and ‘s THE DEAD & BREAKFAST, a cozy mystery about two vampires who open a small town B&B and must prove their innocence when the local mayor shows up dead in their garden with something that looks suspiciously like puncture marks on his neck, to Michelle Vega at Berkley, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services for Thor and Carrie Pestritto at Laura Dail Literary Agency for Hillis (world).
Continue reading March 2024 Deal Announcements
Steinbeck fellow and University of Miami MFA graduate Bobuq Sayed’s NO GOD BUT US, following two gay Afghan men from wildly different walks of life whose paths converge in Istanbul; grappling with themes of queerness, faith, imperialism, authoritarianism, and the sacrifices we make for our families, both born and chosen, to Ezra Kupor at Harper, at auction, by Maria Cardona at Aevitas Creative Management UK (NA).
Author of LOVE AT 350 ‘s MOTOR CITY BABY, a sapphic romance about a woman’s efforts to save a club she managed—and where she fell in love—with a Detroit indie rock star in the ’90s, until the rock star dropped out of the industry and the woman’s life; a blowout benefit concert forces her to reckon with her past and find happily ever after where she least expects it, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, by Frances Black at The Literary Counsel (world).
‘s THE FORTUNATE FALL, a lost classic of queer cyberpunk, following a human “camera” as she uncovers a historical atrocity—and the memories and desires that have been stolen from her, to Kerri Buckley at Dreamscape Media, for simultaneous publication with the new Tor Essentials edition in August 2024, by Lauren Bajek at Liza Dawson Associates.
Author of BEAST and TURDUCKEN ‘s debut A FLORAL ARRANGEMENT, pitched as Jane Austen meets Bridgerton, a sapphic romance between Charlotte Lucas and Mary Bennet that begins four years after the end of Pride and Prejudice, to Stephanie Doig at Carina Adores, for publication in spring 2025, by Laura Zats at Headwater Literary Management (world English).
Sunday Times-bestselling author of A MARVELLOUS LIGHT ‘s SWORDCROSSED, pitched as Ellen Kushner’s SWORDSPOINT meets LEGENDS & LATTES; a second novel pitched as Grey’s Anatomy meets A DEADLY EDUCATION; an untitled novel; and an untitled novella, to Ruoxi Chen at Tor, in a six-figure deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Diana Fox at Fox Literary (US).
Author of the forthcoming SHOOT THE MOON ‘s THE UNBECOMING OF MARGARET WOLF, set in 1956, about two Shakespearean actors in a lavender marriage during one summer that will either bring them closer than ever or rip them apart for good, again to Kate Dresser at Putnam, by Chris Bucci at Aevitas Creative Management (world).
Creative Writing PhD and former bookseller ‘s FLOWERS FROM THE VOID, a short story collection that brings a fresh perspective to literary horror not only by using the lens of Black, female and sometimes queer narrators and communities, but also by raising questions about the sources of all our fears and nightmares, to Christoph Paul at Clash, for publication in May 2024, by Penelope Burns at Gelfman Schneider on behalf of Charlotte Colwill at Colwill and Peddle (NA).
Akutagawa Prize finalist ‘s JACKSON ALONE, translated by Kalau Almony, about four mixed-raced Black Japanese gay men out for revenge when a disturbing pornographic video of one of them is circulated online, pitched as SUCH A FUN AGE meets the films of Jordan Peele, to Nick Whitney in his first acquisition at Soho Crime, in a pre-empt, by Li Kangqin at New River Literary, on behalf of Kohei Hattori at The English Agency and Kawade Shobo Shinsha (world English).
Author of MOSTLY DEAD THINGS and WITH TEETH ‘s CLOWN, following a down-on-her luck party clown in Orlando, Florida, who connects with a much older lesbian magician, in the hopes that she can finally take her clowning career to the next level, exploring entertainment, ambition, art, and love, to Alison Fairbrother at Riverhead, by Serene Hakim at Ayesha Pande Literary (NA).
Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and author of IMAGINE ME GONE ‘s MOTHERS AND SONS, following the story of a gay immigration lawyer estranged from his mother whose world is upended by an asylum case which forces him to confront a past that both he and his mother have tried to ignore, again to Ben George at Little, Brown, for publication in fall 2024, by Amanda Urban at CAA (NA).
