Untitled Lemony Snicket series
Encyclopedia
American children's author Lemony Snicket
signed with Egmont Publishing
(UK) in August 2009 and Little, Brown and Company
(U.S.) in November 2009 to begin work on a four-part children's series. Although Snicket has switched from his former publisher, HarperCollins
, to Little, Brown and Company, he will continue to work with his longtime editor Susan Rich. The first novel is set for release in 2012.
had purchased the rights to a new series by Snicket. By November 2009, Little, Brown and Company
had purchased the North American rights to the series. The series will have some overlap with his previous series, A Series of Unfortunate Events
, but will not involve its protagonists, the Baudelaire orphans
. Daniel Handler
, the author behind the Snicket pen name
, clarified that the series "is mostly an entirely new story. But if you are a close reader of the series you will see some overlap. There will be something for people who are hungry for that sort of thing." He reiterated: "It does have some overlap with the series, but it's not a continuation."
Asked about his progress with the series in January 2010, Handler stated that he was "at the point that it's a twinkle in someone else's eye." He told The Scotsman
that the series was "still kind of fetal", and that he would be writing it in 2010. The Times
reported he is playing with a plot and title. The only hint to the story's plot provided by Handler was that the series will "approach that question mark from a different angle", a reference to the mysterious entity appearing in the final three novels of A Series of Unfortunate Events. In October 2010, Snicket elaborated:
Egmont publicist Jessica Dean stated: "If there's such a thing as a secret secret, this is one. He's working on it, but it's shrouded in secrecy… He's busy investigating as only he would." Egmont Publishing officially stated: "The new series [...] at this stage cannot be named (for fear of jeopardising the final stages of Mr. Snicket's investigations)." Egmont fiction publisher Leah Thaxton cryptically told the press:
Little, Brown and Company's children's publisher Megan Tingley stated that the company is "proud to be joining forces" with Snicket, and commented that the series would be "highly inventive and entertaining works that will enthrall Lemony Snicket's legions of fans."
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
signed with Egmont Publishing
Egmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....
(UK) in August 2009 and Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
(U.S.) in November 2009 to begin work on a four-part children's series. Although Snicket has switched from his former publisher, HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, to Little, Brown and Company, he will continue to work with his longtime editor Susan Rich. The first novel is set for release in 2012.
Details
In August 2009, it was announced that Egmont PublishingEgmont Publishing
The Egmont Group is a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise media generally....
had purchased the rights to a new series by Snicket. By November 2009, Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
had purchased the North American rights to the series. The series will have some overlap with his previous series, A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...
, but will not involve its protagonists, the Baudelaire orphans
Baudelaire family
The Baudelaire family is one of several prominent fictional families created by American author Lemony Snicket for his novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events...
. Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
, the author behind the Snicket pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
, clarified that the series "is mostly an entirely new story. But if you are a close reader of the series you will see some overlap. There will be something for people who are hungry for that sort of thing." He reiterated: "It does have some overlap with the series, but it's not a continuation."
Asked about his progress with the series in January 2010, Handler stated that he was "at the point that it's a twinkle in someone else's eye." He told The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
that the series was "still kind of fetal", and that he would be writing it in 2010. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported he is playing with a plot and title. The only hint to the story's plot provided by Handler was that the series will "approach that question mark from a different angle", a reference to the mysterious entity appearing in the final three novels of A Series of Unfortunate Events. In October 2010, Snicket elaborated:
I'm doing research for a new series for older children that is about more experiences from my own life; it takes place at a time before the Baudelaire children were born.
Egmont publicist Jessica Dean stated: "If there's such a thing as a secret secret, this is one. He's working on it, but it's shrouded in secrecy… He's busy investigating as only he would." Egmont Publishing officially stated: "The new series [...] at this stage cannot be named (for fear of jeopardising the final stages of Mr. Snicket's investigations)." Egmont fiction publisher Leah Thaxton cryptically told the press:
Usually, I look forward to opening my post. It's exciting to think that I might find a manuscript to bring comfort and joy to any reader. But that morning, when I saw the handwriting on the envelope... Well, how would you feel if you knew you were about to unleash yet more untold misery on the unsuspecting children of this country? We at Egmont can't escape Lemony Snicket's grim story, but for the rest of you, there's time. PLEASE READ SOMETHING ELSE!
Little, Brown and Company's children's publisher Megan Tingley stated that the company is "proud to be joining forces" with Snicket, and commented that the series would be "highly inventive and entertaining works that will enthrall Lemony Snicket's legions of fans."