Two stories from Victoria Gallagher, writing in The Bookseller, 5 December.


Random House resurrects YouTube hit
Random House Children's Books has signed a two book deal from Caroline Michel at PFD for adaptations of A Lion Called Christian.
John Rendall and Ace Bourke's A Lion Called Christian was originally published in 1971.

A two minute YouTube clip brought the story back to public's attention during this last summer, and was watched by more than 44 million people worldwide. The clip showed the moving reunion of two men and their lion, Christian, after he had been released into the wild.


Random House will be publishing a photographic book for young readers, as well as a re-written version of the adult book for children aged 7-11, having acquired world language rights.
The young fiction edition will be published by Yearling in April 2009 and the colour picture book by Doubleday in Spring 2010.

Earlier this year, Transworld bought world rights to the adult version and it will be published by Bantam Press in March 2009.
"Everyone is going to fall in love with this little lion again next Spring," said Random House Children’s Fiction publisher. Annie Eaton. Colour and custom publisher Fiona MacMillan agreed: "It’s a heart-warming, feel good story and we are thrilled that we will be able to bring it to younger readers too."

Cape to restore Carver short stories

Jonathan Cape is restoring a collection of short stories to their full glory 27 years after initial publication. The Random House imprint has acquired the rights for the original version of Raymond Carver’s second major collection of stories, Beginners.
The 17 stories were first published in a ­collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, in 1981, but were heavily edited by Carver’s editor, Gordon Lish at Alfred A Knopf.
On the release of the original edition Carver dedicated the book to fellow writer and his future wife, Tess Gallagher, and promised he would one day republish his stories at full length. Carver did not fulfil this wish in his lifetime and died, aged only 50, in 1988.

Gallagher said: "The publication of Beginners will enable readers to trace Carver’s true trajectory as a writer."
Dan Franklin, publisher at Jonathan Cape acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights to Carver’s work from Sarah Chalfant at the Wylie Agency. Jonathan Cape will be publishing Beginners in October 2009 in hardback, with an expected r.r.p. of £16.99.
Franklin believes that the previous publication of the stories provides an additional talking point, because around 48% of the original text was edited. He said: "There is the added interest of being able to compare Carver’s original versions with those that were eventually published." Franklin added: "The debates the publication of Beginners will stimulate will be fascinating and fruitful."
William L Stull and Maureen P Carroll, a pair of Carver scholars based at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, restored the original text. The original manuscript is held at the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Indiana.