Emerging filmmaker receives 7-figure book deal for thriller

An emerging young filmmaker is also very much in demand in the book world

An emerging young filmmaker is also very much in demand in the book world. Nick Brooks has reached a seven-figure deal for his young adult thriller “Promise Boys,” in which three boys at a Washington, D.C., charter school investigate the murder of their principal, and learn hard truths about their education and community.

According to Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, which announced the deal Wednesday, “Promise Boys” draws in part on Brooks' experiences as a teacher with at-risk kids. Henry Holt expects to release the book early in 2023.

"It’s a social thriller, told through the perspective of Black and Brown boys, that highlights the inequity in our education system,” Brooks said in a statement. “This is a story that needs to be told, to speak for our kids who far too often are unable to advocate for themselves and to inspire them to tell their own story.”

Brooks, 32, graduated last year from the University of Southern California’s TV and Film Production program, from which he received a scholarship after making the short film “Hoop Dreamin.'"