MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 15- March 22, 2007 Edition
Bestselling Author Hornby
To Publish His First
Young Adult Novel
NEW YORK, NY/3/12/07–Nick Hornby, New York Times-bestselling author of such internationally acclaimed books as High Fidelity, About a Boy, How To Be Good and A Long Way Down, will publish his first novel for young adults with Penguin Young Readers Group, it was announced today by Geoffrey Kloske, Publisher of Riverhead Books, and Doug Whiteman, President of Penguin Young Readers Group. Entitled Slam, the book tells the moving story of a boy on the cusp of adulthood whose world is turned upside down in a life-altering teenage moment. Penguin Young Readers Group acquired North American rights to the book from literary agent Caroline Dawnay of Peters Fraser & Dunlop and plans to publish the book in hardcover in October 2007. Simultaneous paperback editions of the novel will follow from Riverhead and Penguin Young Readers in 2008.
Slam, a novel for readers of many ages, revolves around Sam who–after falling hard for a very pretty girl–ultimately finds his way through conversations with a larger-than-life poster of his idol, champion skater Tony Hawk.
Geoffrey Kloske said, “Riverhead has been Nick’s home from the beginning. We are thrilled about this new chapter in his literary career. Slam is serious, funny, and sharp. And we know that Nick’s longtime readers, as well as new ones, will find in it the humor, pitch-perfect characters, and joy found in all Nick Hornby novels.”
Mr. Whiteman added, “Our world-class young readers publishing program is perfectly positioned to take Nick’s new book to the top of the young adult market. We are proud to now have Nick among our list of national bestselling adult authors who have written books for a Y.A. audience.”
Penguin Young Readers Group is leading the industry in achieving young adult New York Times bestsellers by such national bestselling adult authors as Clive Cussler, Jan Karon and Mike Lupica. Upcoming titles include Al Gore’s #1 New York Times best seller, An Inconvenient Truth, adapted for young adults; #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert B. Parker’s first book for young readers, Edenville Owls; Summer Ball, the sequel to Mike Lupica’s New York Times #1 best seller, Travel Team; and Mars Needs Moms! from Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist and creator of Opus and Bloom County, Berkeley Breathed. Penguin Young Readers Group, which achieved a record 27 New York Times bestsellers in 2006, publishes bestselling authors for all ages, from such award-winning authors as Judy Blume, Jan Brett, and Tomie dePaola to Brian Jacques, Richard Peck, Laurie Halse Anderson, and John Green, among dozens of others.
Nick Hornby is the author of the novels How to Be Good, High Fidelity, About a Boy, and A Long Way Down, as well as the memoir Fever Pitch. He is also the author of Songbook, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, and the editor of the short story collection Speaking with the Angel. The recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Award for 1999 as well as the 2003 Orange Word International Writers’ London Award, he lives in North London.
All of Nick Hornby’s books have been published by Penguin Group (USA)’s Riverhead Books:
A Long Way Down (Hardcover: June 2005; Paperback: May 2006); Songbook (Paperback: October 2003); How To Be Good (Hardcover: July 2001; Paperback: April 2002); Speaking with the Angel (Paperback: February 2001); About a Boy (Hardcover: May 1998; Paperback: May 1999); Fever Pitch (Paperback: March 1998); and High Fidelity (Hardcover: August 1995; Paperback: August 1996).
Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children’s trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin Books, The Penguin Press, Philomel, Plume, Puffin, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. The Penguin Group ( http://www.penguin.com) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.
