Deals

The Native American author and filmmaker Sherman Alexie is the latest to try his talents in the children's market, signing with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a three-book deal encompassing two novels and a picture book. The first up will be a real-life–based novel called Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, in which Alexie will draw on his own experience of leaving a reservation to study in an all-white high school. LB's David Ford signed with agent Nancy Stauffer, the first book to be published in 2007.

Former Delacorte/Dell editor Leslie Schnur, now making a new life as a novelist (The Dog Walker, optioned for a movie and about to appear in paperback), has just sold a second novel to Greer Hendricks at Atria. It's called Sterling Behaviors and concerns a radio call-in talk show host trying to stamp out irritating habits like loud public cellphone conversations; she goes too far in her efforts, but finds love anyway. The seller was Richard Pine at Inkwell Management.

A new novel by Laura Esquivel, who scored a spectacular success for a Spanish-language author with Like Water for Chocolate, has been signed, also for Atria, by Johanna Castillo. It's Malinche, a fictional account of Malinalli, the Mexican woman who was Cortez's guide, translator and partner in a troubled romance and who has since become a legendary figure to her countrymen. Tom Colchie made a high six-figure deal for world English and U.S. Spanish rights on behalf of Barcelona agent Mercedes Casanovas.

This is my last Deals column, and in the future information should be sent to Steve Zeitchik (deals@reedbusiness.com). I would like to stay in touch with my many friends in the business and can be reached through the office of my wife, agent Barbara Braun, at (212) 604-9023, where I will be making deals rather than reporting on them.