Grand Central Publishing senior v-p and publisher Ben Sevier acquired North American rights to five new books by bestselling author Harlan Coben. Lisa Erbach Vance at the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency represented Coben in the deal.
Sevier had been Coben’s editor and publisher at Dutton, where the author published 10 chart-topping bestsellers. Sevier left Dutton for GCP last February. “It’s a thrill to be reunited with my former long-time editor, Ben Sevier, and I’m looking forward to working with the entire Grand Central Publishing team,” Coben said in a statement.
The first book under the new agreement, Run Away, will be released in March 2019. GCP said the novel is about two parents working to bring their daughter home following her mysterious disappearance and the murder of her “deadbeat” boyfriend.
According to GCP, there are more than 70 million copies of Coben’s 30 novels in print, and his books have been translated into 43 languages. He has won three of the most prestigious awards in the mystery/thriller category—the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony awards.
Speaking to the Coben signing, Sevier added: “I’m delighted to welcome one of the most talented and successful thriller writers on the planet to Grand Central where our team will stop at nothing to help him achieve new levels of success.”
