Sydney Collins at Ballantine preempted U.S., Canadian, and Philippine rights to Bougie by journalist and cultural critic Marjon Carlos (pictured l.) from Caroline Eisenmann at Frances Goldin Literary Agency. Carlos’s debut is a memoir in essays that “explores the complicated terrain of class mobility, identity performance, and the Black female experience within elite and creative spaces,” per the publisher, reconsidering commonly held ideas of “ambition, authenticity, and the performance of success.” Publication is planned for 2028.

 

(photo: Shana Trajanoska)

Caroline Bleeke at Flatiron preempted North American rights to When We Swallowed the Sea by Janet Hong from Annie Hwang at Ayesha Pande Literary. The literary translator’s debut novel is a contemporary Korean family saga narrated across three generations, per the publisher, and centers on “a young woman from a long line of haenyeo, forced to leave home after a tragedy shatters her family, and her decades-long search for belonging.” Release is planned for May 2027.

Harriet LeFavour at Bloomsbury acquired world all language rights to Murder in the Shrine City by PBS NewsHour foreign correspondent and documentarian Simona Foltyn from Jessica Papin at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. The publisher called the book “a work of political history investigating the assassination of a prominent Iraqi activist in the holy Shia city of Karbala, unveiling Iraq’s profoundly complex web of political, religious, and (para)military actors in the turbulent period of violence following the state’s declared military victory over ISIS in 2017.” Publication is scheduled for winter 2028.

Allie Merola at Hogarth bought North American rights, at auction, to film and TV producer Abigail Rowe’s Total Depravity from Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at the Gernert Company. The novel follows a “down-on-her-luck paralegal who, desperate for her boss’s approval and affection, embarks on a quest to find a missing woman and uncover the truth about a potent and mysterious love drug,” only to be led into the “belly of a Texas cult plotting to democratize love,” per the publisher. A summer 2027 release is set.

Tarini Sipahimalani at Putnam took North American rights to two novels and a story collection by Jeffery Deaver from Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider. The first novel, Freeze Frame, slated for spring 2027, is part of the Colter Shaw series, following him on a dangerous search for a missing police officer. The second as-yet-untitled novel, part of the Lincoln Rhyme series, is set for fall 2028. The collection, Deceptions, includes two new stories featuring Shaw and Rhyme, who are “united by the layers of trickery governing New York City,” per Putnam. Publication is planned for summer 2026.

In Brief

  • Thomas Lin at Quanta landed world rights to Terence Tao’s Six Math Essentials, “a friendly introduction to the world of math by one of the greatest mathematicians living today,” for a November 2026 publication. Tao was unagented.

  • Michael Reynolds at Europa preempted North American rights to Adélaïde de Clermont-Tonnerre’s French bestseller Milady, a feminist reimagining of the eponymous antagonist from Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, from Laura Mamelok at Susanna LeaAssociates for a 2027 publication. A translator has not yet been named.

  • Elizabeth Méndez Berry at One World won, at auction, North American rights to Bronx-born artist Devon Rodriguez’s as-yet-untitled memoir, which “traces his life from an abusive childhood to artistic superstardom,” from Haley Friedman at Made by All, for an August 2026 publication.

  • Jamia Wilson at Harmony acquired North American rights, at auction, to Smart Power: Lead with Influence, Persuade with Purpose, and Create Change That Lasts by Penny Abeywardena, former New York City commissioner of international affairs and founder of Soft Power Strategies, from Rachel Neumann at Wave Literary, for a fall 2027 release.

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