One Signal Heeds Gebru’s AI Clarion Call
One Signal publisher Alessandra Bastagli has acquired North American rights to The View from Somewhere by Timnit Gebru. The computer scientist previously served as co-lead of the Ethical AI research team at Google, and Google’s decision to fire her in 2020 made national headlines. Sarah Khalil and Katherine Flynn at Calligraph brokered the deal. Gebru said the book will argue for “a technological future that serves our communities instead of one that is used for surveillance, warfare, and the centralization of power by a few men in Silicon Valley through data theft, labor exploitation, and environmental damage.” It’s set for publication in fall 2026.
Stein’s Latest ‘Meant’ for Ballantine
Leigh Stein, author of Self-Care and creator of the Attention Economy Substack, has sold North American rights to If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You to Jesse Shuman at Ballantine. Ballantine described the novel as “a millennial midlife crisis comedy set inside a crumbling gothic mansion” that follows “a 39-year-old woman who reluctantly accepts a job managing a D-list hype house, where one of the creators has mysteriously disappeared.” Erin Hosier at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner negotiated the deal. No pub date has been announced.
Romantasy Debut Goes to Del Rey
After an auction, Anne Groell at Del Rey and Amanda Ferreira at Random House Canada have picked up North American rights to Brittney Arena’s debut novel, A Dance of Lies. The deal was handled by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary. The agent said the adult fantasy follows a disabled dancer who, “after being framed for murder, is thrust into a feud between royals, when her king offers her freedom in exchange for espionage. But the king’s tasks soon grow increasingly deadly, and she must thwart his plans.” The book is set for a summer 2025 release.
Atria Explores the Arctic with Lezak
In a preempt, Jenny Xu at Atria has bought North American rights to Oxford researcher Stephen Lezak’s The Longest Night. Emma Dries at Triangle House represented the author. Atria said the book chronicles “the climate crisis from the Arctic front lines, told through history and modern life in Alaskan Native villages in partnership with the tribal councils of the Native villages of Gambell and Shaktoolik,” and proposes “alternatives to Western narratives and anxieties about climate change” in search of “lasting climate justice.” The book is tentatively scheduled for spring 2027.
HarperVia Takes ‘Strange Pictures’
HarperVia editorial director Juan Mila and assistant editor Alfredo Ayrton Fee have secured North American rights to enigmatic horror YouTuber Uketsu’s debut novel, Strange Pictures. Ruth Logan at Pushkin Press in the U.K. (which will simultaneously publish the book in January 2025) brokered the deal, which also includes an as-yet-untitled second book. HarperVia said Strange Pictures—which has already sold more than 600,000 copies in Japan—is structured around “nine childlike sketches that hold clues to horrific crimes, each inviting the reader to piece together a meta-narrative that is ultimately resolved in the final story.” Uketsu, whose true identity is unknown, always appears in videos wearing a white mask and a black body stocking, with his voice digitally distorted.
A Game Changer for HarperOne
Angela Guzman at HarperOne has taken world English rights to Legends and Soles, by Nike marketing trailblazer Sonny Vaccaro. Simon Green of Pom Inc. brokered the deal. HarperOne said the memoir, written with sports journalist Armen Keteyian, chronicles the “improbable life and career” of the man “widely credited with the stunning reversal of fortune at Nike directly tied to the signing of Michael Jordan.” A February 2025 pub date has been set.
