Amanda Hocking, the self-published phenom from Austin, Minn., will see her first commercially published book in print soon. "Switched," the first in her Trylle series, will be published by St. Martin's in January. The Trylle series -- "Switched," "Torn" and "Ascend" -- sold briskly in self-pub formats, and film rights have already been sold.
St. Martin's Griffin will release the three books in January, February and April in trade paperback.
Hocking also has a new series coming out with St. Martin's. "Wake," the first in the four-book "Watersong" series, will be published in August.
Since wowing the establishment by making millions through her print-on-demand and e-books, Hocking has also signed an agreement with Dynamite Comics to produce a line of Hollowland Comics.
Also ...
• "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane," a novel by Carla Hagen of St. Paul, has been published by North Star Press of St. Cloud. Hagen, a Hennepin County attorney, set the book in her hometown of Baudette, Minn., during the Great Depression. It's based on stories her mother told. She will read with Susan Niz, Mary DesJarlais and S.L. Smith at 7 p.m. Monday at the Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Av., St. Paul. Hagen will also read at 4 p.m. Jan. 29 at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.
• "Pastor and President: Reflections of a Lutheran Churchman," David Preus' autobiography, has been published by Lutheran University Press. Preus, of Minneapolis, has long been a national leader in the Lutheran church. The book launch will be at 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at the press, 7322 Ohms Lane, Edina.
• "The Lure-Maker From Posio: Prose Poems of Dag T. Straumsvåg," translated by Robert Hedin and Louis Jenkins, has been published by Red Dragonfly Press. Straumsvåg's poems have appeared in journals in the United States and Norway. His translators live in Red Wing and Duluth.
