People & Publishing Roundup, April 2024
F.J. BERGMANN has been named Grand Master by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association. The award is given to “an individual living at the time of selection whose body of work reflects the highest artistic goals of the SFPA, who has been actively publishing within the target genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy for a period of no fewer than 20 years, and whose poetry has been noted to be exceptional in merit, scope, vision and innovation.” Bergmann also received the SFPA President’s Lifetime Service Award.
COLIN WINNETTE’s Users (Soft Skull) is on the five-title shortlist for the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. The winner, to be announced in April, will receive $15,000, and finalists each receive $5,000
STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES sold historical vampire novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and time-travel novel Last Stand at Saber Ridge to Joe Monti at Saga Press via BJ Robbins of BJ Robbins Literary Agency.
PAT MURPHY sold The Adventures of Mary Darling to Jacob Weisman at Tachyon Publications via Jennifer Weltz of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. Jaymee Goh will edit.
SARAH PINBOROUGH sold thriller We Live Here Now to Christine Kopprasch at Flatiron Books via Grainne Fox of UTA on behalf of Veronique Baxter of David Higham Associates.
LOUIS SACHAR’s fantasy The Prisoner of Tiger Castle, his first novel for adults, sold to Anne Sowards at Ace at auction via Ellen Levine of Trident Media Group.
KOSOKO JACKSON sold The Macabre to David Pomerico at Voyager via Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
DAN HANKS sold The Way Up Is Death, “Squid Games meets Lost,” to Eleanor Teasdale at Angry Robot.
MELISSA MARR sold Toni and Addie Go Viral and a second book to Monique Patterson at Bramble via Merrilee Heifetz of Writers House.
KRITIKA H. RAO’s The Legend of Meneka, inspired by traditional Indian stories, and a second book sold to Julia Elliott at Voyager for six figures at auction via Naomi Davis of BookEnds. UK rights went to Voyager UK in a pre-empt.
MICHELLE SAGARA sold volume two of Academia Chronicles and volume 19 of the Chronicles of Elantra to Leah Mol at Mira via Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.
BRIAN KEENE sold The Rising: More Selected Scenes from the End of the World, with illustrations by Charlie Benante, to Steve Wands at Death’s Head Press. Jeremy Wagner will edit.
TESSA GRATTON sold queer fantasy The Mercy Makers and two more books to Angelica Chong at Orbit via Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
REBECCA PODOS sold queer cozy fantasy romance Homegrown Magic and a second book to Anne Groell at Del Rey in a pre-empt via Kate Schafer Testerman of kt literary. UK rights went to Sam Bradbury at Del Rey UK.
JESSIE MIHALIK sold romantasy Silver and Blood and a second book for six figures to Tessa Woodward at Avon via Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
TASHA SURI sold a standalone fantasy described as “Green Knight meets The Starless Sea with reincarnation” and a second book to Priyanka Krishnan before she left Orbit via Laura Crockett of TriadaUS Literary Agency. Tiana Coven will edit.
KRISTIN CAST sold first adult romantasy Empress and three more titles to Christa Desir at Bloom Books at auction via Steven Salpeter of Assemble Media.
EDWARD LEE & MARY SANGIOVANNI sold Lovecraftian horror novel Strange Stones to Christoph Paul at Clash.
LAURA STEVEN sold first adult romantic fantasy Silvercloak and two more in the trilogy to Emily Archbold at Del Rey for seven figures in a pre-empt via Chloe Seager of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. UK rights went to Sam Bradbury at Del Rey in a pre-empt.
OLIVIA WAITE sold historical fantasy A Sharp New Wine and a second book to Sanaa Ali-Virani at Bramble via Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary.
FALON BALLARD sold Something Wicked and What Light Breaks, “romantasy Shakespearean retellings set in a world rife with political upheaval,” to Kate Dresser at Putnam for six figures via Kimberly Whalen of The Whalen Agency.
DAISY PEARCE sold horror novel Something in the Walls and a second title to Alexandra Sehulster at Minotaur at auction via Jordan Lees of The Blair Partnership.
