Harper Goes into Survival Mode with Sharp
Sara Nelson, in one of her first acquisitions at Harper, preempted world rights to Adrienne Sharp’s historical novel Survival City. The book, which Nelson said is a “very cinematic” work about “a girl growing up with her gangster father and showgirl mother in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in the 1930s and 1940s,” was sold by agent Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman. Nelson added that the book is an “atmospheric” look at “the world of Jewish gangsters.” Sharp is most recently the author of 2010’s The True Memoirs of Little K (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

Becker’s New Series to Tor Teen
In a world English rights preempt, Elayne Becker at Tor Teen bought Joanna Hathaway’s debut, a YA fantasy called Dark of the West. The book is the first in a planned series that, the publisher said, is set “in a realm similar to 20th-century Europe.” Becker, who bought three books in total, brokered the agreement with Steven Salpeter at Curtis Brown Ltd. Dark of the West, told from dueling points of view, follows a pair of “star-crossed” lovers: an “idealistic” princess trying to suppress an impending uprising, and a young fighter pilot who has been given the job of spying on her.

McCarty Seals Six Figures at Berkley
Monica McCarty closed a six-figure, three-book, world English rights deal for a new contemporary romance series with Berkley’s Cindy Hwang. The new series, called the Lost Platoon, marks McCarty’s first foray into contemporary romance. (She has established herself as a bestselling author of historical romance with series such as the Highland Guard and the Campbell Trilogy.) The new series, Berkley said, will follow a navy outfit called SEAL Team Nine, with “each book in the series featuring a different SEAL hero working to unravel who wants the team dead and why.” Annelise Robey at the Jane Rotrosen Agency represented McCarty.

Running Press Asks 36 Questions of Szpyrka
At Running Press, Adrienne Szpyrka took world English rights to Vicki Grant’s YA novel 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You. Grant, who was represented by Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Agency, follows two strangers who try to answer the titular number of questions to see if they can fall in love. RP said the book, which was inspired by a Modern Love column in the New York Times, “is told in the language of modern romance, including texting, q&a, and IM.” 36 Questions is slated for fall 2017.

‘BuzzFeed’ Ed Strikes Deal at Bloomsbury
Cindy Loh at Bloomsbury took world rights to two children’s books by Isaac Fitzgerald, one an untitled YA novel and the other an untitled picture book. Fitzgerald is the books editor at BuzzFeed and the novel, the publisher said, is loosely based on a May article he did for the website that went viral called “Confessions of a Former Former Fat Kid.” Nancy Miller at Bloomsbury coacquired the title and will be editing it. The picture book, which will be edited by Sarah Shumway, is about, Bloomsbury said, “a girl whose salty grandfather inspires voyages of imagination.” Fitzgerald has cowritten two books, both published by Bloomsbury: Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes).

Smith Takes ‘Pearl’ to Scholastic
At Scholastic’s Graphix imprint, Cassandra Pelham nabbed world rights to a YA graphic novel by Sherri L. Smith called Pearl. Illustrated by Christine Norrie, the book, set in 1941, follows a 13-year-old Japanese-American girl visiting family in Japan when Pearl Harbor is attacked. Kirby Kim at Janklow & Nesbit, who represented Smith, said that after the attack the young heroine is “enlisted as a ‘monitor girl’ to translate radio transmissions for the Japanese army, and must learn how to adjust to her new life in a foreign, war-torn land.” The book is set for 2018. Norrie did not use an agent in the deal.

Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Sara Nelson as an editor at Ecco; she's at Harper. Additionally, the young heroine of Pearl is visiting family in Japan when Pearl Harbor is attacked, she is not visiting family near the military base.