Hoop Dreams

Mark Tavani at Random won an auction for George Dohrmann's Take Their Hearts Out via Andrew Blauner, who sold world rights. The Sports Illustrated writer, who won the Pulitzer in 2000 at the age of 27, will draw on eight years of reporting to immerse readers in the world of grassroots basketball. In following some of the sport's most talented boys through the youth basketball machine, a subculture in which millions of dollars are at stake, Dohrmann will expose the reality behind the dreams of America's youngest basketball prodigies.

Orbit Preempt

Devi Pillai at Orbit preempted a three-book urban fantasy series by debut author JayeWells via agent Jonathan Lyons, who sold world English rights for six figures. The series will focus on Sabina Kane, half-mage and half-vampire, whose mixed blood has made her the red-headed stepchild of the vampire race. The first volume, Red-Headed Stepchild, will be published in 2009.

Two More from Ferris

Joshua Ferris, whose Then We Came to the End was a National Book Award finalist and NYTBR Best Book of the Year, and will be a 2008 Richard & Judy pick, has inked a deal for two new books with Reagan Arthur at Little, Brown, who bought North American rights from Julie Barer. The first is The Unnamed, a novel about a man with an unnamed illness. Viking bought U.K. rights to both books; no pub date for The Unnamed yet.

Plume Debut

For Plume, Kate Davis bought North American rights to Alice Pung's Unpolished Gem. This debut memoir, personally recommended to Putnam by house author Amy Tan, is about a Chinese-Cambodian family trying to live the Australian Dream without losing themselves, and the author's coming-of-age trapped between these cultures. The book won the Australian Newcomer of the Year Award at the 2007 Australian Book Industry Awards. Sophy Williams at Black Inc. Books in Melbourne made the sale, and Plume will publish as a paperback original in early 2009.

Beatles Books

Adam Korn at Three Rivers Press signed up two volumes by Beatles historian John C. Winn that will collectively document the entire Beatles recording legacy, from the Quarry Men's performance on the day John met Paul in 1957 to Ringo's last stand with Phil Spector on April 1, 1970. These titles join a list of Crown and Three Rivers Beatles titles that includes Mark Lewisohn's forthcoming three-volume bio; Winn's books will be published in trade paper in successive seasons beginning this fall. Matthew Elblonk at the Creative Culture made the world rights deal.

The Wire

Lisa Clancy at Running Press bought world rights to Terry Border's Bent Objects: The Secret Life of Everyday Things via Sorche Fairbank. Based on Border's popular blog, the work is a collection of his still lifes using everyday objects, including scenarios such as a bottle of Dramamine falling ill, a pear looking in a mirror and despairing of its bottom-heavy physique, and Caribbean seasoning living up to its “jerk” name. Pub date is fall 2009.

Hurwitz to SMP

Keith Kahla at St. Martin's bought North American rights to three new books by Gregg Hurwitz (The Crime Writer) via Lisa Vance at Aaron Priest. The first thriller, titled Trust No One, is about a man who goes underground as a teenager when his stepfather is murdered and reemerges 17 years later to find that the people who ruined his past have returned to threaten him. Rights have already been sold in the U.K., France, Italy and Poland. Hurwitz was previously published by Viking.