DEAL OF THE WEEK

Elizabeth Warren to ‘Persist’ at Holt

In a world rights agreement, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren sold a title to Metropolitan Books. John Sterling, an editor-at-large at the Macmillan imprint, acquired Persist from Robert Barnett and Daniel Martin at Williams & Connolly. The book, Holt said, will cover “six experiences and perspectives that have influenced Warren’s life and advocacy.” A portion of the author’s proceeds will go to charities in Massachusetts. Persist is set for April 2021.

FROM THE U.S.

S&S Kids Gets ‘Lucky’

Rachael Lippincott (Five Feet Apart) sold a YA novel to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Alexa Pastor nabbed world rights from Rachel Ekstrom and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management. The Lucky List, S&S said, is about a high schooler named Emily who “finds comfort in her late mother’s high school bucket list and a new girl, Blake, who recently moved back to town.” The book explores how one learns “who you are and who you love when the person you’ve always shared yourself with is gone.” Lucky List is set for June 2021.

Kalfarˇ Sells Novel to LB

Jaroslav Kalfarˇ sold his sophomore novel A Brief History of Living Forever to Ben George at Little, Brown. Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit brokered the world rights agreement. George said the work is “set in a near-future America under the dual manipulations of technology and surveillance” and that it “tells the epic, exhilarating story of a long-lost brother and sister on a mission to reclaim their mother from oblivion.” Kalfarˇ’s debut, Spaceman of Bohemia, was published by Little, Brown in 2017 and was a finalist for a number of literary prizes, including the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Spaceman is also being adapted into a film by Netflix, with director Johan Renck attached. Brief History is set for 2021.

Garber’s ‘Broken Heart’ Mended by Flatiron

Once upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (Caraval) was acquired by Sarah Barley at Flatiron Books. The YA title is the first in a new series featuring, the publisher said, “a girl who can’t resist a bargain with the mythic Prince of Hearts to stop her beloved from marrying another, even though it may cost her more than she intended.” Jenny Bent at the Bent Agency negotiated the North American rights agreement in a two-book deal. Once upon a Broken Heart is slated for September 2021.

Rose, Meyers Team Up for ‘Orphans’

Writing under the pseudonym Mamie Piper, M.J. Rose and Randy Susan Meyers sold The Fashion Orphans to Beth de Guzman at Grand Central Publishing. The novel follows two estranged sisters who are forced to come together to sort through their inheritance, a collection of vintage Chanel clothes and accessories, after their mother’s death. Stéphanie Abou at Massie & McQuilkin and Dan Conaway at Writers House represented the authors in the North American rights agreement.

Del Rey Listens for Wees’s ‘Little Bird’

Alyssa Wees (The Waking Forest) sold her debut adult novel, Little Bird, to Del Rey’s Anne Groell in a world rights preempt. Penelope Burns at Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners represented the author. Del Rey said the book is a reimagining of “Beauty and the Beast” set in Depression-era Chicago and follows “an orphaned dancer whose debut as her company’s prima ballerina sets her on a much more sinister path than she ever envisioned.”