Week of December 4, 2023

Avon buys its first Romantasy series

After an auction, Julia Elliott at Avon has acquired the North American rights to Brigitte Kemmererthe first adult trilogy of. The matter was handled by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media. Avon said the “romance-centric” series would feature “a princess with a secret” as well as a “dark and handsome warrior king” and an “assassin” tasked with killing them both, even if he is the princess’s childhood friend and first love. Kemmerer is the bestselling author of more than a dozen YA novels, including A curse so dark and lonely. The first book of the new trilogy, Warrior Princess Assassin, is scheduled for summer 2025.

Burton and O’Reilly score in Lyon

Ken Samelson at Lyons Press purchased world English rights to The rise of Major League Soccer: building a global giant by Rick Burton And Norman O’Reilly. Jennifer Unter The Unter agency negotiated the deal. The book tells the story of Major League Soccer and how its 2023 partnership with Apple and the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America could make it “a rival to Europe’s biggest soccer leagues” and l one of the largest professional sports companies in the world. Publication is scheduled for February 2025.

Kensington visits Martin’s ‘ghost town’

In a two-book deal, Alicia Condon at Kensington has acquired world English rights to the bestselling author Kat MartinIt is Ghost townaccompanied by an untitled thriller. Marc Gottlieb at Trident Media Group negotiated the deal. Gottlieb said Ghost town follows “a woman who inherits an infamous hotel and bar and faces unexplained events – and murder – while trying to discern between real paranormal events and a deceptive plot orchestrated by jealous rivals.” » The book is scheduled for fall 2024.

Putnam signs Pyper’s Nom de Plume

editor-in-chief of Putnam Daphne Durham has acquired North American rights to two new novels by Mason Coil-a pen name of Andrew Pyper. The agreement was negotiated by Kirby Kim at Janklow & Nesbit. Putnam said Williamthe first of the two books, is “a thrilling, locked-room haunted house novel in which the haunting is caused by AI.” William will be published in fall 2024. Putnam said the second book, Exilesscheduled for fall 2025, will “follow the same dark path” but take place in “an isolated base, the proposed home for the first human colony on Mars.”

Lawson “hacks” into penguins’ lives

After an auction, Meg Leder at Penguin Life has acquired the North American rights to Jenny LawsonIt is Great tips for broken heads and creative hearts, which the publisher described as a personal collection of “lessons for the head and food for the heart” aimed at helping readers “survive and even thrive when depression lies and tells them the world would be better off without them “. The agreement was negotiated by Neeti Madan at Sterling Lord Literistic. The book will be published in 2025.

Bindery takes on Morris’s ‘beasts’

Susan J. Morris has sold worldwide rights (except UK) to his novel strange beasts has Kathryn Budig at Inky Phoenix Press, an imprint of the new Bindery Books. The agreement was negotiated by Jennifer Azantian to the Azantian Literary Agency, which declared strange beasts is “an exploration of female power” that follows the daughter of Dracula’s protagonist, Jonathan Harker, “as she attempts to stop the infamous ‘beast killings’ in turn-of-the-century Paris.” The book is scheduled for fall 2024.