Simon & Schuster Acquires Cassandra Clare's MAGNUS BANE Series

LONDON: Simon & Schuster UK today announced the acquisition of a series of novels from Cassandra Clare which will explore the life and times of Magnus Bane, one of the most popular Shadowhunters characters. The series will be co-written by bestselling author Wesley Chu. The first book will be published in hardback on November 2017, simultaneously with Saga Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) in the US.

Simon & Schuster UK will also publish exclusively A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld by Cassandra Clare, fully illustrated by Cassandra Starkweather Jean, as a hardback gift book on 20 October 2016.

Alexandra Maramenides, Managing Director for Simon & Schuster Children's, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Danny Baror and Heather Baror-Shapiro of Baror International Inc.

Cassandra Clare said: "Over the years writing the Shadowhunter books, Magnus Bane has emerged as one of the most fun and fascinating characters for me to bring to life. He's always had a lot of secrets - there are so many things we don't know about Magnus, from the story of his first love, to the secrets of his parentage, to the beginning of his relationship with Alec. All those are things I was able to touch on in The Bane Chronicles, but I'm excited to dig in even more deeply in these three volumes devoted to Magnus, his past, his future, and his present."

Danny Baror and Heather Baror-Shapiro said: "We are so excited to continue our partnership with Simon & Schuster UK that began this year with the #1 bestseller Lady Midnight and a sold-out tour. These next four books extend the Cassandra Clare readership in many new directions and we can't wait to work together to reach new and existing fans across the UK & Commonwealth."

Alexandra Maramenides said: "Following the phenomenal launch of Lady Midnight we are thrilled to again be working with Cassandra Clare, side by side with our US counterparts, making this a global publishing venture. Magnus Bane is a character who has really struck a chord with Cassandra's fanbase, and we are delighted to have acquired this series."

Cassandra Clare took the world of YA literature by storm in 2007 with her debut, City of Bones. She is the author of the bestselling Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, and the coauthor of The Bane Chronicles with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. She also wrote The Shadowhunter's Codex with her husband, Joshua Lewis. Her books have been translated into thirty-five languages and there are more than thirty-six million copies in print worldwide. Her latest novel, Lady Midnight (the first in the Dark Artifices trilogy), was the first global publication of Cassandra by Simon & Schuster. Released under embargo on March 8 2016 it debuted at #1 on bestseller lists nationwide. Netflix aired the first season of Shadowhunters in January 2016. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts.

Wesley Chu is an award-winning science fiction author. Born in Taiwan, he immigrated to the United States and attended the University of Illinois. He received a degree in Information Systems and worked in consulting, insurance and banking industries for many years before he transitioned to writing full time. Chu is also an accomplished martial artist and has acted in film, television, and has worked as a model and stuntman. Chu has published seven books. He won the 2015 John W. Campbell Best New Writer Award. Chu's Time Salvager has been optioned to be a movie by Paramount with Michael Bay attached as director.