Welcome to this weeks news post and we have lots of news and updates, including a class action suite against Harlequin Enterprises, adaptations based on books from Diana Gabaldon and Gail Carriger and much more!
A group of authors are embarking on a lawsuit against Harlequin Enterprises (the company behind Harlequin books and others) due to royalty payments. They state that Harlequin has underpaid them in ebook royalties which date back from 1990 to 2004. Jane from Dear Author has a great summary on the legalese and outcome of the suit.
This actually took me by surprised when the news that ebooks overtook hardback titles for the first time. I suspected it would have been a few more years to go. However, print books still outsell ebooks when it is combined with the other formats such as trade or mass market. But the growth and popularity of ebooks it seems isn’t diminishing and is fast becoming the prominent format for books.
This week also heralded several television adaptations based on popular series. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series has been picked up by producer Ron Moore who is behind Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek DS9. This is pretty exciting although he did try to adapt the Pern series by Anne McCaffery but it was suck in development hell.
And there is more! Gail Carriger has announced on her site that her The Parasol Protectorate series has been optioned for TV.
News in Brief:
Ilona Andrews has announced a couple of signing dates for the upcoming release of Gunmetal Magic which will be held in Texas.
And finally I thought this was pretty cute! Modern styled lingerie has been discovered in Austria – before the bra was invented by 100s of years. Now all those medieval romances can have some smexy underwear perhaps… 😉
And now for books to watch out for!
Anne Bishop has a brand new series featuring werewolves which is slated for next March – Written In Red
The first in an urban fantasy series about the Others.
As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.
Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.
The 5th Maiden Lane book, Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt.
WHEN STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
He lives in the shadows. The mysterious masked avenger known as the Ghost of St. Giles, his only goal is to protect the innocent of London. Until the night he confronts a fearless lady pointing a pistol at his head—and realizes she is his wife . . .BECOME LOVERS…
Lady Margaret Reading has vowed to kill the Ghost of St. Giles—the man who murdered her one true love. Returning to London, and the man she hasn’t seen since their wedding day, Margaret does not recognize the man behind the mask. Fierce, commanding, and dangerous, the notorious Ghost of St. Giles is everything she feared he would be—and so much more . . .DESIRE IS THE ULTIMATE DANGER
When passion flares these two intimate strangers can’t keep from revealing more of themselves than they had ever planned. But when Margaret learns the truth—that the Ghost is her husband, Godric St. John—the game is up and the players must surrender . . . to the temptation that could destroy them both.
And finally we also have the UK cover for Lisa Kleypas’ 4th Friday Harbor book!
What do you think of the upcoming adaptation for Outlander and Parasol Protectorate? Which other series would like to see in the small and big screen?
You need to finish this sentence: And there is more! Gail Carriger has announced on her site that her The Parasol Protectorate series.
I really hope something comes of this option. It would be awesome to watch. Anne Bishop with a new series? I just wish she was chained to her desk writing nothing but Dark Jewels books! That series is truly epic.
I never get excited when awesome series are optioned anymore. Not since Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten was optioned – and has languished in limbo ever since.
Oh cool, a bra 😀