And in doing so, answers a key question that had been on various people’s minds lately: who would be his next agent, replacing Jennifer Rudolph Walsh of William Morris? That would be “attorney to the stars” Robert Barnett, who negotiated a deal with Susan Sandon of Random House UK‘s Century/Heinemann/Arrow imprint as part of a powwow meeting in New York recently with Sandon, Peter Bowron, Gail Rebuck and Richard Cable.
In other words, no small potatoes for Patterson, Inc.
The deal begins in 2008 when CHA will release a new Women’s Murder Club novel. What will follow thereafter are new Alex Cross novels, further novels in the Maximum Ride series, a number of stand alone thrillers and a new romance. And the money? No terms were given, but let’s just say it was big. Really, really big.
Hodder Headline, Patterson’s former publisher, is sad to see the man go, but they get to hang onto his backlist and have five new titles ready to go in 2007. Tim Hely Hutchinson, chairman of Headline and CEO of Hachette Livre UK, said the publisher would continue to run “the spectacular campaigns that have become the hallmark of our work together” in 2007 and 2008. “In the meantime we wish him every success with his new publisher and look forward to continuing to work with him after 2008 as the publisher of his substantial and thriving backlist.”