Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced that it will release the first new title from Stephenie Meyer in nearly two years. "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" is a novella told from the point of view of Bree, a character originally featured in Eclipse, the third book in the "Twilight" series. The 192-page novella will be released at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, June 5 in hardcover for $13.99, with a first printing of 1.5 million copies. It also will be available as an e-book beginning at 6 a.m. EST on June 5.
One dollar for each book sold in the United States from the first printing will be donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which supports disaster relief efforts such as those in Haiti and Chile. Donations will continue until all first printing copies have been sold or at the end of a two-year period from the initial publication date, whichever is the first to occur.
“I’m as surprised as anyone about this novella,” says Meyer. “When I began working on it in 2005, it was simply an exercise to help me examine the other side of Eclipse, which I was editing at the time. I thought it might end up as a short story that I could include on my Web site. Then, when work started on "The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide," I thought the guide would be a good fit for my Bree story. However, the story grew longer than I anticipated, until it was too long to fit into the guide.”
According to Little, Brown, Meyer will give fans exclusive access to the novel on a dedicated Web site, www.BreeTanner.com, from June 7 to July 5, where fans will be able to read the book online in English. “I’d always considered 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' as something for the fans,” said Meyer. “They have been so supportive of all things 'Twilight.'”
Visitors to the dedicated site will also find a link to the American Red Cross website (www.RedCross.org), where they can make a donation and learn more about the organization's relief efforts worldwide. “I have been moved by the generous outpouring of support for the recent crises in Haiti and Chile,” says Meyer. “I am glad that sales of this book will support the American Red Cross with their amazing efforts abroad.”
“Fans have been waiting with bated breath for a new book from Stephenie,” says Megan Tingley, senior vice president and publisher of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. “We are doubly thrilled to be giving them the opportunity to read this exciting new work as well as contribute to an important cause at the same time.”
The Twilight Saga’s translation rights have been sold in nearly 50 countries, and 100 million copies have been sold worldwide.