Page to Screen: An Erotic Thriller and a YA Heavy

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 9/3/2008 2:51:00 PM

After a hiatus this summer Page to Screen, PW's roundup of news about books being sold (or about to be sold) in Hollywood, is back. This week an erotic thriller fetches a hefty sum and a YA heavy grabs studio attention.

On the sales front, Roberta Brown, of Brown Literary Agency, has sold film rights to a 2009-slated erotic thriller by Jo Davis called When Alex Was Bad. Producer Cathy Schulman, whose credits include Paul Haggis' Best Picture-winner Crash and the indie Thumbsucker, optioned the book for high six figures; IPG's Joel Gotler was the co-agent. The book, which NAL is publishing, follows a wife who, in an attempt to save her marriage, allows her husband to live out a series of sexual fantasies with other women. A murder plot ensues.

Don Laventhall of Harold Ober is about to start shopping film rights to Lois Lowry's latest YA novel, The Birthday Ball. Laventhall has been busy with the two-time Newbery winner; last year he sold her 1993-published Newbery winning novel The Giver to Warner Brothers for seven figures and he just recently wrapped up a deal for film rights on her February-published book, The Willoughbys. Lowry's other Newbery winner, Number the Stars, is also under option.   

If you have something out on submission you’d like to discuss, or want to share news of an option you’ve just sold, contact Rachel Deahl at rachel.deahl@reedbusiness.com.