Dench Talks the Bard at St. Martin’s
St. Martin’s Press took North American rights to Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench. The April 2024–slated title, acquired by Michael Flamini from Penguin Random House UK adult rights director Sara Scarlett, is structured as a series of conversations with the director and actor Brendan O’Hea. In the book, St. Martin’s said, Dench discusses the multitude of Shakespeare roles she’s played, including Ophelia and Lady Macbeth; provides “a fascinating insight into one of our greatest playwrights”; and shares her “passion, knowledge, and unique perspective on Shakespeare.”
Long Sells Memoir to 13a
For Gallery’s 13a imprint, Pamela Cannon bought world rights to a currently untitled memoir by actor and activist Nia Long (Boyz n the Hood). The book, said 13a publisher Charles Suitt, is “a candid account of Nia’s life and journey as one of Hollywood’s most resilient, relatable stars.” Long is “a trailblazer who is all about action.” Suitt added, “We are looking forward to her telling her truth as only Nia can.” Verve sold the title, which does not yet have a publication date.
Putnam Re-ups Monaghan
Putnam executive editor Tara Singh Carlson bought world rights to Annabel Monaghan’s Summer Romance in a two-book agreement. Monaghan’s 2022 debut, Nora Goes Off Script (also published by Putnam), was one of Amazon’s Best Romance Books of 2022 and Cosmopolitan’s 30 Best Romance Novels of 2022. Putnam said Summer Romance follows a professional organizer and divorced mom “whose own life and pantry are a mess” until she “finally puts it all to rights with the help of someone unexpected who reminds her of the person she’s always known she can be.” Marly Rusoff, of the Marly Rusoff Literary Agency, represented Carlson, and the novel is set for summer 2024.
Celadon Plays Kuehn’s Spy Games
At auction, Celadon’s Ryan Doherty bought world English rights to former journalist Christine Kuehn’s Family of Spies. The nonfiction book, Celadon said, is “a genealogical detective story” in which the author, along with her husband, tries to uncover how her grandparents became members of the Nazi party. (They helped lay the groundwork for the attack on Pearl Harbor after being dispatched to Hawaii as spies, and the author’s grandfather was the only person ever convicted for the bombing.) Kuehn was represented by Susan Canavan at Waxman
Literary Agency. The book is slated for winter 2025.
Dixon Gets Techie at Random House
Tech entrepreneur and investor Chris Dixon sold Read Write Own to Ben Greenberg at Random House. The North American rights deal was brokered by Chris Parris-Lamb at the Gernert Company. The publisher said the book is “a potent exploration of the power of blockchains to reshape the future of the internet.” In it, Dixon offers “a playbook for the digital horizon, an argument for a better internet, and a clarion call for anyone looking to navigate and build the future.”
Lake Union Eats Easton’s ‘Mulberry’
White Mulberry, the debut novel by Rosa Kwon Easton, was acquired by Melissa Valentine at Lake Union in a two-book, world rights agreement. Joelle Delbourgo, who has an eponymous shingle, handled the sale. The agent said White Mulberry opens in Korea in the 1930s and follows a young woman named Miyoung, who leaves her small village for Japan in search of a better life. But once there, “she must pass as Japanese to survive.” Delbourgo added that the novel was pitched as Pachinko meets The Personal Librarian. Easton is an attorney who has had work published with Storycenter.
