Week of July 8, 2024

Monroe’s new “epic” is released tomorrow

William Morrow, Senior Editor Liz Stone has the North American rights to two books by Mary Alice Monroe (The Beach House). The deal was brokered by Faye Bender at the Book Group. Morrow said the first book in the deal, Mayfield Hallscheduled for summer 2025, is “an American epic set in the low country of the 20th century” and centers on “a courageous young woman, Eliza Rivers, whose spirit and vision put her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era.” The second book, Where the rivers meetis planned for summer 2026. The book is set in the mid-century South and continues Eliza’s story. Monroe’s books have sold around eight million copies worldwide.

Liew’s “Black Bird” flies to the Pantheon

In an exclusive article Chip Kidd at Pantheon Books has acquired the worldwide rights (except France) to Black bird by an Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Sonny LiewLiew was represented in the deal by Nicolas Grivel at Nicolas Grivel Agency. Kidd said Black bird is the “brilliant and hugely ambitious” story of a “young cartoonist in Singapore who, out of the blue, receives a job offer to collaborate on a story with a reclusive billionaire named Quinn” about “a fictional Golden Age superhero and vigilante whose story strangely intersects with Quinn’s own.” Black bird will be released in 2026.

Crown signs Lockheed Martin’s history

Cooking land author Christopher Leonard has sold the North American rights to an as yet untitled story of the defense company Lockheed Martin and “the growth of the American military-industrial complex” to Kevin Doughten at Crown. Chris Parris Lamb at the Gernert Company handled the deal. Crown said the book will examine “nine decades of U.S. foreign policy and the rise of the American-led global arms industry.” A release date has not yet been announced.

S&S signs new memoirs by Hillary Clinton

Simon & Schuster has the worldwide rights to Something lost, something gained: reflections on life, love and
Freedom from Hillary Rodham Clinton. Robert B. Barnett of Williams & Connolly negotiated the deal, and S&S Editor-in-Chief Priscilla Painton the book was published. The publisher said Something won offers a glimpse into Clinton’s “closest friendships and her enduring marriage” as well as “her unvarnished view of politics, democracy, the threats we face and the future that lies within our grasp.” The book will be published in September.

Authors Equity Takes Trump Trial Book

New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich has sold the worldwide rights to its definitive report on Donald Trump’s recent New York trial and conviction to Madeline McIntosh at Authors Equity. David Larabell at CAA negotiated the deal. Liz van Hoose will edit the book. Author Equity said the as-yet-untitled work, based on the author’s day-to-day coverage of the trial, will “paint the contours of this unforgettable New York panorama” and detail its “historic stakes and larger-than-life characters,” including “a tabloid impresario, a chaos-making fixer, a counter-prosecuting porn star, the reality TV president himself” and “an enigmatic prosecutor.” The book will be published in 2025.

Dial takes over Paramita’s debut

Katy Nishimoto Dial Press has the North American rights for P. Paramitas debut novel, appetitea project that emerged from the publisher’s open submission program for 2023. Paramita was represented by Ashley Lopez at Waxman Literary Agency. Dial said the book is about “the friendship between a 23-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant and a famous white wrestler” and explores “the dynamics of parasocial relationships, the blurred lines between public and private, the loneliness of young people’s professional lives, and the authentic connection shared by a chosen family.” A release date has not yet been announced.