HarperCollins Signs Book Deal With Decemberists Singer/Songwriter

Posted on May 1, 2010

HarperCollins has acquired a book series by Colin Meloy, the lead singer and songwriter of The Decemberists. The three book series will be a middle-grade series illustrated by Carson Ellis. The three-book deal was negotiated by Donna Bray, Co-Publisher of the Balzer & Bray imprint at HarperCollins, with Steven Malk of Writers House, after an auction involving five other publishers. The first book is scheduled for publication in Fall 2011.

"The germ of this series goes back a long way," Meloy said. "For me, this is the culmination of a long-term collaboration with Carson, matching words and art. I grew up on a steady diet of Lloyd Alexander, Roald Dahl, and Tolkien; this is our humble paean to that grand tradition of epic adventure stories."

Colin Meloy formed The Decemberists in 2000. Their most recent album, The Hazards of Love, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Store album chart and at #14 on the Billboard 200. The band has sold more than one million albums worldwide.