Emily Trunko, the fifteen year old creator behind the Dear My Blank and The Last Message Received Tumblr pages, has signed a deal with Crown Books for Young Readers. Trunko plans to write two books based on both of her two websites.
Emily Easton, an executive editor, negotiated the deal with Heather Flaherty, a literary agent at The Bent Agency. The publisher will release both books in 2016.
Here’s more from the press release: “Trunko’s Dear My Blank Tumblr (dearmyblank.tumblr.com) launched in March 2015 and showcases anonymous letters that people never intend to, or don’t have the courage to, send—ranging in length from a single sentence to thousands of words, and covering a range of topics and emotions from heartbreak, unrequited love, betrayal, loss, self-awareness, courage, and pride. Over 20,000 anonymous letters from people of all ages have been submitted to the Tumblr, and about 100 new letters arrive every day…Upon the recent launch of her second Tumblr, The Last Message Received (thelastmessagereceived.tumblr.com), Trunko gained 40,000 followers in just three weeks, with nearly 5,000 messages coming in the last two weeks. The Tumblr showcases highs and lows of the human condition, sharing the last messages people received from someone significant in their lives—death, breakup, friendship ending, family fights, etc.”