Deaver, Maldonado Go to Thomas & Mercer
Megha Parekh of Thomas & Mercer has acquired world rights to Fatal Intrusion, the first book in a new series by bestselling authors Jeffery Deaver (The Bone Collector) and Isabella Maldonado (The Cipher). The deal was brokered by Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency (for Maldonado) and Deborah Schneider of Gelfman Schneider (for Deaver). Fatal Intrusion introduces Carmen Sanchez and Jacoby ‘Jake’ Heron, who join forces to stop a serial killer in Southern California. The book is set for fall 2024.
Ballantine Buys Italian Bestseller
In a preempt, Hilary Teeman at Ballantine Bantam Dell has acquired North American rights to The Tearsmith by Erin Doom, 2022’s top-selling adult novel in Italy. Sarah Scarlett at Penguin U.K. brokered the deal on behalf of Italian publisher Mario Spagnol. Ballantine called the book a “slow-burn romance of forbidden love” that centers on teen orphans Nica and Rigel. The Tearsmith is set for a February 2024 publication, ahead of a Netflix feature adaptation due out later in the year.
Europa Signs Booker Finalist Seethaler
Michael Reynolds at Europa Editions has acquired North American rights to The Café with No Name, by International Booker Prize finalist Robert Seethaler. The deal was negotiated by Annemarie Blumenhagen of Ullstein Buchverlag. Europa says the book, set in Vienna in the 1960s and ’70s, “recounts the lives, loves, dreams, and friendships shared by the regulars of a café” as Vienna slowly reawakens from the “social and economic devastation” of World War II and its aftermath. The book will be published in February 2025.
Dade Sells Three to Berkley
After an auction, Berkley executive editor Kate Seaver and editorial assistant Amanda Maurer acquired world rights to Olivia Dade’s paranormal romantic comedy ZomRomCom, which the publisher described as The Last of Us meets My Roommate Is a Vampire. Sarah Younger at the Nancy Yost Literary Agency brokered the three-book deal. Dade has been at the forefront of plus-size representation advocacy, and Berkley said ZomRomCom will kick off a series centering plus-size characters. A summer 2025 pub date is planned.
Brandeis Romances Rosen
Brandeis University Press director Sue Ramin has acquired world rights to Bookstore Romance, by former PW bookselling editor (and Bennington MFA grad) Judith Rosen. Rosen represented herself in the deal. She said the book is a celebration of love—and of bricks-and-mortar bookstores—told through the stories (in words and pictures) of couples who chose to get engaged, and sometimes married, in bookstores. A portion of the proceeds from Bookstore Romance will be donated to Binc (the Book Industry Charitable Foundation). Publication is set for early 2025.
Glynn Brings Secret Society to Hanover
In a preempt, John Glynn at Hanover Square Press has acquired a new novel from Christopher J. Yates, author of Black Chalk and Grist Mill Road. Jessica Papin at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the deal for world English rights. Hanover Square said the as-yet-untitled book is “an inventive reworking of Alice in Wonderland” that tells the tale of “a dangerous secret society at Oxford University” and “a first-year literature student whose life unravels in its shadows.” A summer 2025 publication is planned.
