Pitch Sale: “Wicked”

Dreamworks drops mid-six figures on writers Aaron and Matthew Benay (they’re brothers) for their pitch “Wicked”, based on a five-book series written by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie:

Described by one person involved with the project as “‘Twilight’ meets ‘Wanted’ with witchcraft,” the young-adult “Wicked” novels include “Witch,” “Curse,” “Legacy,” “Spellbound” and “Resurrection.” The books detail the struggle of Holly Cathers, who moves in with an aunt after her parents die and becomes drawn into a dark world of secrets and magic.

“Holly Cathers, who moves in with an aunt after her parents die…” Story after story after story with an orphaned youth. You’d think at some point that set-up would feel played out, however there’s probably no more significant deep-seeded childhood fear than losing one’s parents, so by going that route, you not only create immediate sympathy for your Protagonist, you also tap into a resonate emotional area in readers.

The various tracking boards online are saying that this represents the 8th pitch sale in just over a week. Good to see the acquisition market picking up.