Jonathan Stroud's Blog, page 76
February 10, 2013
Lockwood #1 editing almost complete
The Screaming Staircase is officially almost done! I handed in the second draft shortly before Christmas, and since then have completed copyedits for both UK and US editions. They’re practically the same, but with a few minor vocabulary and grammatical changes for the US. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been creating a Glossary for the back of the book (to explain terms such as ‘ghost-lock’ ‘miasma’ and ‘chill’). I’ve still got to revise this, and check the UK/US proofs (which is the first time I see the text in its correct positioning on the page) - but then the book will basically be complete. Meanwhile, illustrators are working on the UK and US covers, and my German publishers have nearly finished their translation too. Oh, and I’ve seen the German cover, and it looks fantastic. In short… things are really hotting up…
Must be time for me to start planning Lockwood #2…
February 9, 2013
Lockwood Publication Dates!
Well, I’m back again, after several more months of silence. But here’s some great news to kick off with: I’ve got some publication dates for Lockwood & Co. Book 1: The Screaming Staircase, which arrives this autumn.
Without further ado, here they are:
UK Publication: 29th August 2013
US Publication: 17th September 2013
I’m not quite sure about the exact German pub date yet, but I’ll be launching it at the Frankfurt Book Fair around 11th & 12th October.
I’ll be doing UK events around publication, and a full tour in October. The US tour will be in the second half of September. I’ll be touring in Germany in November. One way or another, it’ll be a busy couple of months!
More soon…
October 25, 2012
Lockwood Movie Deal Announced!
It’s been a LO-O-O-N-G time since I posted any news (I’ve been chained in a darkened room most of this year, just writing), but this one’s worth the wait. I’m thrilled to announce today that the movie rights for my new series, Lockwood & Co, have been bought by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
I’m hugely excited by this: Illumination have produced some great movies, such as Despicable Me and The Lorax, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with Lockwood. This deal’s been in the making for several months and I’ve been dying to talk about it, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy until now.
The news was broken by Variety last night. Here’s the article:
Well, while the negotiations have been going on, I’ve been scribbling away on the first book - The Screaming Staircase. I’m doing the edits on the manuscript now, and am at the same time starting work on the sequel, so that the two link up smoothly. The Screaming Staircase will be published in the UK and the US early next fall, with Book II following in 2014. Exciting times, and it’s fantastic to think that the movie version will be in development during this period too.
To celebrate, I’ll be logging on to my Facebook Fan Page today (Thursday 25th October) between 17.00 and 18.00 UK time, to answer questions and chat about the news. Join me there at: www.facebook.com/jonathanstroudauthor. The page will have lots more movie info too.
June 8, 2012
Signing alongside Joseph Delaney at the Comedie du Livre.
Signing alongside Joseph Delaney at the Comedie du Livre.
The Comedie du Livre in full swing.
The Comedie du Livre in full swing.
In the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, site of the book festival.
In the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, site of the book festival.
Place du Comedie, Montpellier
Place du Comedie, Montpellier
May 15, 2012
Trip to Ilmenau, Germany
Just back from an excellent trip to the town of Ilmenau, in the middle of the Thuringian forests, where I did a talk for the university’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy Club, Phantopia. The club’s marking its 40th anniversary; to celebrate, they’d erected a massive tent (or yurt) on the campus hillside - a fine place to enjoy late-night bratwurst and beer. Beforehand, I did readings from the Bartimaeus books, mainly from Amulet, and had a fantastic hour’s discussion with the audience about Bart and writing in general. Afterwards the Phantopia team gave me a beautiful present: a glass dip-pen, locally made by glasswork master Karoline Wagner, which features a tiny Bart gargoyle sitting at the end. If I can figure out a way to photograph it, I’ll post up a pic here. Meanwhile you can see more of Karoline’s art at www.Glasmagie.org. The celebrations continued until after 2 a.m, which must have set a new record for one of my events. Next morning, a quiet totter around the pleasant Ilmenau streets, before setting off on the train-ride home.
With some of my friends from Phantopia in their basement HQ,...
With some of my friends from Phantopia in their basement HQ, around 12.30 a.m.
Ilmenau market square on a quiet Sunday morning.
Ilmenau market square on a quiet Sunday morning.
