Lauren Conrad of MTV's The Hills Signs Three-Book Deal with HarperCollins

    NEW YORK, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Publishers announced
 today that it has acquired world rights to a young adult fiction series
 from Lauren Conrad, star of MTV's mega-hit reality show The Hills. The
 series, entitled L.A. Candy, is loosely inspired by Conrad's own
 transformation from ordinary teen to reality TV darling, fashion designer,
 and "It Girl."
 
     The three-book deal was negotiated by Adam Korn and Lisa Sharkey,
 Senior Editor and Senior VP, respectively, of the Creative Development team
 at HarperCollins, and Literary Agent Matthew Elblonk of The Creative
 Culture with Max Stubblefield at UTA. The first book in the series will be
 published in Summer 2009.
 
     L.A. Candy tells the behind-the scenes story of a young girl who moves
 to L.A. and unexpectedly becomes the star of a reality television show.
 With her stardom comes wealth, famous friends, fabulous clothes, and
 romance -- as well as the darker realization that everyone wants something
 from her, and nothing is what it appears to be. Though L.A. Candy is a work
 of fiction, the characters -- their lives, their loves, and their
 never-ending dramas -- are perfectly drawn by Conrad, the only person who
 can give her readers an accurate and juicy insider look at young Hollywood.
 
     "I've never seen a new project generate noise like the instant buzz
 that swept through our offices around this deal," said Elise Howard, Senior
 VP/Associate Publisher of Fiction, HarperCollins Children's Books. "The
 Hills and Lauren Conrad are household names among our staff, and their
 popularity is even higher among the teens who are our readers. We're
 bracing ourselves for a blockbuster publication."
 
     "I've always loved books that I could lose myself in, ones that would
 transport me to another place, but had characters I could relate to," said
 Conrad. "I'm so excited to have this opportunity to write books like that
 for other readers."
 
     Lauren Conrad first rose to fame when MTV profiled her group of high
 school friends in the hit show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. After
 high school, Conrad headed to Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion and
 also signed up to star in the Laguna Beach spin-off show The Hills which
 premiered in May 2006. The Hills soon became MTV's highest rated show and
 is now seen in over 16 countries. In March 2008, Conrad's lifelong dream
 came true when she debuted her own fashion collection -- now carried by
 major retailers across the country. Conrad headlines the fourth season of
 The Hills which premiered August 18th on MTV.
 
     About HarperCollins Children's Books
 
     HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of
 children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing
 quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to
 many timeless treasures -- Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia,
 Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Where the Wild Things Are; and
 popular new classics -- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors and Fancy
 Nancy. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins
 Publishers, one of the leading English language publishers in the world and
 a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE:   NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP).
 Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the U.S.,
 Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. You can visit HarperCollins Children's
 Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at
 www.harpercollins.com.
 
 
 

SOURCE HarperCollins Publishers