Chris Colfer Strcuk By Lightning Screening - H 2013
Getty ImagesGlee star Chris Colfer has signed a new five-book deal with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, publisher Megan Tinley announced on Monday.
Although his Fox series finishes its run next year, Colfer will have no trouble staying busy: The new deal includes two middle-grade novels, a picture book and a YA title, as well as the fifth and final book of his popular series The Land of Stories.
“The Land of Stories has reached an audience beyond my wildest dreams,” Colfer said in a statement announcing the deal. “I’m thrilled it’s been so well received by kids, their teachers and librarians, and their parents (and sometimes their older siblings, too).”
The Land of Stories follows the mystical and fantastical adventures of twins Alex and Connor Bailey as they navigate adventure in a world fused with fairy tales. Four installments of the series have already been announced, with the first three reaching The New York Times best-seller list and the fourth, yet untitled, novel set to bow in stores and online on July 7, 2015.
Two of his new titles, Queen Red Riding Hood’s Guide to Royalty and The Mother Goose Diaries, will be released as a box set in fall 2015 and serve as companion pieces to the series.
The deal also marks Colfer’s return to YA fiction. The untitled novel does not yet have a release date but will follow a young actor and a few of his fans as they travel on a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country road trip. The coming-of-age adventure is his second foray into the genre, after his debut novel, Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal, which was adapted into a feature film starring Colfer in the title role.
Also in fall 2015, the Golden Globe-winning Colfer is set to release his previously announced first picture book, The Curvy Tree, illustrated by Brandon Dorman.
The new deal also covers his 2016 picture book follow-up, which will star Land of Stories fan-favorite character Trollbella.
“Chris Colfer has been an absolute dream author to work with — he continues to impress me with everything that he writes,” Little Brown editor-in-chief Alvina Ling said in the announcement. “It’s a rare talent indeed who is able to effortlessly switch between writing for the middle grade, young adult, and picture book audiences, and Chris does so brilliantly.”
Colfer, best known for his role as Kurt Hummel on Glee, will also return to the series for its final six-episode run in 2015.
The actor-author is repped by Rob Weisbach Creative Management, Coast to Coast, Inphenate and ICM Partners.
