A first novel by British playwright and screenwriter William Nicholson (the new Broadway play The Retreat from Moscow; screenplays for Gladiator and Shadowlands) was bought by Nan A. Talese for her Doubleday imprint. It's an enigmatic tale called The Society of Others and marks the author's first venture into adult fiction, though he has written extensively for children. Talese bought North American rights in the book from London agent Clare Aitken via long distance while sailing in the Mediterranean, and in consultation with Doubleday publisher Steve Rubin, who was in Frankfurt at the book fair.