People & Publishing Roundup, September 2020
EMILY INKPEN is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.
MÁRIO SEABRA COELHO is now represented by Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency.
JOSHUA WINNING is now represented by Kristina Perez of Zeno Agency.
YUDHANJAYA WIJERATNE is now represented by Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency.
ANGUS WATSON is now represented by Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency.
PETER S. BEAGLE won the Jack Trevor Story Memorial Prize/Prix du Goncourt, which includes a memorial cup and $500, which must be spent “in a week to a fortnight” (in honor of Story’s reply to a bankruptcy judge who asked where his money went: “You know how it is, judge. Two hundred or two thousand. It always lasts a week to a fortnight”). Judges were Jean-Luc Fromental, Rick Klaw, Guy Lawley, Michael Moorcock, Linda Steele, Lili Sztajn, and Brandy Whitten.
RICK RAPHAEL (1919-1994) is the winner of the 2020 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award, intended to bring attention to lesser-known SF and fantasy authors. This year’s judges were Barry Malzberg and Robert J. Sawyer.
Author and editor MIKE ASHLEY won the Munsey Award, presented by PulpFest “to an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community.” He received a fine art print by David Saunders as his award (sent through the mail since PulpFest 2020 was canceled).
MICHAEL G. WILLIAMS‘s A Fall in Autumn (Falstaff) won the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award, announced July 27, 2020. The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation presents the award for “outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors.”
GIDEON & JANICE MARCUS of Galactic Journey received the first Space Cowboy Award, “for support and excellence in the field of science fiction,” presented by Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree CA.
STEPHEN KING sold Later to Charles Ardai at Hard Case Crime.
ANDY WEIR‘s SF thriller Project Hail Mary sold to Julian Pavia at Ballantine via David Fugate of LaunchBooks Literary Agency. Film rights sold to MGM, with Phil Lord & Chris Miller to direct and Ryan Gosling to star, produced by Amy Pascal of Pascal Pictures, Ken Kao of Arcadia, and Aditya Sood of Lord Miller.
SEANAN McGUIRE sold Seasonal Fears, a companion novel to Middlegame, to Lee Harris at Tor.com Publishing via Diana Fox of Fox Literary.
ARKADY MARTINE‘s post-apocalyptic Prescribed Burn and a second book resold to Bella Pagan at Pan Macmillan UK via DongWon Song of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Tor is publishing in the US.
SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA sold noir A Dangerous Eagerness; The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, a reimagining of H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau; and a third book to Tricia Narwani at Del Rey via Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
DEREK KÜNSKEN‘s The Quantum War and The Quantum Temple, continuing his Quantum Evolution series, sold to Michael Rowley at Solaris via Kim-Mei Kirtland of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.
JULIETTE WADE sold Inheritors of Power, Spirits of Power, and Evolution of Power in the Broken Trust series to Sheila Gilbert at DAW via Kristopher O’Higgins of Scribe Agency.
BRADLEY BEAULIEU sold the Precipice Trilogy, about humans and dragons in an alliance against an evil empire, to Betsy Wollheim at DAW via Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.
JASON REYNOLDS sold first adult novel The Mouthless God and Jesus Number Two to Kathy Belden at Scribner via Elena Giovinazzo of Pippin Properties.
K.D. EDWARDS sold The Hourglass Throne and a second book to Rene Sears at Pyr via Sara Megibow of kt literary.
GENNAROSE NETHERCOTT‘s fantasy Thistlefoot and “fairytale-evoking” collection 50 Beasts to Break Your Heart sold to Anna Kaufman at Vintage via Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit.
GWENDOLYN KISTE‘s Reluctant Immortals, “in which Dracula’s forgotten victim and Mr. Rochester’s first wife fight against the toxic men in their lives,” and a second book sold to Joe Monti at Saga Press.
TARAN HUNT‘s SF novel The Immortality Thief went to Kate Coe at Solaris via Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates.
R.S. FORD sold the Engines of Empire trilogy to Bradley Englert at Orbit via John Jarrold of John Jarrold Literary Agency.
JAMES BREAKWELL‘s SF novel The Chosen Twelve went to Kate Coe at Solaris via Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group.
