‘Ashford Park’ Goes to St. Martin’s

Lauren Willig sold her first stand-alone novel, Ashford Park, and a future title in a two-book, six-figure world rights deal to St. Martin’s Press. Agent Joseph Veltre brokered the deal, with SMP’s Jennifer Weis buying the rights. Ashford Park tells the story of a woman who untangles her family’s past and her own future when she stumbles upon a hidden family secret that stretches back in time to Edwardian England and the plains of Kenya. Willig writes the Pink Carnation historical series for Penguin, and her recent book, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, was a Rita Award Winner.

Artisan Home to the Novogratzes

Lia Ronnen, associate publisher and executive editor at Artisan, secured world rights from Mark Reiter of the Reiter Agency to the next book by husband-and-wife design team Cortney and Robert Novogratz, hosts of HGTV’s Home by Novogratz. The as-yet-untitled book, slated for a fall 2012 release, is based on the couple’s belief that having a family doesn’t necessarily mean having to give up on good design. Parents of seven children, the Novogratzes will detail cost-saving tips and strategies for design, and illustrations will provide a look at their interior spaces.

Norton Wins History of the Pill

John Glusman, v-p and editor-in-chief of W.W. Norton, has signed New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Eig for The Man Who Invented Sex: A Story of Love, Genius, and the Creation of the Birth Control Pill. David Black of the David Black Agency did the deal, which was for North American rights. The book, set for fall 2014, is a history centering on Harvard biologist Gregory Pincus, whose efforts to develop the pill were bankrolled by the women’s rights crusader Margaret Sanger and biologist/philanthropist Katharine Dexter McCormick, which led to the introduction of Enovid by Searle, ushering in the sexual revolution.

Da Capo Signs Quincy Adams Bio

In an unagented deal, Da Capo Press bought its fourth book from Harlow Giles Unger, with Robert Pigeon, executive editor at Da Capo, buying world rights. The title is John Quincy Adams, and the biography of the sixth president traces his life from his service under George Washington to his time in Congress fighting to end slavery alongside Abraham Lincoln. The book is scheduled for a fall 2012 release.

‘Love and Power’ Trilogy Goes to HarperCollins India

Kativa Daswani has sold the rights to a trilogy titled Love and Power to V.K. Karthika, publisher of HarperCollins India, with her agent, Jodie Rhodes, keeping world rights. The first book will be published in January or February 2012 with an initial printing of 10,000 copies, with the subsequent titles set for November 2012 and May 2013. HarperCollins promises the trilogy will have “drama, passion, glamour, and a hugely likable central character.” Daswani is the author of numerous books, including For Matrimonial Purposes; Village Bride in Beverly Hills; Salaam Paris; Indy Girl; and Lovetorn.