Yang’s ‘Shoes’ Walk to Park Row

For six figures, Park Row preempted North American rights to The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang. The debut novel, which Nicole Luongo and Laura Brown bought from Madeleine Milburn at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, is a work of historical fiction about two women in 19th-century China. Park Row said it follows “the high-born Linjing and her maidservant Little Flower, who is gifted with embroidery, as they navigate the limited realities and strict expectations placed upon them.” Yang was born in Vietnam, which was then the Chinese enclave of Saigon, and raised in Australia. The novel is set for January 2025.

St. Martin’s Chases Hawkins’s ‘Storm’

Rachel Hawkins (The Wife Upstairs) re-upped with Sarah Cantin at St. Martin’s, selling world English rights to two novels. The Storm will be released in January 2025, and the second, currently untitled book is set for January 2026. The Storm, St. Martin’s said, is a dual-timeline tale set at a Gulf Coast hotel that has withstood 70 years of hurricanes. However, with a superstorm bearing down, “the secrets of the past threaten the inn’s survival from inside and out.” Holly Root at Root Literary represented Hawkins.

Fargo Favors Random House

Layne Fargo (Temper) sold The Favorites to Random House’s Caitlin McKenna. The novel marks the thriller writer’s first foray into
women’s fiction. Sharon Pelletier at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the two-book, world English rights agreement. Random House called The Favorites “a modern reimagining of Wuthering Heights.” It follows the relationship between a decorated ice dancer and her childhood sweetheart, who grows up to be her Olympic skating partner. McKenna said Fargo has taken Brontë’s original and fused it with “a riveting contemporary story of unapologetic ambition and love in the world of elite skating.” The Favorites is set for late 2024 or early 2025.

Fink’s ‘Witch’ Haunts Gallery

Musician Orenda Fink sold The Witch’s Daughter to Rebecca Strobel at Gallery in a U.S., Canadian, and open market rights agreement. In the book, Fink—who is part of the indie music duo Azure Ray—blends details of her own story with a meditation on mother-daughter relationships. Gallery said The Witch’s Daughter is “based on a childhood spent amid poverty and her mother’s diagnosis of the borderline personality disorder type known as ‘The Witch.’ ” Yfat Reiss Gendell at YRG Partners represented Fink.


Viking Wins DuQue’s Stories

North American rights to the debut story collection by Jenzo DuQue were acquired at auction by Viking’s Ibrahim Ahmad. The publisher said The Rest of Us explores “the duality of the first-generation Latinx experience from the streets of Chicago to the forests of Colombia, grappling with the reverberations of national and personal history.” DuQue contributed to The Best American Short Stories 2021. Julie Barer at the Book Group brokered the agreement, which also includes a currently untitled novel.


Kander’s Adult Debut Goes to Mira

Mira Books’ April Osborn bought North American rights to Beth Kander’s adult debut at auction. The publisher said I Made It Out of Clay is about a single, Jewish woman who, “in a drunken panic days before her sister’s wedding, creates a golem” to “solve all her problems, only to discover he might unearth the greatest fear she’s ever faced.” Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio represented the playwright and children’s book author.

This article has been updated for clarity.