Buzzworthy ‘Broken Country’ Goes to S&S
Carina Guiterman at Simon & Schuster has acquired North American rights to what was one of the most buzzed-about novels ahead of the 2024 London Book Fair, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. The deal was handled by Hattie Grünewald at the Blair Partnership. S&S said the book, Hall’s U.S. debut, is “in the vein of The Paper Palace with a touch of Where the Crawdads Sing” and tells the story of “a passionate love triangle,” alternating between “the beauty and brutal reality of rural life and the tension of a murder trial.” The book is set for a summer 2025 publication.
Alderson Sells Six to Angry Robot
BookTuber-turned-author Ben Alderson has signed a six-book world English deal with Angry Robot’s Eleanor Teasdale. Angry Robot said the deal includes two standalone books and the four-book Realm of Fey series. Hannah VanVels Ausbury at the Belcastro Agency negotiated the deal. Angry Robot said the series evokes “the intrigue and high heat” of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The first three titles, which were previously self-published, will be released in fall 2024, with the final installment, A War of Monsters, planned for May 2025. The two standalone titles are tentatively scheduled for 2025 and 2026.
Yeager ‘Motivates’ Avid Reader
Avid Reader Press copublisher Jofie Ferrari-Adler has acquired North American rights to David Yeager’s 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People. Avid Reader said the book combines “original scientific research, reporting, and field-tested practical advice” to explore “how to get the most out of young people while simplifying our own lives in the process.” Yeager is a developmental psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. Richard Pine at InkWell Management brokered the deal. A summer 2024 publication is planned.
Chu Shares His ‘Views’ with Random House
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu (director of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights) has sold world rights to Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen, written with coauthor Jeremy McCarter, to Ben Greenberg at Random House. Lacy Lynch at Dupree Miller negotiated the deal. Random House said that Chu “dives deep into his life and work” to offer a candid firsthand account of “the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood” and what it was like to “watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one.” The book is scheduled for a July 2024 publication.
Doubleday Scores ‘Whyte Python’ Ticket
Doubleday’s Jason Kaufman has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to The Whyte Python World Tour by novelist Travis Kennedy. Yfat Reiss Gendell at YRG Partners brokered the deal. Doubleday said the book follows “a famous 1980s heavy metal band that is unwittingly lured into a government plot to bring down the Eastern Bloc.” No pub date has been set.
Celadon Takes ‘Notes’
After an auction, Deb Futter at Celadon Books has bought U.S. and Canadian rights to 24-year-old Harvard graduate Austin Taylor’s debut novel, Notes on Infinity. The two-book deal was negotiated by Katie Greenstreet at Paper Literary. Celadon said the book is “an extraordinary love story” set against “the world of Silicon Valley startup culture.” The story begins in a chemistry classroom in Harvard in the late 2010s, where two students make a remarkable scientific breakthrough: a drug that can reverse aging. The pair soon find themselves “catapulted into the world of startups, fame, and money,” as well as “a maelstrom of insatiable greed, jealousy, and deceit.” A June 2025 publication is planned.
Hachette Listens to Ehsaei’s Advice
After an auction, Lauren Marino at Hachette Go has acquired North American rights to TikTok creator and finance expert Pattie Ehsaei’s Never Date a Broke Dude. Jaidree Braddix at Park & Fine Literary and Media brokered the deal. Park & Fine called the book “a practical guide to the two biggest influences on a woman’s ability to maintain freedom and control in her life—how she manages her money and whom she chooses as a partner—all told in the author’s signature no-nonsense style.” Niyati Patel will edit the book. Publication is tentatively scheduled for summer 2025.
