People & Publishing Roundup, June 2023
OGHENECHOVWE DONALD EKPEKI has been appointed virtual conference coordinator for the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts.
EUGEN BACON is now represented by Jennie Goloboy of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
JONNY NEXUS is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.
DEBORAH P KOLODJI has been awarded the President’s Lifetime Service Award, given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association for “service throughout the years, to an individual who has furthered the knowledge, appreciation and acceptance of the speculative poetry genre, and who has served the SFPA in a significant volunteer capacity.”
AYANNA LLOYD BANWO’s When We Were Birds (Doubleday/Hamish Hamilton) is the overall winner of the $10,000 One Caribbean Media Bocas Prize and was honored at the Bocas Lit Fest, held April 28-30, 2023 in Trinidad and Tobago.
JIM BUTCHER sold The Olympian Affair, second in the Cinder Spires, to Anne Sowards at Ace in the US and to Orbit/Little, Brown in the UK.
TERRY BISSON sold Tomorrowing, collecting his “This Month in History” pieces from Locus, to Margret Grebowicz for her Practices series at Duke University Press.
AMAL EL-MOHTAR sold two novels, a novella, and a story collection to Ali Fisher at Tor via DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM sold novel Day to Andy Ward at Random House via Frances Coady of Aragi Inc.
KATHERINE ARDEN sold WWI-era historical fantasy The Warm Hands of Ghosts to Jennifer Hershey at Del Rey via Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit.
ADA HOFFMANN sold collection Resurrections to Apex Publications via Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates.
BRIAN KEENE sold horror/sword-and-sorcery novel Island of the Dead to Apex Publications.
GARETH L. POWELL’s space opera Future’s Edge sold to Cath Trechman at Titan Books via Alexander Cochran of C&W.
R.S.A. GARCIA sold The Night ward and a second book, described as “Caribbean mythology meets The Witcher,” to David Pomerico at Voyager via Cameron McClure of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
ROB HART sold Assassins Anonymous and a second book to Mark Tavani at Putnam in a pre-empt via Josh Getzler of HG Literary. Film rights were optioned by Amblin Partners in a pre-empt via Lucy Stille of Lucy Stille Literary on behalf of Getzler. Hart will be an executive producer.
MARGIE SARSFIELD sold literary horror novel Beta Vulgaris to Drew Weitman at Norton via Maggie Cooper of Aevitas Creative Management.
PETER HELLER sold dystopian novel Burn to Jennifer Jackson at Knopf via David Halpern of The Robbins Office.
ERIKA SWYLER’s SF novel We Lived on the Horizon went to Loan Le at Atria in a pre-empt via Michelle Brower at Trellis Literary Management.
MORT CASTLE sold horror novel The Strangers, and sequel Again, the Strangers to Kevin Lucia at Cemetery Dance.
VAN HOANG’s first adult novel The Remarkably Monstrous Misses Mai sold to Adrienne Procaccini at 47North via Mary C. Moore of Kimberley Cameron & Associates.
SUSAN HARRIS sold vampire novel Own the Night: A Murdering Hour Novel and four more books to Veronica English at CTP.
LEIA STONE sold romantic fantasies The Last Dragon King, The Broken Elf King, The Ruthless Fae King, and The Forbidden Wolf King to Emily Kitchin at HQ at auction via Meire Dias of Bookcase Literary Agency. Cat Camacho will edit.
JASON PINTER sold speculative thriller Past Crimes to Rachel Slatter at Severn House via Amy Tannenbaum and Jessica Errera of Jane Rotrosen Agency.
S.T. GIBSON’s contemporary fantasy novel Evocation and three more books went to Eleanor Teasdale at Angry Robot via Tara Gilbert, who negotiated the deal for the first two books while at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, and for the second pair after moving to kt literary.