‘s ALICE RUE EVADES THE TRUTH, pitched as a queer retelling of While You Were Sleeping with the humor and disability representation of Get a Life, Chloe Brown, a debut romcom about found family, little white lies, and falling in love with your fake boyfriend’s sister, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, at auction, by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary (world English).
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize winner and author of SUGAR RUN and PERPETUAL WEST Mesha Maren’s SHAE, about a West Virginia teen navigating her partner’s transition, an unexpected and complex pregnancy, and new motherhood in the shadow of a burgeoning addiction, to Kathy Pories at Algonquin, for publication in May 2024, by Bill Clegg at The Clegg Agency (NA).
Freydis Moon’s THE GIDEON TESTAMENTS, a novella trilogy filled with Brujería, Norse magic, Catholic mysticism, and demonology—when an exorcist stumbles into an unlikely haunting, he gets far more than he bargained for and kick-starts a chain of events that can’t be undone, to Laura Schreiber at Union Square & Co, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2024, by Bethany Weaver at Weaver Literary Agency.
Lambda Literary Award finalist, GLAAD Media Award winner, and author of PATRICIA WANTS TO CUDDLE Samantha Allen’s ROLAND ROGERS ISN’T DEAD YET, about a (recently departed) closeted A-list celebrity and his (living) mid-list ghostwriter, in a story of two men discovering the meaning of life and love after death, to Sareena Kamath at Zando, with Caolinn Douglas editing, by Leila Campoli at Stonesong (world).
‘s debut OLLIE IN BETWEEN, a coming-of-age novel following a nonbinary middle schooler as a biological predator (aka: puberty) disrupts their ability to camouflage into the binary world, pushing them to choose between the safety of fleeing from their differences or confronting the risks of fighting to take their own path forward, to Brittany Groves and Kat Brzozowski at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in winter 2025, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (world English).
Author of THE STRANGEWORLDS TRAVEL AGENCY series ‘s JAMIE, in which a nonbinary child learns to advocate for themselves after they’re told to choose between attending an all-boys or an all-girls middle school, to Jaime Gelman at Little Bee Books, for publication in summer 2024, by Mathilde Pineau at Hachette Children’s Group (NA).
‘s LOVE MAKES MOCHI, in the Love in Translation series of interconnected standalone romances each written by a different author, in which women of color spend a semester studying abroad, finding love, and unexpected adventure; focusing on a queer love story set in Tokyo, between a goth fashion designer and an aspiring Japanese tattoo artist, to Bria Ragin, Nicola Yoon, and David Yoon at Joy Revolution, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, spring 2025, and winter 2026, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media, for Electric Postcard Entertainment (world).
‘s PRIDE OR DIE, a dark comedy debut in which an anxious lesbian and her chaotic LGBTQ+ club friends become the prime suspects in an attempted murder and must clear their names before the real culprit strikes again, to Sarah Grill at Wednesday Books, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2025, by Natalie Lakosil at Looking Glass Literary & Media (NA).
and ‘s DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE, a Sapphic YA romance following a chaotic but self-assured pianist and military brat, and an uncompromising but uncertain ballerina, who, despite their differences, collaborate for a dance audition and find common ground—and love—along the way, to Claire Stetzer at Harper Children’s with Alice Jerman editing, for publication in winter 2025, by Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency (world).
Author of NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER and PERFECT ON PAPER ‘s NOBODY IN PARTICULAR, pitched as Young Royals meets HER ROYAL HIGHNESS in a sapphic romance that follows an American-born girl as she receives a scholarship to board at a prestigious college where she finds herself falling for the crown princess, to Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books, with Lisa Bonvissuto editing, in a two-book deal, by Jessica Mileo at Inkwell Management (world).
‘s debut ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND FIELD HOCKEY, in which a girl is a walking memory of her mother’s high school years—she has the perfect boyfriend, plays goalie on her prep school’s field hockey team, and is on track to win nationals; but when another girl crashes into her life, will she step off her winning path and take a chance on something entirely new?, to Alison Romig at Delacorte, in a pre-empt, for publication in summer 2025, by Lauren Spieller at Folio Literary Management (world).
‘s IF WE WERE A MOVIE, a debut sapphic rom-com and celebration of Black cinema, about an overachieving high school senior who must work with her easy-going rival to determine who is trying to sabotage the historic Black movie theater they both work at—and try not to fall for her in the process, to Alyson Day at Harper Teen, for publication in winter 2025, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media on behalf of Electric Postcard Entertainment (NA).
