NFL Wife Sells Romance Series
Alexa Martin, the wife of former NFL player Derrick Martin, closed a three-book deal with Berkley for a football romance series. Kristine Swartz took world rights to the books, and the first title, Intercepted, is slated to be released in trade paperback in September 2018. Berkley said it sees the series, which was sold by Jessica Watterson at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, as something that will appeal to fans of TV shows like Basketball Wives and WAGS.
Scholastic Nabs Carter’s First Standalone
In a six-figure acquisition, David Levithan at Scholastic bought Ally Carter’s standalone YA debut, Not If I Save You First. Levithan took North American rights to the book from agent Kristin Nelson, who has an eponymous shingle; Nelson described the work as “a gender-swapped YA Romancing the Stone.” In the novel, a Secret Service agent’s daughter must travel into the wilds of Alaska to save the son of the president. The book is set for a March 2018 release. Carter is the author of such YA series as Gallagher Girls and Heist Society.
Mansell Takes ‘Everything’ to Sourcebooks
Sourcebooks’ Deb Werksman took North American rights to Jill Mansell’s novel This Could Change Everything. Mansell is a British author known for her romantic comedies. This novel, also a romcom, is, Sourcebooks said, “about an email gone awry that completely changes the heroine’s life in an unexpected way.” Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency handled the sale on behalf of U.K.-based agent Jane Judd (who also has an eponymous shingle). The book, which will be the author’s 23rd novel to be published in the U.S., is set for spring 2018.
Akashic Lands Bateman
Actress Justine Bateman sold world English rights for a nonfiction book called Fame to Johnny Temple at Akashic Books. Anthony Arnove at the Roam Agency, who represented Bateman (perhaps best known for her role in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties), described the book as “a witty, critical, and insightful examination of our collective obsession with celebrity.” Elaborating, Arnove said the title, which is set for fall 2018, draws on Bateman’s personal experience and “much more” to explore the meaning of fame.
Berenson Strikes Cozy Deal with Kensington
Editor-in-chief at Kensington John Scognamiglio took world rights to four books by Laurien Berenson. Berenson will pen three new hardcover cozy mysteries, the first of which, Bite Club, will be the 22nd entry in her Melanie Travis series about a mom and poodle owner with a penchant for solving crimes and catching killers. The fourth book in the deal is a Christmas mystery currently slated for 2020. Christina Hogrebe and Meg Ruley at Jane Rotrosen Agency represented Berenson.
