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Books in the eight to 12 age range, known by the American term "middle grade", are in hot demand at the Bologna Book Fair as international publishers look to fill the gap left by the recent emphasis on teen fiction.
The most talked-about title of the Fair so far is The Emerald Atlas, a "middle grade" fantasy debut by US screenwriter John Stephens, being sold by Writers House. Negotiations and deals are believed to be underway in the UK and across Europe, with a high-figure US deal understood to have been already concluded for the "Narnia-like" novel, the first in a trilogy.
Maeve Banham, senior rights manager at Random House, said: "Publishers are still looking for teen and crossover titles but they are saying, 'Let's build up other areas.'" "US editors are saying 'We've got too much young adult already, show us middle grade,'" one agent said.
Meanwhile there are mixed opinions on whether the appetite for vampire novels is as strong at Bologna this year. Agent Philippa Milnes-Smith of LAW said there is still good interest in the area. "The undead just won't die, but people are looking for new twists," she said. But Bloomsbury children's publisher Sarah Odedina said the tide had turned: "Everybody's saying 'No more vampire romances'", she commented.