DEAL OF THE WEEK
Devore’s ‘Villain’ Rocks Avon
At Avon, Rachel Kahan preempted world English rights to Laurie Devore’s adult debut, The Villain Edit, for six figures. Devore was represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic, who said the book was pitched as “The Bachelor by way of Fleabag.” It follows “a failing author who goes on a reality TV dating show to revive her career and quickly finds herself cast as the villain in the love story.” Devore is an established YA novelist whose books include How to Break a Boy and A Better Bad Idea.
Bowers’s ‘Dealer’ Sells to Gallery
Gallery Books’ Pamela Cannon preempted world rights to actor Nadia Bowers’s memoir Dear Dealer. The book is expanded from a piece of the same name that Bowers wrote for This American Life. Gallery said the memoir is told through a blend of narrative and letters to “the unknown drug dealer Bowers holds responsible for the fentanyl overdose death of her sister, a beloved clinical social worker.” Bowers has starred in several Broadway plays and guest starred on various TV shows, including Law & Order, NCIS, and The Strain. The book is slated for spring 2025. Bowers was represented by Erin Hosier at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
Strawser Does Double with Lake Union
In a two-book, world rights agreement, Jessica Strawser (A Million Reasons Why) sold The Last Caretaker to Alicia Clancy at Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing. The publisher said the novel follows “a woman who accepts a residential caretaker job on a nature reserve, only to discover her new home is part of an underground network that helps domestic violence victims escape.” Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency brokered the agreement for Strawser, and The Last Caretaker is slated for November.
Pantheon Embraces Landau’s ‘Mother’
Alexis Landau (The Empire of the Senses) sold North American rights to The Mother of All Things to Deborah Garrison at Pantheon Books. The publisher said the spring 2024–slated novel is “a page-turner about female rage, grief, and creativity” that follows a mother who “immerses herself in ancient Greco-Roman female mystery rites while on a summer journey with her family.” Alice Tasman at the Jean V. Naggar Agency represented Landau.
Griffin Nabs BookTokker’s ‘Last Shot’
Eileen Rothschild at St. Martin’s Griffin preempted One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette, creator of the Betty’s Book List TikTok account, in a two-book, mid-six figure, North American rights deal. Lauren Spieller brokered the deal for Cayouette while at TriadaUS Literary Agency, but she’s since moved to Folio Literary Management. The book, per Griffin, is a second-chance romance that follows two friends who, after making a marriage pact, have a falling-out. A decade later, “she has realized her dreams by becoming one of the most recognized models in the world, and he’s a successful photographer. They have one last shot at love while working together on Italy’s beautiful Cinque Terre.” One Last Shot is set for summer 2024.
Lord Takes Her ‘World’ to Del Rey
Del Rey Books’ Tricia Narwani bought North American rights to Karen Lord’s The Blue, Beautiful World. The novel was sold along with reprint rights to two of the Barbadian author’s previous titles, Redemption in Indigo and Unraveling. Del Rey described the latter two as “a pair of loosely linked fantasy novels inspired by the folklore of the Caribbean.” The Blue, Beautiful World is scheduled for August, and the publisher called it “a wondrous science fiction epic about a group of gifted visionaries who race to imagine a new future when first contact transforms the earth.” Sally Harding at the Cooke-McDermid Literary Agency brokered the agreement.
NOTE: This article has been updated from its original version.
