This article will be updated on a rolling basis. Please send submissions to John Maher here.
Kaitlin Ketchum at Ten Speed Graphic acquired world rights to adapt Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series, from Entangled Publishing and the author, as a graphic novel series, in a deal brokered by Nicole Resciniti at Alliance Rights Agency and Louise Fury at the Fury Agency. The adaptation, the publisher said, will be led Yarros and span six volumes, covering Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm. Piatkus acquired U.K. and Commonwealth rights.
Christa Desir at Poisoned Pen secured U.S. rights to Love, Mom by Iliana Xander, in an overnight deal, from Caitlin Mahony at William Morris Endeavor. U.K. rights were preempted by Grace Long at Michael Joseph, with translation rights selling widely, including preempts in Brazil (Intrinseca), Finland (WSOY), France (Fleuve), Greece (Psichogios), the Netherlands (De Bezige Bij), and Spain (Planeta), and at auctions in Germany (Heyne) and Poland (Filia).
Sally Kim at Little, Brown acquired North American rights, at auction, to Courtney Maum’s Alan Opts Out from Rebecca Gradinger at UTA. The novel, the publisher said, follows “an ad exec who, after bombing the biggest pitch of his career, decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home, thwarting his wife's designs to become a power player in their adopted town of Greenwich.” UK rights were preempted by Jocasta Hamilton at John Murray via Emma Finn at C+W. Publication is set for summer 2026.
Nick Amphlett at Dutton took North American rights, at auction, to the next, currently untitled book by Rinker Buck from David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates. The publisher called the book “a new reckoning with the American Civil War, as Buck traverses the South in search of the history beyond the canonical battles and generals, revealing the strange tapestry of our divided nation.” Pub date TBD.
Maddie Woda at Hogarth acquired U.S. rights Kai Conradi’s debut novel, Old Pal, from Bill Clegg at the Clegg Agency. The novel, the publisher said, follows “a young trans man whose bus breaks down in small-town Montana, where an eccentric stranger insists on befriending him, forcing him to question his safety and sense of belonging.” Anita Chong at McClelland & Stewart took Canadian rights. Pub date TBD.
Carina Guiterman at Simon & Schuster preempted North American rights to Peregrine Hill by Nina de Gramont from Peter Steinberg at UTA. The novel, the publisher said, is “set in turn-of-the century New York City, on the cusp of the Gilded Age and the progressive era about a mother and daughter, recently fallen in status, who find themselves at the mercy of an elderly millionaire in search of a wife.” Pub date TBD.
Kate Prosswimmer at Margaret K. McElderry took North American rights to Jessica Khoury’s upper middle grade fantasy duology, Monster and Apprentice, from Tracey Adams at Adams Literary. The series, the publisher said, follows a young man who “grew up on the streets until he was chosen as an apprentice by the Arcanist, a feared warrior, to hunt monsters born from secrets called Cryptics” and, “when Rolan starts to discover his own power—and the father-figure he’s always longed for—the secrets they hunt take a darkly personal turn, threatening to destroy Rolan, the Arcanist, and their world.” Book one is set for next summer, with book two to follow in summer 2027.
Jessica Williams at William Morrow procured North American rights to Miss Archer, the genre-bending debut novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist and screenwriter Jordan Harrison, in a 13-way auction, from Julie Barer at the Book Group. The publisher billed the novel as “Never Let Me Go meets Rebecca, following a young governess and the strange boy she is entrusted to raise in an isolated, gothic mansion where all are forced to maintain the illusion that the year is 1884.” Helen Garnons-Williams at Fig Tree preempted U.K. rights. Pub date TBD.
Vicki Lame at St. Martin’s netted North American rights, at auction, to Rioghnach Robinson’s debut, Bad Words, in a two-book deal, from Clare Mao at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. The publisher called the novel “an upmarket enemies-to-lovers story that follows the escalating feud between novelist Parker Navarro and literary critic Selina Chan after her devastating review torpedoes his debut novel.” Publication is set for fall 2026.
