Gill’s ‘Uncanny’ to Greenwillow
At HarperCollins’s Greenwillow Books, Virginia Duncan took North American rights, for six figures, to David Macinnis Gill’s novel Uncanny. Rosemary Stimola, at Stimola Literary Studio, brokered the two-book deal for Gill, calling the book “a new take on the gothic tradition” that melds “elements of witchcraft, history, and magic.” The book follows a girl who, on her 16th birthday, gains sudden powers and begins witnessing unnerving events, including evil spirits rising from the dead and time inexplicably standing still. Uncanny is set for summer 2017.
Thomas & Mercer Re-ups Sakey
In a six-figure deal for English and German rights, Alison Dasho at Thomas & Mercer preempted a currently untitled novel by Marcus Sakey. Sakey, who was represented by Shane Salerno at the Story Factory, published his Brilliance Trilogy with the Amazon Publishing imprint; according to Salerno, that series has sold over half a million copies internationally. The new book, Salerno said, is about a manhunt that spans “two complex and detailed worlds” and also features a love story. The first title in Sakey’s trilogy, 2013’s Brilliance, was optioned for seven figures by Legendary Entertainment (Jurassic World); CAA is handling film rights for this book, which is set for 2017.
Other Press Gets Elton’s Second
Judith Gurewich at Other Press took U.S. and Canadian rights to Charles Elton’s new novel, The Songs. David Forrer at Inkwell Management handled the sale for Elton on behalf of Felicity Rubinstein at Lutyens & Rubinstein. Elton is a former literary agent who represented the estate of Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne; his debut novel, Mr. Toppit (Penguin UK, 2009), explored the struggles a son feels under the weight of his father’s literary fame. (Milne famously based Christopher Robin, the young hero of his series, on his own son.) The Songs is about a well-known political activist and singer whose death, the publisher said, leaves his family with a host of questions “until the ambiguities at the heart of his life begin to surface in ways that will change them all.”
‘Seinfeld’ Scribe to Forge
Emmy-winning writer Matt Goldman, who wrote for Seinfeld, closed a two-book deal for a new mystery series with Kristin Sevick at Forge. The first book, Gone to Dust, is set in Minnesota and, according to Goldman’s agent Jennifer Weltz at Jean V. Naggar, is “Fargo-like.” It features, she said, “a short Jewish detective and Somalian refugees.” Weltz sold North American rights to the books.
Rivera Sells Trilogy to Tor
K. Arsenault Rivera sold the first book in a planned trilogy, The Tiger’s Daughter, to Miriam Weinberg at Tor. Sara Megibow at KT Literary handled the three-book world English rights sale for Rivera, calling the series a “Mongolian-inspired epic fantasy.” It follows two women, she explained, whose “love for each other is big enough to slay demons.”
Gemeinhart Gets a “Scar”at Scholastic
In a two-book deal, Nick Eliopulos at Scholastic took world rights to Dan Gemeinhart’s middle grade novel Scar Island. Bob Diforio and Pam Howell at D4EO Literary brokered the sale for Gemeinhart (The Honest Truth). Diforio said the book, about a group of boys at a reform school who have to fend off an oncoming hurricane, focuses on “the one boy who can save them, if only he can come to terms with the sins of his past.” Scar Island will be published in 2017.
