The First news we had on the pending publication of The Shelters of Stone!!

From Kendall Auel in the wee hours of June 14, 2001:

I had to wait until the USA Today article broke, since they were promised the "scoop". You can see the USA Today article on line at http://www.usatoday.com/life/enter/books/2001-06-14-jean-auel.htm. Another 11 months to wait, but at least there is a definite date. And yes, the manuscript is complete, but the publishing process will take many months, especially with an international release (includes all translations).

- Kendall

(Link to the USA Today article updated June 20th - thanks to head's up from Frederieke Arps. Article URL was changed already!)

JEAN M. AUEL'S NEXT BOOK,
THE SHELTERS OF STONE,
TO BE PUBLISHED IN MAY 2002

New York, June 14, 2001 - Jean M. Auel, bestselling author of the Earth's Children (TM) novels, has written THE SHELTERS OF STONE, the fifth book in the hugely successful series. The announcement was made today by Chip Gibson, President and Publisher of the Crown Publishing Group. Crown Publishers is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann, A.G.

THE SHELTERS OF STONE is scheduled to be published in May 2002, with plans for an international laydown.

Auel's Earth's Children (TM) series is one of the most celebrated in publishing history and includes THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR (1980), THE VALLEY OF HORSES (1982), THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS (1985), and THE PLAINS OF PASSAGE (1990). Each of these books enjoyed long runs on the New York Times bestseller list and each has sold more than five million copies in the United States and Canada alone. THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS set a publishing record as the first hardcover novel to have a first print of more than one million copies and was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. There are twenty-eight foreign-language editions of Auel's books in print and, to date, there are thirty-four million copies of her books sold worldwide.

"It gives me tremendous pleasure to announce a publishing date for Jean's next book and to have the opportunity of working with her again," says Gibson. "Millions of people have been eagerly waiting for the next installment of this beloved series and hundreds continue to write, phone, or e-mail us each month inquiring about its progress and publication date. The wait is over and her fans will not be disappointed."

"It has been a long time, much longer than I expected, but I am pleased to say Book 5 in the Earth's Children (TM) series is finished at last," says Auel. "When people ask why it has taken so long, I always wish I had a good answer. Many rumors have circulated to account for the delay from my demise by sometimes colorful means to various illnesses and disputes, none of which is true. I do research the background extensively, and it does take some time to develop the material and work it into the story. While this has taken me eleven years to write, it has been a labor of love. I can't wait to be able to share it with the world."

THE SHELTERS OF STONE continues the story of Ayla, who lost her family to an earthquake and was raised by the people who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. She arrives in the land of the Zelandonii, the home of Jondalar, the man she loves, but his people are wary of her and think of the Clan who cared for her as flatheads, animals that resemble people but who are not much smarter than bears. Ayla has brought with her two horses and a wolf, over which she has uncanny control. Though she tries to explain that she found the animals when they were babies and raised them as her own, to Jondalar's people - who have never tamed or domesticated animals - they seem supernatural and frightening. The story unfolds with those who want to cause trouble for Ayla, a woman who seems foreign and strange in this new land.

Auel is currently in South Africa and Europe researching material for the sixth book of the Earth's Children (TM) series.

All foreign rights are being negotiated by Jean V. Naggar, Jean M. Auel's longtime literary agent at the Jean Naggar Literary Agency, New York, NY (212-794-1082). Bantam Books holds the rights to all of Auel's paperback backlist and will be publishing THE SHELTERS OF STONE in paperback in 2003.
*END*
6/14/01

Diane in Cincinnati
14 June 2001
Last Updated 13 Sept 01