Susan Kamil at Dial has bought world English rights in a two-book package by a new writer, Scott Snyder, consisting of a story collection and a novel based on a cross-country flying contest sponsored by William Randolph Hearst in the '20s. Jennifer Lyons at Writers House was the agent.... Bill Rosen, once executive editor at the Free Press, has sold a nonfiction book about how bubonic plague thwarted Roman Emperor Justinian's plans to reunify the Roman Empire; Rick Kot at Viking bought North American rights from Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit to Justinian's Flea.... Marcus Buckingham, a bestselling business writer for the Free Press, has signed with the house's Fred Hills for two more books, world rights plus first serial and audio; the deal was made with Joni Evans at William Morris, and the books will be published in 2005 and 2006.... Two editors in new spots made new buys: Rachel Klayman at Crown bought a book called Rejuvenile: How a New Species of Reluctant Adults Is Redefining Maturity by journalist Christopher Noxon, who suggests that many people these days are finding it increasingly difficult to grow up; the seller of North American rights was Betsy Amster. And Audrey LaFehr, newly at Kensington, made a two-book deal for a pair of novels by African-American attorney and former magazine publisher Sheila Dansby Harvey. The first, Illegal Affairs, is about a group of competitive law students in Dallas, for publication next fall; Elaine Koster is the agent.... Villard's Bruce Tracy bought a new novel by Kief Hillsbery, whose gritty War Boy was published by Morrow; the world rights deal for What We Do Is Secret was made with Kathy Robbins, for publication in spring 2005. The book is about a youth lost in the punk culture of 1980s Los Angeles.... A new book about keeping political commitment alive by Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen (SMP), was bought for Basic Books by executive editor Jo Ann Miller. It's called The Impossible Will Take a Little While and was bought from Geri Thoma at Elaine Markson for world rights.... Viking Penguin's Jane von Mehren made a six-figure buy of Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander (Kitchen Boy), a historical fiction in which the girl describes her father's murder at Russia's imperial court. World rights were sold by Marly Rusoff.