Morrow Buys a Second ‘Maidens’

Emily Krump, v-p, editorial director at William Morrow, acquired U.S. rights to the second thriller by Lloyd Deveraux Richards in a low-six-figures deal. Maidens of the Cave follows Richards’s Stone Maidens, which was published in November and became a bestseller after his daughter created a TikTok video about the book that went viral. HarperCollins said the video has been viewed more than 49 million times. As with the first book, Maidens of the Cave follows FBI agent Christine Prusik as she tracks a serial killer. It will be released as a paperback original and in digital formats in July. Elisabeth Weed at the Book Group represented Richards.

 

Leonard Sings for WaterBrook

Grammy-winning gospel singer-songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard sold Do It Anyway to WaterBrook Multnomah. The publisher said the book, set for summer 2024, offers “a revelatory and uplifting message about discovering the transformation unlocked when we show up to hard things with resilient faith and perseverance.” WaterBrook’s Estee Zandee took world rights to Do It Anyway in a multibook agreement brokered by Esther Fedorkevich at the Fedd Agency.

Dorman Nabs Kurtzman’s ‘Baker’

Sharon Kurtzman sold North American rights to her debut, The Lost Baker of Vienna, to Pamela Dorman for her eponymous imprint at Viking. Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates handled the agreement. The publisher called it a “sweeping dual-timeline novel for readers of Georgia Hunter and Tatiana de Rosnay” that tells “a story of survival, loss, love, and the reverberating effects of war on one woman in 1946 Vienna and on a young journalist in present-day America, who becomes obsessed with finding out the truth of what happened to her family in WWII.” The Lost Baker of Vienna is slated for 2025.

Elmendorf’s ‘Crows’ Circle Mira

Dana Elmendorf’s adult debut, In the Hour of Crows, was acquired at auction by Mira’s Meredith Clark. The world rights agreement was brokered by Jill Marr at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Mira compared the Appalachia-set novel to Where the Crawdads Sing and Practical Magic, describing it as an “atmospheric story that follows young Weatherly Wilder as she uses her unique gift to solve her cousin’s mysterious murder and prove her own innocence.” In the Hour of Crows is slated for summer 2024. Elmendorf is the author of the contemporary YA novel South of Sunshine.


Viking Finds ‘New Worlds’

At Viking, Ibrahim Ahmad bought North American rights to Salman Khan’s Brave New Worlds: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing). Khan is the founder of Khan Academy, an education nonprofit, and Viking said the book provides “an insightful exploration of the transformative power of AI and GPT technology in reshaping the educational landscape, addressing the challenges and opportunities of AI-driven education and offering actionable strategies for educators, parents, and students.” InkWell Management’s Richard Pine represented Khan. Brave New Worlds is scheduled for spring 2024.


Amistad Snaps Up Brown’s Collection

Amistad acquired world rights to How We Do It, an essay collection edited by Jericho Brown. Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency brokered the deal with Jennifer Baker, who has since left Amistad. Brooks called the collection “a book on the craft of writing that explores the Black creative spirit through the words of more than 30 acclaimed authors.” Brown, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet, directs the creative writing program at Emory University. How We Do It is set for release in July.