Delacorte Press will publish The Grimoire of Grave Fates, a new YA fantasy novel told in interconnected points of view by 18 acclaimed young adult authors, it was announced today by Beverly Horowitz, Senior Vice President & Publisher, Delacorte Press. Krista Marino, Senior Executive Editor, acquired world rights from Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and will edit the project.
The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows the untimely murder of a professor at an esteemed wizarding school and the efforts of various students to track down his killer, with each chapter portraying a different character’s perspective. The novel was created by Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky) and Margaret Owen (The Merciful Crow), with the following authors contributing individual chapters: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez.
Alkaf and Owen will be using proceeds from the sale to establish two initiatives for marginalized authors, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Alkaf’s fund will go toward supporting and mentoring Muslim writers seeking to publish children’s literature, and Owen’s fund will do the same for transgender writers. “It is a privilege to be working on such a unique and important project,” says Marino. “This collaboration brings together so many talented authors, amplifying underrepresented voices and bringing them to the forefront of YA fantasy. The world that Hanna and Margaret have built features a truly inclusive and diverse cast of characters. Every reader should find representation within the pages of this story. I’ve never come across a book quite like this, and I’m so proud Delacorte will be publishing it.”
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Delacorte Press publishes literary and commercial novels for middle-grade and young adult readers, as well as nonfiction that crosses educational and general interest categories. Among the many award-winning and bestselling authors published by Delacorte Press are Judy Blume, Ann Brashares, Julie Buxbaum, Rob Buyea, Matt de la Peña, Kathleen Glasgow, Holly Jackson, Lauren Kate, E. Lockhart, Karen M. McManus, Sonia Nazario, Trevor Noah, Louis Sachar, Brandon Sanderson, Michael Scott, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Bryan Stevenson, Clare Vanderpool, Kiersten White, and Nicola Yoon.
Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates for essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is our mission to put more books featuring diverse characters in the hands of all children. You can learn more about WNDB programs at diversebooks.org.
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Author photos: Preeti Chhiber, credit: Randy Fontanilla; Kat Cho, credit: Jennie Magiera; Mason Deaver, credit: Trịnh Hồng Hương; Natasha Diaz, credit:Christine Chambers; Hafsah Faizal, credit:A. Faizal; Victoria Lee, credit: Ryan La Sala; Darcie Little Badger, courtesy of the author; Kwame Mbalia, credit: Bryan Jones Photography; L.L. McKinney, credit: Anthony Nickens; Tehlor Kay Mejia, credit: Photo + Styling: Tia Reagan Creative, Editing: Adrian King; Yamile S Mendez, courtesy of the author; Candice Montgomery, credit: Kay Barth; Marieke Nijkamp, credit: Karin Nijkamp; Karuna Riazi, credit: S. Uddin; Randy Ribay, credit: Stefania Curto; Kayla Whaley, credit: Isadora Pennington; Julian Winters, credit: Vanessa North
