Disney Publishing Worldwide and Del Rey Books are teaming up to do a new line of Sta Wars adult fiction novels. The publishers will be working directly with brand creator, Lucasfilm.
There are, according to Del Rey parent, Random House, over 75 million Star Wars books in print--the first tie-in novel, Star Wars: A New Hope, was released by Del Rey in 1976--and the titles, RH added, "consistently rank on the New York Times bestseller lists." Del Rey licenses the Star War titles from Disney Pubnlishing, parent company of Lucasfilm.
The new books from Disney and Del Rey will be closely tied to the new Star Wars storylines being created for the forthcoming films currently in production. (Director J.J. Abrams is currently working on the first in a new series of Star Wars films, and the first feature, Star Wars: Episode VII, is tentatively set for a December 2015 release.)
Random House said that Lucasfilm, looking to unify the story around Star Wars-branded content, is mapping out a narrative that will appear "on film and television and other media." The goal, RH continued, is to ensure "all projects will benefit from real-time collaboration and alignment."
The first book in Del Rey and Disney's new Star Wars line, Star Wars: A New Dawn, will be written by author John Jackson Miller and is set "prior to the events of the forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels." Miller collaborated on the storyline of the novel with the producers of the animated show; the book follows how the show's two main characters, Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla, meet. The book is set for a hardcover and e-book release on September 2, 2014.
Two more Star Wars novels from Del Rey and Disney are also set: Star Wars: Tarkin (November 2014) and Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi (January 2015).
