DEAL OF THE WEEK
Knopf Enjoys the ‘Tranquility’ with Mandel
Knopf’s Jenny Jackson bought U.S. rights to Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility from Katherine Fausset at Curtis Brown Ltd. The novel is, according to the publisher, “a story of time travel that probes many aspects of reality.” Written during the pandemic, Sea of Tranquility “moves from British Columbia in 1912 to an outpost on the moon in 2401” as it explores “themes that will be familiar to Mandel’s many readers—time, art, love, wilderness, what makes the world real—and introduces readers to a remarkable cast of characters.” The book is slated for 2022.
RH Rolls Out Red Carpet for Harry
Prince Harry sold a currently untitled memoir to Random House. Offering scant details about the acquisition, the publisher said the book will be released by Transworld in the U.K., Random House in the U.S., and Random House Canada in Canada, adding that “additional publishing territories will be announced at a later date.” PRH CEO Markus Dohle made the announcement, but the publisher declined to name the editor or agent involved with the acquisition. Tentatively slated for late 2022, the book will, PRH said, be “an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time” and “the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.” Prince Harry will donate his proceeds from the book to charity.
Tamblyn Sells Anthology to Park Row
Laura Brown at Park Row Books bought Amber Tamblyn’s essay anthology Listening in the Dark, the actor’s seventh book. She’ll be contributing to and editing the collection, which will feature essays from a variety of boldface names—including America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Jia Tolentino, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley—and will explore “women’s intuition,” according to the publisher. “In a world where women are revolutionizing politics, entertainment, and our health-care system, and creating movements infiltrating patriarchal systems to change the world,” Park Row said, “much has been left unsaid about what underpins and guides this progress—women’s intuition.” Tamblyn was represented in the North American rights agreement by Anthony Mattero at Creative Artists Agency. Listening in the Dark is set for 2022.
Dey Street Dances on Rippa’s ‘Wire’
Talk show host and actor Kelly Rippa sold her first book, an essay collection titled Live Wire, to Dey Street. Carrie Thornton took North American rights at auction from Cait Hoyt at Creative Artists Agency. Live Wire features essays on a range of topics including motherhood, childhood, and marriage, Dey Street said. The book puts Rippa’s “thoughtfulness, assertiveness, and deep understanding of the dynamics of gender and power on full display.” Live Wire is slated for 2022.
Booker Winner Re-ups at Grove
Peter Blackstock at Grove Press bought Douglas Stuart’s sophomore novel Young Mungo, which follows his much-lauded debut, 2020 Booker-winner (and National Book Award–finalist) Shuggie Bain. Set on a Glaswegian estate, the new novel follows two young men, Mungo and James, who should be enemies—one is Catholic and the other is Protestant—but, instead, fall in love. Young Mungo, Grove said, is “a vivid portrayal of working-class life and a deeply moving and highly suspenseful story of the dangerous first love of two young men.” It’s “a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.” Stuart, who is Scottish American, was represented in the North American rights agreement by Anna Stein at ICM Partners. (Grove has sold Canadian rights to the novel to Knopf Canada.) Young Mungo is set for April 2022.
