IVP Stocks Up on Prayers
In a world rights deal brokered directly with the husband and wife duo, IVP Formatio acquiring editor Ethan McCarthy bought the tentatively-titled book Prayers for Life by David O. Taylor and illustrator Phaedra Taylor. In the book, slated for publication in spring 2024, Taylor focuses on ordinary as well as extraordinary moments in prayers intended for those looking for fresh language to use while communicating with God. Taylor is a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and director of initiatives in art and faith; his wife is a visual artist.
From the ‘Back Porch’ to Revell
Lisa Jackson of Alive Literary Agency sold world rights to Rachel McRae, senior acquisitions editor for Revell, to three books by Lisa Harper, a Bible teacher and host of the podcast Back Porch Theology. The first book, tentatively titled after her podcast, is slated for publication in spring 2025. The second untitled book is set for summer 2025, with the third title following in fall 2026. Each title will focus on “connecting Scripture to our everyday lives,” according to McRae.
Love Lands at IVP
Cindy Bunch, v-p for IVP editorial, took world rights from Kathryn Helmers of Helmers Literary Services to a book by Michael John Cusick, a licensed professional counselor and spiritual director. Tentatively titled Love Has You and slated for publication in 2024, the book is geared toward readers who no longer identify with religious institutions, and gives voice to doubts, questions, and contradictions Cusick says are inherently part of having an authentic spiritual faith, the publisher says.
WaterBrook Celebrates Valentine’s Day—Kind Of
Bunmi Ishola, children’s editor at WaterBrook, bought world rights to Be My Valenslime by debut author Kris Tarantino, illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Cori Doerrfeld (The Rabbit Listened). Keely Boeving at WordServe Literary represented the author and Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the illustrator. For readers ages 4-8 and scheduled for publication in fall 2023, the book features an unusual monster who throws a party to convince her friends that Valentine’s Day is worth celebrating; but when nothing goes as she plans, the group gets a lesson on the true meaning of love.
W Finds a ‘New Marriage’
Trinity McFadden of The Bindery sold world rights to W Publishing’s acquiring editor Kyle Olund for New Marriage, Same Couple: Don’t Let Your Worst Days Be Your Last Days by Katie and Josh Walters. The Walters—business owners, teaching pastors, and the parents of seven—speak to couples who are “past the first blush of love and now struggling with a marriage they hardly recognize,” according to the publisher. The book is slated for publication in January 2024.
Beaty Doubles Up on Two Authors
Katelyn Beaty, editorial director for Brazos Press, bought world rights from Zoë Pagnamenta with The Zoë Pagnamenta Agency to two books by podcaster and disability advocate Micha Boyett (Found). The first book in the deal, The Slow Way, is slated for publication in spring 2024. It draws on Boyett’s experiences raising a son with Down syndrome and autism during an exploration of the Beatitudes. The untitled second book is slated for publication in spring 2026.
In a second word rights deal, Beaty bought two books directly from author Skye Jethani, cohost of the Holy Post Podcast and leader of Measure the Clouds Ministries. The first book in the deal, What if Jesus Was Serious about Heaven?, examines Jesus’s teachings about heaven, and it is scheduled for publication in fall 2023. The second book, What if Jesus Was Serious about Justice?, will follow in fall 2025, and it examines Jesus’s teachings on justice.
