A new collection of children’s short stories by Terry Pratchett is to be released by Random House Children’s Publishers (RHCP) UK, while Gollancz will...

A new collection of children’s short stories by Terry Pratchett is to be released by Random House Children’s Publishers (RHCP) UK, while Gollancz will publish “lavishly illustrated” Discworld diaries for the next three years.

The children’s compilation, Dragons at Crumbling Castle, will include full-page black and white illustrations by Mark Beech.

Kirsten Armstrong, fiction editor at RHCP UK, bought the world rights from Pratchett's agent Colin Smythe.

She said: “These stories are full of Pratchett’s trademark wit and imagination and will be adored by anyone aged eight to 108.

“Brimming with knights, dragons, abominable snowmen and even more abominable crooks, they are a joy to read and share with young readers.”

Gollancz, in partnership with The Discworld Emporium, has secured world rights to publish the Discworld diaries for the next three years.

Developed in consultation with Pratchett, the Discworld diaries are “one part diary, one part guide to the arcane practices of the funniest creation in modern fantasy”.

Pratchett’s editor at Gollancz, Darren Nash, said: “From the moment we sat down with the team from the Discworld Emporium it was clear that they shared the Gollancz vision: fans producing wonderful things for other fans. We’re delighted to be working with them and with Sir Terry Pratchett, and confident that 2015’s will be the best Discworld Diary ever – until next year!”

RHCP will publish Dragons at Crumbling Castle in £12.99 hardback and as an e-book in September. A collector’s edition with extra content will follow in November.

The Discworld Diary 2015 is published in hardback on 21st August 2014, at £16.99. The following two diaries will be published in August 2015 and 2016.