Janet Evanovich
Here’s an update on our Janet Evanovich post from July 16, in which we speculated on the mega-bestselling author’s plan to move to another publisher:
Janet E. is also in the news these days for other reasons: She’s currently renegotiating her contract with publisher St. Martin’s Press. Reportedly Evanovich, who is represented by her son Peter, wants around $50 million for her next four “Plum” books, and St. Martin’s is apparently not ready to pony up quite that much (the last four books in the series cost them about $40 million). Evanovich isn’t saying much about the “private” details of the negotiation, but industry pros are wondering if she might take her fan base and self publish if she can’t find a publisher ready to pay the asking price.
And now we have the verdict: Evanovich has signed a 4-book deal with Random House Publishing Group, at Ballantine Bantam Dell. (Random House did not release the sale price.) The deal includes two Stephanie Plum novels and two books from the “Unmentionable” series.
In a press release, Evanovich commented on the deal: “I started my career as a Bantam author, and I’m very excited to be returning. Their sales, distribution, and marketing make them the perfect partner for me and my work. Load up the U-Haul; break out the pizza and the beer—it’s moving day for Stephanie, Joe, Ranger, Diesel and me!”
What’s your favorite Evanovich title? The latest, Sizzling Sixteen, is currently at #7 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list.
My favorite is number three. The last few are just so-so.
Silly, silly Random House.