People & Publishing Roundup, January 2025
KHAN WONG is now represented by Ernie Chiara of Fuse Literary.
ETHAN LAI is now represented by Arley Sorg of kt literary.
Authors LAURA LIPPMAN and JOHN SANFORD are the recipients of the 2025 Grand Master Awards, presented by the Mystery Writers of America.
PETE WOLVERTON, vice-president and executive editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group, received the Ellery Queen Award, honoring “outstanding writing teams and outstanding people in the mystery-publishing industry.” California bookshop Face in a Book is this year’s Raven Award winner for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside creative writing. Winners will be honored at the 79th Edgar Awards ceremony, to be held May 1, 2025 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.
SHARON SHINN sold standalone novel Shifter and Shadow, set in the world of her Twelve Houses books, to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via Ethan Ellenberg of the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.
GENEVIEVE COGMAN’s dark academia fantasy Girls’ School for Demon Summoning and two more books went to Tor UK via Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency.
MARIE LU sold fantasy Red City, described as The Godfather set in an alternate world with alchemy, and a second book to Stephanie Stein at Tor via Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency; Claire Eddy will edit. UK rights went to Bella Pagan at Tor UK in a pre-empt.
RICH LARSON sold story collection Changelog to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via John Silbersack of Bent Agency.
ERIC J. GUIGNARD sold horror novel A Graveside Gallery to Cemetery Dance.
STEPHANIE FELDMAN’s first collection The Night Parade and Other Stories sold to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via Stacia Decker of the Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.
DONYAE COLES sold historical fantasy The Sunken the Adored and “slumlord gothic” What Kills You to Makayla Tabron at Amistad for six figures via Lane Heymont of The Tobias Literary Agency.
MIMI MATTHEWS sold historical fantasy romance Spell, Book, and Scandal to Sarah Blumenstock at Berkley via Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
NESS BROWN sold fantasy novel The Astrologer’s Demon and a second title to Kristin Temple at Tor via Chelsea Hensley of Mad Woman Literary Agency.
PATRICK FITZGERALD’s fantasy adventure Navigators You Can Trust and two more books in the Navigators trilogy sold to Kate Runde at Podium Publishing via Joshua Bilmes of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
KALIE REID’s gothic romantasy The Sacred Space Between sold to Julia DeVarti at Little, Brown at auction via Victoria Marini of High Line Literary Collective on behalf of Alice Caprio at Felicity Bryan Associates. UK rights went to Rachel Winterbottom at Harper Voyager UK at auction.
ILANA MASAD’s literary novel Beings, about alien abductees and “a forgotten lesbian science-fiction writer,” sold to Mo Crist at Bloomsbury US via Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor.
ALLISON MICK sold humorous eco-horror Humboldt Cut and another book to Diana Pho at Erewhon in a pre-empt via John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency.
MARIELLE THOMPSON’s fantasy The Curse of the Cole Women sold to Rebecca Nelson at Alcove Press in a pre-empt via Jill Marr of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
S.M. HALLOW sold queer gothic fantasy The Halls of the Dead and a second book to David Pomerico at Voyager at auction via Laura Zats of Headwater Literary Management.
KIM BOHYUN sold vampire novel Bloody Mother, illustrated by Archana Madhavan, to Morgan Hamilton at Vintage in a pre-empt via Edwina de Charnace of Mulcahy Sweeney on behalf of BC Agency.
MEGAN MOSTYN-BROWN’s horror novel The Need went to Tricia Narwani at Del Rey at auction via Kelly Karczewski of UTA. UK rights sold to Nicole Witmer at Transworld in a pre-empt via Ciara Finan of CBG.
LJ ANDREWS resold three self-published books and sold three new books in the Ever Seas fantasy series to Kristine Swartz at Ace via Katie Shea Boutillier of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
HEATHER PALMER sold sapphic romantic fantasy Deathbound and two more books to Robin Morgan-Bentley at Audible Originals via Robbie Guillory of Underline Literary Agency.
THOMAS ELROD’s SF novel The Franchise and a second book went to Lee Harris at Tor via Ethan Ellenberg of Ethan Ellenberg Agency.
