DEAL OF THE WEEK

CreativeSoul Book Goes to St. Martin’s

Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, the founders of CreativeSoul Photography studio and authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty, sold a new book to Monique Patterson, v-p, editorial director, acquisitions outreach at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Creative Soul Fairy Tale Book, Patterson explained, is a “book of popular fairy tales showcasing children from the African diaspora, CreativeSoul style,” aimed at kids ages eight and up. It’s a book, she said, that she “would have adored having as a child.” Tanya McKinnon of McKinnon Literary sold world rights to Creative Soul Fairy Tale Book. Publication is planned for winter 2023.

Dray, Kamoie Re-up with Morrow

Lucia Macro, v-p and executive editor at HarperCollins’s William Morrow division, has re-signed the bestselling writing team of Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie to a new two-book deal. Macro acquired world rights from Kevan Lyon at the Marsall Lyon Literary Agency to Founding Mother: The Story of Abigail Adams and a second untitled novel. The publisher described the Adams novel as the “heart-wrenching and uplifting story” of the first lady’s relationship with her daughter—“the relationship that buoyed her, broke her, then built her up again.” Founding Mother is planned for summer 2024. Previous historical fiction by Dray and Kamoie include My Dear Hamilton.

Schmitz’s ‘Fire’ Burns for New World Library

New World Library’s Georgia Hughes acquired world rights to Latina entrepreneur Elisa Schmitz’s Become the Fire from agent Jacqueline Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates. Schmitz is the founder of iParenting Media, which she sold to Disney, and is currently CEO of 30Seconds, which she launched in 2011. Flynn said that in Become the Fire, Schmitz “sets to inspire outsider women who want to start something, grow something, build something, or become something they have always dreamed of being.”

Akashic Buys Duchovny Novella

Akashic Books publisher and editor-in-chief Johnny Temple acquired world rights to The Reservoir by author and actor David Duchovny. Originally published as an audiobook by Audible Original, the novella is set to be released in print and digital in June 2022. Akashic described the work as “a twisted rom-com for our distanced time, when the merest touch could kill and conspiracy theories propagate like viruses.” Andrew Blauner of Blauner Books Literary Agency represented Duchovny.

Beacon Acquires Golding Memoir

Maya Fernandez at Beacon Press bought North American rights to Shenequa Golding’s debut from Kathy Schneider of the Jane Rotrosen Agency. The agent described A Black Girl in the Middle as a “memoir-in-essays collection.” Golding is an essayist and entertainment writer who focuses on Black culture. Her work has appeared in Complex, Essence, Vanity Fair, and Vibe. Her essay “Maintaining Professionalism in the Age of Black Death Is... a Lot” went viral when it was published on Medium in May 2020.

Spiegel & Grau Takes Smith Memoir

Alison Smith (Name All the Animals) sold her new memoir to Cindy Spiegel of Spiegel & Grau. Gail Ross at the Ross Yoon Agency handled the sale of North American and first serial rights to The Echo: Hearing Voices, Talking Back, and Confronting the Mysteries of Consciousness. In the book, the publisher said, Smith discusses her experiences, from her childhood to the present, as a voice hearer, and explores what it means to hear voices.