Dial Takes Salter’s ‘Catacomb’
Dial Books for Young Readers’ Stacey Friedberg took world English rights to Charlotte Salter’s debut middle-grade novel, Catacomb Hill. Allison Hellegers at Rights People brokered the deal for Salter on behalf of Kirsty McLachlan at David Godwin & Associates. Hellegers said the novel is “in the vein of Neil Gaiman” and follows a stubborn girl who “searches for a mysterious object in a mansion surrounded by sea monsters.” The book is set for a spring 2017 release.
Harris Closes Double at Minotaur
Bestselling author of the Stookie Stackhouse novels (published by Penguin and adapted into HBO’s True Blood series), Charlaine Harris closed a two-book North American rights deal with Minotaur Books’ Kelley Ragland. Joshua Bilmes at the JABberwocky agency represented Harris, and, through the agreement, the author will do two more titles in her Aurora Teagarden series. The series focuses on a young librarian who regularly meets with a group of enthusiasts that study unsolved crimes; it served as the basis for two TV adaptations on the Hallmark Channel starring Candace Cameron Bure. The last Teagarden book, Poppy Done to Death, was released by Minotaur in 2003.. The new books are set for 2017 and 2018.
Harper Lands New Sauer Pic Books
In a two-book world rights deal, picture book author Tammi Sauer sold Truck, Truck, Goose and an untitled picture book to Jill Davis at Harper’s Katherine Tegen Books imprint. Sauer, a former teacher and author of more than 20 picture books, will be working with illustrator Zoe Waring. Both titles are based on the game duck, duck, goose, according to Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, who represented Sauer. Rennert said the books riff on the game and feature an “irrepressible, adorable goose” as well as, in the first title, “12 different kinds of trucks.” Waring was represented in the deal by Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency. Truck, Truck, Goose is set for a summer 2017 release, and the other book for a summer 2018 release.
Woodside Explores the ‘Prairie’ for Arcade
Christine Woodside, an author and the editor of the journal Appalachia, sold Libertarians on the Prairie to Cal Barksdale at Arcade. The book is expanded from a same-titled article Woodside did for the Boston Globe in 2013, and the book, subtitled Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and the Making of the Little House Books, uncovers the interesting backstories of the creators of the Little House on the Prairie books. Craig Kayser, who has an eponymous shingle, represented Woodside, selling world rights to the title. He said that “the truth behind the [Little House] books” has been “intentionally hidden by gatekeepers” of the legacy of the books’ author, Laura Ingalls Wilder. The truth, Kayser elaborated, is twofold: that Ingalls Wilder’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, actually crafted much of the series, and that Wilder Lane “infused [the series] with her own libertarian ideology.” Wilder Lane was heavily involved with the libertarian movement in the U.S.; Kayser noted that she left her literary estate to Roger MacBride, the first Libertarian candidate for President. The book is set for a spring 2016 publication.
Webb Takes Instagram Book to HC Kids
For HarperCollins Children’s Books, Nancy Inteli acquired world rights at auction to an interactive book from Kristina Webb called Color Me Creative: Unlock Your Imagination. Webb is New Zealand teeneger with an artistic bent who gained a massive following on social media—the book’s title is a reference to her handle on Instagram, where she has over 1.5 million followers. HC said the book will consist of both an autobiography and a series of artistic exercises. Webb was represented by Matthew Elblonk at DeFiore & Company, and the book is set for fall 2015.
Page to Screen
Dare Me author Megan Abbott has agreed to develop a series based on that novel for HBO. Abbott, who will be writing the pilot episode for the series, inked the deal with Peter Berg’s production shingle Film 44 (Friday Night Lights) and producer Karen Rosenfelt (The Devil Wears Prada). Rosenfelt is also serving as a producer on another Abbott project: the author’s forthcoming series on MTV, based on her novel Fever. In the HBO deal, Abbott was represented by Sylvie Rabineau and Jill Gillett at RWSG, who were working on behalf of Dan Conaway at Writers House.