C.L. CLARK sold “North Africa-inspired queer epic fantasy” The Unbroken and two more books to Brit Hvide at Orbit via Mary C. Moore of Kimberley Cameron & Associates.
ALEX LIVINGSTON‘s Knave of Secrets went to David Thomas Moore at Solaris via Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency.
AURALEE WALLACE sold two books in new cozy mystery fantasy series In the Company of Witches to Jenn Snyder at Berkley Prime Crime via Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency.
APRIL HUNT sold Not the Witch You Wed and two more in a new paranormal rom-com series – “Sex and the City meets Charmed” – to Jennie Conway at St. Martin’s via Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency
EDMUND GLASBY sold collections Labyrinth of the Lost, Doorway to Darkness, Substance of a Shade, and The Shadow of Terror, and resold collection Angels of Death, to John Betancourt at Wildside via Phil Harbottle.
SARINA DAHLAN sold SF Reset to Rick Bleiweiss at Blackstone Publishing via Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.
EUGENE LIM sold novel Search History and resold Fog & Car and The Strangers to Chris Fischbach at Coffee House Press via Marya Spence of Janklow & Nesbit.
DEA POIRIER sold supernatural thriller After You Died to Chantelle Aimee Osman at Agora Books via Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
HO CHE ANDERSON sold Stone to NeoText via Sam Hiyate at The Rights Factory.
DAVID BOWLES sold The D’Angelo Chronicles, a space opera quartet, to Jason Henderson at Castle Bridge Media.
ALYS MURRAY‘s fantasy Almost Queen sold to MaryBeth Dalto-McCarthy at Sword and Silk.
JESSICA HAMILTON‘s literary fantasy Avril Island sold to Jenny Chen at Crooked Lane via Carolyn Forde of Transatlantic Literary Agency.
WINNIE LYONS sold The Gods We Knew and another title to Parliament House Press.
CINDY WOODSMALL sold Amish timeslip story Yesterday’s Gone and three more books to Jan Stob at Tyndale via Wes Yoder of Ambassador Agency.
RYAN LESLIE‘s Colossus sold to Parliament House Press.
TERRI FAVRO sold SF The Sisters Sputnik to Jack David at ECW Press via Carolyn Swayze of the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.
JUSTIN ALCALA‘s vampire novel A Dead End Job went to Parliament House Press.
JOHN ANDERSEN‘s SF novel Ultimatum went to Candace Thomas at Cayelle.
KELLEY ARMSTRONG‘s YA Beneath the Surface went to Lynne Missen at Penguin Canada Children’s via Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency.
MICHAEL SCOTT will write seven original ebook novellas – “The Lost Stories of the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel” – in his Nicholas Flamel series for Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte Press, with Krista Marino editing. Titles include Nicholas Flamel and the Codex; Machiavelli: Guardian of Paris; Aoife and Scathach, Shadow Twins; Nicholas and the Krampus; Virginia Dare and the Ratcatcher; The Ballad of Black Hawk and Billy the Kid; and The Bard and the Knight.
HARPER GLENN sold a near-future YA novel to Olivia Valcarce at Scholastic in a pre-empt via Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
KATHERINE LOCKE‘s fabulist YA novel This Rebel Heart and a second book went to Marisa DiNovis at Knopf Children’s in a pre-empt via Lara Perkins of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
KWAME MBALIA sold the last book in the Tristan Strong children’s fantasy series to Stephanie Lurie at Rick Riordan Presents via Victoria Marini of Irene Goodman Agency on behalf of packager Cake Literary.
JOANNA RUTH MEYER‘s YA Wind Daughter, companion novel to Echo North, sold to Lauren Knowles at Page Street via Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary Agency.
TEHLOR KAY MEJIA‘s fantasy YA Lucha and a second book sold Michelle Frey and Christopher Myers at Make Me a World at auction via Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
T.R. NAPPER‘s first novel, cyberpunk thriller Thirty-Six Streets, sold to George Sandison at Titan via John Jarrold of John Jarrold Literary Agency.
SARAH ZACHRICH JENG‘s debut novel The Other Me and a second title sold to Jen Monroe at Berkley via Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary Agency.
J.T. GREATHOUSE sold debut trilogy The Hand of the Sun King to Brendan Durkin at Gollancz via Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency on behalf of Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky Literary Agency.