‘s BREWED WITH LOVE, a queer contemporary romantasy debut in which a teen witch, desperate to save her family’s apothecary and reputation after her stolen tonic wipes the memory of a rival, must begrudgingly partner with her first crush-turned-coworker to unmask the thief, to Bria Ragin, Nicola Yoon, and David Yoon at Joy Revolution, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2025, by Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency (world).
‘s debut DEATH CARD, a Black and queer contemporary fantasy about a New Orleanian tarot reader and secret witch who is thrown when a pretty tourist’s cards foretell that she will kill her by the end of the next full moon, to Tiara Kittrell at Putnam Children’s, for publication in 2025, by David Purse at Inked Entertainment (NA). The author is represented by Lane Clarke at ArtHouse Literary.
Author of THE ONE TRUE ME AND YOU Remi K. England’s THE RULES AS WRITTEN, a queer romantic comedy in which two nerdy girls in rural Virginia find their characters falling for one another in a D&D game, only to discover those feelings have developed outside of their fantasy realm as well, to Britny Brooks-Perilli at Running Press Kids, for publication in winter 2025, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (world). Film: Sean Berard at Grandview
Author of MAJOR DETOURS and the forthcoming THIS PACT IS NOT OURS Zachary Sergi’s DON’T LOVE THE PLAYER, LOVE THE GAME, a rom-com adventure in which a group of queer gamers, who know each other from a mythology-inspired online video game, meet up IRL to compete in an augmented-reality tournament where sparks fly as the competition heats up and the team’s two lead players try not to fall in love, to Britny Brooks-Perilli at Running Press Kids, in an exclusive submission, for publication in summer 2025, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world).
Author of FRAGILE REMEDY and THE IMMEASURABLE DEPTH OF YOU Maria Ingrande Mora’s A WILD FLAME RISES, a queer, anti-capitalist fantasy in which a girl with the ability to conduct electricity discovers that the powerful house of industry that raised her is not the benevolent organization they present to be, and teams up with two boys—former lovers—who are standing against the harm the house has caused in the name of progress, to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen, for publication in fall 2025, by Erica Bauman at Aevitas Creative Management (world).
erformer and poet ‘s MY CHILD, THE ALGORITHM, a genre-fluid memoir about queer single motherhood, parenting a toddler, and collaborating with a language-producing algorithm, to Mensah Demary at Soft Skull, for publication in August 2024, by Laetitia Rutherford at Watson Little (NA).
Film aficionado and Jeopardy! contestant ‘s SPLICE OF LIFE, a hybrid memoir exploring what it means to be male and queer, combining the author’s lived experiences with his analyses of the impact of 13 films on his turbulent coming-of-age in rural America, to Andrew Gifford at Santa Fe Writers Project, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2024 (world English).
Translator and winner of Columbia’s Henfield Prize ‘s LIQUID, pitched as a subversion of the marriage plot novel for fans of Paul Beatty, set in Los Angeles and Tehran, in which an early 30s queer Muslim adjunct professor sets out to marry rich, resolving to suffer through 100 dates in a single summer, to Evan Hansen-Bundy at Algonquin, in a pre-empt, by Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic (world).
TikTok creator, CEO of Beegrizwrites, and romance book ghostwriter ‘s HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE, a queer twist on the traditional small-town holiday rom-com, where two former classmates reunite for a drunken, banter-filled night and a long weekend of hijinks, falling hard along the way; and a second novel, pitched loosely as Bridesmaids meets Ashley Herring Blake, to Nidhi Pugalia at Penguin, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Dana Murphy at Trellis Literary Management (world).
‘s THE CHRISTMAS SWAP, a queer Christmas romcom featuring a woman who fake dates her friend in order for him to bring someone home for the holidays, only to fall for his sister, to Melissa Rechter at Alcove Press, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2023, by Sarah Scarlett at Penguin Random House UK (NA).
‘s LOVE IN FOCUS, an adult debut, featuring a sapphic second chance rom com pitched for fans of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, in which a relationship advice columnist in her late 20s finds herself re-evaluating her own past after an unexpected breakup, when she’s forced to work with an ex-girlfriend who inexplicably abandoned her during college, the two must pair up to work on a career defining piece about modern love that could not only potentially save the protagonist’s job, but also maybe her heart, to Junessa Viloria at Forever, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2025, by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management (NA).