EILISH QUIN sold postapocalyptic novel All the Beastly and Holy Things to Loan Le at Atria via Jessica Spitz at Janklow & Nesbit.
BRIGID LOWE’s The Bloody Branch, “a feminist reimagining” of The Mabinogion, sold to Liz Foley at Harvill Secker via Philip Gwyn Jones of Greyhound Literary.
BENJAMIN RYBECK sold Housatonic to Jeremy Davies at Coffee House Press via Jennifer Lyons of Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.
MEG SHAFFER’s fantasy The Book Witch and a second title sold to Shauna Summers at Ballantine via Amy Tannenbaum of Jane Rotrosen Agency.
J.D. Netto sold fantasy Winterborne and two more in the eponymous trilogy to Kate Runde at Podium Publishing via Susan Velazquez of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
NATALIE CANA sold paranormal romance Beauty and the Chupacabra and a second book to Melanie Iglesias Pérez at Primero Sueño in a pre-empt via Jessica Watterson of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
KARIN NORDIN sold SF novel Eaters of the Parallax and another title to Georgina Green at HQ Digital via Anne Tibbets of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
GEMMA AMOR sold Happy Hour to Alan Lastufka at Shortwave via Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency.
ASHIA MONET sold dark academia Gothic fantasy Necrogenesis and a second book to Ayesha Shibli at Del Rey via Emily Forney of BookEnds.
RY HERMAN’s fantasy This Knight Topples Empires, set in the world of This Princess Kills Monsters, went to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press via Michelle Hauck of Storm Literary Agency.
C.R. JANE sold Shadows of Sparta, “inspired by the Helen of Troy legend with a magical twist,” plus two more books to Victoria Gerken at Podium Publishing via Stephanie Phillips of SBR Media. Cassie Hanjian will edit.
RUTH MCKELL’s cottagecore fantasy romance Honey in Her Veins and a second book sold to Julia DeVarti at Little, Brown in a pre-empt via Amanda Jain of BookEnds.
JOHNNY COMPTON sold horror collection Midnight Somewhere to John Harlacher at Weird Tales Presents via Lane Heymont of The Tobias Literary Agency.
SHANNON MORGAN sold horror novel A Penance of Crows to Elizabeth Trout at Kensington via Kaitlyn Katsoupis of Belcastro Agency.
T.T. MADDEN’s horror novel The Shapes of Our Screams went to David-Jack Fletcher at Slashic Horror Press.
KATY REGNERY sold two books in the It’s You series, a “dark and twisted retelling” of the Cinderella story as well as a paranormal romance, plus another title, to Ellie Folden at Love N. Books Press via Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary. Kayla Ireland will edit.
SCOTT LAMBRIDIS sold magical realist dark comedy St. Ulphia’s Dead to Jaynie Royal at Regal House.
ANTHONY GARDNER’s SF novel All God’s Creatures went to Dan Hiscocks at Eye Books via Tom Cull of Cull & Co. Simon Edge will edit.
GRACE R. REYNOLDS sold horror novel Neon Moon to Rob Carroll at Dark Matter Ink.
U.M. AGOAWIKE sold dark fantasy Black as Diamond to Jaysen Headley at Bindery Books via Emily Forney of Bookends.
LAURENCE RAPHAEL BROTHERS sold SF novel Patissier et Etranger to S.D. Vassallo at Brigids Gate.
MONA TEWARI’s historical fantasy Burn the Sea sold to Jananie K. Velu at Bindery Books via Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency.
YOLANDA SFETSOS sold fantasy Fallen Destiny to S.D. Vassallo at Brigids Gate.
LARA TUPPER sold At the Center, set in a world where printed books are taboo, to Jaynie Royal at Regal House.
LESLIE O’SULLIVAN sold fantasy A Kingdom of Witches and Wanderers to Lisa Green at City Owl Press.
P.C. CAST sold three books in YA romantasy series A Court of Dark Water to Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books via Rebecca Scherer and Jessica Errera of Jane Rotrosen Agency.
