Soldier Turned Paralympian Lands at Da Capo
Brad Snyder sold world rights to a memoir called Fire in My Eyes to Robert Pigeon at Da Capo. Snyder, who is writing the book with Tom Sileo, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and then worked in Navy Special Operations in Afghanistan. Blinded during a mission, Snyder went on to compete for the U.S. in the 2012 Summer Paralymics in London, winning a gold medal in men’s swimming. Snyder’s literary agent, E.J. McCarthy (who has an eponymous shingle), said the story is one of “perseverance through darkness, and a testament to the strength of America’s veterans.” The book is set for an August 9 release, to coincide with next summer’s Paralympic Games, in Rio, which Snyder will be competing in.
Lipsyte Follows Silverberg To S&S
In his first acquisition as a senior editor at Simon & Schuster, former agent Ira Silverberg took North American rights, in a two-book deal, to Sam Lipsyte’s new novel, Hark. Silverberg, who used to represent Lipsyte, brokered the agreement with Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor. With the deal, Lipsyte is moving from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, which published his last book, the 2012 short story collection The Fun Parts. Describing Hark, S&S called it a comic novel “about a disparate band of modern pilgrims... who gather to find meaning under the tutelage of a mysterious young man whose simple program—Mental Archery—promises to deliver them from the murk and confusion of their world.” Hark is set for fall 2017.
Flatiron Preempts YA Debut
Amy Einhorn, for Flatiron’s new YA list, preempted world English rights to Bonnie Pipkin’s YA debut, Aftercare Instructions. Emily Van Beek at Folio Literary Management represented Pipkin in the deal. The novel, which Sarah Dotts Barley and Caroline Bleeke will edit, follows a 17-year-old girl who is left at Planned Parenthood by her boyfriend after they agree to abort her unwanted pregnancy. Van Beek said the book is a “format-crushing story” that shifts between “a traditional narrative” and a play, as the heroine discovers “who she is when she steps away from [her boyfriend] and into herself.” Pipkin has an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Webb Double Deals with Harlequin
Bestselling author Debra Webb has inked two separate six-figure deals at Harlequin, both for world rights. The first deal, with Mira Books, is for four books and one e-book prequel, all in a new thriller series called Shades of Death. This series follows the son of a serial killer, who hunts down other serial killers; the first two books, No Darker Place and The White Room, are set for spring 2017. Harlequin senior editor Denise Zaza bought Shades of Death from Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. The second deal, with Harlequin Intrigue, is for 12 books. Through it Webb will write six new titles in her bestselling self-published series, Faces of Evil, along with six other books. Webb struck this deal directly with Zaza. Webb has written more than 100 novels, and according to Harlequin, there are more than four million copies of her books in print worldwide.