‘s CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, in which a small town business owner challenges her teenage boyband crush–and local hero–to save the town Main Street from a big business takeover and figures out her own happily ever after while navigating her mother’s dementia, asexuality, and sudden viral fame, to Megan Broderick at Harlequin Special Edition, in a two-book deal, by Jill Marsal at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world).
Author of FOR HER CONSIDERATION Amy Spalding’s next two novels in the Out in Hollywood series, to Norma Perez-Hernandez at Kensington, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2025 and 2026, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (world).
‘s A SPARK IN HIS HAND, in which a vulnerable man stripped of his memories yearns for independence when forced to perform unpaid labor to earn his keep, and runs away to begin an affair with a shy, handsome politician who holds information about his true identity, to Lisa Green at City Owl Press, in a nice deal, for publication in June 2024 (US).
NYU graduate and ex-movie marketer Phil Melanson’s THE FIGUREHEAD, a queer historical novel set in Renaissance Florence, pitched as WOLF HALL meets THE SONG OF ACHILLES, in which the bloody feud between the ruling Medici family and the pope’s court in Rome forever alters the career of a young, gay painter, known today as Leonardo da Vinci, to Gina Iaquinta at Liveright, at auction, by Chad Luibl at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).
Laura Piper Lee’s ZOE BRENNAN, FIRST CRUSH, a sapphic rom-com about a Georgia vineyard owner who’s forced to team up with her childhood crush turned Napa vintner snob to win a prestigious wine festival’s local showcase and save her family’s vineyard, again to Laura Schreiber at Union Square & Co, by Carrie Pestritto at Laura Dail Literary Agency (world).
D.L. Sims’s EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE, a contemporary LGBTQIA+ love story following a college freshman who develops feelings for not one, but two of his classmates, to Anna Todd at Frayed Pages, for publication in fall 2024 (world).
Author of THE SHADOW CABINET Juno Dawson’s QUEEN B, a prequel to HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN, sweeping us to the reign of Henry VIII and the origins of the coven under the beautiful and bewitching Anne Boleyn, to Nidhi Pugalia at Penguin, by Katelyn Dougherty at Paradigm (NA).
Kamilah Cole’s THE SINISTER ELITE, a speculative dark academia thriller about a college freshman haunted by a sense of deja vu that turns deadly when she finds a message scrawled on her skin written in her own hand that simply says REMEMBER, to Mary Altman at Poisoned Pen Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2025, by Emily Forney at BookEnds (world).
Nebula, Lambda, and Hugo Award finalist Lee Mandelo, ed.’s AMPLITUDES: STORIES OF QUEER AND TRANS FUTURITY, a short fiction anthology about how we can imagine better worlds as an act of literary resistance during a time of rising threats against queer and trans people, to Diana Pho at Erewhon, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2025, by Tara Gilbert at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency (world).
2017 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize winner Laura Chow Reeve’s A SMALL APOCALYPSE, a debut collection of stories in which human bodies shape shift, queer ghosts haunt their friends, a young woman pickles memories with her Chinese grandmother, and a movie theater floods during an apocalyptic movie marathon, pitched for fans Carmen Maria Machado and Karen Russell, to Marisa Siegel at Northwestern University Press, for publication in spring 2024, by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts at HG Literary (NA).
Briony Cameron’s THE BALLAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE, an epic tale pitched as based on the legend of a woman of color from colonial Haiti as she becomes one of the few infamous female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean in the 17th century, with a queer love story at its heart, in an exploration of human connection, friendship, and the search for freedom and home, to Natalie Hallak at Atria, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Rebecca Wearmouth at PFD, on behalf of Laurie Robertson (NA).
Rhodes Scholar and filmmaker Eli Zuzovsky’s MAZELTOV, an offbeat coming-of-age debut centered on a closeted gay boy in Israel, who on the day of his bar mitzvah must wrestle with lust and longing as he confronts the forces of family neurosis and national dysfunction, pitched as Philip Roth for millennials, to Riva Hocherman at Holt, in a nice deal, by Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs at Deborah Harris Agency (NA).
