Good Eats
Viking's Alessandra Lusardi has acquired world English rights to Joseph Bastianich's untitled memoir from Jane Dystel at auction. Born in Queens, Bastianich is one of American's best-known restaurateurs. He is a regular guest on The Today Show as well as one of the stars of MasterChef on Fox. The memoir, said Dystel, will chart Bastianich's culinary adventures from working for his parents (his mother, Lidia, is also a chef) to operating his own restaurants and the lessons he learned along the way. Publication is planned for fall 2012.
Another food-inspired deal was struck by Sterling Publishing's Carlo De Vito, who is buying four books from Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, founders of Edible Communications Publications, a network of 65 regional food magazines on place-based food. The four books, to be released in 2012 and 2013, are Edible Brooklyn, Edible Seattle, Edible Twin Cities and Edible Dallas–Ft. Worth. The pair's most recent book, Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods, was released this spring by John Wiley. Lisa Ekus-Saffer of the Lisa Ekus Group brokered the deal, which was for world rights.
Gallery Lands More Karp
Prolific legal thriller author Robert K. Tanenbaum is remaining at Simon & Schuster, signing a new three-book deal with Louise Burke, executive v-p and publisher of S&S's Gallery Books imprint. Upcoming titles will feature Tanenbaum's best-known characters, district attorney Butch Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi. Tanenbaum, a trial lawyer whose background also includes serving as the chief of the homicide bureau for the New York district attorney's office, has written 22 Karp novels as well as two nonfiction works. Bob Diforio, of D4EO Literary Agency, did the deal, which is for North American rights.
Viking Signs Thriller Thilliez
Joshua Kendall, senior editor at Viking, beat out four other bidders to close a deal for two novels from the French thriller writer Franck Thilliez, marking the first time the popular French author will be translated into English. Both novels feature Lucie Hennebelle, a middle-aged detective and single mother of two, who is paired with Franck Sharko, described by Kendall as a "broken analyst" for the Paris police. The first novel, titled Le Syndrome E in France, but will get a new name for the U.S. market, moves from the French countryside to Egypt to Quebec. Kendall bought world English rights from the French house Univers Ponche, with Aurélie Laure brokering the deal.
Rucka Now on Mulholland
Little, Brown's newly minted Mulholland Books imprint has added Greg Rucka to its list. Rucka's credits include two ongoing series, Queen & Country and Atticus Kodiak, as well as numerous comics for some of the country's largest comics publishers. At Mulholland, Rucka will begin a new series involving "a former Delta Force operator who discovers that his allies are not who they appear to be and are pursuing a dark agenda far different than his own." Mulholland's John Schoenfelder bought world rights in a three-book deal from David Hale Smith of DHS Literary Inc. First book in the series is Alpha.
Two for Schafer
Da Capo executive editor Ben Schafer acquired world rights to the autobiography of actor Alan Arkin from Susan Cohen of Writers House. In An Improvised Life, Arkin will discuss the process of how he became an Oscar-winning actor. In a second world rights deal, Schafer signed Windsor Mann's The Quotable Hitchens: From Alcohol to Zionism. Mann, who acted as a researcher for Christopher Hitchens's God Is Not Great, will collect Hitchens's commentary from print and electronic sources on all the topics the author has offered an opinion. Steve Wasserman of the Kneerim and William Agency was the agent.