Emily Wunderlich at Viking took North American rights, at auction, to leadership consultant Jan Stanley’s Steady: The Power of Going at Your Own Pace from Lucy Cleland at Calligraph. The agency said that the book “a fresh, holistic new understanding of wellbeing that tackles a major pain point in modern happiness: the tug-of-war between our drive to achieve and our ability to savor our daily lives, both of which are key to human flourishing.” Blending science with storytelling, Steady provides strategies for pursuing dreams without burnout and adjusting one’s pace across life phases. Pub date TBD.
Kimberly Meilun at Simon Acumen secured U.S. rights, at auction, to Gabrielle Judge’s You Are Not Your Job: A Radical Reimagining of Work & Self-Worth from Rebecca Gradinger at UTA Publishing. The agency called the book “a cultural reset and battle cry that challenges the belief that professional achievements define self-worth, advocating for a healthier relationship with work and well-being.” Tentative publication is set for summer 2027.
Kathryn Budig at Bindery Books, with Calah Singleton at Hodderscape in the U.K., have acquired world rights to Susan J. Morris’s Wayward Souls (A Harker & Moriarty Novel) from Jennifer Azantian at the eponymous agency. The novel, the publisher said, “follows Samantha Harker and Dr. Helena Moriarty as they investigate two missing field agents, uncovering death omens, black feathers, and the far-reaching shadow of Professor Moriarty, leading them from Ireland’s untamed wilds to the occult circles of the elite.” Publication is set for March 2026.
Caroline Sutton at Avid Reader took North American rights, at auction, to How to Think: A Journey to Unleashing the Power of Your Mind by the Dalai Lama—with his English translator, Thupten Jinpa, and The Book of Joy coauthor Doug Abrams—from Doug Abrams at Idea Architects. The publisher said the book offers “a practical approach from His Holiness to cultivating ‘mental immunity’—the ability to face adversity with equanimity and joy—through a comprehensive ‘six-level mental training’ program based on his own practice.” German rights sold in a preempt to Jakob Mallmann at Heyne/PRH via Camilla Ferrier at The Marsh Agency. British and Commonwealth rights are represented by Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, with translation rights handled by Camilla Ferrier at The Marsh Agency.
Serena Jones at Holt has acquired North American English rights, at auction, to The Joy of X: How My Generation Is Doing Middle Age by Mireille Silcoff from Rebecca Gradinger at UTA. The agency called the book “a fearless, exhilarating, and deeply validating exploration of how Generation X is redefining middle age particularly through a radically renewed approach to sexuality, identity, and joy.” U.K. rights were preempted by Michelle Kane at Fourth Estate via Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown, with Marion Garner at Penguin Canada taking Canadian English rights and Marianna Aquino at Longanesi & C preempting Italian rights via Georgie Mellor at Curtis Brown. A German auction is underway.
Whitney Frick at the Dial Press secured North American rights to We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle from Margaret Riley King at WME. The publisher called the book “a guidebook for navigating love, heartbreak, joy, parenting, friendship, grief, and new beginnings, featuring wisdom from the authors and 118 ‘wayfinders.’ ” The book is set to hit shelves this May.
HarperCollins acquired world English rights to a new, as-yet-untiled Miss Marple novel, written by Lucy Foley, from Agatha Christie Limited and Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. Emily Krump and Jennifer Hart at William Morrow will edit in the U.S., with Charlotte Brabbin at HarperFiction tapped to edit in the U.K. The novel, the publisher said, “will feature the legendary detective Miss Marple, whom Agatha Christie first introduced to the world in a series of short stories and the novel The Murder at the Vicarage, published in 1930.” Publication is set for fall 2026.
Morgan Entrekin at Grove Atlantic picked up North American rights to all eight books in Tim Sullivan’s Detective George Cross series, from Peter Straus at RCW for the first three and Claire Kennedy at Head of Zeus for the next five. The series, the publisher said, “stars the brilliant Detective Sergeant George Cross, who is on the autism spectrum and has trouble reading social cues but has tremendous focus and attention to detail and operates solely by logic.” The first two books in the series, The Dentist and The Tailor, both of which were originally self-published, will hit shelves this October and next January, respectively, and the remaining six books will be published throughout 2026.
