produces original manga content in the US.

The new Tor/Seven Seas imprint will showcase the efforts of both companies working together to jointly acquire and co-publish some of Japan's best-selling and most exciting manga series, light novels, and other fiction. Beginning with books scheduled for publication in early 2008, Tor will also be distributing new Seven Seas titles every month, under the Seven Seas imprint.

Through its relationship with Seven Seas, Tor makes an exciting entrance into the world of manga publishing; manga, the Japanese version of comic books, is a publishing phenomenon that, in 2006, represented a $4.4 billion market in Japan and a $175-200 million market in the US. The distribution and publication of select Seven Seas titles will also give Tor an opportunity to become a flagship publisher of "light novels," a type of book new to American manga and genre-fiction fans. The light novel launch will feature Ballad of a Shinigami, Pita-Ten, and Strawberry Panic, and will debut in March 2008.

In August 2008, Tor and Seven Seas will publish their first collaborative venture under the Tor/Seven Seas imprint, the manga Afro Samurai, written and illustrated by Takashi Okazaki. Afro Samurai-created in Japan but releasing here in the US for the first time-was the basis for the popular Spike TV anime series that premiered in 2007 and featured the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, and Kelly Hu. The publication of Afro Samurai will kick off a multi-platform promotional campaign, including an Afro Samurai video game by Namco and the launch of Spike TV's second Afro Samurai season, both slated for fall 2008.

Business Plus to Publish the Memoir of David Neeleman

Business Plus, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group USA), has will publish the memoir of David Neeleman, Founder and Chairman, JetBlue Airways. Titled "Don't Tell Me it Can't Be Done," the book will discuss Neeleman's enormous success as an entrepreneur and his rise in the aviation industry. It will also unveil Neeleman's next entrepreneurial venture designed to help break America's dependence on foreign oil.

Publication is slated for January 2009 and Neeleman will collaborate with Jeff Benedict, an award-winning investigative journalist and the best-selling author of seven books.

Shaftesbury Films Acquires Film Rights to Elizabeth Hay's Novel

Shaftesbury Films has acquired the rights to Elizabeth Hay's Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel Late Nights on Air, which the company will develop into a television series.

"Christina Jennings and Julie Lacey (Vice President, Creative Affairs) won me over with their enthusiasm for the characters in this book and its northern setting," says author Elizabeth Hay. "I'm delighted about their plans to dramatize the story."

"We knew after reading Late Nights on Air, long before the Giller Awards were announced, that this book was a winner," says Christina Jennings, Chairman, Shaftesbury Films. "Elizabeth's compelling story, set in a local radio station in the far north, and populated with a rich cast of characters, will provide viewers with a unique television experience."

Hay's Late Nights on Air features a cast of eccentric characters all working together at the local radio station in Yellowknife during the 1970s. Set in this remote locale, these transplanted strangers strike up some unlikely friendships as they begin to learn about each other's pasts.

Last year Shaftesbury acquired the rights to the 2006 Giller Award-winning book Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam, which is being developed into a limited series by Jason Sherman for The Movie Network and Movie Central.

Elizabeth Hay is represented by Bella Pomer of The Bella Pomer Agency, and Sarah Cooper of The Saint Agency.

Hachette Book Group to Publish Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Autobiography

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, one of the most respected political leaders and productive legislators in the history of the United States, will write his autobiography, to be published by Twelve, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Book Group USA.

"Senator Kennedy is the personification of principled leadership. His book will be a valuable record for anyone who cares about our government, our politics, and our growth as a nation. It will also tell the story of a remarkable American family that contributed to some of the most significant historical events of the last century. We are honored to be Senator Kennedy's publisher and are certain that multitudes of readers around the world share our eagerness to read his story," said David Young, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group USA.

Senator Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for 45 years. He was elected in 1962 to finish the final two years of the Senate term of his brother, Senator John F. Kennedy, who was elected President in 1960. Since then, Senator Kennedy has been re-elected to seven full terms, and is now the second most senior member of the Senate. He is the youngest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.

World rights to the book were acquired by Jamie Raab, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Grand Central Publishing, and Jonathan Karp, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Twelve, who will edit the book. Senator Kennedy was represented by attorney Robert B. Barnett and Gregory B. Craig of Williams & Connolly, a Washington, D.C. law firm. The tentative publication date of Senator Kennedy's autobiography is Fall 2010.

Hyperion Will Publish Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Hyperion will publish Dr. Randy Pausch's THE LAST LECTURE, to be written with Jeff Zaslow of the Wall Street Journal.

On September 18, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver his last lecture called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, at the beginning of his talk, Randy forthrightly told everyone about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months according to his doctors. He went on to say, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

Since delivering this speech, more than 6 million people have gone online to view the lecture. This number, which grows by the minute, includes an estimated 3.6 million people who have sought out the full hour-long talk on Google Video, You Tube, the Carnegie Mellon site, or through other links. His talk grew quickly and massively in popularity because hundreds of thousands of people sent friends emails about him or embedded his lecture video on their blogs. Fueling this online phenomenon, Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Zaslow attended and covered the lecture for the September 20th edition of the paper. Zaslow's column and the accompanying 5-minute highlight video on wsj.com set readership and viewership records at the newspaper. Pausch subsequently appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show, "Good Morning America," and "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." In total, more than 25 million people have seen Pausch on these various television programs and the now 343,000 websites that refer or link to his lecture.