BORA CHUNG’s fantastical novel-in-stories The Midnight Timetable, translated by Anton Hur, sold to Madeline Jones at Algonquin via Jinhee Park of Greenbook Literary Agency. UK rights went to Hannah Chukwu at Dialogue and Australia and New Zealand rights to Marik Webb-Pullman at Scribe.
SORAYA BOUAZZAOUI sold fantasy Aicha Kandicha, based on Moroccan traditional stories, and a second book to Nadia Saward with Angelica Chong at Orbit for six figures at auction via Rachel Mann of CAA.
MARY G. THOMPSON’s A Small Universe sold to Jaymee Goh at Tachyon Publications via Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency.
MICHELLE MIN STERLING sold a near-future SF novel and a second book to Natalie Hallak at Ballantine via Erin Harris at Folio Literary Management. Canadian rights went to Amanda Betts at Knopf Canada via Harris.
JENN MCKINLAY sold Books of Dubious Origin, first in a new cozy fantasy series, and a second title to Kate Seaver at Berkley via Christina Hogrebe of Jane Rotrosen Agency.
RACHEL EVE MOULTON’s horror novel The Fourth Trimester went to Daphne Durham and Aranya Jain at Putnam via Kim Witherspoon of Inkwell Management.
JEFFE KENNEDY, writing as JENNIFER K. LAMBERT, sold fantasy Never the Roses and a second book to Ali Fisher at Tor for six figures in a pre-empt via Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
MOLLY HARPER sold paranormal romantic comedy The Wrong Witch to Hex With, first in the Moonshadow Cove trilogy spun off from the Starfall Point series, and two more books to Rose Hilliard at Audible Originals via Natanya Wheeler of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
A.F. STEADMAN sold time-travel novel Timeless and two more books to Nivia Evans at Saga Press, Charlotte Trumble at Simon & Schuster UK, and Anthea Bariamis at Simon & Schuster Australia via Sam Copeland of Rogers, Coleridge & White.
TINA MAKERETI sold near-future magical-realist novel The Mires to Ghjulia Romiti at Harper Via via Charlotte Seymour.
ANNABEL CAMPBELL sold fantasy novel The Outcast Mage and two more titles to James Long at Orbit in a pre-empt via Robbie Guillory of Underline Literary Agency. Bradley Englert will edit.
CAITLIN ROZAKIS sold humorous fantasy The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association to George Sandison at Titan Books via Sarah Fisk of The Tobias Literary Agency.
LH MOORE sold story collection Breath of Life to Apex Book Company.
DAVID-JACK FLETCHER’s gay comedy The Haunting of Harry Peck went to Steve Berman at Lethe Press.
VINCE A. LIAGUNO sold Demo Reels and Arthouse Madness to Jennifer Barnes at Raw Dog Screaming Press. Stephanie Wytovich will edit.
JEREMY BATES sold horror novel The No-End House to James Abbate at Kensington via John Talbot of Talbot Fortune Agency.
JEFFREY WILSON’s supernatural novel Julian’s Numbers went to Rhett Bruno at Aethon via Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch Literary Services.
GEOFFREY W. COLE’s collection Zebra Meridian and Other Stories sold to Selena Middleton at Stelliform Press.
CAITLIN GALWAY’s collection A Song for Wildcats sold to Dundurn Press.
CATHERINE BUSH sold collection Danger Due To to Bethany Gibson at Goose Lane Editions via Samantha Haywood of Transatlantic Literary Agency.
KRIS ASHTON sold Demon Drink to Joe Mynhardt at Crystal Lake.
J.D. GRAVES sold Mayhem Sam to Steve Wands at Death’s Head Press.
CASE Q. KERNS sold SF novel Habitat to Diane Goettel at Black Lawrence Press.
ROBERT ESSIG’s dark fantasy Sing Me a Death Song sold to Steve Wands at Death’s Head Press.
ELTON SKELTER’s queer erotic horror novel Fatally Yours sold to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
CAT VOLEUR’s ghost novel My Apologies to Tanya Grace sold to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
NIKKI R. LEIGH’s “collection of culinary horrors,” The Thickest Soup You’ve Got, went to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press. Supernatural slasher novel Fiddle Sticks and Stepping Stones sold to Andrew Robert atDarkLit.
RYAN C. BRADLEY’s horror novel Say Uncle – “Uncle Buck meets Hellraiser” – went to Max Booth III at Ghoulish Books.
