DEAL OF THE WEEK
Doubleday Prays at Atkinson’s ‘Shrines’
Doubleday’s Lee Boudreaux took U.S. rights to Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety. The publisher said the novel will have a 150,000-copy first printing and is slated for September 27. Set in 1926 London, it follows Chelsea nightlife impresario Nellie Coker, who will do anything for her six children. Boudreaux added that the book takes readers “through a thrillingly dark and labyrinthine tale of London in the aftermath of the Great War, as hedonism replaces sacrifice and duty.” Atkinson (Life After Life) was represented by Kim Witherspoon at InkWell Management.
Random House Buys Strout’s Latest ‘Lucy’
Andy Ward at Random House took world rights to Elizabeth Strout’s Lucy by the Sea. The novel follows the author’s recurring heroine Lucy Barton as she’s forced to leave her life in New York City and go into lockdown with her ex-husband in Maine during the early days of the Covid pandemic. The publisher said the book captures “the fear, struggles, and feelings of isolation that are a part of life in a global pandemic, as well as the hope, possibilities, and yearning for love and connection that those long, quiet days can inspire.” Molly Friedrich, who has an eponymous shingle, represented Strout.
Clarkson Potter Bites into Bündchen
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen sold a currently untitled cookbook to Raquel Pelzel at Clarkson Potter. The world English rights agreement was brokered by Pilar Queen at United Talent Agency, and the publisher said the book will feature 100 recipes that reveal the “cooking approach Bündchen adopted years ago as a way to feel her best and live a balanced, nourished life while providing wholesome, comforting meals for her family.” The title is set for spring 2024.
Detweiler and Tamberelli Team Up
In a deal for their first cowritten adult rom-com, literary agent and YA author Katelyn Detweiler and her husband, actor Danny Tamberelli, sold The First Date Prophecy to Elizabeth Trout at Kensington. Trout took world rights at auction to the novel, which is loosely based on the story of the couple’s courtship. Agent Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management, who sold the book, said it follows a pair of aspiring artists in Brooklyn. They “receive a prophecy from a dying psychic on their first date, and must embark on a quest to see how entwined their destinies are and whether true love really is in their future.” The First Date Prophecy is slated for 2023, and the deal includes a second, currently untitled companion novel. The authors will be writing as Kate and Danny Tamberelli.
Grove Weathers Mejia’s ‘Storm’
Mindy Mejia (Leave No Trace) closed a two-book, North American rights deal with Morgan Entrekin at Grove Atlantic. The first of the two is To Catch a Storm, a thriller set for summer 2023, Grove said, about a psychiatrist and PI/psychic racing to “unravel a twisty mystery set in Iowa farm country.” Sara Vitale will edit the book, which will be published by Grove’s Atlantic Monthly Press imprint. The second novel in the deal is currently untitled. Stephanie Cabot at Susanna Lea Associates represented Mejia in the agreement.
Podcasters Heat Up Bloomsbury
For Bloomsbury, Anton Mueller took North American rights to The Wildfire Guide: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, Your Community in the Age of Heat, by Justin Angle and Nick Mott, creators of NPR’s Fireline podcast. They were represented by Danielle Svetcov at Levine Greenberg. Bloomsbury called the book a “practical guide for living with wildfires” that includes “policy recommendations for surviving our increasingly fire-prone future.”
