During these topsy-turvy days for publishing, a 9-year-old kid struck gold: his guide to girls went from a $3 homemade book to a HarperCollins hardcover to a movie, all in a week.
HarperCollins just published Alec Greven’s (pictured) dating manual for the grade-school set, How to Talk to Girls. When the book made headlines, studio heads at Fox bought the film rights.
Greven first sold self-published relationship advice for $3 at his school book fair in Colorado. As we reported last week, the fourth grader made a big splash, landing a book deal and television appearances this year.
The Hollywood Reporter described the quick bidding war:
“[I]nitially, Fox, which is [sic] like Harper Collins is owned by News Corp., and its book scouts passed on the title. But when the book hit the town last week, garnering heavy interest from multiple parties, Fox stepped back in and took the book off the table. The deal was in the low-to-mid six figures. Alex Young brought in the project, which has no writers or producers attached.”
(Via HuffPo.)