Glusman Wins Black Hearts
Harmony’s John Glusman bested three other bidders in an auction for Time editor Jim Frederick’s first book, Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Disintegration in the Triangle of Death and the American Failure in Iraq; Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK sold North American rights for strong six figures. Frederick will recount the story of a small group of soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment (the Black Hearts), which is part of the fabled 101st Airborne Division. As the unit suffered high death tolls, its 2005—2006 deployment in Iraq degenerated into depression, drinking and brutality, culminating with the rape of a 14-year-old girl and the execution of her family. Frederick, who covered the story for Time, has unique access to many of the soldiers involved, and will seek to understand how and why such a tragedy could occur. Tentative pub date is fall 2009.
Schieffer Again to Putnam
Neil Nyren at Putnam bought world rights to a new book by chief Washington correspondent for CBS News Bob Schieffer via Esther Newberg at ICM. Currently untitled, the book will gather the best of Schieffer’s commentaries from Face the Nation, along with brand-new “commentaries on my commentaries”—updates, thoughts and asides, both humorous and serious. The book is scheduled for publication in fall 2008; Nyren published Schieffer’s memoir, This Just In, in 2003.
Black Back to S&S
Karen Wojtyla at S&S/Margaret K. McElderry Books has signed Ironside author Holly Black for two new novels via agent Barry Goldblatt, who sold North American rights. The first title, The White Cat, a teen novel based on a fairy tale by the same name, will be published in hardcover in summer 2010, and the second title, Doll Bones, a middle-grade novel, will be out in hardcover in summer 2011. Paperback editions from the Pulse imprint and the Aladdin imprint, respectively, will follow.
New Deal for Rose
Karen Kosztolnyik at Grand Central has bought two new suspense novels by Karen Rose, who had a recent mass market paperback bestseller, Die for Me. Grand Central will publish her first hardcover, Scream for Me, in May 2008, and tentative pub date for the first book in the new contract is fall 2009. Robin Rue at Writers House made this world rights deal.
Elsewhere at Grand Central, Natalie Kaire at Wellness acquired world rights to an untitled book by media personality Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein via Andrea Barzvi at ICM. This will be a practical guide to the many natural childbirth options available. Lake and Epstein produced this year’s documentary The Business of Being Born. Pub date is spring 2009.
Meerkats for Touchstone
Meghan Stevenson at Touchstone acquired U.S. rights to Tim Clutton-Brock’s Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari via Emily Johnson and Susan Howe at Orion UK. Cambridge professor and scientist Clutton-Brock, who has researched meerkats for nearly 15 years, will offer an intimate look at the Whiskers, a meerkat clan who star in the Animal Planet show of the same name. Pub date is April 2008, to coincide with the show’s fourth season.
Memoir Preempt
Samantha Martin at Scribner preempted world rights to Abby Sher’s Amen, Amen via MollyLyons at Joelle Delbourgo Associates. This is the story of Sher’s life with obsessive-compulsive disorder, revealing how the author counts, and washes, cuts and starves herself, but her fiercest obsession is prayer. Sher also describes how the disease ultimately becomes a gift in the face of her loss of both parents. Pub date is 2009; Sher published a YA novel with Scholastic, Kissing Snowflakes, earlier this month.
