Levithan Preempts ‘Shadows’
For Scholastic Press, David Levithan preempted North American rights to Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo’s In the Shadows. Scholastic says the novel is “told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures,” and is a “spellbinding [tale] of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy.” White is behind the text and contributed to the story, while Di Bartolo is credited with art, and the story. The book is set for 2014. Agent Jane Putch at Eyebait Management represented Di Bartolo; White was represented by Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary.

Gotham Takes On Urban Farming
Debut author Antonia Murphy sold her memoir How Your Artisan Farm Can Gross You Out and Kill You to Gotham Books’ Brooke Carey, who took North American rights. The book, explained Murphy’s agent Elizabeth Evans, at Jean V. Naggar Literary, is “a hilarious takedown” of the urban farming movement in which the author chronicles her failed attempt running her own small farm. Murphy lives in New Zealand, where Text Publishing has aquired rights.

Hicks Goes to First Second
At Macmillan’s graphic imprint First Second, Calista Brill bought world rights, in a three-book deal, to Faith Erin Hicks’s middle-grade trilogy, The Nameless City, for six figures. Bernadette Baker-Baughman at Victoria Sanders & Associates represented the author, whose previous works include Friends with Boys (which was featured in 2013’s Best American Comics). The trilogy, which Macmillan likened to Jeff Smith’s Bone, is about a native of Nameless City, and his friendship with a girl whose father’s army has just conquered the metropolis.

Cullen Talks Love, War For HC
Dave Cullen sold North American rights to his new book, Soldiers First, to Tim Duggan at Harper. Cullen’s previous book, Columbine (Hachette/Twelve, 2009), won the Edgar Award, as well as the B&N Discover Prize: the new book is, Harper said, about two closeted gay men in the Army “whose lives and quest for love paralleled the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.” Agent Betsy Lerner at Dunow, Carlson and Lerner represented Cullen, selling the book at auction.

Dombek Doubles at FSG
Recent Rona Jaffe Writers’ Award winner Kristin Dombek inked a two-book deal with Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Mitzi Angel bought world rights to the titles from Trident Media Group’s Melissa Flashman. The first book, a memoir, will be expanded from previously published pieces by Dombek about her experiences, as she put it, being “an enabler” and “lover” of addicts. The second book will be, Flashman said, “a short literary treatment of narcissism in popular culture.”

Screenwriter Blum to SMP
Documentary producer, screenwriter, and novelist Deborah Blum sold a nonfiction book called Coming of Age to Thomas Dunne, for his eponymous imprint at St. Martin’s Press. The book is about anthropologist Margaret Mead and focuses on her days as an undergrad at Columbia, through the ensuing five years and publication of her iconic work, Coming of Age in Samoa. Dunne took world rights to the book, which is planned for a 2016 release, from agent Harvey Klinger at Harvey Klinger Inc.