"Two-Book Deal for Story Whiz"
Dan Chaon is young but already has some impressive accomplishments
under his belt; short stories in the Best American anthology and the
annual Pushcart gathering. Now this graduate of Tobias Wolff’s creative
writing class has made a six-figure, two-book sale to editor Dan Smetanka at
Ballantine of a story collection, to be called Among the Missing, and an
as yet untitled novel. Smetanka thinks Chaon has staying power as well as
talent, and also expects some high-level endorsements for his new protégé.
Chaon published one previous collection with a small press, TriQuarterly. The
new one concerns the impact of violence on families; the novel is a murder story
set in a small Nebraska town. Agent Noah Lukeman made the deal.