Hyperion President Robert S. Miller and Editorial Director Will Balliett negotiated the deal with David Black and Gary Morris of The David Black Agency. Will Balliett will edit the book which is scheduled to publish in spring, 2008. Hyperion retains world rights.

Prestwick House Publishing Company to Purchase Milliken Publishing

Prestwick House, Delaware's leading educational publisher, has reached an agreement to purchase Saint Louis-based Milliken Publishing House for an undisclosed sum. The deal, scheduled to take place at the end of December, will increase Prestwick House's offerings by over 300 titles. Prestwick House plans to fully fold Milliken's operations into Prestwick House's Smyrna, Delaware-based headquarters by the beginning of the New Year.

Prestwick House has a history selling to the secondary English language-arts market, and this sale will expand its market reach to the k-6 market in all subject areas. "We're excited about the opportunity to reach out to more teachers and help revive this well-known brand, "says Prestwick House VP Operations, Jason Scott. "This acquisition opportunity came at the perfect time," continues Scott, "since we're in the midst of developing products to enter the K-6 market."

Prestwick House has tapped Publishing Manager, Jerry Clark to spearhead this new division. Clark's experience with all areas of Prestwick House's growth since he joined Prestwick House eleven years ago makes him the ideal choice to run this division. "Integrating Milliken into Prestwick House will bring the production and fulfillment efficiencies that we've developed to Milliken Operations," says Clark.

Website: http://www.prestwickhouse.com/

Rapid Fire Marketing Signs Agreement With Prominent Author

Rapid Fire Marketing has signed a Marketing Agreement with Steve Bonenberger, author of "Through Gates of Fire" trilogy series. The Agreement provides RPDM $120,000 over a 12 month period, as well as 25% of gross sales generated from The Company's efforts.

"Through Gates of Fire" is a fictional Christian novel written in a three part series. The books have received overwhelming response, as they are based on events to take place in the end times as described in The Bible.

The story revolves around a fictional character that has received incredible grace and blessings in his life, due to the "moral bank account" saved up by his parents before him.

The trilogy is now being marketed both retail and through Rapid Fire Marketing's website: http://www.rf2020.com/ . RPDM will also receive 25% of the gross sales generated through The Company's efforts.

HarperCollins Launches Book of Teens From All 50 States

"The generation gap between teens and their parents is bigger today than ever before," said photographer Michael Franzini, author of ONE HUNDRED YOUNG AMERICANS, a book from HarperCollins that goes on sale this week at all major bookstores.

Franzini -- a photographer, writer and Emmy-winning director -- traveled over 30,000 miles with his crew to photograph and interview a diverse group of 100 teens in all 50 states.

A crew of 8 people worked for half a year to identify the group of 100 young people that best represented a cross section of American teens.

The composition of this group matches census data for gender, race and sexuality. The group includes every kind of teenager: jocks and band geeks, gamers and stoners, emo kids and rappers, goths and vampires.

Unlike previous generations, today's teens have unlimited access to information, entertainment, social networking and more. Franzini calls them the "Instant Access Generation."

They have grown up with Google, MySpace, and text messaging. They have also grown up with broken families, war abroad, and a mass media assault at home.

100 YOUNG AMERICANS shows American teenagers as they want to be seen. It gives a rare glimpse into their private lives and the many social issues they wrestle with on a daily basis.

The book includes hundreds of lush photographs, as well as a narrative on each of the 100 teens. Key issues addressed include the following:

-- Social networking sites -- About half of all American teenagers have a
profile on MySpace, through which they have developed large networks of
on-line friends, sometimes numbering in the thousands. But, as several
of the teens in this book point out, MySpace has also become a platform
for a new wave of bullying and predation.

-- Cliques, identity and popularity -- High school cafeterias are as
rigidly divided as ever, along the old lines of race, class and gender.
But, thanks to the Internet, cliques that would not have taken root in
the past -- or would have been much smaller -- are now thriving and
often span the globe. For some teens, Instant Access means that the
world is a less lonely place.

-- Sex -- More than half of American high school seniors have had sex and
almost one third of all girls get pregnant before they turn 20. Yet,
along with a rise in sexual freedom and experimentation, there has also
been a surprisingly successful safe-sex and abstinence movement in
America, strengthened by the new information technologies. A number of
the teens in this book are proud of the fact that they intend to wait
until marriage.

-- Drugs -- Most teens know where to get marijuana, and many know where to
get cocaine or crystal meth. But today's young people have also
learned how to get high on the drugs they find in their parents'
medicine cabinets. Several teens in the book talk about their
life-shattering experiences with drugs, including prescription drugs
like Oxycontin and over-the-counter medicines like Robitussin.

-- Gang violence -- Many of the kids in this book describe their
experiences with gangs, but the most powerful representation of
gang-driven destruction is a graphic one. The last image in the book
is of a young man lying in a coffin, a 13-year-old victim of a drive-by
shooting.

-- Religion -- Many of the teens in this book are deeply religious, some
in spite of their parents' atheism or agnosticism. Although it is
often blamed for the spread of violent and pornographic images, Instant
Access has also brought many young Americans closer to God.

