DEAL OF THE WEEK

Celadon Buys War Correspondent Bio

World English rights to a currently untitled biography of Anthony Shadid were acquired by Celadon’s Bill Hamilton. Shadid was a celebrated war correspondent who worked for both the New York Times and the Washington Post and won two Pulitzers before his death in Syria in 2012; the book is being written by two of his former Washington Post colleagues, correspondent Steve Fainaru (right) and editor Philip Bennett (left). Celadon called Shadid one of “the greatest foreign correspondents of his generation” and said the book will explore “some of the region’s darkest corners with courage and compassion.” It will also examine its subject’s “relentless personal journey marked by discovery, triumph, loss, and redemption” as an Arab American. Raphael Sagalyn at ICM Partners brokered the deal.

Haynes Sells Memoir to Atria

Actor and activist Colton Haynes sold a memoir, Miss Memory Lane, to Peter Borland at Atria. Albert Lee and Meredith Miller at United Talent Agency handled the world rights agreement. Atria said the book chronicles the author’s “journey from a dysfunctional childhood in a small Kansas town to Hollywood stardom.” Haynes, a former model who appeared on the WB and CW series Supernatural, hit rock bottom four years ago, waking up in a hospital after having had two seizures. The memoir details, among other things, how he worked toward sobriety and came to terms with being gay. It’s a story, Atria added, “of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled, of a family torn apart and rebuilt, and of a man stepping into the light as no one but himself.” Miss Memory Lane is slated for May 2022.

Mariner Nabs Hollywood Exposé

Maureen Ryan, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, sold Burn It Down at auction to Rakia Clark at Mariner Books. The publisher said the book is a sweeping exposé of the entertainment industry that offers a “kaleidoscopic master narrative of institutional power and abuse,” revealing “patterns of exploitation, harassment, and bias beyond the one-bad-man-at-a-time scandals that make headlines.” The book will also examine “the grassroots reforms and labor movements igniting the industry’s fight for change.” Folio Literary Management’s Sonali Chanchani represented Ryan in the world rights agreement.

Dial Signs Sloane’s ‘Clause’

The Freedom Clause, the debut novel by Hannah Sloane about a young British couple who decide to shift to an open marriage, was acquired at auction by Emma Caruso at the Dial Press. Sloane was represented by Jessica Felleman at the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency in the North American rights agreement. Dial said the novel is a “funny, feminist, and warmhearted” take on the “unexpected revelations that come from a woman learning to ask for what she wants.”


Dey Street Welcomes Beatles Roadie

Carrie Thornton at Dey Street Books acquired two titles from the archive of longtime Beatles road manager Mal Evans, who died in 1976. The first, a memoir, will be based on an unfinished manuscript by Evans. It will be edited and completed by Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack, who will work on the title in coordination with both Evans’s family and his estate. The second work will be an illustrated title that Dey Street said will include “never-before-seen diaries, photographs, and writings.” Evans, the publisher noted, appears frequently in the Apple docu-series Get Back (about the Beatles’ writing and recording of the 1970 album Let It Be) and was a well-known “band confidant.” Matthew Elblonk at DeFiore & Company handled the world English rights agreement. The books are currently untitled and do not yet have publication dates.