Sara Birmingham at Random House took North American rights to A Beacon for These Days and an untitled debut novel by Imani Perry (pictured l.), from Cindy Uh at CAA. The former traces how such writers as James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison were brought together at Howard University in the mid-20th century by the mentorship of poet and professor Sterling A. Brown, and the latter follows a young Black woman in the years after the American Revolution. Beacon is set to publish in 2027, and the novel is slated for a 2028 release.

 

(photo: Kevin Peragine)

Lindsey Schwoeri at Viking preempted North American and nonexclusive open market rights to The Channel by Isle McElroy from Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit. The novel centers on a New Jersey woman, caregiver to a husband injured in an accident, who “discovers a channel on her satellite TV devoted to a woman who looks exactly like her but is living a radically different life,” per the publisher. A 2027 release is set.

Judy Clain at Summit picked up North American rights to Anton and Alma by Dana Vowinckel from Elianna Kan at Regal Hoffmann & Associates on behalf of Nora Mercurio at Germany’s Suhrkamp. The novel follows two students “from vastly different origins as they consider the complexities of identity, and how to meld two lives with meaning,” per the publisher. A translator has not yet been chosen. Pub date is TBD.

Jenna Johnson at FSG bought North American rights, at auction, to Fallow by Sarah W. Anderson from Bill Clegg at the Clegg Agency. The debut novel “sees a financially strapped young woman sign up as the first in-house surrogate for a shadowy tech corporation looking to maximize productivity and offer unparalleled executive benefits, then find herself taken into a different kind of scheme altogether,” per the publisher. Release is set for September 2026.

Peter Hubbard at Mariner landed North American rights to The Stories That Saved Me by Jeff Glor from David Black and Mark Tavani at the David Black Agency. The debut book draws from Glor’s experience as a journalist profiling some of the world’s biggest authors to share “the life wisdom he gleaned from his conversations,” per the publisher. Publication is planned for 2027.

Rebecca Taylor at Inklore won world rights, at auction, to five books in E. Hanby’s near-future, F1-racing-inspired boys’-love graphic novel series Downforce, from Kate Rogers at KO Media Management. The series follows Ilya, “a promising rookie from the moon colony, as he falls for his biggest rival,” per the publisher. The first volume is slated for a summer 2028 release.

In Brief

  • Tricia Narwani at Del Rey netted North American rights to Maria Meservey’s The Ironfell Inheritance and The Morrow Archive, a debut gothic fantasy duology about a deadly battle royale to inherit the legacy of the Ironfell family, from Catherine Cho at Paper Literary. A pub date has not been announced.
  • Michael Reynolds at Europa took U.S. rights to The Street, by International Booker Prize finalist Robert Seethaler, translated from the German by Charlotte Collins, about the intersecting lives and stories of various people on a single city street over the course of a year, from Annemarie Blumenhagen at Germany’s Ullstein Verlag. Release is planned for early 2027.
  • Kathleen Jayes at Rizzoli secured world rights to The House That Played with Color, by interior designer and artist Courtney Wafzig, featuring photographs by the author, from Rebekah Von Lintel at Embolden Media Group. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028.
  • Natasha Simons at Gallery acquired world rights to Barstool Sports founder and digital media mogul Dave Portnoy’s memoir Cancel Me If You Can from Byrd Leavell and Pilar Queen at UTA. A June 2026 release is planned.