Vulture overhears a deal:
Last week, we hear, agent Ellen Levine at Trident Media closed a deal for a postapocalyptic vampire trilogy with editor Mark Tavani at Ballantine. Now, if we reported on every postapocalyptic vampire trilogy out there, we’d never have time to write anything else. But this postapocalyptic vampire trilogy sold, we hear, for a whopping $3.75 million for North American rights. Impressively, the deal was made off a 400-page partial manuscript. And even more impressively — given how cynical most of the people we know in the book world are — everyone seems to really like the book.
“Usually I hate this stuff, and I love it!” we hear one scout told her colleagues.
Apparently the word “awesome” was also used a lot in meetings about this deal.
Who’s the author? Some kid who wrote another thing a while back. His photo will look cool on the jacket.
I’d love to hear what Anne Rice thinks about all this. Probably something unprintable. Although she seems to have gotten religion lately….
The story? Oh, yeah, the story. Here it is:
The story, set in 2016, revolves around a U.S. government project gone awry that affects a group of experimental subjects — condemned inmates plucked from death row — turning them into highly infectious vampires. Meanwhile, an orphan named Amy discovers that she has unusual powers, seemingly related to the crisis that quickly overtakes civilized society. It’s pretty dark, though not completely without humor — the governor of Texas in 2016, for example, is Jenna Bush.
Yeah, that’s a knee-slapper. And a good example of litotes. Not really post-apocalyptic though, is it? Technically?
(via edrants)
2045 would’ve been a better date to use. People use these 2000 something dates like it’s still the far future. It isn’t.
If you like Vampire stories I recommend the Laurel K. Hamilton series. I wouldn’t have read them except a friend pushed them on me and it turned out they were pretty fun. Not art, but just entertainment.
I saw this mentioned in Publishers Marketplace today. Justin Cronin’s not exactly a kid, though — I liked him when I met him at AWP this year.
FICTION: SCI-FI/FANTASY
PEN Hemingway Award and Stephen Crane Prize winner Justin Cronin’s apocalyptic trilogy, presupposing that vampires are real, created by a virus that produces profound physical and psychological transformation, beginning with THE PASSAGE, a re-imagining of the traditional Gothic vampire story, considering our contemporary fears of viral epidemics, government ineptitude, scientific knowledge outstripping ethical understanding, and the dissipation of human bonds, offering themes of love, friendship, and sacrifice, set against an epic struggle to heal a broken world, to Mark Tavani at Ballantine, reportedly in a major deal for $3.75 million (NY Mag), for publication beginning in summer 2009, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group (NA).
He’s probably a wonderful guy! But I’m really really tired of vampires. And zombies. And $3.75M!! And he only wrote 400 pages. Gaaaaahhhhh….
Edit:
Quoted from Elizabeth:
“And $3.75M!! And he only wrote 400 pages. Gaaaaahhhhh….”
My Text which shouldn’t have been included in the quote:
3.75 million. Lucky him.
The 3.75 Million probably includes a film deal for the novel. Or maybe they really think it will sell and perhaps its even really good. Perhaps they think he will be the next Neil Gaiman.
***
I’m really not having any luck with blockquotes tonight.
And now the guy gets a “seven figure” movie deal out of Volume 1, The Passage:
FILM RIGHTS
Justin Cronin’s THE PASSAGE, to Fox 2000, for Ridley Scott at Scott Free, for seven figures, at auction.
It’s like the Good Book saith, “To them that hath much, much shall be given.” Let’s just hope there’s a little left over for the rest of us.