TYNDALE ACQUIRES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
OF SHADOWMANCER

“Move Over Harry Potter!”-- G.P. Taylor to Pen New
Juvenile Series of “Illustronovellas”

Carol Stream, Ill. – G.P. Taylor, the bestselling author of Shadowmancer, a fantasy novel widely referred to in the mainstream press as “the Christian Harry Potter,” has signed a worldwide, multiple-book deal with Tyndale House Publishers to publish The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, a new series of “illustronovellas.” Best defined as illustrated novels blending the genres of fiction and graphic novels, the illustronovellas are part of a worldwide campaign to connect a young, visually-oriented generation with the joy and satisfaction of reading good books. Targeting a youthful audience, the series will feature at least six books, with the first book scheduled for Fall 2008 release. Markosia, Ltd., a leading UK-based graphic novel publisher, will provide illustrations for the series.

Taylor’s new Dopple Ganger Chronicles will feature three children: mischievous identical twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple, who live in an orphanage, and Erik Morrissey Ganger, a boy who works in the orphanage. In the first book, The First Escape, the twins are separated when Saskia is adopted by Muzz Elliot, a wealthy woman who is at the center of a murderous plot, and long-lost family treasure. Sadie and Erik run away from the orphanage on a quest to find Saskia, who has discovered the murder plot and is trying to stop it. In keeping with Shadowmancer, Taylor will incorporate faith themes into the new series. An angelic character figures into the plot and good eventually triumphs over evil.

A motorcyclist and former rock band “roadie” turned Anglican minister in Cloughton, North Yorkshire, Taylor has been hailed as “hotter than Potter” and “the new C.S. Lewis” in the UK. After initially self-publishing, his success brought him a multi-million dollar contract for Shadowmancer and six additional novels. Shadowmancer reached the top spot on the New York Times’ bestsellers list in 2004 and was eventually translated into 48 different languages and optioned for a movie. Wormwood, a subsequent novel in the series, was nominated for a Quill book award. Other novels in the series included Tersias and The Curse of Salamander Street. Worldwide sales for Taylor now total more than 3 million copies.

“Our team is energized by GP Taylor’s vision to introduce an image-driven generation to the benefits of reading,” says Doug Knox, VP and Publisher. “The themes of faith Taylor builds into his stories are central to our publishing mission and the illustronovella format, reminiscent of Dickens, is a perfect vehicle for today. The Dopple Ganger Chronicles will release in the UK and USA, building on GP Taylor’s media popularity and great success as a guest speaker in schools.”

Taylor developed his illustronovella concept as a way to introduce reluctant readers to the joys of reading. “When I go into a classroom and ask the children to raise their hand if they own a copy of Harry Potter, almost every hand goes up,” explained Taylor. “But when I ask them to keep their hand up if they have read an entire Harry Potter book, most of the hands go down. An entire generation of children is growing up without any appreciation of reading for enjoyment.” By integrating an exciting story line with vivid manga-style graphics in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles.