Swore’s ‘Monster’ Doesn’t Scare Shadow Mountain

In a two-book, world rights agreement, Wendy Swore sold her middle grade debut, A Monster Like Me, to Heidi Taylor at Shadow Mountain. Stacey Glick at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, who represented Swore, said the novel is “Bridge to Terabithia meets Wonder.” About a 10-year-old named Sophie who is starting a new school, the novel, according to Glick, follows the tween as she “does her best to hide what she is from other monsters and regular humans—especially her mom” even though “it’s tough to hide a blood-filled monster mark right next to her eyeball.” Elaborating, Glick said that “everyone who sees through Sophie’s human disguise is horrified, and Sophie is sure her mom would be, too, if she knew.” Swore, according to Glick, is a writer, farmer, and mother of five; the book is set for spring 2019.

Activist Journo to Grove

Journalist and organizer Tim Murphy sold a novel to Grove Atlantic titled Correspondents. Murphy, who has contributed to the New York Times and the Nation, among other publications, is a cofounder of the group Gays Against Guns and author of the novel Christodora (also from Grove Atlantic). Correspondents, which Peter Blackstock and Morgan Entrekin acquired from Susan Golomb at Writers House, is set in Iraq in 2003 and follows a young American journalist with Irish-Lebanese roots and her Baghdadi interpreter. Blackstock said the novel, slated for summer 2019, is “a brilliant exploration of how American history is indelibly tied up with the history of immigration, about assimilation and politicization, and asks important questions about journalism and war.” Golomb sold North American rights in the deal.

McManus Follows Up ‘Lying’ for Delacorte

For Delacorte Press, Krista Marino took U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to a currently untitled sequel to the bestselling 2017 YA novel One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. The two-book deal, brokered by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio, includes a second, also untitled, YA work. The sequel is set for spring 2020 and the other book for spring 2021.

Soho Teen Takes ‘Orpheus’

Teenage poet Brynne Rebele-Henry sold her YA debut, Orpheus Girl, to Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen. The 18-year-old Rebele-Henry was represented by Vicky Bijur at Vicky Bijur Literary Agency in the North American rights agreement. Ehrenhaft said the novel, set for fall 2019, is about “a gay Texas teen’s heart-wrenching quest to rescue her beloved after both girls have been sent away from their small town to be ‘fixed.’ ”

Briefs

The Australian novel No More Boats by Felicity Castagna sold to Europa Editions in a North American rights deal. Michael Reynolds nabbed the title, in a preempt, from Rach Crawford at MacKenzie Wolf, working on behalf of Giramondo Publishing. The Sydney-set work, Europa said, takes place in 2001 and is “a moving portrait of a working-class family whose unraveling lives collide with the refugee crisis.” Europa plans to publish the book in February 2019.

Mike Chase sold world rights to How to Become a Federal Criminal to Touchstone. Matthew Benjamin at the S&S imprint bought the book from Leah Spiro at Riverside Creative Management. Spiro said the title, set for a spring 2019 release, is “an illustrated, satirical guide to America’s bizarre-yet-real federal crimes, like leaving the country with too many nickels,” that is based on the author’s popular @CrimeADay Twitter account.

For Bloomsbury, Nancy Miller nabbed world rights to Isaac Fitzgerald’s Dirtbag, Massachusetts. Fitzgerald is the founding editor of BuzzFeed News’ Books section, and his essay collection, Bloomsbury said, chronicles his years growing up in a Boston homeless shelter, bartending in San Francisco, and more. The collection, which Charlotte Sheedy at the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency sold, is set for spring 2020.

Sarah Skilton sold a novel titled Fame Adjacent to Maddie Caldwell at Grand Central Publishing. Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency, who sold world English rights to the book, said it is a romantic comedy in which a cast member from a 1990s kids’ show, who never became a celebrity, opts, 25 years after the show is off the air, “to confront her famous ex-friends.”

For more children’s and YA book deals, see our latest Rights Report.