Stonesong Closes Blogger’s Deal, Sandy Be Damned
In a deal that was interrupted, but not hijacked, by Hurricane Sandy, Alison Fargis at Stonesong Literary sold blogger Erin Gleeson’s The Forest Feast for six figures at auction to Dervla Kelly at Stewart, Tabori & Chang. The project was at the center of a 10-house auction when the storm hit and, Fargis said, wound up selling “13 days, seven rounds, and one hurricane later.” Fargis described the book as “part cookbook, part art book”; it’s expanded from the author’s blog (www.theforestfeast.com). In the blog, Gleeson, a former New York City food photographer, chronicles her move, with her husband, to a self-described “cabin in the woods” north of San Francisco, through a mix of photographs, written pieces, and recipes.

Crown Nabs Bennett’s 'City of Stairs’
Robert Jackson Bennett sold his fifth novel, City of Stairs, to Julian Pavia at Crown. Cameron McClure at Donald Maass Literary handled the sale for Bennett, whose third book, The Troupe, was just featured in the SF/Fantasy/Horror category among PW’s Best Books of 2012. The new book, which will be a trade paperback original on the Broadway list, also marks a house shift for Bennett, who was at Hachette’s Orbit imprint. (Bennett’s fourth book from Orbit, American Elsewhere, is coming out in February.) Stairs, as McClure described it, is “a second-world story of spies, subterfuge, and statesmanship set in a nation of dead gods.”

Despain Goes Greek for Egmont
Greg Ferguson at Egmont U.S. bought North American rights to a trilogy called Into the Dark by Bree Despain. Ted Malawer at Upstart Crow Literary represented Despain (author of the Dark Divine series). This paranormal series is a reimagining of the Persephone myth, delivered in dueling narratives. In the myth, Persephone (daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest) is kidnapped by Hades; here, one thread follows a character named Daphne (based on Persephone), while the other narrative follows Devlan (standing in for Hades). The first book in the series is scheduled for 2014.

Thorne Takes ‘Spin’ to Dial
In a six-figure deal for a book that the author’s agency calls “The American President for teens,” Jenn Marie Thorne sold her debut, Spin, toat Jessica Garrison Penguin’s Dial imprint. Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary brokered the two-book, world English rights sale. The novel follows a 16-year-old girl on the presidential campaign trail in what the agency elaborated is “a story about romance and betrayal, politics and scandal, and—above all else—friendship, family, and what it means to truly belong.”

Former Bookseller Stimson Gets in the ‘Mud’
Ellen Stimson, a former bookseller, sold a memoir, Mud Season, to Kermit Hummel at Countryman Press, the Vermont imprint of Norton. Agent Rosalie Siegel sold world rights for Stimson, who is also a former indie bookseller. In the memoir she recounts her family’s decision to seek out a calmer existence, and their ensuing move to the idyllic Vermont town of Dorset where her purchase of the country store leads to unexpected results. The book is scheduled for September 2013.

Davis Looks at Digital Natives for YUP
Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, and Katie Davis, a University of Washington professor, sold a book about our plugged-in youth, The App Generation, to Eric Brandt at Yale University Press. Ike Williams and Katherine Flynn, at Kneerim, Williams & Bloom, represented the author in the world English rights sale. In the book, Flynn said, the author explores the “complex influence of technology on personal identity, intimate relationships, and creative and imaginative powers among digital natives.”