overview

Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, is pleased to announce the acquisition today of a memoir by Flea, the bassist and founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the most prominent and successful bands of the last 30 years. Ben Greenberg, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing, acquired the world rights in an exclusive negotiation with David Vigliano of David Vigliano & Associates. A publication date has not yet been set for the as-yet untitled memoir. Hachette Audio will publish an audio edition. UK and Commonwealth rights were pre-empted by Sarah Emsley at Headline at the time of acquisition.

In his self-written memoir, Flea— who recently lit up social media with his viral post about the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2014 SuperBowl performance— will share stories from his intense and dynamic life, including: his move from a “normal” upbringing in the suburbs of New York to Los Angeles to live a bohemian life with a jazz musician step-father; his young, rebellious life on the streets of LA where he befriends Anthony Kiedis and founds the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Kiedis and two other high school friends;  details about his sometimes complex friendship and collaboration with Kiedis; his myriad experiences with hard drugs; and, of course, the tumultuous creative journey of the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers through its various incarnations over the last 30 years, according to Flea. 

Of the acquisition, Greenberg said, “Grand Central is thrilled to publish Flea’s memoir. Besides being a voracious reader, he is an utterly unique musician, thinker, and creative force—whether with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Atoms for Peace, or his Silverlake Conservatory which fosters music education in Los Angeles. His story is epic.”

April 1, 2014

Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), a division of Hachette Book Group, and Orion Books UK have acquired the world rights from Andrea Barzvi of Empire Literary to a new trilogy by Jodi Ellen Malpas, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling THIS MAN erotic romance trilogy. At GCP, Beth de Guzman, VP, Digital and Paperback Publisher, acquired the North American and translation rights, and, Genevieve Pegg, Editorial Director for Orion Fiction, acquired the UK rights.

In North America, the as‐yet untitled trilogy will be published during a six‐month span: Book 1 in August 2014, Book 2 in November 2014, and Book 3 in February 2015. Leah Hultenschmidt, Forever’s Editorial Director, will edit, and the books will be published simultaneously in trade paperback and e‐book editions, a first for Malpas, who began her writing career as a self‐published e‐book author. Hachette Audio will release audio editions of the new series.

“The new trilogy follows the passionate love story of Livy and M,” says Beth de Guzman. “And M will thrill Jodi’s hundreds of thousands of fans. He’s a gentleman but aloof, well‐mannered but difficult—as complex and irresistible as This Man’s Jesse Ward. Just as the ‘Lord of the Manor’ was named in numerous reader lists as a favorite ’book boyfriend,’ so will the memorable M.”

March 26, 2014

Yen Press, the graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group, and leading Japanese gaming and manga publisher Square Enix in conjunction with the Tuttle-Mori Agency announced today that their highly anticipated inter-corporate initiative for the global distribution of Square Enix's English language manga will commence on April 8th.

By virtue of this groundbreaking agreement, fans of Square Enix’s manga in over 200 countries will have access to the authorized, English-language ebook editions of 175 titles through Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google and Kobo with new volumes available concurrently with future print releases. Launching first with internationally best selling series like Atsushi Ohkubo’s Soul Eater, Yana Toboso's Black Butler, and Yoshiki Tonogai's Doubt, Yen Press will roll out additional series weekly throughout the month of April with a blockbuster assortment that includes Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist, Jun Mochizuki's PandoraHearts, Ryukishi07's Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY, and Until Death Do Us Part by Hiroshi Takashige and DOUBLE-S. As an added bonus for fans, these ebook editions will include color pages not reproduced in the titles' print counterparts.

In addition to this ambitious launch of their cooperative digital publishing endeavor, Yen Press and Square Enix have also unveiled a program for the digital English language serialization of new chapters of two ongoing series – Atsushi Ohkubo's riotous successor to Soul Eater, Soul Eater NOT!, and Yoshiki Tonogai's latest mind-bending mystery thriller, Secret. Chapters not already contained in the collected volumes of these series will be released as digital comics in advance of the latest chapters slated for publication April 14th.

March 24, 2014