Screenwriter Bloom to Carolrhoda
Alix Reid at Carolrhoda Books took world rights to the debut novel by Steve Bloom, The Stand In. Bloom, whose screenplay credits include James and the Giant Peach, was represented in the deal by Beth Davey at Davey Literary Media. The novel, Davey said, is about a high school senior who, in order to make money for college, agrees to help the socially hapless daughters of desperate (and paying) parents. He signs on, Davey explained, “to escort their dateless and unwilling daughters to prom, homecoming, and other ‘not-to-be-missed’ parties, with hilarious consequences.” The book is set for the fall and has already been optioned by AwesomenessTV.
Alvarez Re-ups at HC Kids
In a two-book world-English-rights deal, Jennifer Alvarez signed with HarperCollins Children’s Books to write a new arc in her middle grade fantasy series, Guardian Herd. Agent Jacqueline Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates brokered the agreement with senior editor Karen Chaplin. The new story line in this equine fantasy series—it follows winged horses in a land called Anok—will focus on existing characters but will be set on a new continent. HC said that, in the new land, the animals “will face grave dangers, including dragons, huge serpents, hordes of giants that hunt in the woods, and scariest of all, ‘landwalkers’—humans.”
Lai Closes Triple with Imprint
For Macmillan’s new Imprint, Erin Stein took world rights, in a three-book deal, to Trevor Lai’s picture book series Tomo Explores the World. Lai, founder of the Chinese animation company Up Studios, was represented by Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary. Rofé said the series is about a young inventor who, with his dog in tow, “sets out to complete the unfinished tasks in his great grandfather’s adventure journal.” The first book in the series is slated for October.
‘Halo’ Hangs over Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury’s Cindy Loh closed a North American rights deal with U.K.-based Egmont Publishing for three titles based on the video game franchise Halo. Loh brokered the agreement with Tracy Phillips, and the first title contracted, Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo, is set to publish in the fall. Bloomsbury said this title is the “official, comprehensive, authoritative guide to the Halo universe” written in collaboration with the developers of the video game, 343 Industries, and that it “marks the first time that a book incorporates the entirety of the Halo canon.” The publisher noted that this canon includes everything from games to comics to animated entertainment. The second book is set for fall 2017, and the third for fall 2018.
Briefs
James Reich, at his new literary indie Stalking Horse Press, took world English rights to Scot Sothern’s Big City. The novel is set in postbellum America, and agent Amy Tipton at Signature Literary Agency, who represented Sothern, said the book is similar to steampunk, but is not science fiction. She added that the work is “a fantastical adventure and love story examining the dynamics of change and the politics of natural selection.”