ELLEN OH sold haunted house middle-grade novel The House Next Door to Alyson Day at Harper Children’s via Marietta Zacker of Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.
LEANNA RENEE HIEBER sold YA novel Ravenfield Hall to Ardyce Alspach at Union Square Kids via Sara Megibow and Chelsea Hensley.
RACHAEL LIPPINCOTT’s “sapphic, historical romantasy” What You Will, inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, went to Alexa Pastor at Simon & Schuster Children’s via Emily van Beek of Folio Jr.
HANNAH REYNOLDS sold cozy romantasy YA novel A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon to Gretchen Durning at Putnam Children’s via Tamar Rydzinski of Context Literary Agency.
TAYLOR GROTHE’s YA dark fantasy romance Of Auras and Shadows went to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen via Larissa Melo Pienkowski of Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
ANNA MERCIER sold YA fantasy All We Hunger For to Carina Licon at Holt Children’s via Michaela Whatnall of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
JILL BAGUCHINSKY’s Wuthering Heights-inspired YA fantasy May the Dead Keep You went to Crystal Castro at Little, Brown Children’s via Eric Smith of P.S. Literary Agency.
TOM EASTON & TORION OEY sold SF YA novel Boondoggle for David Brin’s Out of Time line, recently acquired by Amazing Selects, which plans to publish future volumes by various authors.
S.G. PRINCE sold YA space fantasy romance If All the Stars Go Dark to Kortney Nash at Godwin Books via Haley Casey of Creative Media Agency.
First novelist FATIMA AL-SHEMARY sold three books in the Heir of Dawn fantasy series to Sareer Khader at Ace in a pre-empt via James McGowan of BookEnds.
MARK HITZ sold postapocalyptic debut The Name of the Dog to Tim O’Connell at Saga Press in a pre-empt via David McCormick of McCormick Literary.
ANITA FONTEBOA’s debut urban fantasy trilogy The Whimsical Gifts of Emma; Emma Light in the Darkness; and Without Sight, Emma’s Blindness sold to Jill Stadler at Primera.
HEATHER BELL ADAMS sold alternate history novella Starring Marilyn Monroe as Herself to Jaynie Royal at Regal House.
SERAPHINA NOVA GLASS sold debut horror novella The Swamps to Stephanie Beard at Podium Publishing via Sharon Bowers and Katherine Odom-Tomchin of Folio Literary Management.
LINDY RYAN & STEPHANIE M. WYTOVICH will edit Howl, an anthology with stories exploring “the synchronicity of woman and wolf” from women horror writers, for Lindy Ryan at Black Spot. Stephanie Wytovich will edit.
L.D. LEWIS resold Year of the Mer and a second title to George Sandison at Titan Books in the UK via Michael Nardullo at Simon & Schuster.
JUDITH MOFFETT resold her Holy Ground trilogy – The Ragged World, Time Like an Ever-Rolling Stream, and The Bird Shaman – to Patrick Swenson at Fairwood Press via Christine Cohen of the Virginia Kidd Agency.
LYLA SAGE resold the Sweetwater Peak duology and three Rebel Blue Ranch novellas to Emma Capron at Quercus via Anna Carmichael of Abner Stein on behalf of lead agent Jessica Watterson of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Dial will publish in the US.
CHARLOTTE CROSS resold first novel The Brides, “sapphic horror” about the Brides of Dracula set 10 years after Stoker’s novel, to Peter Joseph at Hanover Square Press via Jon Mitchell at Macmillan UK.
Chairman and former CEO of Hachette Book Group MICHAEL PIETSCH has ended his career at the company after 33 years. He plans “to take 2025 to travel, relax, and have at the hundreds of unread books on my shelves. In 2026 I’ll return to working with writers to bring their books into the world, the most rewarding of endeavors. See you then.”
RACHEL WINTERBOTTOM was hired for the newly created role of publishing director at Penguin Random House UK’s SF imprint Transworld, starting in March 2025. She was previously at HarperVoyager UK.
GARIELLE PACHON has been promoted to assistant editor at Berkley/Ace.
This report and more like it in the February 2025 issue of Locus.
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