-- Family -- More than a third of all American families are stepfamilies.
The stories in this book make it clear that kids who live with
stepparents face added difficulties. But they also address the
problems of "helicopter parents" who-aided by cell phones-intrude into
their kids' lives, direct their activities, and inhibit their growth
and independence.

These are just a few of the topics covered in 100 YOUNG AMERICANS, a book that captures the beauty and complexity of American youth today.

"With the budget and crew dedicated to the creation of this book, we could have made a feature film," said executive producer Brett Henenberg, who supervised the production and accompanied Franzini to all 50 states.

The book's web site http://www.100youngamericans.com/ includes many images from the book and stories about 25 of the 100 teens.

Petite Modeling Memoir Signs With Publisher

On over twenty pages of Google, Isobella Jade is known as the petite model who wrote a book at the Apple Store when she was homeless and didn't have a computer. However, her title is now including Author, Blogger, Podcaster, and "wizard of self promotion," as quoted in Advertising Age.

Her height and unexpected success, has inspired her modeling memoir called "Almost 5'4"." She has recently signed her world rights to The Friday Project in the U.K. "I found them on Publishersmarketplace.com and I immediately liked The Friday Project's edge, raw nature and the humanistic voice found in the books they had published previously like Blood, Sweat and Tea."

Currently Isobella Jade is writing daily modeling tips, modeling advice and giving help to other petite models on her blogs and podcast called Model Talk: www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade

She says of the Internet, "If you can handle the self promotion and the upsetting difficulties sometimes, then the Internet is a great place to start promoting yourself as a model, actor, musician, or artist. The Internet has changed the entertainment and modeling industry forever and the word model and the image of a Supermodel can now be created from hits and clicks on the screen. I have made myself a model from scratch, and I have never seen anyone my height trying to be a professional model, but that doesn't mean I won't still be trying."

The Friday Project will release Isobella Jade's book Almost 5'4" in January 2009.

Penguin to publish Scotiabank Giller Prize Anthology

Penguin Group (Canada) will publish The Scotiabank Giller Prize: 15 Years of Prize-Winning Fiction in 2008 to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Giller Prize.

Penguin Group (Canada) is recognized as the country's pre-eminent publisher of literary anthologies, and on its list of critically acclaimed bestsellers, has recently published The Penguin Book of Summer Stories (edited by Alberto Manguel), The Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories (edited by Jane Urquhart), The Penguin Book of Crime Stories (edited by Peter Robinson), and The Penguin Book of Women's Stories (edited by Lisa Moore).

To this prestigious list, Penguin now adds the most glamorous of anthologies, The Scotiabank Giller Prize: 15 Years of Prize-Winning Fiction. The book was conceived by Penguin Editorial Director Andrea Magyar, warmly embraced by Giller Prize founder Jack Rabinovitch and presented to lead sponsor Scotiabank in the summer of 2007.

The Onion Releases OUR DUMB WORLD Atlas

The Onion, America's Finest News Source, will publish OUR DUMB WORLD: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth (Little, Brown and Company; $27.99), a comprehensive world reference atlas, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. A repository of all known information about the planet, The Onion's atlas features all 168, 182, or 196 sovereign nations-and now with 30 percent more Asia.

No nation is safe when The Onion's hard-hitting cartographic team is on the job. "In order to produce the most comprehensive book about the Earth ever created, The Onion fearlessly sent journalists to the darkest, most dangerous parts of the Internet," Onion editor-in-chief Scott Dikkers said. "Only The Onion is brave enough to reveal that the Ukraine is the bridebasket of Europe, that Thailand is where a kid can be a kid-prostitute, and that Iran is a possible, likely threat to the free world, maybe."

Chronicling the evolution of the world and its many diverse, conquerable cultures, OUR DUMB WORLD is not just for fans of the planet Earth. Packed with explanatory essays and full-color photographs for every sovereign nation, city-state, and bullsh*t island on earth, OUR DUMB WORLD even resolves long- standing border disputes to make it easier for the reader.

"When we started this incredible, life-changing process, most of us knew nothing about, say, Africa," atlas editor Mike DiCenzo said. "Now we are all haunted by unspeakable nightmares about that terrifying place. Please make the nightmares stop."

Little, Brown and Company is publishing The Onion's OUR DUMB WORLD. When reached for comment, editor-in-chief Geoff Shandler had this to say: "For a global corporate entity like Little, Brown, doing a book about foreign countries was a natural choice. In fact, we liked Sri Lanka so much we purchased it to have around the office." OUR DUMB WORLD is The Onion's first all-original book since the 1999 New York Times bestseller Our Dumb Century: 100 Years Of Headlines From America's Finest News Source, and the 17th book by The Onion.

Website: http://www.theonion.com/

National Celebrity Publicist Pam Pinnock Inks Book Deal

National Celebrity Publicist Pam Pinnock along with Independent Publishing House Healeth Publisher has released Pinnock's first book "The Father Fracture" to be released October 19, 2007. "The Father Fracture" is Pinnock's highly personal journey and survival story from battered woman to the red carpets. For the first time, she tells about her terrifying rocky relationship with heavy weight champion Mike Tyson. She reveals the shame and self doubt that kept her locked in a destructive relationship with her first love until finally her life came crashing down on her, and she was able to start rebuilding.