Nicole Counts at One World took world rights to Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s next novel, Mountains South, in a two-book deal, from Julia Masnik at Watkins/Loomis. The novel, per the publisher, is “set in 2045 and follows two sisters—one entangled in a biogenetics experiment, the other a smuggler in the new American West—as they navigate a war-torn America where invasive technologies control everything from reproductive rights to natural resources.” Pub date TBD.
Jenny Xu at Atria, in a two-book deal, netted North American rights to The Love Book and an as-yet-untitled debut poetry collection by adrienne maree brown, at auction, from Rachel Neumann at Wave Literary. The publisher called The Love Book “an exploration of the primacy and necessity of love in an era of growing isolation and division, told through personal and historical stories.” Pub date TBD.
Tristan de Lancey at Thames & Hudson bought world all language rights to Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams from Oliver Stanton at Global Merchandising Services. The book, the publisher said, is a visual chronicle of the band's first 50 years, telling “the story of the band from their first pub gigs in 1975 and their first record deal in 1979 to the recording and reception of groundbreaking albums, including their self-titled debut, 1982’s global breakthrough The Number of the Beast.” Foreign rights have sold in six territories: Brazil, to Belas Letras; France, to Éditions du Chêne; Germany, to Prestel Verlag; Italy, to Rizzoli Lizard; Japan, to Kawade Shobo Shinsha; and Spain, to Libros Cúpula. Thames & Hudson will publish the hardcover edition simultaneously in the U.K., U.S., and Australia this fall.
Pre-Fair Picks
Julia Elliott at Avon preempted world rights to Lexi Ryan’s Night Tide trilogy, in a three-book deal, from Dan Mandel at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. The gothic romantasy, the publisher said, “follows a magic-wielding princess coerced into allying with a shadowy kingdom, torn between two dangerously alluring princes and the curse that binds them.” Foreign rights have sold to Natasha Bardon at HarperVoyager, in the U.K., as well as to HarperBrazil, HarperFrance, HarperGermany, HarperHolland, HarperItalia, Harper Iberica in Spain, and Harper Nordic in Sweden. Publication is set for summer 2026.
Pete Wolverton at St. Martin’s secured U.S. rights to four novels by Jay Kristoff from Josh Adams at Adams Literary, with Natasha Bardon at HarperVoyager picking up U.K. rights from Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates. The acquisition includes a new trilogy, described by Kristoff as “Suicide Squad meets Game of Thrones,” and a standalone fantasy novel. Pub date TBD.
Julie Grau at Spiegel & Grau has picked up U.S. rights to The Calamity Club by The Help author Kathryn Stockett from Kim G. Schefler at Levine Plotkin, with Fig Tree publishing in the U.K. and Doubleday Canada in Canada. Set in 1933 Oxford, Miss., the novel, the publisher said, “tells the story of a group of women—some socialites, a few criminals—whose fates converge as the summer turns to fall and the hard times of the Depression tighten their grip.” Publication is set for April 2026.
Kara Sargent at Aladdin bought world rights, in an exclusive, two-book deal, to Aftermyth by Tracy Wolff from Emily Sylvan Kim at Prospect Agency. The novel, the publisher said, will launch “a high concept middle grade Greek myth boarding school series featuring Penelope Weaver, a girl who learns she has the power to change stories...and perhaps the entire world.” Publication is planned for January 2026.
Reagan Arthur at Cardinal preempted North American rights to Get Lost, the debut thriller by Sh*t My Dad Says author and Abbott Elementary producer Justin Halpern, from Byrd Leavell at UTA. The book, the publisher said, is “about a young woman whose mother goes missing, forcing her to join forces with the prime suspect: her estranged father, a washed-up minor league baseball star and lifelong screwup.” Pub date TBD.
