Parker Takes Latest to Delacorte
In a North American rights preempt, Delacorte’s Kate Sullivan bought the currently untitled YA debut by Morgan Parker. The book, Delacorte said, is about “a black teen triumphantly figuring out her identity when her conservative town deems depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.” The novel follows two poetry collections by Parker—There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé and Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night. Tina Dubois and Dan Kirschen at ICM Partners sold the YA novel, which is set for a fall 2019 release.
Morrow Goes “Wandering” with Chang
Jennifer Brehl at William Morrow and Iris Tupholme at HarperCanada jointly bought world English rights to Janie Chang’s historical novel, tentatively titled Wandering Star. Chang is a bestselling Canadian author (Three Souls), and Star, Morrow said, “follows the exiled students and staff of a university forced to evacuate their campus in 1937 when Japan invades China.” The book, inspired by the experiences of Chang’s father, is slated for May 2019. Jill Marr at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency represented Chang.
Former Webcam Performer Lands at Picador
Sex worker-turned-screenwriter Isa Mazzei sold her memoir, Camgirl, to Elizabeth Bruce at Picador. Bruce preempted world rights to the book, which details Mazzei’s experience as an adult webcam performer. Expanding on the book, Bruce said it sheds light on “a little-known corner of an often misunderstood industry, while exploring the complexities of digital life, shame, sexuality, and the tensions between our private and public selves.” The book is tied to a movie Mazzei wrote and produced that is set in the world of webcam porn; Cam will premiere this summer at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Camgirl, sold by Noah Ballard at Curtis Brown, is set to publish in June 2019.
Gallery Nabs Walker’s ‘Man’
Adam Wilson at Gallery Books took North American rights to Caroline Louise Walker’s debut, Man of the Year, about a Sag Harbor, N.Y., doctor who’s seized by paranoia when he starts to suspect that his wife is having an affair with his son’s best friend. The book, Gallery said, was pitched as “a cross between Unfaithful and The Dinner.” Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media represented Walker, who lives in Rock Island, Ill., and has worked as an archivist at National Lampoon and taught English abroad. The novel is set for March 2019.
Lyga Closes Double at Soho Teen
Bestselling YA author Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers) closed a two-book deal with Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen. Ehrenhaft took U.S. and open market rights to what he called a “duo of novels”; the first is titled Unedited and the second is called Edited. Both books, Ehrenhaft explained, “follow the disintegration of the relationship 17-year-old Mike Grayson has with his girlfriend, Phil, whom he loves—always—but fears only loves him back sometimes.” Ehrenhaft added that “Edited is quite literally the edited version of Unedited.” Lyga was represented by Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management.
Younge-Ullman Re-ups at Viking Kids
In a joint acquisition, Viking Books for Young Readers’ Kendra Levin and Penguin Teen Canada’s Lynne Missen bought North American rights to Danielle Younge-Ullman’s YA novel Swallow. Younge-Ullman, who was represented by Emmanuelle Morgen at Stonesong, is the author of two YA novels and one adult novel; Viking noted that she has received 14 literary nominations, including being named to this year’s YALSA Best Fiction of the Year list for Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined (Viking Books for Young Readers). Swallow, the publisher said, follows a teenager who, while working as a waitress in her small town, faces the repercussions of outing a customer who has been harassing her.
Briefs
Ivan Held and Sara Minnich at Putnam bought two more novels in Ace Atkins’s Quinn Colson series. The bestselling author was represented by Esther Newberg at ICM Partners. The books, which continue the story of the titular U.S. Army Ranger–turned–small-town sheriff, are set for summer 2019 and summer 2020.
For Pegasus, Katie McGuire bought North American rights to Clarissa Harwood’s Bear No Malice. The historical novel, Pegasus said, is about “a clergyman with a painful past and an artist trapped by her own secrets.” Laura Crockett at TriadaUS Literary Agency represented Harwood in the deal.
For more children’s and YA book deals, see our latest Rights Report.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the rights sold to Wandering Star; it was world English rights, not North American. Additionally, Jill Marr is the agent who sold that book, not Sandra Dijkstra.
