Picturing Marriage

Random executive editor Susan Mercandetti won a six-way auction for A Cartoon Marriage: A His and Hers Collection of Original Cartoons by longtime New Yorker magazine cartoonists Liza Donnelly and Michael Maslin. Perhaps the only married couple in the U.S. who are both full-time cartoonists, the duo will explore and celebrate the ups and downs of marriage in the book, to consist of original single-panel cartoons by each of them, as well as autobiographical graphic narratives penned by the cartoonists together. David Kuhn sold North American rights; pub date still undecided.

Burr's First Novel

Dan Halpern and Lee Boudreaux at Ecco acquired North American rights to Chandler Burr's You or Someone Like You via Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit. The novel is narrated by the English wife of a Hollywood studio executive who finds herself leading a high-profile literary salon and enjoying for the first time in her life the effect of publicly proclaiming her controversial opinions about literature, religion, race and class. All the while, she fails to notice troubling changes in her 30-year-old marriage. Burr, the first ever perfume critic for the New York Times, is the author of three works of nonfiction, including The Perfect Scent, recently published by Holt. Ecco pub date is summer 2009.

Chenoweth Chronicle

Stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth has inked a deal for a memoir with Touchstone senior editor Michelle Howry; Kirby Kim at Vigliano sold world rights. The book will be a candid account of the Oklahoma-born actress's life, from her adoption shortly after birth to her Tony-nominated turn in Wicked to her work in Hollywood. Chenoweth will address the challenges she's faced in balancing her faith, family, private life and public persona. Planned pub date is April 2009.

Millionaire Memoir

Palgrave publisher Airie Stuart bought world rights to Gurbaksh Chahal's memoir, The Dream, via Mel Berger at William Morris. The 25-year-old Internet entrepreneur, who launched his first company from his bedroom as a teenager and sold his second company, BlueLithium, to Yahoo! for $300 million last year, will describe his rapid rise to success and fame, interweaving the story of the growth of his business with that of his family's struggles as Sikh immigrants to the U. S. Pub date is January 2009.

Berenson Back to Putnam

Neil Nyren at Putnam bought three more John Wells novels from New York Times bestselling author Alex Berenson via Heather Schroder at ICM, who sold world rights. Berenson's second novel, The Ghost War, was published by Putnam this spring; at the same time, Berkley released the paperback of Berenson's first novel, The Faithful Spy, to the top of the Times list. It had been published in hardcover by Random House. No titles or pub dates yet, but these will follow one book under a previous Putnam contract to be published in February 2009.

S&S Wins YA Auction

Simon Pulse editor Anica Rissi won an auction for debut author Jessica Verday's The Hollow in a three-book, world English deal via Rachel Vater at Folio. This love/ghost story set in modern-day Sleepy Hollow opens with the disappearance and presumed death of a teenage girl's best friend, and is the first book in a planned trilogy. Simon Pulse made the acquisition in conjunction with S&S UK, and a fall 2009 world English launch is planned.

Getting Through Chemo

Citadel editor-in-chief Michaela Hamilton bought North American rights to Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls by Marybeth Maida and Debbie Kiederer via Anne Hawkins. The authors will offer practical and inspirational information about makeup, hair, wigs, skin care, fashion and other helpful tips for women undergoing chemotherapy. Cancer survivor Maida and cosmetics industry consultant Kiederer will include contributions from fashion industry leaders as well as leading medical authorities. Pub date is October 2009 to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Doestsch to Atria

Atria senior editor Peter Borland bought world rights to Richard Doetsch's The Thieves of Darkness in a two-book deal with Cynthia Manson. The new novel continues the series begun in the author's two previous books, The Thieves of Heaven and The Thieves of Faith (both published by Bantam Dell), and follows the adventures of a reformed master thief forced to steal a priceless artifact in order to save his best friend's life. Foreign rights to The Thieves of Heaven sold in 16 countries. Atria plans a summer 2009 publication for Darkness, to be followed by a Pocket edition the following year.

The Briefing

Heather Proulx bought world English rights to Susan Fraser King's second novel with Crown, Saint Margaret of Scotland, via Karen Solem. The follow-up to this February's Lady Macbeth will explore the life of the queen who killed both Macbeth and Lulach, Lady Macbeth's son. Pub date is spring 2010.