Jance to Touchstone

New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance has signed on with her former editor at Morrow, Touchstone's Trish Lande Grader, to write two new books in her Ali Reynolds series, the first of which, Edge of Evil, was published by Avon in a mass market original edition earlier this year. The two new books will be published by Touchstone in hardcover and Pocket in mass market paperback, with the first hardcover to appear in January 2007; Jance's other suspense series will continue to be published by Morrow/Avon. Alice Volpe at Northwest Literary handled this world rights deal.

Gotham's Giant

New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is writing a book currently titled Inside the Helmet: My Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior, which Gotham's William Shinker acquired in a world rights deal with Scott Waxman and Byrd Leavell at the Waxman Agency. Coauthored by Strahan's friend, FOX's NFL Insider Jay Glazer, the book will describe what it's like to play in the NFL, taking readers behind the scenes to reveal everything from what players talk about inside the huddle to who the most feared players are. Strahan will cover the 2006 Giants season, beginning with training camp, in its entirety. Brendan Cahill will edit for Gotham, and a fall 2007 publication is planned.

Pipher on Happiness

Mary Pipher, New York Times bestselling author of Reviving Ophelia and Another Country, has sold a new book, Finding Happiness: Reflections from the Worst Buddhist in the World, to Jake Morrissey at Riverhead; Susan Lee Cohen at Riverside Literary sold world rights. In the book, Pipher will discuss her longtime search for inner peace and harmony, and what the pursuit taught her; not a memoir, the book is rather a series of life lessons that springs from her experience as a clinical psychologist. Riverhead just published Pipher's Writing to Change the World in April; Finding Happiness is expected to pub some time in 2009.

Parenting Preempts

Crown's Heather Jackson has preempted Brett Berk's The Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting from Daniel Greenberg at Levine Greenberg, who sold world rights. Berk, a former preschool principal and consultant to Children's Television Workshop, Nickelodeon and Scholastic, will offer solutions on how to avoid the "parenting bubble," a syndrome that makes even the best caregivers feed their toddlers under the table and generally forget that they're the grownups. Crown expects to publish in spring 2008.

In a second parenting-related preempt, Da Capo's Wendy Holt has acquired Philadelphia magazine editor Vicki Glembocki's The Second Nine Months: A New Mom Tells the Truth About Having a Baby from Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary, who sold world rights. Glembocki will describe her transition into motherhood, revealing what new moms are really thinking and feeling. Da Capo plans to publish in fall 2007.

For Teens

Melissa Flashman at Trident has just made a six-figure, two-book deal with Jean Feiwel at Feiwel & Friends for 25-year-old Lily Archer's The Poison Apples, a novel about what happens after three 15-year-old girls find their worlds turned upside down by the Evilest Stepmothers in the Cosmos. The project was submitted on an exclusive submission and will be published on the new Holtzbrinck imprint's launch list in fall 2007.

The Briefing

Little, Brown's Michael L. Sand has acquired an illustrated history of magic by David Copperfield, drawn from his extensive personal collection of magic memorabilia and artifacts; Celeste Fine at Vigliano Associates sold world rights for a 2008 publication.