KATE GOLDEN sold A Dawn of Onyx, first in the Sacred Stones trilogy, and two more books to Kristine Swartz at Berkley in a pre-empt via Taylor Haggerty and Samantha Fabien of Root Literary. UK rights went to Anne Perry at Jo Fletcher Books in a pre-empt.
POPPY KUROKI sold Gate to Kagoshima, first in romantic historical fantasy trilogy AncestorMemories, and two more books to Jenny Parrott at Oneworld at auction via Edwina de Charnace of Mulcahy Sweeney.
CORY O’BRIEN’s SF mystery Two Truths and a Lie went to Anna Kaufman at Anchor via Jessica Felleman of Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.
ASHLEY SHELBY’s collection Honeymoons in Temporary Locations, with stories about climate disasters, sold to Erik Anderson at University of Minnesota Press.
ROOK BERGEN sold The Madness, “a feminist retelling of Dracula,” and a second title to Sara Rodgers at Graydon House for six figures in a pre-empt via Joelle Hobeika and Laura Barbiea of Alloy Entertainment.
CARSON FAUST sold Native American Southern Gothic fantasy When the Living Haunt the Dead and a second title to Ibrahim Ahmad at Viking at auction via Annie Hwang of Ayesha Pande Literary.
DEVIN MADSON sold fantasy Between Dragons and Their Wrath and two more books to Nivia Evans at Orbit via Julie Crisp of Julie Crisp Literary Agency.
SAARA EL-ARIFI sold fantasy novel Faebound and two more books to Natasha Bardon at Voyager UK via Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment. US rights went to Tricia Narwani at Del Rey via Ginger Clark of Ginger Clark Literary on behalf of Mushens.
DANA ELMENDORF sold magical realist novel In the Hour of Crows to Meredith Clark at Mira via Jill Marr of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
STEPHANIE M. WYTOVICH sold On the Subject of Blackberries, “found poetry and bibliomancy based on Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” to Jennifer Barnes at Raw Dog Screaming Press.
J.M. FREY’s timeslip romance Time and Tide – described as “bi Outlander” – sold to Margot Mallinson at W by Wattpad.
STEVE MCHUGH sold Riftborn novels Under Burning Skies and A Murder of Crows to Victoria Gerken at Podium Publishing via Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit.
TRACY WOLFF & NINA CROFT sold space opera Star Bringer and two more titles to Liz Pelletier at Red Tower via Emily Sylvan Kim of Prospect Agency and Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
KATHERINE SCOTT CRAWFORD sold literary fantasy The Miniaturist’s Assistant to Jaynie Royal at Regal House via Joelle Delbourgo of Joelle Delbourgo Associates.
JEFF COHEN, writing as E.J. COPPERMAN, sold Same Difference: A Fran & Ken Stein Mystery, sequel to The Ukelele of Death, plus the sixth book in the Jersey Girl Legal Mystery series to Rachel Slatter at Severn House via Josh Getzler of HG Literary.
JENNIFER SNOW sold Glimpse, about a psychic life coach, to Dana Grimaldi at Canary Street via Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
JOHN DURGIN sold The Cursed Among Us, Consumed by Evil, and The Black Heart Killer in The Curse of Newport series to Joe Mynhardt at Crystal Lake.
PATRICK BARB sold SF horror novel Abducted to Rob Carroll at Dark Matter Ink.
RAE VALTERA sold fantasy novel The Fractured Witch to Brittany Weisrock at Lake Country Press.
VALERIE NIEMAN’s speculative historical novel Alba and a second book sold to Jaynie Royal at Regal House.
CECY ROBSON’s fantasy novel Bloodguard and two more books sold to Liz Pelletier at Red Tower via Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency.
GEORGE ALLEN MILLER sold SF novel Eugene J. McGillicuddy’s Alien Detective Agency to Frances Sevilla at The Wild Rose Press.
JORDAN REED sold The Bodyshop, second in the fantasy mystery Vrexon series, to Ricky Treon at Blue Handle.
