Evanovich To Go With Random House

Last Monday, I mentioned the gossip that St. Martin's Press (a division of Macmillan) had reportedly turned down Janet Evanovich's demand for $50 million for her next four books.

Deadline New York reported here that Evanovich's son Peter, acting as her agent, "is expected to shop the deal to other publishers shortly."

Publishers Marketplace added that "Of the Big Six, only Penguin and Random House have no prior business relationship with her."

Yesterday's Publishing Weekly announced:

Evanovich now has a new publisher, having signed a four book deal with Random House's Ballantine Bantam Dell division.

The Random House press release said:

The publisher acquired worldwide hardcover, paperback, audio, and e-book publication rights for four new Evanovich novels from Peter Evanovich, the author's agent and son. Terms were not disclosed ... Two of the books will be Stephanie Plum novels, and the other two will be in the author's newer "Unmentionable" series. The first will be published simultaneously as a Bantam hardcover and e-book edition in Summer 2011.

I'll confess to a soft spot for Janet Evanovich. I've heard her speak several times over the last six years, but the first time in the spring of 2004 provided needed inspiration to me as a newbie writer. You can read my post on that night here.

When I left that talk at Texas Christian University, I picked up a copy of Evanovich's Hard Eight, the first book of hers I read. I can still remember sitting in my backyard reading that novel and laughing out loud. My next-door neighbor called over the fence to find out what was making me laugh so hard.

I just checked the Amazon reviews for Hard Eight. Sixty-three percent of the 379 reviews were either four- or five-star reviews. That's pretty impressive for the eighth in a series. And that was nothing compared to the 80% four- and five-star ratings on To The Nines, the next in the series, published in 2004.

Here's wishing Janet the best of luck with her new publisher.