New author page for The First Empire series on Facebook
DEL REY BOOKS LICENSES MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN’S THE FIRST EMPIRE SERIES IN MAJOR PRE-EMPT
Editorial Director Tricia Narwani Inks 4-Book Deal
Best-selling fantasy and science fiction author Michael J. Sullivan today announced that he has licensed World English print & ebook rights to his next epic fantasy series for more than half a million dollars to Del Rey Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Del Rey preempted the deal, which had already received multiple offers and was expecting several more.
The audio book right for this series was sold for low-six-figures to Troy Juliar of Recorded Books. As part of that deal, Audie Award Nominee Tim Gerard Reynolds will once more narrate Michael’s works.
“I was looking for a publisher to take this series to the next level. One who would both respect what I’ve accomplished in the past, and wanted to grow my career into the future. I found that in Tricia Narwani and her colleagues at Del Rey,” Sullivan said.
The deal is comprised of the first four books in Sullivan’s The First Empire series: Rhune, Dherg, Rhist and Phyre. A fifth book, Fhrey is also planned. Del Rey’s Editorial Director Tricia Narwani was pleased to welcome Mr. Sullivan to the Del Rey fold, joining the likes of Terry Brooks, China Mieville and other top SFF authors.
“I was a fan of Michael’s work before we began discussions about him joining our team,” Narwani said. “When I shared Rhune with the Del Rey team—our publisher, my fellow editors, our marketing and publicity directors—the enthusiasm was instant and electric. On behalf of the entire Del Rey staff, I can say that it is an honor and a pleasure to welcome Michael to our house.”
The deal was brokered by Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary, a literary agency that specializes in hybrid authors and Michael will continue to self-published books in between the Del Rey releases.
“Michael is one of those rare authors whose pioneering efforts in publishing pave the way for others. His self-publishing, small-press publishing, and big-five publishing projects have all done exceedingly well, and he is constantly thinking up new ways to connect with his readership in an ever changing publishing landscape,” McLean said.
About Michael J. Sullivan Michael writes classical fantasy and science fiction with unlikely heroes on epic adventures. His debut series, The Riyria Revelations, has sold more than half a million English language copies and has been translated into 13 foreign languages. His works have appeared on more than 100 best-of or most-anticipated lists including those compiled by Library Journal, Barnes and Noble, and Audible. In addition, his books have been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2014. Visit website, https://www.riyria.com for more information, or follow Michael on Twitter @author_sullivan.
About Del Rey Del Rey Books began as an imprint of Ballantine Books in 1977 with the bestselling The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. Begun by editor Judy-Lynn del Rey with the editorial assistance of her husband, author and editor Lester del Rey, Del Rey Books quickly grew into the most robust science fiction/fantasy imprint in the field. Today, as an imprint of Penguin Random House, Del Rey’s list has grown to include Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Stephen Donaldson, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Larry Niven, Alan Dean Foster, Katherine Kurtz, Jack L. Chalker, Barbara Hambly, and now Michael J. Sullivan.
About Fuse Literary Fuse Literary is a hybrid literary agency with offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, which blends the knowledge and skills of traditional publishing with the brash new opportunities engendered by digital publishing, self-publishing, ebooks, and technology. Partners Laurie McLean and Gordon Warnock are joined at Fuse by agents Emily Keyes, Connor Goldsmith, Michelle Richter and Sara Sciuto. Visit the website, https://fuseliterary.com for more information, or follow them on Twitter @fuseliterary.
