Bloomsbury Gets ‘Inked’ and Throws Down for Dinerstein
In the first of two deals at Bloomsbury last week, Nancy Miller took world rights to Knives & Ink, a book featuring tattoos of well-known chefs. The book is credited to BuzzFeed Books editor Isaac Fitzgerald and illustrator Wendy MacNaughton (Lost Cat). The pair also has another similarly themed book in the works: Bloomsbury is publishing Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them in October. Charlotte Sheedy, who has an eponymous shingle, struck the deal with Miller.
In the other deal, the publisher bought world English rights to Rebecca Dinerstein’s debut novel, The Sunlit Night. Lea Beresford won the book at auction, for a rumored six figures, from agent Jenni Ferrari-Adler at Union Literary. The novel, Bloomsbury explained, “is about the intersection of two young lives in the Arctic: an artist at an obscure Norwegian painting residency and a young Russian immigrant whose father’s final wish was to be buried ‘at the top of the world.’” The novel already has a plug from Jonathan Safran Foer, who called it “lyrical as a poem, psychologically rich as a thriller.” Dinerstein, who is 26 and lives in Brooklyn, has a B.A. from Yale and an M.F.A. from New York University; she crafted the novel in Norway after landing a Frederick Mortimer Clapp Fellowship, which allows an author to write for a year in a place of their choosing. Bloomsbury has the book set for a global English-language release in June 2015.
Holt Lands YouTube Comedian
Zach Anner, who gained an audience via YouTube, sold a memoir called If at Birth You Don’t Succeed to Emi Ikkanda at Henry Holt. Anner, who has cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair since childhood, achieved his goal of entertaining millions when he launched a YouTube channel that has received, according to Holt, more than seven million hits. In the memoir, Anner discusses the highs and lows of navigating life with his disability, as well as becoming a viral star. Anner was represented in the deal by Anna Sproul-Latimer at the Ross Yoon Agency, who sold North American rights. Holt is planning a winter 2016 publication.
At HarperOne, Deschene Bows to Buddha
HarperOne’s Kathryn Renz Hamilton bought world rights, at auction, to Lori Deschene’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges from Tiny Buddha: A Year of Simple Daily Activities for a Blissfully Connected Life. Deschene founded the website Tiny Buddha, which, the publisher said, has over three million visitors per month; in the book she offers readers a “year’s worth of activities” to help them “give and receive more love every day.” Linda Konner at the Linda Konner Agency brokered the deal, and the book is set for a November 2015 release.
Indie Author Expands to Germany
Natasha Boyd, a self-published author who has not signed with a legacy house in the U.S., closed another major international sale. In Germany, Alexandra Panz at Egmont LYX took German translation rights, for six figures at auction, to Boyd’s new adult titles, Eversea and Forever Jack, as well as a third, currently untitled, book. Boyd was represented by Elaine Spencer at the Knight Agency, who said she has recently closed another big deal for the author in the U.K. with Headline. Spencer said Eversea is about a “gorgeous but jaded young Hollywood megastar” who, while hiding out in a small coastal town, falls for “an innocent, orphaned waitress.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to cerebral palsy as a disease; it's a disability.
