It's now the boys' turn in the psych book biz, with two major deals just concluded, and two more book proposals on submission. Last week, Random House editor Kate Medina made a reported substantial six-figure preemptive bid to acquire Rescuing Ophelia's Brother: Hearing Boys' Voices by Dr. William Pollock, represented by agents Lane Zachary and Todd Shuster of the Zachary Shuster Agency. That acquisition fueled the buzz for another shopped proposal, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by psychologists by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson, being represented by agent Gail Ross for Living Planet book packager Joshua Horwitz.

Ross, who turned away a $350,000 floor offer, set a July 28 auction date with some six publishers interested; over the prior weekend Ballantine editor Ginny Faber made a preemptive bid, again in the substantial six figures to acquire the book. Ironically, Ballantine, which published Mary Pipher's bestselling Reviving Ophelia, won't be the Random House division to have the Ophelia-handle title book.

Two other proposals are also circulating on similar topics: Teenage Boys: A Species of Their Own by Don Fleming, being shopped by agent B.J. Robbins and The Secret World of Boys by Jeffrey Fishman, being shopped by agent Barbara Lowenstein. Watch for a full report and update in PW's August 11 issue.