Unsure whether publishers would be interested in the Black Lives Matter-inspired material, Thomas reached out to literary agent Brooks Sherman on Twitter in June 2015 to ask for advice. In February 2015, HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray bought the rights to the novel in an auction with 13 publishing houses bidding,[8] signing a two-book deal with Thomas, and Fox 2000 optioned the film rights the following month.[9]