Healeth Publisher is an independent Publishing House with offices in New York and Atlanta. HP was formed in 2006 by CEO J Williams to give unpublished authors an opportunity to have their work published. Healeth Publisher specializes in fiction and nonfiction books a subsidiary of MB Book Publishers.

Website: http://www.thefatherfracture.com/

John Wiley & Sons sign Clean Break by Karen Stewart

Karen Stewart, BSc, MBA, RHU, R.F.M. CDFA, CEO and brainchild of Fairway Divorce Solutions Ltd. announced that John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., a global publishing company, has signed a book deal for her breakthrough novel Clean Break: How to End Your Marriage and Move On with Your Life.

Clean Break will hit stores spring of 2008, said publisher John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clean Break is a step-by-step self-help book that highlights a breakthrough alternative to the traditional divorce system. It gives readers the tools they need to achieve a fair and accelerated win-win outcome.

Tony Dungy Writes Inspirational Picture Book for Simon & Schuster

Little Simon Inspirations, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, announced that Tony Dungy, former NFL player and current World Champion NFL head coach, will write an inspirational picture book entitled YOU CAN DO IT, which was acquired by Dee Ann Grand, Editor at Large for Howard Kids/Little Simon Inspirations, and is scheduled to be published in July of 2008.

Coach Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLI. He is an active member of family, faith, and community-based organizations including All-Pro Dad, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Mentors for Life, Family First, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.

Writer/Director/Producer Alex Wright Signs With Artist International

Hollywood Studios International CEO Steven Saxton announced today that Writer/Director/Producer Alex Wright has signed with Artist International for representation in all areas.

One of Alex's first projects as an Artist International client is to direct Artist International's upcoming feature film, "Two Wolves," which is written by Artist International client Chris Freeman and is being produced by Artist International Partner Stan Spry.

Alex will be managed by Stan Spry and is also represented by The Gersh Agency.

HarperCollins Acquires James Frey's Novel

HarperCollins has acquired North American rights to Bright Shiny Morning, a novel by New York Times bestselling author James Frey. HarperCollins will publish the book in Summer 2008. The deal was negotiated and announced by Jonathan Burnham, Senior Vice President and Publisher of HarperCollins, and Eric Simonoff of Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

James Frey is the author of the 2003 New York Times #1 bestseller A Million Little Pieces, and My Friend Leonard (2005) also a #1 New York Times bestseller. He has also worked as a screenwriter, director and producer in Los Angeles and now resides in New York City with his family.

Bright Shiny Morning will also be available in an e-book edition from HarperCollins e-books and on CD and downloadable audio from Harper Audio

Provocative Novel, America Libre, Acquired by Grand Central Publishing

After five months as a self-published edition, "America Libre" (ISBN: 0-595-42606-9), the controversial debut novel by Raul Ramos y Sanchez has been acquired by Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books). America Libre imagines a nightmarish, not-too-distant future when tensions between Hispanic separatists and Anglo supremacists ignite an ethnic conflict that leads to an armed insurrection seeking to redraw the borders of the United States.

The author sees the apocalyptic story as a wake-up call to the dangers of bigotry and extremism in a growing ethnic gulf. A revised version of the novel is slated for release by Grand Central Publishing. The current edition of the novel will continue in print until the end of 2007. Grand Central Publishing has also acquired El Nuevo Alamo, the sequel to America Libre.

Acknowledging this accomplishment, Raul Ramos y Sanchez has been invited by the Southern California Writers Conference to speak and host a workshop on his journey from self-published author to acquisition by a major publisher. The conference will be held in Irvine, California September 28-30. A book signing for the current edition of America Libre will be held on October 9th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at Libreria Martinez, the renowned Los Angeles-area bookstore owned by MacArthur genius grant recipient Rueben Martinez. A series of media interviews in Southern California is also slated.

Fueled by his Author's Diary blog, featured by NPR alongside national columnists like Eugene Robinson and Cal Thomas, Ramos y Sanchez now writes a regular editorial column for Viva Los Tiempos, a Knight-Ridder publication serving the Chicago/NW Indiana region. Discussions for syndication with other publications are in the works. Ramos y Sanchez is also host and editor of MyImmigrationStory.com, an online forum for immigrants to the United States from all over the world to share their immigration stories in their own words.

America Libre and El Nuevo Alamo will join titles by Grand Central Publishing's widely-known authors including David Baldacci, James Patterson, and the estate of the late Robert Ludlum, author of the Bourne Identity. Grand Central Publishing, formerly known as Warner Books, is the fifth largest publisher in the U.S. and was purchased from Time Warner Inc. in February 2006 by Hachette Publishing.

More information about America Libre and its author is available at http://www.raulramos.com/ or by calling Scott Willis at 504-952-5790.

Restored Edition of Beloved Children's Classic Little Toot Cruises Into Bookstores This Fall

Little Toot, Hardie Gramatky's beloved picture book about an energetic little tugboat, has sold over six million copies since 1939. This fall, Little Toot (G.P. Putnam's Sons/ISBN # 9780399247132) will chug into stores in a new edition that restores the vibrant colors and endpapers of the original. Adults who remember cheering for Little Toot as he drew figure 8's in the harbor and rooting for him as he battled gigantic waves to save an ocean liner will delight in sharing this classic piece of Americana with their children and grandchildren.

