Broadway Nabs 'Winners'
Roger Scholl, editorial director at Broadway Business, bought, at auction, world rights to Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim's Why We Win: An Economist and aSportswriter Will Change How You Look at Sports. In the book, which is drawing comparisons to Freakonomics, Moskowitz, a University of Chicago business professor, and Wertheim, an author (Running the Table) and Sports Illustrated writer, use vast amounts of data to prove that conventional thinking is often wrong in evaluating sports. Scott Waxman brokered the deal, which was for mid—six figures.
Cain Re-Ups at Minotaur
Breakout bestseller Chelsea Cain (Heartsick and Sweetheart) has signed with St. Martin's Minotaur for three more books. Executive editor Kelley Ragland struck the deal, which is a copublishing agreement with Macmillan in the U.K., with agent Joy Harris. (A Minotaur rep would not confirm how much the deal was for, though it's at least high six figures.) Two of the books will be additions to Cain's thriller series featuring Portland PI Archie Sheridan, with the third title a stand-alone. The first title is slated for 2010; Cain's third thriller from Minotaur, Evil at Heart, is publishing in September.
Strothman Closes Two Debuts
Wendy Strothman has just closed deals for two debut authors. Marjorie Braman at Henry Holt nabbed world rights to Hali Felt's Soundings, a biography of Marie Tharp, the oceanographic cartographer who, while working with Bruce Heezen at Columbia in the 1950s, was the first to map the ocean floor; the book is tentatively slated for 2011. Strothman also sold, at auction, Maureen Stanton's nonfiction look at the subculture surrounding the buying and selling of antiques and collectibles, Weathervanes and Opium Bottles. Eamon Dolan at Penguin Press bought world English rights.
YA Franchise to Delacorte
In a significant six-figure deal, Wendy Loggia at Delacorte pre-empted North American rights to a YA trilogy, and its prequel, by Lauren Kate about a teenager who realizes good and evil forces have allowed her to continually fall in love with, and lose, her fallen-angel boyfriend. The deal marks the first sale for Tinderbox Books, a just launched packaging company formed by Firebrand Literary. The series, for which Eddie Gamarra at Gotham Group is shopping the film rights, has also been doing well abroad with a six-figure deal closed in Germany and pending sales in the U.K., France, Italy and Spain. Kate has pseudonymously written a number of books for Alloy's Inside Girl series. First book in the trilogy is Fallen.
Curtis, on the Record
Stephen Power at John Wiley bought North American rights to a memoir by Tony Curtis focused on what happened behind-the-scenes in the filming of Some Like It Hot, including details about the actor's relationship with Marilyn Monroe. Alan Nevins at Renaissance sold the book, and Wiley plans to publish in fall 2009, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the iconic Billy Wilder comedy.
Crouch Goes YA
Katie Crouch (Girls in Trucks) has signed on, for what we hear is six figures, to do a YA book for Little, Brown's Poppy imprint called The Magnolia League. Elizabeth Bewley acquired North American rights to the book from Rob McQuilkin at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin, and the book is tentatively slated for spring 2011. The book follows a Southern debutante who uncovers scandals within Savannah society.
Correction
In last week's column Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series was incorrectly identified as the Jessica Farling series.