KELBY LOSACK sold horror novel Roughneck to Broken River.
STEPHEN M.T. GREENE’s SF novel Those Fantastic Heroes went to Melanie Billings at The Wild Rose Press.
JIM HORLOCK’s collection Changes went to Cassandra Thompson at Quill & Crow.
BRAD ACEVEDO sold carnival-themed horror collection Mirth & Malice: Scenes from the Sideshow to Cassandra Thompson at Quill & Crow. Tiffany Putenis will edit.
STU JONES sold SF novel The Zone to LK Griffie at Vesuvian Books.
NICOLE WILLSON sold The Keeper of the Key to Malorie Nilson at Parliament House Press.
A.J. VRANA’s Wildblood sold to Malorie Nilson at Parliament House Press.
LILY RILEY sold The Doctor & The Devil to Heather McCorkle at Mystic Owl.
WREN HANDMAN sold The Way by Moonlight to Malorie Nilson at Parliament House Press.
URSULA VERNON’s middle-grade fantasy Familiar Blues sold to Kate Harrison at Dial via Helen Breitwieser of Cornerstone Literary.
M.K. LOBB sold YA historical fantasy To Steal from Thieves and a sequel to Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown Children’s via Claire Friedman of Inkwell Management.
EMMA NOYES sold a YA fantasy romance trilogy – Mare of Night, Lies of Loki, and Sins of Odin – to Vicki Lame at Wednesday Books in a pre-empt via Kimberly Whalen of the Whalen Agency.
LEON KEMP sold YA haunted house novel Trespass Against Us to Lily Kessinger while at Harper Teen via Madelyn Burt of Stonesong. Alice Jerman will edit.
JESSICA S. OLSON sold YA fantasy Den of Liars and a sequel to Holly West at Feiwel and Friends via Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis.
AMANDA DEWITT’s speculative mystery The Hermitage Tapes sold to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen via Cate Hart of Harvey Klinger.
PATCHREE JONES sold YA fantasy Skylight to Atifa Hoque at Sorra. Samiha Hoque will edit.
COURTNEY GOULD’s YA horror novel What the Woods Took sold to Sarah Grill at Wednesday Books via Claire Friedman and Jessica Mileo of Inkwell Management.
RACHEL GREENLAW sold three books in YA fantasy series Compass and Blade to Megan Reid at Harper Children’s UK via Maddalena Cavaciuti of David Higham Associates. Olivia Valcarce at Inkyard Press acquired North American rights.
ALECHIA DOW’s YA fantasy All’s Fair(Y) In Love & War went to Emily Settle at Feiwel and Friends via Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
ALEX CRESPO sold queer paranormal mystery The Watcher to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen via Mary C. Moore of Kimberley Cameron & Associates.
JESSICA GOEKEN’s YA fantasy Invasive Species sold to Laura Baird at Evernight Teen.
LIZA WOLFE & KATE CHRISTENSEN sold YA fantasy The Tarot Sisters and a second book to Brittany Rubiano at Melissa De La Cruz Studio via Richard Abate of 3 Arts Entertainment.
FREYA FINCH’s YA fantasy Rise of the Valkyrie went to Kieran Viola at Melissa De La Cruz Studio via Richard Abate of 3 Arts Entertainment.
GEORGE SIROIS sold YA SF novel The Excelsior Journey, Ever Upward, and another title to Casey Cowan at Roan and Weatherford via Amy Brewer of Metamorphosis Literary Agency.
BONNIE JO STUFFLEBEAM sold comic horror debut novel Grim Root – “The Bachelor meets The Haunting of Hill House” – to Rob Carroll at Dark Matter Ink.
New writer JARED PECHACEK’s fantasy The West Passage sold to Carl Engle-Laird at Tordotcom via Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency.
First novelist SUSANNA KWAN sold SF novel Awake in the Floating City to Naomi Gibbs at Pantheon in a pre-empt via Marya Spence of Janklow & Nesbit.
