Wealth of new deals taking place in Frankfurt Book Fair 2012

Pakistan News & Features Services

The ongoing Frankfurt Book Fair 2012 has been witnessing a wealth of new deals, including ‘frenzied’ bidding for Egmont's BZRK series, and a second Led Zeppelin title. 

Michael Grant’s new young adult thriller series BZRK is reported to have has hit the half a million pound mark in foreign rights sales, selling into five territories: France, Germany, Holland, Norway and the US. 

Egmont, which is selling world rights, has reported ‘frenzied’ bidding from a number of other territories for the three-book series. 

The title is Egmont’s first cross-media product, which brings together books and gaming. American author Grant is best known for his Gone and The Shadow Gang series. 

The digital gaming element of the book is the Alternate Reality Game (ARG) that has been available since September in the UK via multiple channels, including an iOS/Android game app, on the hub website GOBZRK.com and social networks.

The series has been co-developed by leading ARG writer Rich Silverman, whose credits include games for TV drama 'Heroes' and Oscar-winning film 'The Dark Knight.'

Egmont will release the first book of the series in February as one of the lead titles in its new YA imprint Electric Monkey. 

“We’ve been completely overwhelmed by the level of early interest in this book. By acquiring titles of this quality, our new imprint Electric Monkey is securing its position in the YA market globally,” Gillian Laskier, Group Sales Director for Egmont UK, was quoted as saying. 

Random House has sold its forthcoming Rod Stewart memoir into three territories, to Globo in Brazil, Mondadori in Italy and Random House Germany.

Random House Group UK and Random House US jointly acquired world rights to the memoir of the former Faces frontman this autumn. 

Janklow & Nesbit UK’s Tim Glister has sold at auction UK and Commonwealth rights to Evil Genius, a ‘lifestyle guide like no other’ by Joshua Blackburn, to Rosemary Davidson at Square Peg Books.