Hayden Panttiere & Nikki Reed set to star in high school thriller

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Hayden Panettiere, of TV's "Heroes," and Nikki Reed, from the "Twilight" franchise, are attached to star in a high school-set thriller written by "American Psycho" novelist Bret Easton Ellis.

"Downers Grove," based on a novel by Michael Hornberg, is set in a high school in the titular Chicago suburb where every year, one senior dies a bizarre death before the end of the school year. Panettiere's character fears that she's the next victim. The cast will also include Rebecca De Mornay ("The Hand that Rocks the Cradle").

Nelson McCormick ("Prom Night") is set to direct the feature, which will film in Louisiana in the spring.

Sales For Cathie Black's Book Jumps After Chancellor Appointment

Cathie Black's book Basic Black, released in 2007, has sold relatively well - it was a national bestseller, actually. Sales were boosted by support from Oprah, who featured the then-chairwoman of Hearst Magazines on her daytime show and in O: The Oprah Magazine (a Hearst publication). Now, after Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement last week that Black would be taking over for Joel Klein as the chancellor of the Department of Education, Basic Black is having a second act.

Keith Kelly reports in the New York Post that sales of Black's book have jumped 400 percent since the announcement. "There's no question her appointment has had an impact at retail," Stuart Appelbaum, the Random House spokesman who confirmed the spike, told Kelly. He said in total, the book has sold 130,000 copies.

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January 21-23, 2011


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E-book Sales Rise in September

As sales in the traditional trade segments plunged in September, e-book sales jumped 158.1%, according to the monthly sales estimates released by the Association of American Publishers. Sales for the 14 publishers that reported e-book sales hit $39.9 million in the month, and were up 188.4% in the first nine months of the year to $304.6 million. In contrast, sales in the three adult trade segments, adult hardcover, trade paperback and mass market paperback, all fell by more than double digits with the adult hardcover segment experiencing the biggest decline with sales down 40.4% at the 17 publisher who reported sales to the AAP of $180.3 million. The only other segment to post a significant sales gain in September was downloadable audio with sales from the nine reporting companies up 73.7%, to $7.7 million. Sales of audio CDs fell 42.6%, to $11.6 million, in the month at the 22 reporting companies.

From PW Nov 10, 2010

Author Trivia

Before James Patterson became a bestselling thriller writer, he worked for the advertising firm J. Walter Thompson. He’s also credited with creating the “Toys R Us Kid” slogan.

Backspace Agent-Author Seminar, November 11-12, 2010

Where: The Radisson Martinique, New York

Price: Both days $495 before Sept 15, $595 after; one day $275 before Sept 15. $295 after (discounts available for Backspace members)

For More Info: backspacewritersconference.com

You won’t find giant lecture halls full of writers competing for one agent at the Backspace Agent-Author Seminar—workshops are limited to only 14 writers for every two agents to ensure all attendees receive individual attention.

The event also includes panel discussion with the agents in attendance. And because criticism—even good criticism—can sting, the organizers include uplifting presentations, as well. For example, at a previous Backspace event, Lorenzo Carcaterra, a screenwriter and New York Times bestselling author of Sleepers, talked about breaking in, networking and other topics. Panels and presentations break 15 minutes early to give attendees a change to mingle with the agents and authors and ask questions.

Backspace is home to some great success stories, too. Last year, between the organization’s May conference and its November Agent-Author Seminar, 10 attendees secured agent representation.

By Linda Formichelli for Writers Digest and co-author of The Renegade Writer, teaches an e-course on breaking into magazines and offers writer phone mentoring.

Debut!

Anastasia Hopcus, Austin, Texas
Anastasiahopcus.com, hopcusblog.com

New Book: Shadow Hills (young adult, Egmont USA, July 2010)

Time Frame: The first draft of Shadow Hills took about two months, but the rewrites took five.

The Agent: Including my first (still unpublished) novel, I queried for three years. I contracted at least 100 agents before finding Meredith Kaffle (with Charlotte Sheedy Literary), and she’s absolutely wonderful. I can still remember when she called my house. I almost hyperventilated.

Biggest Surprised: That my book could be rejected by agents and publishers and yet I was still able to find people who completely love it and believe in it.

What I did Right: I paid attention to advice from an agent who turn4d down the first draft of Shadow Hills. His letter was blunt, with more specific criticism than anyone else I ‘d sent it to. Though it took me a few days to get over my hurt feelings, the letter helped me figure out my manuscript’s weakness.

Helpful Communities: Luckily, I found the Tenners, a LiveJournal Group of authors who have debut YA or middle-grade novels coming out in 2010. The Tenners also helped me connect with online bloggers, and those collaborations and friendships have proven invaluable.

What’s Next? I have a few paranormal YA projects in the works. I see a lot of potential to continue the story of Shadow Hills, but I have plans to explore other characters and stories, as well.

By Chuck Sambuchino for Writers Digest.