Del Rey and LucasBooks have renewed their publishing agreement, pushing the 30-plus year relationship into 2013. The new agreement will add 35 novels and 10 nonfiction books to the line which started when Judy-Lynn del Rey took a gamble by agreeing to publish the tie-in novel of the first Star Wars in the company's first year. Since then, Del Rey has published dozens of tie-ins, stand-alones, guides, and more, many of which wind up on the best-seller lists.
"Our relationship with Lucasfilm is treasured," said Random House President and Publisher Gina Centrello (Del Rey is now a division of Random House). "We are extremely proud of our Star Wars publishing program, which is the cornerstone of the Del Rey list."
Lucas Licensing President Howard Roffman said "The legacy of Star Wars publishing began with Del Rey. For more than 30 years they have been a superb partner with an unflinching commitment to keep Star Wars fans informed, entertained, and enthralled."
One of the earliest projects under the new contract will be a new nine-book, three-author story arc entitled Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi. Immediately following the Legacy of the Force series, the new books will be written by Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, and Christie Golden, and will launch with Allston's Outcast in April 2009. In a first in the multi-book program, all nine volumes will be published as hardcover originals.
Del Rey also expects to publish The Making of The Empire Strikes Back in 2010, in conjunction with the thirtieth anniversary of that film.
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