The restored classic edition marks the 100th anniversary of former Disney animator Hardie Gramatky's birth and includes never-before-published paintings and sketches. Kids will connect with Little Toot's love of gliding on the river, his desire to prove he's as important as the other tugboats, and his determination to overcome fears and make his parents proud. Readers will rejoice in his triumph as he saves the day and becomes a hero.

Gramatky, an illustrator and fine artist, was born in Dallas, attended Stanford University and the Chouinard School of Art, and began his career in 1929 at Walt Disney Studios before moving to New York in 1936.

From his studio Gramatky liked to watch boats on the East River. One little Moran tugboat seemed to have a personality of its own, never being in the right place at the right time. Gramatky did watercolors and sketches of tugboats and began to write a story to go with them. After a rejection from a publisher who said "Children aren't thinking that way this year," G.P. Putnam published Little Toot (http://www.littletoot.org/), which has since been translated into seven languages.

Gramatky was also a noted watercolorist. In 2006 Andrew Wyeth named him one of the "20 all-time great American watercolorists," along with Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, and Georgia O'Keeffe, in an interview in Watercolor magazine. When Gramatky was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1950, he was one of only 25 watercolorists to be so honored. His awards include the High Winds Medal of the American Watercolor Society, and his work is in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Toledo Museum of Art, among others.

It Girl PR Signs Author Cindy Lu and Her Book THE FOUR MAN PLAN

"It" Girl PR has acquired author/actress Cindy Lu and her must-have-find-a-mate-manual THE FOUR MAN PLAN: A Romantic Science. Cindy Lu, finally sick of her love life being joke material, set forth to figure out "what is the deal with dating?" Her revelations are our good fortune since her discovery brought forth the scientific system to dating that is outlined in her book.

"It" Girl PR will launch "THE FOUR MAN PLAN" A Romantic Science, this summer and position it as the must-have- find-your-mate-manual. CEO of "It" Girl PR, Juliette Harris, says of the acquisition, "Cindy Lu is a true "itGirl" and we are looking forward to sharing her book with Hollywood's elite celebrities, singles and influencers. I think that women around the globe will benefit from her candid dating insights." "It" Girl will focus on a campaign that targets women of all ages to adjust their dating process to a more scientific and successful result.

Globe Pequot Press Acquires Footprint Books

Globe Pequot Press has strengthened its position as a travel guide publisher with the purchase of Bath, England- based Footprint Books. The announcement was made today by Scott Watrous, president of Globe Pequot.

Footprint Books, which issued its first guidebook in 1924, publishes 80 travel guides covering locations on five continents. The guidebooks feature extensive information on the destinations covered - from food and accommodations to nightlife and transportation.

The acquisition will help expand Globe Pequot's reach across the globe, augmenting the company's travel guide portfolio.

Andy Riddle will continue to serve Footprint as managing director.

Globe Pequot will be handling the U.S. distribution of the Footprint guides.

First Novel in New Series Explores Depth of the Fantasy MMORPG Game World

Electronic Arts Inc. and BL Publishing, announced that BL Publishing will release an original novel based on the highly anticipated MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR). The first book in the new series of novels set in the Age of Reckoning, EMPIRE IN CHAOS will be available in all major bookstores and on the BL Publishing website in early 2008.

Anthony Reynolds, the author of the novel remarked, “The Warhammer world is a grim place, full of horror, violence and dark humor, and the EA Mythic team have really brought that to life - faithfully creating a living, breathing, bellicose world being torn apart by constant warfare. It's the perfect backdrop for a novel. I'd been following the progress of the game for some time and it was easy to see that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was going to be something special.”

In EMPIRE IN CHAOS, by noted Games Workshop author Anthony Reynolds, the lands of the Empire are being ravaged by a terrible plague. When Annaliese Jaeger's village is overrun and destroyed by mutants, she and an injured Elf captive are the only survivors. As the two unlikely companions fight their way towards Black Fire Pass, Annaliese discovers within herself powers of courage and faith that inspire all around her. With a grizzled Witch Hunter and a Dwarf Ironbreaker, the heroes battle alongside the armies of the Empire and the Dwarfs, above and below the earth, against greenskin tribes and the hordes of Chaos. Together, they must find their courage and help turn back the tides of darkness, lest all of the Empire be lost.

Lifetime Television Greenlights Best-Selling Novel

Building on a successful history of turning beloved books into original movies, Lifetime adds Kim Edwards' best- selling, critically acclaimed novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter to the roster, ordering production of the Lifetime Original Movie of the same name. Named by USA Today as their "Book of the Year" for 2006, the novel has five million copies in print and has spent sixty weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, holding the number one spot for seven weeks. DGA Award-winning and Emmy(R) nominated director Mick Jackson ("Live from Baghdad," "Tuesdays with Morrie") has signed on to helm the project. Casting is currently underway. "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" will premiere in 2008 on Lifetime Television.

"The enormous popularity of The Memory Keeper's Daughter has been phenomenal and we're proud to bring this story to life for fans of the book," said Daniels. Adding, "We're also thrilled to be working with Mick Jackson, an incredibly respected top director who will lend a keen eye and create what will surely be an 'event' for Lifetime and our viewers."

