Laird to Viking
Viking president Clare Ferraro has signed up two new novels by Nick Laird in a U.S. rights—only deal with Natasha Fairweather at A.P. Watt; Viking publisher Paul Slovak will edit. The first of the two books is tentatively titled Glover’s Mistake and examines the corrosive power of jealousy through the prism of an unusual threesome: a 30-something college teacher in London who has replaced active participation in life with a snide presence online; his younger roommate, working in a bar; and his former teacher, a successful American artist, who reenters his life with dramatic consequences. Laird’s acclaimed first novel, Utterly Monkey, was published by Harper Perennial as a paperback original in 2006, and his first collection of poetry, To a Fault, by Norton last year; a second collection is due from Norton this October. Fourth Estate will publish Laird’s new novel in England in April 2009, and Viking’s publication will follow in summer 2009.
Sanders Trifecta
Last week was a busy one for Victoria Sanders, who closed three deals, one at auction. The auction concluded with world rights going to Peternelle van Arsdale at Putnam for Sejal Ravani’s tentatively titled The Journey Home and a second book. This debut novel spans three generations of Eastern Indian women from the early 20th century to the present, and is based upon the author’s grandmother’s own story. Pub date is spring 2010, and Berkley will publish the books in paperback.
At Touchstone, Sulay Hernandez secured world rights to a new novel by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, Uptown, with a six-figure offer to Sanders. This saga will explore New York City’s black aristocracy through the story of an institutionally and politically entrenched Harlem family whose interests in valuable real estate holdings provoke resentment and in-fighting. DeBerry and Grant, who switched to Touchstone for Gotta Keep On Tryin’, published earlier this year, have another novel, What Doesn’t Kill You, coming from the publisher in January 2009.
St. Martin’s senior editor Monique Patterson acquired a new book by Jeff Chang, Who We Be; Sanders sold North American rights. The book will explore the notion of America’s post-racialism, examining its effect on what Chang calls the “colorization” of the country’s pop culture and debating whether the nation is entering a new era in its fraught racial history. SMP published Chang’s Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, which won the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award in 2005.
Hot Paperbacks
Gotham editor Patrick Mulligan has acquired a follow-up to last year’s surprise hit The Truth About Chuck Norris, which hit the New York Times list for Gotham three different times (as well as getting the publisher sued by Norris) and now has 170,000 copies in print. The new book, also by Ian Spector, is called Chuck Norris vs. Mr. T and will contain 200 new Chuck Norris facts along with 200 facts about Mr. T, all taken from Spector’s Web site, along with some illustrations. The book will be published in time for Christmas; the deal was unagented, and Gotham has world rights.
At Plume, editor Signe Pike has signed up a memoir by Jillian Lauren titled Some Girls, as well as Lauren’s debut novel, Pretty; Alexandra Machinist at Linda Chester sold North American rights. Lauren’s memoir is a coming-of-age story about identity, adoption, tattooing and the two years the author spent in the harem of Prince Jefri of Brunei. Pretty chronicles a young woman’s last 72 hours in a state-sponsored beauty school. The Los Angeles—based Lauren has an M.F.A. in creative writing and is married to Weezer bassist Scott Shriner; Plume plans to publish the memoir in winter 2010.