Tara Singh Carlson at Putnam procured North American rights, at auction, to One and Only by Reese’s Book Club pick author Maurene Goo from Faye Bender at the Book Group; Italian rights were preempted by Garzanti from Jenny Meyer at the eponymous shingle, while deals are pending in the U.K. and Germany. The novel, the publisher said, follows “Beverly Park, who comes from a long line of matchmaking women in her family who can see people’s past lives and their fated loves, knows she’s meant to be with Daniel, but veers off-script when, on the eve of her 40th birthday, she also unexpectedly falls for 28-year-old Ellis.” Publication is planned for next summer.
Andy Ward at Random House netted world rights to Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout’s next, as-yet-untitled novel from Molly Friedrich and Lucy Carson at the Friedrich Agency. The book, the publisher said, follows “a high-school history teacher in Massachusetts, in Strout’s first novel set outside her universe of Crosby, Me., as he struggles with feelings of disconnection from his wife, his son, and his job, until a chance boating accident reminds him how dear life is.” Pub date TBD.
Andy Ward at Random House acquired North American rights to Imbolo Mbue’s Yoma and Victoria from Susan Golomb at Writers House. The book, the publisher said, is “a love story that follows a young widower who receives a letter from the woman responsible for the accidental death of his pregnant wife, asking him to meet, and which sends him off on a difficult and uncertain journey toward forgiveness.” Pub date TBD.
Kirsiah Depp at Grand Central procured world all language rights, in a three-book deal, to Vipers and Lilies, the debut novel by Lexie Axon, a HarperCollins employee, from Aurora Fernandez at Trident Media Group. The publisher said the trilogy opener is “set in a world where magical women known as Enchantresses have been hunted to extinction, which follows three sisters as they try to keep their magical ancestry secret while an investigation into any surviving Enchantresses mounts, war looms, and bodies drop.” Publication is set for October 2026.
Jessica Tribble Wells at Thomas & Mercer secured world rights to Reasons to Lie by Emily Listfield, in a two-book deal, from Valerie Frankel at Aevitas Creative Management. The novel, the publisher said, is “set in the tony world of an elite Manhattan high school” and “explores the extremes three mothers will go to protect their children when they become suspects in another student’s murder—even if it means betraying each other.” Publication is set for next spring.
Leah Mol at Hanover Square bought world rights Hollow, a horror novel by TikTok star Celina Myers, a.k.a. CelinaSpookyBoo, in a two-book deal, from Frankie Ray at Underscore Talent. Hollow, the publisher said, “follows a woman who is brought back from dead to live as a vampire and must find where her destiny lies between warring vampire families—and two unexpected loves.” Release is planned for next spring.
Christine Bendorf at Arndell netted world rights, in a three-book deal, to Susie Tate’s contemporary romance series Daydreamer series, which was previously self-published, from Lorella Belli at the Lorella Belli Agency. The publisher said that the “true-to-life themes that underpin Susie’s books are often inspired by her experiences working as a doctor in the National Health Service,” where she is a general practitioner. The first two titles in the series, Daydreamer and Gold Digger, are slated for July 1, with Outlier set to follow on August 12.
Jerome Pohlen at Chicago Review Press acquired world all language rights to Scaredy Cats: The Nine Lives of Felines in Horror by author and Faculty of Horror podcast cohost Alexandra West, from Claire Cavanagh at the Rights Factory. The book, per the publisher, “explores the complex and evolving role of cats in the horror genre, tracing their depictions from ancient mythology to modern cinema, by focusing on nine distinct cat archetypes and their cultural symbolism.” Publication is set for next fall.
Chip Fleischer at Steerforth secured world rights to A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer from Rachelle Gardner of the eponymous agency. The publisher called the book “an unflinching survey that explores how struggles for freedom—from Black Loyalists to Stonewall—have been suppressed, rewritten, or weaponized to serve power.” Publication set for June 2026.
This article has been updated with further information.