In "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," a secret shapes the lives of two families over a quarter of a century, beginning in 1964. During a paralyzing winter storm, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twin babies. With his wife Norah under heavy sedation, he welcomes a healthy son, Paul, and a daughter, Phoebe, who has Down's syndrome. Hoping to spare his wife any heartache for having to care for a special needs child, David tells Norah their daughter died at birth and orders the nurse, Caroline, to place Phoebe in an institution. However, unable to abandon the newborn, the nurse secretly decides to raise Phoebe as her own in another city. As years pass, the two families' lives are in stark contrast to each other. David's overwhelming guilt surrounding his deception shatters the Henry's marriage and Norah mourns the loss of their child. Meanwhile, Caroline's relationship with Phoebe becomes the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of her life.

A renowned feature film and television director, producer and author, Mick Jackson is best known for directing "The Bodyguard," starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and "Tuesdays with Morrie," starring Jack Lemmon, for which he received a DGA Award. He also received two additional DGA Awards and two Emmy(R) nominations for his direction of HBO's "Live from Baghdad" and "Indictment: The McMartin Trial." His other television credits include "Numb3rs," "Jack and Bobby," "A Very British Coup," Life Story" and "Threads."

Author Kim Edwards has also penned an award-winning short story collection, The Secrets of a Fire King. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she currently teaches writing at the University of Kentucky.

HarperCollins Publishers Signs Laura Bush and her Daughter Jenna for Book Deal

HarperCollins Publishers has acquired world rights to a children's book, as yet untitled, written by Mrs. Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna Bush. Set in a school, the book depicts a mischievous little boy who likes to do everything but read. With the help of his teacher, he finds out that books and their characters can be a lot of fun. The story is loosely based on Mrs. Bush's and Jenna's experiences as teachers. The text will be fully illustrated by Denise Brunkus.

The deal was negotiated by Kate Jackson, SVP/Associate Publisher, Editor- in-Chief of HarperCollins Children's Books with Washington D.C. attorney Robert B. Barnett. The book will be published in both English and Spanish in Spring 2008. The authors' net proceeds and a portion of the publisher's proceeds will go to two national teacher programs: Teach for America and The New Teacher Project.

Houghton Mifflin Company to Acquire Harcourt Education and Harcourt Trade Divisions

Houghton Mifflin Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Harcourt Education, Harcourt Trade and Greenwood-Heinemann divisions ("Harcourt") of Reed Elsevier.

The combination of Houghton Mifflin's and Harcourt's elementary, secondary and supplemental businesses creates a provider that will offer customers more choices in educational publishing. The new entity will be well-positioned to make the investments required to deliver to teachers and administrators a more comprehensive and flexible set of K–12 learning solutions than is available today. The addition of Harcourt Trade to Houghton Mifflin's rich library of literature and reference titles will create a preeminent publisher with one of the industry’s most distinguished lists of authors.

Houghton Mifflin will acquire the Harcourt businesses in a transaction valued at $4 billion, consisting of $3.7 billion in cash and $300 million in common stock of Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group PLC (Houghton Mifflin’s parent company). The combined business will be led by Tony Lucki, Chairman, President and CEO of Houghton Mifflin, and former CEO of Harcourt Education and Harcourt, Inc.

Warner Bros. Acquires Motion Picture Rights to Septimus Heap

Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the feature film rights to the seven- book fantasy series, Septimus Heap. This bestselling series marks UK author Angie Sage's first foray into middle-grade fantasy.

Septimus Heap: Magyk, the first book in the series will be produced by Karen Rosenfelt (The Devil Wears Prada) with Sage as Executive Producer.

The series tells the story of two babies that are switched at birth: one, a boy who discovers his birthright as the seventh son of a seventh son, and ultimately, a powerful wizard; the other, a girl who is destined to become Princess. Their stories are set in a weird and wonderful fairy-tale England and their journeys of self-discovery are filled with hilarious characters and clever charms, potions and spells.

Published in March 2005 by HarperCollins Children's Books, Septimus Heap: Magyk was an international bestseller. It debuted at #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List and moved to #1 in its second week on-sale. The subsequent books in the series, Septimus Heap: Flyte and Septimus Heap: Physik, were published in March 2006 and March 2007, respectively.

Angie Sage is represented by literary agent Eunice McMullen. Courtenay Valenti negotiated the deal on behalf of Warner Bros. Studios. Joan Rosen, Vice President, Director of Subsidiary Rights for HarperCollins Children's Books and their agent, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of The Gotham Group negotiated the deal for HarperCollins Publishers. The Septimus Heap series is published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books.

Actress Valerie Bertinelli to Write Memoir

Free Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, Inc., will publish in April 2008 a new book by Valerie Bertinelli, the popular actress who starred in the long-running television sitcom "One Day At A Time" and is now known to a new generation of fans as a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig.

Martha K. Levin, Free Press's Executive Vice President and Publisher and Leslie Meredith, VP & Senior Editor acquired world rights, audio, and first serial for the book, which will be titled Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time, from literary agent Daniel A. Strone, CEO of the Trident Media Group.

Thriller Author Partners With Director Andrew Davis on Unique Screen/Publishing Project

In a unique twist on the film option process, Thomas Nelson has announced that their leading thriller author Robert Liparulo (COMES A HORSEMAN, GERM) is partnering with director Andrew Davis (THE GUARDIAN, THE FUGITIVE, HOLES) on a new thriller to be developed into both a movie and a novel. Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures (ZODIAC, STEALTH, THE SIXTH DAY) has optioned the movie rights for the yet-to-be-titled project, which Thomas Nelson will publish.