CARLOS E. RIVERA’s A Hole in the World, third in the White Harbor trilogy, went to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
AURRORA ST. JAMES sold The Thief’s Crown, The Hunter’s Heart, The Guardian’s Rose, The Siren’s Secret, The Beast’s Kiss, and The Wolf’s Revenge in the Fabled Guild historical fantasy romance series, to Kathryn Le Veque at Dragonblade Moonrise.
INGRID SEYMOUR sold The House of Raven, launching the Eldrystone fantasy series, plus two more books to Sophie Keefe at Headline Eternal via Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency.
MARGOT HARRISON sold first adult novel The Midnight Club and a second title to Melanie Fried at Graydon House in a pre-empt via Jessica Sinsheimer of Context Literary Agency.
JEWELLE GOMEZ sold We Three, about lovers “escaping the cold terror of a ‘perfect’ society,” to Sven Davisson at Rebel Satori Press.
ARIC MCBAY’s Recursion and Germination, sequels to Inversion in the Germinal trilogy, went to AK Press.
ZACHARY ASHFORD sold horror novel A Brackish Tide of Teeth and Tears to Andrew Robert at DarkLit.
DREW HUFF sold Run to Beat the Devil to Andrew Robert at DarkLit.
DAMIEN CASEY sold horror novel Bride of the Living Chad to Andrew Robert at DarkLit.
KENYA MOSS-DYME sold horror novel Progeny to Kristina Osborn at TruBorn Press.
C.K. TURNER’s Scarecrow went to Michael Dolan at Winding Road Stories.
JEREMY WAGNER’s horror novel Wretch went to Steve Wands at Death’s Head Press. Kristy Baptist will edit.
JENDIA GAMMON sold SF horror novel Atacama to Jeremy Billingsley of Sley House Publishing.
PEDRO INIGUEZ’s horror collection Fever Dreams of a Parasite sold to Jennifer Barnes at Raw Dog Screaming Press. Stephanie Pearre will edit.
BRIAN BOWYER sold splatterpunk novel Metro Kinetic to Michael Dolan at Winding Road Stories.
RYAN LESLIE sold The Garden of Before, the sequel to The Between, to Malorie Nilson at Parliament House.
BRIAN MCAULEY’s slasher novel Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying sold to Alan Lastufka at Shortwave via Dan Milaschewski of UTA.
LEX CROUCHER’s YA fantasy The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones went to Vicki Lame at Wednesday Books via Chloe Seager of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. UK rights to that novel and a second book went Bethan Morgan at Gollancz at auction via Seager.
LISA SPRINGER’s YA horror novel Who’s All Going (To Die)? went to Bria Ragin at Delacorte via Danielle Burby of Mad Woman Literary Agency.
TRISHA TOBIAS’s YA ghost story Honeysuckle and Bone and a second book sold to Tiffany Liao at Zando Children’s at auction for six figures via Chelsea Eberly of Greenhouse Literary Agency on behalf of Dovetail Fiction/Working Partners. Lexy Cassola and TJ Ohler will edit.
KRISTEN PIPPS sold dark YA fantasy The Library of Lost Girls to Krista Marino at Delacorte via Caitlin White and Mandy Hubbard of Emerald City Literary Agency.
R.T. ESTER’s first SF novel The Ganymedan went to Amy Borsuk at Solaris via Jason Yarn of Jason Yarn Literary Agency.
JESSIE SYLVA’s first novel How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days went to Tiana Coven at Orbit and Jenni Hill at Orbit UK via Maeve MacLysaght of Copps Literary Services.
BRIGITTE KNIGHTLEY sold debut romantasy duology The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy to Cindy Hwang at Ace at auction via Thao Le of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. UK rights went to Nadia Saward at Orbit UK.
First novelist MOOREA CORRIGAN sold alternate historical fantasy Thistlemarsh to Kate Seaver at Berkley in a pre-empt via Sarah Landis of Sterling Lord Literistic. UK rights went to Kate McHale at Del Rey at auction via Rachel Clements of Abner Stein.
