Jodi Picoult has inked a deal with Random House Children's Books' Delacorte Press to co-write another YA novel with her daughter, Samantha van Leer. Delacorte took world rights (excluding U.K. and Commonwealth) to Off the Page, which is set for a May 19, 2015, release, and a 250,000-copy first printing.
Delacorte described Off the Page as a "humorous, magical, and romantic" work that will feature the characters introduced in the pair's first book, Between the Lines, which Simon Pulse released in 2012.
Beverly Horowitz, v-p and publisher of Delacorte, who will edit Off the Page, called it an "enchanting contemporary story"; in the work, 16-year-old Delilah has gotten together with Oliver, a prince who has, literally, sprung from the pages of a fairy tale. For Oliver to exist in Delilah's world, however, he must take the place of another boy; Edgar then comes forward and volunteers to swap places with Oliver. Delacorte said this situation wreaks havoc as "the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred, and all must be resolved for the characters to live happily ever after."
Picoult's next novel, Leaving Time, will be released by Ballantine on October 14. Van Leer is currently a sophomore at Vassar College.
NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that S&S bought world rights (excluding U.K. and Commonwealth) to Off the Page, and not U.S., Canadian and open market rights, as the publisher initially announced.
