KUCHING: Sarawakian author Malcolm Mejin has landed a deal with international publishers Penguin Random House SEA for the next two titles in his Diary of a Rich Kid series.
This is a major milestone for Mejin as he has been self-publishing his books for the past four years.
"I submitted my manuscript, prayed for the best and didn’t really have high hopes because they receive thousands of submissions each week.
"So I was thrilled when I got the offer," he told The Star in a recent interview.
With the deal signed earlier this month, Mejin's new titles will be published and distributed locally and worldwide in countries including Singapore, Britain and the United States.
He has already written and published three books in the series, starting with "Diary of a Rich Kid" in 2018 and "Diary of a Rich Kid: Road Trip" in 2020.
"Secret of the Sea", published last year, was partly inspired by his lockdown experience during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"My next two books will revolve around adventures set in a different world and will also have supernatural elements," he said.
The first book is expected to be published next year and the second book likely in 2024.
Mejin also said he was excited to work with Penguin Random House on his new books.
"I've worked really hard as a self-published author for years. I write and do most of the editing myself.
"So it will be cool to work with an internationally reputable publisher and have a synergistic collaboration on everything from layout to editing."
Mejin added that he first started writing "Diary of a Rich Kid" for fun in 2017, never intending to have it published.
However, he decided to publish the book after hearing advice from a friend.
"I was told that if I don't do it now, when am I going to do it? Ten or 20 years from now?
"That advice really shook me and I went with it. Now, several years later, I've finally secured a deal with Penguin Random House," he said.
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