HarperVia Shares Almodóvar’s ‘Dream’

HarperVia editorial director Juan Mila has acquired North American rights to The Last Dream, a debut collection of short stories by legendary director Pedro Almodóvar, translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne. Cecilia Palacios at PRH Spain brokered the deal. HarperVia said the book includes 12 “carefully selected stories” spanning five decades of Almodóvar’s personal writings, adding that it confirms “the mastery of a generational talent whose unmistakable vision has gone on to define and overshadow cinema for the past 40 years.” The book is set for publication in September.

 

Viking Studies Fry’s ‘Mythologies’

After an auction, Viking’s Allison Lorentzen has landed North American rights to American Mythologies by Naomi Fry, a New Yorker staff writer and co-host of the podcast Critics at Large. Viking called the book “a work of intrepid criticism” that weaves “close readings of everything from Alf to Vanderpump Rules to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights with the author’s own immigration experience, to investigate four pillars of American monoculture: sex, drugs, fame, and sadness.” Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit handled the deal. A pub date has not yet been announced.

Clash Books Signs ‘Assholes’

Clash Books editor-in-chief Christoph Paul has acquired North American rights to Navy veteran–turned–short story writer Kyle Seibel’s debut collection, Hey You Assholes. The deal was negotiated by Christopher Schelling at Selectric Artists. Clash said the book contains some 30 tales that “reveal the souls of humanity in flawed, working-class characters—softhearted alcoholics, belligerent tough guys, cunning factory workers, military veterans forever lost at sea—frequently overlooked by society.” Hey You Assholes will be published in January 2025.

Dorman Hot for Griffiths’s ‘Frozen People’

After an auction, Jeramie Orton at Pamela Dorman Books has acquired North American rights to author Elly Griffiths’s The Frozen People, the first in a series. The two-book deal was struck by Rebecca Carter at Rebecca Carter Literary. The publisher de-
scribed the book as The Time Traveler’s Wife meets Outlander, “in which a time-traveling detective gets stuck in 1850s London as she searches for a cold-case serial killer and becomes unexpectedly embroiled in Victorian society as she seeks a way home.” Griffiths is the author of the Ruth
Galloway and Brighton mystery series. The Frozen People is set for publication in 2025. Details were not announced for the second book.


Clancy’s ‘Snowbirds’ Migrate to St. Martin’s

St. Martin’s executive editor Sarah Cantin has acquired world English rights to The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy (Shoulder Season). Marcy Posner at Folio Literary Management brokered the deal, and the novel will be Clancy’s third with St. Martin’s Press. The publisher said it’s about “a couple at a crossroads who flee a Midwestern winter for a fresh start in Palm Springs, only for one to go missing on a hike, leaving the other to wonder if the disappearance signals the end of their relationship—or something more perilous.” The Snowbirds is set for a winter 2025 publication.


Astra Picks Up Liverpool’s Racism Treatise

In a preempt, editorial director Alessandra Bastagli at Astra House has acquired North American rights to Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Sick, by science journalist Layal Liverpool. The deal was negotiated by Will Francis at Janklow & Nesbit. Astra said the book explores “the insidious impact of systemic racism on our health,” from “cardiovascular disease to viruses, cancer to mental illness,” delving into the reasons “racial health disparities” exist and offering “a framework for a way forward.” Astra will publish Systemic in June.