Kwok’s Romantasy Debut Goes to Putnam
After an auction, Putnam executive editor Tara Singh Carlson has acquired North American rights to Dominion of Silk and Iron by Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation), as well as two additional books in the author’s Celestial Flame trilogy. Caitlin Mahony and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Endeavor brokered the deal. Putnam said Dominion of Silk and Iron—Kwok’s romantasy debut—“reads like Fourth Wing by way of Chinese mythology, crossed with The Hunger Games.” The book follows “a young woman with amnesia who is forced to compete in a tournament to the death against the world’s mightiest sorcerers and warriors.” A pub date has not yet been announced.
Atria Discovers ‘Lost Hours’
Kaitlin Olson at Atria has taken North American rights to Hayley Gelfuso’s debut novel, The Book of Lost Hours. Jennifer Weltz at JVNLA made the sale after an auction. Brittany Lavery at Simon & Schuster Canada will publish as well. Weltz said the novel evokes “the magic mix of All the Light We Cannot See and The Midnight Library,” and Olson called it “a sweeping, historical love story with a speculative twist.” The Book of Lost Hours is set for publication in fall 2026.
Crown Signs Journo’s Book on Linguicide
Amanda Cook at Crown has signed North American rights to journalist Sophia Smith Galer’s How to Kill a Language. Katie Berry will edit. Nicholas Allen at the Wylie Agency handled the deal. Crown said the book is “an urgent exploration of the global phenomenon of linguicide through nine languages at risk of disappearance or
extinction—as well as one language that has been brought back from the dead—and the communities fighting to keep them alive, framed by the author’s experiences and on-the-ground reporting in Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, and more.” A pub date has not been announced.
Bramble Takes in ‘Death’s Daughter’
In a seven-figure, three-book deal, horror writer S.A. Barnes has sold world English rights to Death’s Daughter to Kelly Lonesome at Bramble. Sophia M. Ramos and Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media brokered the deal. Ramos called Death’s Daughter “a dark contemporary romantasy in which the only daughter of Death has been named his successor and must navigate the treacherous world of the old gods and their powerful offspring.” The book is set for winter 2026.
Callahan Henry Re-ups at Atria
Bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry, whose novel The Story She Left Behind is due out in spring 2025, has signed a new three-book agreement for North American rights with executive editor Laura Brown at Atria, her current publisher. The first in the deal, which was brokered by Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, will be in published in 2026. Callahan Henry is the cohost of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
Saga Picks Up Two from Korean Author
In an exclusive submission, Tim O’Connell at Saga Press has taken two books by Korean author Kim Choyeop and translator Anton Hur. Saga said the first book in the deal—Choyeop’s English-language debut—is If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light, a collection of literary speculative fiction. It is set for a spring 2026 release. The second book is The Greenhouse at the End of the World, a novel “set in the far future, about two sisters and their discovery of a mysterious plant that could save all of humanity.” Greenhouse will be published in 2028. Lucy Carson at the Friedrich Agency negotiated the deal for world rights (excluding China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan) on behalf of Jackie Yang at Eric Yang Agency.