ALICE MARTIN sold debut Westward Women, “about a mys
Michelleterious disease that infects women, prompting them to abruptly leave their homes and walk west toward the Pacific Ocean in 1970s America,” to Alexandra Sehulster at St. Martin’s in a pre-empt via Maria Whelan of Inkwell Management. UK rights went to Carla Josephson at Little Brown UK via Hattie Grunewald of The Blair Partnership on behalf of Whelan.
Artist MICHELLE WONG’s debut novel House of the Beast, illustrated by the author, went to Julia Elliott at Voyager in a pre-empt via Thao Le of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. UK rights sold to Ajebowale Roberts at Voyager UK in a pre-empt.
New writer NINI BERNDT sold near-future novel There Are Reasons for This to Masie Cochran at Tin House Books via Rebecca Gradinger of UTA.
KELSIE SHERIDAN GONZALEZ’s first novel, historical romantasy The Ones Time Forgot, sold to Melissa Rechter at Alcove Press via Stefanie Rossitto of The Tobias Literary Agency.
New writer MORGAN HOIT PAGER sold The Art of Vanishing to Hilary Rubin Teeman at Ballantine in a pre-empt via Ariele Fredman of UTA.
SENAA AHMAD’s story collection The Age of Calamities and debut novel Eleanor Is the Cruelest Month went to Caroline Zancan at Holt in a pre-empt via Alexa Stark of Writers House.
CAROLINA FLOREZ CERCHIARO sold debut horror novel Bochica – “Mexican Gothic meets The Shining” to Michelle Herrera Mulligan at Primero Sueno at auction via Janine Kamouh of William Morris Endeavor.
Debut author SCOTT BROKER sold The Disappointment to Alicia Kroell at Catapult via Kent Wolf of Neon Literary.
New writer PETRA LORD’s YA fantasy Queen of Faces, first in a series, and two more books went to Brian Geffen at Holt Children’s for seven figures at auction via Pete Knapp and Stuti Telidevara of Park & Fine Literary and Media. UK rights sold to Nick Lake and Natalie Doherty at Harper Fire for six figures in a pre-empt via Claire Wilson of Rogers, Coleridge & White.
JULIA ALEXANDRA’s debut YA romantasy Nightmare on the Celestial and a second book sold to Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books in a pre-empt via Ellen Goff of HG Literary.
LULEE MA sold debut YA novel The Perfections, “The Hunger Games meets K-Pop,” to Krista Marino at Delacorte in a pre-empt via Rachel Petty of The Blair Partnership.
ANDREA HANNAH & REBECCA MIX sold YA novel I Killed the King – described as “Glass Onion with magic” – and a second title to Kristin Rens at Harper Children’s in a pre-empt via Victoria Marini of High Line Literary Collective for Hannah and Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret for Mix.
EMILY COOPER’s debut YA horror novel Season of Fear went to Jessica Anderson at Christy Ottaviano Books in a pre-empt via Chloe Seager of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. UK rights for that book and a second title went to Charlotte Trumble at Simon & Schuster UK Children’s at auction.
First novelist SAMANTHA CHONG sold fantasy Prodigal Tiger, “rooted in Malaysian culture and diaspora,” to Tiara Kittrell at Putnam Children’s at auction via Larissa Melo Pienkowski of Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
TESIA TSAI’s YA fantasy Deathly Fates and a second book went to Vanessa Aguirre at Wednesday Books in a pre-empt via Laura Crockett of TriadaUS Literary Agency.
YUEH YANG sold debut The Omen Girl to Deanna McFadden at Wattpad via Kesia Lupo of The Bindery. Fiona Simpson will edit.
First novelist ASHA GREYLING sold Miss Dhingra’s Vampire to Sara Henry at Crooked Lane.
WILL BOOHER’s debut YA fantasy The Table went to Ricky Treon at Blue Handle.
CHRISTOPHER HARTLAND sold YA queer romantasy As One Door Closes to Joshua Dean Perry at Tiny Ghost Press.
KN GOULD sold debut Path of Totality to Joe Mynhardt at Crystal Lake.
AMANDA CASILE’s first novel Broken Trail went to Sue Arroyo at CamCat Books. Helga Schier will edit.
New writer MATHEW L. REYES sold three novellas in series God’s Own Country to Cassandra Thompson at Quill & Crow. Stephen Black will edit.
