DEAL OF THE WEEK

Craig’s ‘Nemesis’ Confronts Grove

Grove Atlantic’s Peter Blackstock bought North American rights to My Nemesis, by National Book Award–longlisted author Charmaine Craig (Miss Burma). The publisher said the novel is “told from the perspective of a successful white woman writer involved in an intellectual affair with a man whose mixed-race Asian wife becomes her adversary.” It explores ideas about “feminism, liberal guilt, and what it means to be a strong woman today.” Craig was represented by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group, and My Nemesis is slated for February 2023.

Random House Solves Trussoni’s ‘Puzzle’

Danielle Trussoni (the Angelology series) sold The Puzzle Master to Random House. Andrea Walker preempted North American rights to the literary thriller from Susan Golomb at Writers House. The publisher described the novel, which does not yet have a pub date, as “The Da Vinci Code meets The Silent Patient.” It follows a puzzle constructor who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a religious artifact, and, according to Random House, it blends “historical research with vivid fictional elements.” Also included in the deal is a sequel, The Puzzle Box.

Chizmar Re-ups at Gallery

For mid-six figures, Gallery Books’ Ed Schlesinger bought North American rights to two untitled thrillers by Richard Chizmar, who was represented by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency. Nelson said the first book, set for fall 2023, will be a sequel to Chizmar’s 2021 bestseller Chasing the Boogeyman. The second book is a suburban-set contemporary suspense.

It’s a Dunne Deal at Penguin

Griffin Dunne sold a currently untitled, currently unscheduled memoir to John Burnham Schwartz at Penguin Press. Dunne is an actor-director who starred in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours and was also best friends with Carrie Fisher. The book, Penguin said, chronicles “the successes and disappointments and the wit and wildness in his multigenerational family of larger-than-life characters.” David Kuhn and Nate Muscato at Aevitas Creative Management handled the North American rights agreement.


St. Martin’s Shares Brammer’s ‘Regrets’

Sarah Cantin at St. Martin’s Press bought Mikki Brammer’s debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, in a six-figure, two-book agreement. The novel, Cantin said, is about a death doula who, in following the final wishes of a client, goes on “a road trip to uncover a forgotten love story, and perhaps her own happy ending.” Michelle Brower at Trellis Literary Management represented Brammer in the North American rights deal.

Threshold Nabs Conway Memoir

For Threshold Editions, Natasha Simons bought Here’s the Deal: A Memoir by Kellyanne Conway, who was a senior adviser to Donald Trump. Keith Urbahn at Javelin brokered the world English rights deal. The book is slated for May and will offer, according to the Simon & Schuster imprint, “a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the historic 2016 Trump-Pence campaign, and the Trump administration.”

Rinella’s ‘Outdoor Kids’ Play at RH

Random House’s Ben Greenberg bought world English rights to Steven Rinella’s Outdoor Kids in an Inside World. The publisher said Rinella’s eight previous books have sold more than 1.2 million copies total, and his podcast network draws more than five million monthly listeners. The book makes the case for “raising kids with a strong connection to the natural world in order to foster courage, self-sufficiency, curiosity, and environmental stewardship.” Marc Gerald at Europa Content represented Rinella.