Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing has signed a multi-book agreement with D.J. MacHale, screenwriter and author of the PENDRAGON series.
The deal builds on the amazing success of the PENDRAGON series (more than 3 million copies in print) and encompasses two trilogies, a four book series and two picture books to be published over an eight-year span under the Aladdin imprint.
These books will be the first major hardcover acquisition for Aladdin under the new S&S Children's Publishing restructure.
The tenth book in the PENDRAGON series will be published in summer 2009.
MacHale is well-known as the director, executive producer and writer for the television series ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? and FLIGHT 29 DOWN, for which he won a 2008 Writers Guild of America Award.
The books to be published under the new agreement include:
THE EQUINOX CURIOSITY SHOP (action-filled fantasy series for younger middle-grade readers set to launch in fall 2009);
The MORPHEUS ROAD trilogy (slated to begin publishing summer 2010 and is an older middle-grade supernatural series that tells the story of a 16-year-old boy who is being hunted and haunted by ghosts. A second trilogy is in the works for summer 2013 that will appeal to the same older middle-grade reader as both MORPHEUS ROAD and PENDRAGON); and
THE MONSTER PRINCESS (MacHale's first picture book and features an ugly monster girl who lives in a cave beneath a castle and longs to become a beautiful princess. The picture book and sequel are to be published on a yet to be determined date).
Fans will have access to the PENDRAGON world through www.thependragonadventure.com and can cover unveilings, first peeks at excerpts, and behind-the-scenes footage of the writing process exclusively on the website.
Fresh downloadable content and viral components will also be available.
MacHale's Pendragon graphic novel series -- an adaptation of the popular middle-grade novels by the same name -- will be published to coincide with the release dates of the new PENDRAGON hardcovers.
The first graphic novel MERCHANT OF DEATH will release in Summer 2008, the same day as the ninth PENDRAGON.
MacHale will oversee the creation of three PENDRAGON prequel books entitled BEFORE THE WAR: THE TRAVELERS, with the first scheduled to publish in Fall '08 and the next two coming out before the tenth and final PENDRAGON title in summer 2009.
As a thank you to MacHale's fans for demanding and helping to create the new BEFORE THE WAR series, Simon & Schuster will make available the first third of the first TRAVELERS installment online as a sneak preview before the book is published.
Simon & Schuster also plans to redesign the entire PENDRAGON backlist which will include the tag line "Imagine the Unimagined" and feature new material to drive consumers online for added content and material.
Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis Associates represented MacHale in the publishing deal.
Additionally, The Gotham Group of Los Angeles is handling all film, game, merchandising and other media rights.
Baror International is handling the British and translation rights.