C.S. HUMBLE sold novella trilogy To Carry a Body to Its Resting Place, San Antonio Mission, and Baroness of the Eastern Seaboard, set in the That Light Sublime series, to Alan Lastufka at Shortwave via Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency.
LYNN HUTCHINSON LEE’s “dark eco-fantasy” novella Origins of Desire in Northern Orchid Fens sold to Selena Middleton at Stelliform Press.
DORI LUMPKIN’s queer horror novella Antenora sold to Amanda Manns at Creature.
MAHAILA SMITH’s “queer novelette-in-verse” Seed Beetle, with illustrations by Julia LouisePereira, went to Selena Middleton at Stelliform Press.
OLIVIA WAITE sold SF mystery novella Murder by Memory and two more titles to Sanaa Ali-Virani at Tordotcom via Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary.
Scholar CAROLINE BICK sold non-fiction book Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King, “a study of how King drafted some of his most iconic works… while telling the author’s own story about a grown-up literature professor facing her childhood fears,” to David Ebershoff at Hogarth in a pre-empt via Elizabeth Kaplan of Elizabeth Kaplan Agency.
MAKANA YAMAMOTO resold “enemies-to-lovers lesbian space heist” Hammajang Luck and two more books to David Pomerico at Harper Voyager US at auction via Tara Hiatt at Gollancz.
LINDSAY LOVISE resold paranormal romance Perfectly Wicked to Alexa Allen-Batifoulier at Renegade Books via Stephanie Manova at Alcove Press.
EMILIE NIKOTA resold romantasy The House Witch, first published under the name Delemhach, and three more books to Rebecca Hilsdon at Michael Joseph in the UK via Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit.
First novelist FRANCES WHITE resold Voyage of the Damned – “as if Agatha Christie wrote fantasy” – and two more books to Nicole Brebner at Mira in a pre-empt via Sarah Scarlett of Penguin Random House UK on behalf of Harry Illingworth of DHH Literary Agency.
MARC GASCOIGNE has left his position as publishing director at Aconyte Books after five years. “It’s time to go and seek out something new and exciting to fire my passions.”
MIRIAM WEINBERG has been promoted to executive editor at Tor, with TROIX JACKSON and DIANNA VEGA both promoted to assistant editor.
JHANTEIGH KUPIHEA is now president and publisher at Quirk Books, replacing founder DAVID BORGENICHT, who becomes chairman. NICOLE DE JACKMO was promoted to executive vice-president and deputy publisher.
Film and TV rights to R.F. KUANG’s Babel were optioned by Paul Lee and Josh Stern at wiip, with Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Isaac Klausner at Temple Hill Entertainment producing, via Steve Fisher of Independent Artist Group on behalf of Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates.
STEVEN BARNES will write Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss for Elizabeth Schaefer at Random House Worlds via Justin Bell and Eleanor Wood of Spectrum Literary Agency.
Film rights to JOSEPH MALIK’s military SF novel Stonelands went to Jamie Stevenson at VFX Films via Sarah Hershman of Hershman Rights Management
TV rights to JAYNE COWIE’s alternate-world crime thriller Curfew went to Paramount+, with Vertigo Films producing, in association with Evolutionary Films via Andrew Mills of Revolution Talent on behalf of Ella Kahn of DKW Literary.
S.A. COSBY will write a novel about Marvel Comics character Luke Cage for the Marvel Crime series for Adam Wilson at Hyperion Avenue via Josh Getzler of HG Literary.
LISA JEWELL sold Breaking the Dark, about Marvel Comics character Jessica Jones, to Adam Wilson at Hyperion Avenue for the Marvel Crime series via Deborah Schneider of Gelfman Schneider/ICM on behalf of Jonny Geller of The Curtis Brown Group.
ALEX SEGURA sold a novel about Marvel Comics character Daredevil for the Marvel Crime series to Adam Wilson at Hyperion Avenue via Josh Getzler of HG Literary.
KEALA KENDALL sold How Far I’ll Go, “a twist on Disney’s Moana for the Twisted Tales series,” to Brittany Rubiano at Disney-Hyperion via Cortney Radocaj of Belcastro Agency.
This report and more like it in the April 2024 issue of Locus.
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