ANAMELY SALGADO REYES sold first novel My Mother Cursed My Name, with magical realist elements, to Melanie Iglesias Perez at Atria for six figures in a pre-empt via Cecilia Lyra of P.S. Literary Agency.
MURIEL LEUNG’s near-future first novel How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnamable Disaster went to Mo Crist at Norton via Hafizah Geter of Janklow & Nesbit.
Debut author HEATHER AKUMIAH’s fantasy novel Bad Witches sold to Daniel Ehrenhaft at Blackstone Publishing via Deborah Schneider and Penelope Burns of Gelfman Schneider on behalf of Rachel Mann of Jo Unwin Literary Agency.
MICHAEL SIMON sold debut military SF novel First Command and two more titles to Rhett Bruno at Aethon via Michelle Hauck of Storm Literary Agency.
First novelist KALIANE BRADLEY sold time-travel novel The Ministry of Time to Margo Shickmanter at Avid Reader Press in a pre-empt via Chris Wellbelove of Aitken Alexander. UK rights sold to Federico Andornino at Sceptre in a pre-empt.
New writer MAGGIE SU sold YA fantasy Terrestrial to Sarah Stein at Harper via Samantha Shea at Georges Borchardt.
MELISSA YUE’s debut Misadventures in Ghosthunting went to Yashaswi Kesanakurthy at Harper Canada Children’s via Amanda Orozco of Transatlantic Literary Agency.
TRUE SLOAN’s first novel To Haunt and To Hold and a second book sold to Brittany Weisrock at Lake Country Press.
AUDREY LEE sold debut SF novel The Mechanics of Memory to Sue Arroyo at CamCat Books via Kimberley Cameron of Kimberley Cameron & Associates. Helga Schier will edit.
PATRICK ROTHFUSS sold novella The Narrow Road Between Desires, set in the world of the Kingkiller Chronicles and expanding 2014 story “The Lightning Tree”, with illustrations by NATHAN TAYLOR, to Betsy Wollheim at DAW.
CHRISTOPHER BARZAK sold novella A Voice Calling to E. Catherine Tobler at Psychopomp Press.
SARIAH WILSON’s fantasy novella Almost Like Being in Love went to Alison Dasho at Montlake via Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
JEFFREY HANTOVER’s SF novella 87 1/2 Minutes went to Leah Angstman at Alternating Current.
JOHN JOSEPH ADAMS will edit SF anthology The Far Reaches, with stories by JAMES S.A. COREY, VERONICA ROTH, REBECCA ROANHORSE, ANN LECKIE, NNEDI OKORAFOR, and JOHN SCALZI, for Kjersti Egerdahl at Amazon Original Stories, via Joanna Volpe and Jordan Hill of New Leaf Literary & Media for Corey and Roth, Sara Megibow of kt literary for Roanhorse, Seth Fishman of the Gernert Company for Leckie, Eric Simonoff and Angeline Rodriguez of William Morris Endeavor for Okorafor, and Ethan Ellenberg of Ethan Ellenberg Agency for Scalzi.
HANNAH KANER resold debut fantasy series the Godkiller trilogy to Julia Elliott at Harper Voyager US in a pre-empt via Ginger Clark of Ginger Clark Literary on behalf of Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment.
RACHELLE KAMPEN resold the self-published Hanks Hollow paranormal romance series to Patience Bramlett at Wise Wolf.
SOPHIE ROBINSON has left Titan Books to become editorial director at Tor UK. LYDIA GITTINS also left Titan, to join to Tor UK as publicity manager.
Tomorrowland, an operation that organizes fantasy-themed music festivals, sold a trilogy beginning with The City of Forever to Daniel Ehrenhaft at Blackstone via Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit. MICHAEL J.C. ROWLEY is Tomorrowland’s “Fiction Editor and Creative.”
This report and more like it in the June 2023 issue of Locus.
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