More New Book Deals of NoteAmong this week’s offerings are
Scott McClanahan’s
Fights!, set in the mountains of West Virginia and the early 2010s New York indie literary scene and unites the two great love stories of the author’s adult life—with his wife, writer Julia Escoria, and with his editor and friend, the late Tyrant Books publisher Giancarlo DiTrapano;
Kate Eberle’s
If Books Could Kill, following an adventure-loving woman who makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live inside of a romance novel but finds herself dropped into a crime thriller instead;
Point Blank (Quick Studies), a new art book by Nobel Prize in Literature laureate
Bob Dylan; and
Idle in Provence by Monty Python’s
Eric Idle, on turning a ruin in Provence “from a Shack into a Shackeau” and how it changed his life.
Crown Takes Verse by Matthew McConaugheyGillian Blake and
Matthew Inman at Crown acquired North American rights to
Matthew McConaughey’s latest book,
Poems & Prayers, from
Matthew Elblonk at DeFiore and Company. The book is about “navigating the rodeo of life and chasing down what he calls the original dream, belief,” and includes stories “inspired by both Proverbs and the Old Testament, daydreams in shady south-of-the-border hammocks... nightmares we can’t outrun,” and more, per the publisher. Publication is slated for September 16, with simultaneous audiobook release by Penguin Random House Audio.
13A Nets Allen Iverson’s MemoirCharles Suitt at 13A has acquired world English rights to NBA Hall of Famer
Allen Iverson’s memoir,
Misunderstood, from
Ian Kleinert while at Paradigm.
Aimee Bell will edit. The book, the publisher said, “recounts with searing clarity and touching candor Iverson’s rise from impoverished child in the Virginia projects to high school basketball champion to being named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1996 to NBA All-Star and Reebok’s VP of basketball.” Publication is set for October.
The Latest in Children’s and YA DealsNew projects this week include
Our Wicked Gifts by
Kathryn Foxfield, a YA crossover fantasy in which Cicely, the black sheep daughter of a family who sold their souls to the devil for magic, must track down the masked man killing off her loathsome kin, even as she starts falling for him;
Gods & Comics by
Kat Cho, a YA fantasy romance that follows a teen girl whose viral web comic accidentally brings back ancient Korean gods—including the charming Haemosu; and
Flickerstate by
F.A. Davidson, a debut contemporary YA fantasy about 17-year-old Norah, who develops the ability to manipulate probability, enters a prestigious academy to hone her power, and competes in a grueling competition in hopes of saving herself from a certain death.
Flamingo Catches Jalen Hurts’s Picture Book DebutMargaret Anastas at Flamingo acquired world rights to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and 2025 Super Bowl MVP
Jalen Hurts’s picture book debut
Better Than a Touchdown, illustrated by
Nneka Myers, from
Gwen Beal and
Christy Fletcher at United Talent with Klutch Sports Group, on behalf of Hurts, and
Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, on behalf of Beal. Publication is set for March 2026, with an initial print run of 150,000 copies announced.
Sourcebooks Inks Deal with Indie Author Diane AlberMeg Gibbons at Sourcebooks acquired world rights to multiple series by self-published author and illustrator
Diane Alber from literary and licensing agent
Karen Kilpatrick. Beginning in September 2025, Sourcebooks will publish new editions and original titles in Alber’s Never Let A and Untold Fairies series, as well as new novelty and book-plus products tied to her A Little SPOT and Scribble series. Alber will continue to self-publish picture books in the latter two series.
Putnam Picks Up PopSugar Alum’s Peculiar Romance
