Anastasia Suen's Book Deal

ANASTASIA SUEN'S 4-BOOK DEAL TO KANE/MILLER

I am thrilled to announce the sale of Anastasia Suen's newest chapter book series to Kira Lynn at Kane/Miller in a a 4-book deal!

Anastasia Suen is one of those writers that not only writes books for Ronnie and me to sub (and yes, Ronnie just sold Anastasia's newest picture book to Viking!), but editors ask me if Anastasia can write them a book. With 115 published books under her belt and a teacher and mentor to many published authors, Anastasia constantly creates innovative, exciting new projects that editors and readers want to buy.

This newest chapter book series is hush-hush since Anastasia and Kira came up with a new concept that is not yet on the market and we know will be a huge hit with middle grade girls.

So how does a deal like this come about? Over lunch in sunny San Diego, Kira mentioned a concept for a chapter book that she'd love to publish and I immediately thought of Anastasia. After researching the topic we realized that a new series was in the works from another publisher so it was back to the drawing board for Kira and Anastasia. They met at IRA and brainstormed ideas until Kira's aha moment and Anastasia's extensive research proved they had stuck gold with a ultra-popular activity for middle grade girls and yet not a single chapter book with this subject on the market. I think this is what Donny Deutsch would call The Big Idea:)

A Series Proposal and three written chapters later, a new, fabulous chapter book series is born!

Anastasia Suen is the author of 115 books for children and adults, a literacy blogger, a children's literature consultant for several publishers, a former K,1,5, & 6 teacher who visits schools to teach the six traits of writing, and a workshop instructor for SMU and online who teaches adults how to write for children. http://www.asuen.com/

So has getting the sale always been a slam-dunk for Anastasia? Take heart, breaking in is tough for everyone. From her bio on the Herman Agency Website:

Children's books have always been a part of my life. My mother started reading to me when I was a baby and we went to the library every week. I wrote my first picture book when I was eleven and I've been writing books for children ever since. I wrote hundreds of manuscripts and collected rejection letters for years...and then it happened. On my fortieth birthday, the phone rang. After writing for twenty-nine years, I sold my first book! Today I've sold 115 books: board books, picture books, easy readers, and chapter books (including a book for adults about how to write children's books). I've also written articles, poems, and stories for textbooks, magazines, and the web.

In 1995 I began working as a children's literature consultant for Sadlier-Oxford. Later I joined the Rosen Publishing Group Reading Advisory Board and became a "Classroom Connections" reviewer for Book Links. Today I also work as a consultant for the Brown Books Publishing Group, Lee & Low Books and National Geographic School Publishing. I blogged for Scholastic Teacher on Nonfiction Monday (a day I created). I also write about children's books each week on six other blogs.

CONGRATS TO ANASTASIA AND KIRA!