Penguin

Marie Lu‘s debut novel, Legend, hits the shelves tomorrow. We caught up with Lu (pictured, via) to learn more about how authors can utilize social networking tools, the writing process for the book and her views on being an Asian-American author. The highlights follow below…

Q: How did you land your book deal?
A: My agent, Kristin Nelson, first took me on for a novel that we ultimately didn’t sell. While we waited for feedback on that one, I began writing Legend. After two intense rounds of edits with Kristin, we submitted Legend to publishers in the summer of 2010, and I recall shrieking in my apartment when Kristin told me it was going to auction with six interested publishers. Legend sold to Penguin a couple of weeks later!

Q: You drew inspiration for Legend from watching a musical production of Les Miserables. During the writing process, did you consult with Victor Hugo‘s Les Miserables?
A: It’s odd–Les Miserables triggered the first flash of inspiration for Legend (a criminal versus a detective-like character), but after that, I never referred to it again. I think the story just started going in a completely different direction. I did consult Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow a few times for inspiration on how to write from the point of view of a child prodigy.

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Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

Pippa Middleton, younger sister to the Duchess of Cambridge, has reportedly signed a £400,000 ($620,360.00) book deal with Penguin UK imprint, Michael Joseph.

According to The Telegraph, Middleton will be writing a nonfiction tome on how to host the perfect party. The not-yet-titled book will contain party ideas, stories and recipes. Middleton’s resume includes a past job in events management at Table Talk, a London-based party planning company. She currently works as an editor for an online party magazine called Party Times.

Here’s more from the article: “Ms Middleton will wait for the launch of her first book until after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations next summer so that she is not seen to be cashing in on her royal connections. She is keen for the book to be released next year but is determined that she is not seen to be making money from her closeness to the royal family. Therefore the book is likely to be launched late next autumn, after the summer celebrations around the Queen’s Jubilee but in time for the Christmas market.”

It was only a few weeks ago that we reported that Penguin’s Molly Barton was promoted to vice president, digital publishing, business development and strategy at Penguin Group. Now we hear that the 32-year old will replace Dan Ruffino, as the group’s Global Digital Director.

Digital Book World has more: “Book Country president Molly Barton has been promoted to global digital director at Penguin Group where she will be responsible for all of the major book publisher’s digital products and will liaise with parent company Pearson on digital strategy. She starts in her new position on December 1.”

Since she began working with Penguin in May 2005, Barton has spearheaded a number of digital publishing initiatives. This includes launching Book Country, Penguin’s online community for aspiring writers which announced a new self-publishing feature today.

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In January 2012, Penguin Group’s Berkley and New American Library (NAL) divisions will launch the InterMix eBook imprint. The list will feature titles from a wide variety of genres including women’s fiction, romance, mystery and thriller and science fiction/fantasy.

The initial list includes eleven titles from Kindle Million Club member Nora Roberts. InterMix will publish eBook editions of The Cordina’s Royal Family series, The Donovan Legacy series and “several novels featuring fan favorites the O’Hurleys”–all previously unavailable as eBooks.

Here’s more from the release: “In February, InterMix will revive the renowned Signet Regency line with the release of six popular romance titles that have never before been published as eBooks. Signet Regency, a popular line of Regency-era romances, began in the mid-1970s and became the leading publisher of Regency romances.  Three additional Regency-set romances will be released each following month throughout 2012.  And later in the year, InterMix will bring back four novels in the classic Guinevere Jones seriesfrom bestselling writer Jayne Ann Krentz, writing as Jayne Castle, that have long been out of print and have never been available as eBooks.”

Penguin Group (USA) is honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a new promotion called Read Pink.

For the promotion, Penguin has selected eight novels for a special edition print run. The new books include a special “Read Pink” on the cover and additional information about breast cancer inside the book.

The novels for this year include titles by Nora Roberts, Catherine Anderson, Christina Dodd, Jillian Hunter, Lynn Kurland, Amanda Quick, Bertrice Small and Lauren Willig. Follow this link to check out Read Pink books.

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Charlaine Harris has landed a book deal with Penguin Group (USA)’s Ace Books imprint for her new graphic novel trilogy, Cemetery Girl. The first book will be released in 2013.

Comic artist Don Kramer will illustrate. As we previously noted, this project is a collaboration between Harris and writer Christopher Golden

Harris had this statement in the release: “I’d had the bones of the plot for Cemetery Girl in my head for a year when Chris suggested I re-imagine it as a graphic novel. Suddenly, the project made a lot more sense. Since Chris has more experience in the graphic novel field than I do, we agreed to team up for my first-ever collaboration. This is an exciting venture for both of us.”

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Oscar winning actor Timothy Hutton and Riverhead publisher Geoffrey Kloske co-starred in a new book trailer for author Julie Klam. Follow this link to watch the video.

New York Magazine described the trailer: “[Hutton] plays an a**hole version of himself in a book trailer for Julie Klam, an author he knew only from Twitter.”

This is the first time both Hutton and Kloske have appeared in a book trailer. The trailer advertises the paperback version of You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness and the hardcover publication Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Sometimes Help You Save Yourself.

Nightshade trilogy author Andrea Creamer has inked a deal with Penguin Group (USA)’s Philomel imprint for a new YA steampunk series.

The first book, titled The Inventor’s Secret, is slated for publication in fall 2013. Executive editor Jill Santopolo negotiated the deal with InkWell Management literary agents Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen.

Here’s more from the release: “The series is set in an alternate nineteenth-century North America where the Revolutionary War never took place and the British Empire has expanded into a global juggernaut propelled by marvelous and horrible machinery…As part of the deal, Philomel has also acquired a second prequel to Nightshade entitled RISE, which is scheduled for publication in summer 2013. The first prequel to Nightshade,entitled RIFT, is scheduled for publication in fall 2012.” (Photo Credit: Gina Monroe)

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Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson has landed a deal with Penguin Young Readers Group to write The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit.

The book is slated for release in September 2012 to commemorate the 110th-year anniversary of Beatrix Potter‘s The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The book will be released simultaneously in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Here’s more from the release: “In The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter’s adventures take him beyond the boundaries of Mr. McGregor’s garden, all the way to Scotland, where he meets the gentle giant Finlay McBurney, a distant Scottish relative. Emma was inspired to set the tale in Scotland by her knowledge of Beatrix’s childhood holidays there.”

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Molly Barton has been promoted to vice president, digital publishing, business development and strategy at Penguin Group.

Barton has spearheaded a number of digital publishing initiatives. This includes launching Book Country, Penguin’s online community for aspiring writers; developing Penguin’s eSpecial program; expanding Penguin’s relationship with Starz Television Network; and developing interactive book apps like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road app for the iPad.

According to Barton’s LinkedIn page, she has been with Penguin since May 2005, when she joined the company as publishing coordinator. Prior to working at Penguin, Barton worked for Viking Books and Oxford University Press.