Liparulo and Davis will co-write the screenplay, which Liparulo will solely pen into a novel. The plot centers on a military construction project in Illinois where evidence of the oldest known settlement in the Western Hemisphere is uncovered. Soon after, the lead archaeologist makes an even more startling discovery: the remains of a recent murder victim. Fearing that an investigation will jeopardize the archaeological treasures of the site, he and his team - accustomed to piecing together clues to solve mysteries - decide to investigate on their own. What they uncover is a conspiracy bigger than they could have ever possibly guessed, one that threatens thousands of lives and the U.S. government itself.

A former journalist, Robert Liparulo is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories, and the novels COMES A HORSEMAN and GERM. His short story "Kill Zone" is included in ITW's bestselling THRILLER anthology, edited by James Patterson. His third book, the high-action suspense thriller titled DEADFALL, will be published in November 2007 by Thomas Nelson.

Thomas Nelson is the world's sixth largest publisher, delivering entertaining, culturally relevant stories. From one of the world's largest publishers comes the imprint that is changing the face of fiction.

Steven Hawking to Publish His First Book for Children

Professor Steven Hawking, author of the multi-million copy bestselling A Brief History of Time, in partnership with his daughter Lucy Hawking will explain the universe to all ages in a new middle-grade novel entitled GEORGE'S SECRET KEY TO THE UNIVERSE. The undisputed expert on the universe explores new territory as he brings intricate scientific knowledge to a younger audience. Energetic illustrations rendered by Garry Parsons add humor, interest and clarity to the sophisticated information. Acquired for Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers through agent Eric Simonoff of the Jankow & Nesbit Agency in conjunction with lead agent Tif Loehnis in their UK office, the book is set to be published in Fall 2007. The translation rights have already been sold to 24 countries.

Writer's Group Sells First Book to ABC Books

wRiters On the Rise, an Australian writer's group, has sold a seven-part children's book series, entitled, The Lost Shimmaron, to ABC Books.

USA TODAY Extends Brand to Books

USA TODAY has signed licenses with six U.S. book publishers to extend the USA TODAY brand to include books. Presenting a variety of subjects, the books will be branded "USA TODAY" and feature graphics and content from USA TODAY.

The book publishing initiative adds another brand extension to USA TODAY which celebrates its 25th anniversary in September. Over the last 25 years, USA TODAY has expanded into the Internet, magazines, mobile, and television programming.

Hyperion Announces Two Book Deal With Amy Dickinson

Hyperion today announced a two book deal with Amy Dickinson. The first book, a memoir, is to be entitled THE MIGHTY QUEENS OF FREEVILLE: A Mother, A Daughter and the People Who Raised Them. The second book is as yet untitled.

Amy Dickinson writes the "Ask Amy" column for the Chicago Tribune which is syndicated to over 200 newspapers, reaching more than 22 million readers. She also hosts a bi-weekly feature "Ask Amy" on NPR's Talk of the Nation that reaches 3 million listeners. In addition to being a featured panelist on NPR's popular game show "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me," Dickinson also appears regularly on the Today show and other programs.

Hyperion president Bob Miller negotiated the deal with Elyse Cheney of Elyse Cheney Literary Associates. Executive editor Gretchen Young will edit the book. Hyperion retains North American, first serial, audio, and e-book rights.

Scholastic to Launch New Book Series by Author R.L. Stine

Scholastic will publish an all-new series from R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps(R) series-featuring Stine's hallmark combination of humor and horror. Goosebumps HorrorLand(TM), an original twelve-book series, is scheduled to launch with two books in April 2008 and a $500,000 marketing campaign for the series. The deal to extend Scholastic's Goosebumps franchise was negotiated by Lisa Holton, President of Scholastic Trade and Book Fairs, and Joan Waricha, CEO & Chairman, Parachute Publishing.

Since the Goosebumps books debuted as a monthly series in 1992, more than 300 million copies have been sold worldwide in 32 languages-selling at the phenomenal rate of four million books per month in the mid-1990s. In 2003, Scholastic acquired from Parachute Publishing the Goosebumps trademark and all related rights on a worldwide basis in all media. The Goosebumps series continues to sell millions of copies worldwide each year.

Website: http://www.scholastic.com/goosebumps

Simon & Schuster to Publish Book Series for CG-Animated Film Igor

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division announced today a major publishing agreement for Exodus Film Group's upcoming CG-animated feature film "Igor." The Simon Scribbles and Simon Spotlight imprints will publish seven books in a wide variety of formats.

"Igor" is a playfully irreverent comedy that brings a new twist to the classic monster genre and tells the story of an evil scientist's hunchbacked lab assistant with big dreams of becoming a scientist himself and winning the annual Evil Science Fair.

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra Teams Up with Atari, Inc. on Alone in the Dark

Video game publisher Atari, Inc. has hired New York Times best-selling author Lorenzo Carcaterra as script writer on Alone in the Dark. Alone in the Dark will deliver blockbuster-action on a cataclysmic scale set in New York City's iconic Central Park. Alone in the Dark is being developed by Eden Games for Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Windows platform.

