Joshua Stone reports for Bleeding Cool from Star Wars Celebration….

At the Del Rey Star Wars panel it has been revealed that science fiction novelist Alan Dean Foster is writing the novelization of Star Wars The Force Awakens.

Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of Star Wars, though it was credited to George Lucas. He got paid $5000 for his time.

He'll probably get a little more this time around.

Foster also wrote Splinter Of The Mind's Eye in 1978, a Star Wars prose sequel based on abandoned concepts from the film – including a much more romantic role for Luke and Leia. He also wrote The Approaching Storm for the Star Wars Universe, published in 2002.

The novelization will be published on the same day as the movie but only as a e-book, with a hardcover later in January. There will also be some additional elements in the novel that won't be in the movie.

UPDATE: This is how they announced it..

Host: "And that's all we have to say about that. So let's open up the floor for questions."

Guest: "Hi, I'm wondering if you have anyone selected for the novelization of Episode VII."

Shelly Shapiro: "Not at the moment, no. Sorry. Why, do you want to do it?"

Guest: "Um, yeah, okay."

Shelly: "Okay, what are your qualifications, have you ever written before?"

Guest: "A little bit."

Shelly: "Yeah, sure. Why not."