AYANA GRAY sold her debut, YA fantasy Beasts of Prey, plus two more books, to Stacey Barney at Putnam Children’s for seven figures in a pre-empt via Pete Knapp of Park & Fine Literary and Media.
THOMAS MONTELEONE sold novella Timewalker to Christopher Payne at JournalStone via Lane Heymont of the Tobias Literary Agency.
LAVIE TIDHAR will edit World Science Fiction Anthology 1, collecting stories of SF/F from around the globe, for Head of Zeus via John Berlyne of Zeno Agency.
JOHN E. STITH‘s YA novella Tiny Time Machine sold to Ira Nayman at Amazing Stories via Sara Megibow of kt literary.
JOHN TAFF will edit horror anthology Dark Stars for Diana Pho and Kelly Lonesome at Nightfire, with stories by Ramsey Campbell, Alma Katsu, Josh Malerman, Priya Sharma, and more.
DAVID BOOP will edit three original SF Western anthologies for Toni Weisskopf at Baen via Vaughne Hansen of the Virginia Kidd Agency.
ROLAND LEHOUCQ, LOIC MANGIN, and JEAN-SEBASTIAN STEYER will edit Tolkien and the Sciences, an “exploration of Tolkien’s rich universe – its history, languages, landscapes, and characters – by leading scientists,” with illustrations by ARNAUD RAFAELIAN and DIANE ROTTNER, for Pegasus via French Publishers’ Agency on behalf of Humensis.
NAOMI DAY has joined Uncanny as assistant editor, replacing outgoing editor ANGEL CRUZ, starting with the November/December 2020 issue.
REBECCA GOMEZ FARRELL has been named the new communications manager for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The role is intended to produce content and engagement with current and potential SFWA members, “as well as expand the organization’s brand recognition.”
JACKIE WILLIAMS is now an associate agent at the Knight Agency, representing SF, fantasy, mystery, suspense, contemporary, and young adult.
STEVE GEPPI has returned as president of Geppi Family Enterprises (which own Diamond Distribution and related businesses), replacing STAN HEIDMANN, who took over in 2019.
GRADY HENDRIX resold The Final Girl Support Group to Titan in the UK via John Berlyne of Zeno Agency.
ALYXANDRA HARVEY resold Bleeding Hearts, Blood Moon, and Blood Prophecy to Betsy Mitchell at Open Road via Marlene Stringer of Stringer Literary Agency.
JOHN MARRS resold The Minders to Jessica Wade at Berkley via Amelia Evans at Penguin Random House UK.
JAMES TIPTREE, JR. resold 10,000 Light-Years from Home to Penguin UK via Vaughne Hansen of the Virginia Kidd Agency with Susan Smith of MBA for the Tiptree estate.
Film rights to KAZUO ISHIGURO‘s Klara and the Sun were optioned by Elizabeth Gabler at 3000 Pictures, assisted by Drew Reed at Sony, with David Heyman and Rosie Alison at Heyday Films to produce via Ron Bernstein of ICM on behalf of Amanda Urban.
LAUREN BEUKES‘s The Shining Girls received a series order from Apple TV. Shining Girls will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way with Jennifer Davisson. Elisabeth Moss will star and executive produce through her Love & Squalor Pictures with Lindsey McManus. Silka Luisa will be showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Beukes and Alan Page Arriaga are also executive producers, with MRC Television as the studio.
SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA‘s Mexican Gothic is being adapted as a series for Hulu by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos of Milojo Productions and ABC Signature via CAA on behalf of Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
FONDA LEE‘S Jade City is being adapted as a TV series by Peacock with writer and executive producer Dave Kalstein, director and executive producer Breck Eisner, executive producer Dean Georgaris, and Universal TV via CAA on behalf of Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Lee will be a consulting producer.
MAURICE BROADDUS & OTIS WHITAKER‘s Sorcerers (with illustrations by JIM MAHFOOD) was optioned by AMC for development as a series.
Film rights to ELSIE CHAPMAN‘s Caster and Spell Starter were optioned by Paramount. Akiva Goldsman will co-produce with Barry Josephson and D. Matt Geller of Josephson Entertainment, Gregg Lessans of Weed Road Pictures, and Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman of Scholastic Entertainment.
This and more like it in the September 2020 issue of Locus.
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