With more than twenty years of writing experience, Carcaterra lends his creative pen to provide the most authentic NYC experience yet in a video game. Born and raised in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, Carcaterra has covered the city in both fact and fiction, beginning as a reporter for the NY Daily News in 1976, becoming a successful television consultant and writer for shows including Law and Order and achieving success as the best selling author of such books as Apaches, Gangster and Sleepers, the latter of which became the hit film starring Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt.

"Alone in the Dark was a challenge which allowed me to bring a realistic feel to an apocalyptic situation facing New York City and really dig into the Central Park conspiracy idea," said Lorenzo Carcaterra. "It also allowed me to write for hard-edged characters, some good, some bad, all forced to confront a force whose power they could never imagine. The story never stalls, always moves in overdrive and the characters zoom right along at warp speed, stopping long enough along the way to say a few lines that keep driving the plot forward. The end result is, I hope, a roller-coaster of a thrill ride that should be tons of fun to play."

H2O Motion Pictures Acquires Rights to Anna Politkovskaya's Books

H2O Motion Pictures, a London and Los Angeles based independent production and distribution company, has acquired the rights to three books by Anna Politkovskaya, the award-winning Russian journalist who was shot to death in a suspected contract killing in Moscow on Saturday, the 7th of October 2006. Alexander Litvinenko the former KGB/FSB officer who four weeks later become a rare victim of lethal polonium-210 radiation poisoning under highly suspicious circumstances, accused Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the assassination of Politkovskaya. H2O will develop a feature film about Anna Politkovskaya, Russia's leading radical journalist, and a bold and steadfast critic of Vladimir Putin's presidency.

Alfred A. Knopf Canada to publish Jean Chrétien's memoirs

Alfred A. Knopf Canada and Editions du Boréal will be publishing the memoirs of former prime minister Jean Chrétien. A PASSION FOR POLITICS will be published simultaneously in English and French and will arrive in bookstores in October 2007. A PASSION FOR POLITICS is Jean Chrétien's own account, told from the heart, of his ten years as Canada's prime minister.

Atlantic Books Acquires Book By Andy Hobsbawm

A major book about the impact of the Internet on business and living, by one of the interactive industry's pioneers, Andy Hobsbawm, has been acquired by Atlantic Books.

His book is about describing this shift in the balance of power and centre of gravity in the modern world from the monolithic, the hierarchical and the centralized, towards the miniature, the networked and the distributed.

To mark the announcement of the book, the publisher, Toby Mundy (who acquired the rights for Atlantic Books Ltd) and Andy Hobsbawm are releasing a draft introduction on Hobsbawm's blog, http://www.small-big.com.

Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint Sign Book Deal With Thomas Nelson

In communities across the country, Bill Cosby has publicly drawn attention in the last three years to the dire crises in black America: more young men in prison than in college, 50 percent high-school drop-out rates, too many children born to teen-aged parents, children whose parents are ill-equipped and disinterested in parenting. These problems have been fermenting for years, but few have called them out with as much force, determination, passion, and credibility as has Dr. Cosby.

Now Cosby, and Alvin F. Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a civil rights veteran, lay out their message of hope and empowerment in a new book with Nashville-based publisher Thomas Nelson, entitled "Come on, People! On the Path from Victims to Victors," scheduled for publication in fall 2007.

"Come on People!" is built around the themes of Cosby's popular call-out sessions, in which he has challenged people in towns and cities across America to reclaim and restore their families and communities.

Michael Parness' New Retirement Book Sold to St. Martin's Press

Venture Literary, a literary management company, has sold the world rights of Michael Parness' new book, "Rule Your Freakin' Retirement," to St. Martin's Press. Parness is CEO of Trendfund Corp., one of the world's leading online trend-based advisory services for individual investors.

Investment and trading guru Parness' brand-name series follows in the footsteps of his earlier guidebook, "Rule the Freakin' Markets," which was an International Best Seller. This new book uses the same style that made "Rule the Freakin' Markets" such a hit, but branches off to cover an even bigger area of economic interest -- retirement.

To be in bookstores in early 2008, "Rule Your Freakin' Retirement" will present the material in a visually appealing manner and includes important tips such as "Waxie's Words to the Wise," "Getting a Grip," and "Time to Score!" Numerous charts illustrate key concepts in an accessible way and end-of-chapter exercises reinforce principles and techniques so the reader can prepare for a secure retirement.

Oceanview Publishing Enters into Representation Agreement with Waterside Productions

Oceanview Publishing has entered into an agreement with Waterside Productions, one of the country's leading literary agencies. Waterside will handle foreign rights representation for the Oceanview catalog, which includes: Shadow of Death by Patricia Gussin, The Perfect Assassin by Ward Larsen, South Beach Shakedown by Don Bruns, Death Angel by Martha Powers, Trash Talk by Bob Gussin, Ladykiller by Lawrence Light and Meredith Anthony, as well as the forthcoming The Castro Gene (May 15) by international bestselling author Todd Buchholz, Stuff to Die For (September 1) by Don Bruns, A Grave Breach (October 1) by James Macomber, Egrets to the Flames (November 1) by Barbara Anton, and Twisted Justice (December 1) as well as a trade paper edition of Shadow of Death (December 1) both by Patricia Gussin.