Children’s and Middle Grade Fiction Ben Kahn and Jeremy Whitley’s graphic novel THE DASHING SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD PRINCES, the story of a supposed prince who knows that, deep down, she’s really a princess; despite the school’s rigid and outdated gender norms, the princess and her newfound misfit friends find the courage to embrace themselves and stand up to anyone who says otherwise, illustrated by Melissa Capriglione, to Julia McCarthy at Atheneum, for publication in summer 2025, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds for the authors, and by Laurel Symonds at kt literary for the illustrator (world).
Pushcart and Discovery/The Nation prize-winning poet, critic, and editor Rebecca Stafford’s RABBIT AND JULIET, a starstruck queer story about a grieving girl in a small Georgia town who meets the enigmatic daughter of a world-famous actor and embarks on a revenge plot to hold local boys accountable for a series of assaults, to Alyssa Miele at Quill Tree, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Marcy Posner at Folio Literary Management (NA).
Debut author-illustrator Mars Lauderbaugh’s HOLLOW MAGIC, in which a 17-year-old witch, searching for ways to understand her magic, meets an intriguing knight full of secrets, and, with their help, must find a way to lift the curse from an ancient castle or lose the chance to learn the truth about her lineage forever, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in fall 2026, by Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).
Cass Biehn’s debut VESUVIUS, a queer YA historical fantasy pitched as THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by way of THE SONG OF ACHILLES, set in Pompeii days before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in which two boys must grapple with their closely guarded secrets and untangle their fates to make it out of the burning city alive, to Zoie Konneker at Peachtree Teen, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2025, by Annalise Errico at Ladderbird Literary Agency (world).
Author of QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL Lee Wind’s A DIFFERENT KIND OF BRAVE, an adventure romance in which two gay teens—one who has escaped from a gay reprogramming institute in California, and the other, a privileged New Yorker who idolizes James Bond—come together to save each other and free the other teens trapped in the institute, to Jerome Pohlen at Chicago Review Press, for publication in March 2024, by Marietta Zacker at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (world).
Author of THE BEST LIARS IN RIVERVIEW and THE HOUSE THAT WHISPERS Lin Thompson’s THE REAPER’S GLASS, pitched as Our Flag Means Death meets THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE, a queer/trans historical duology about three teens who set sail to face down a secret magical society in 1840s New England, to Camille Kellogg at Bloomsbury Children’s, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2025, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (world).
Author of KINGS, QUEENS AND IN-BETWEENS Tanya Boteju’s MESSY PERFECT, exploring questions of faith, sexuality, and responsibility in the story of an overachieving teen’s efforts to run an underground gender and sexuality alliance and the complications that arise—because not only does she attend a Catholic high school, she also happens to be closeted, to Jennifer Ung at Quill Tree, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2025, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).
Brazilian author Clara Alves’s LONDON ON MY MIND, originally published in Brazil as ROMANCE REAL, translated into English by Nina Perrotta, in which a girl moves from Rio de Janeiro to London to live with her estranged father and his new family, and strikes up an unexpected romance with a beautiful and mysterious girl who is clearly hiding something about her connection to the royal family, to Orlando Dos Reis at Scholastic, for publication in summer 2024, by Danielle Burby and Alba Milena at Mad Woman Literary Agency, on behalf of Seguinte (world English).
Illustrator, cartoonist, and author Lonnie Mann’s GAYTHEIST: COMING OUT OF MY ORTHODOX CHILDHOOD, a coming-of-age graphic memoir about growing up gay in an Orthodox Jewish community, to Liz Frances at Street Noise, with Matt Madden editing, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in February of 2024 (world).
Grammy Award-nominated, Mercury Prize-winning singer, songwriter, and poet Arlo Parks’s THE MAGIC BORDER, a collection of poetry exploring the queer experience, blackness, grief, trauma, and love, featuring photographs by Daniyel Lowden and the complete lyrics to her sophomore album My Soft Machine, to Stuart Roberts at Dey Street Books, at auction, for publication in September 2023, by Meredith Miller at UTA (NA).
Author of RAINBOW: A FIRST BOOK OF PRIDE Michael Genhart’s picture book biography EDIE FOR EQUALITY: EDIE WINDSOR STANDS UP FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY, about the LGBTQ icon whose landmark case before the Supreme Court paved the way for marriage equality, illustrated by Cheryl Thuesday, to Jessica Echeverria at Lee and Low, for publication in spring 2025, by Nicole Geiger at Full Circle Literary (world).
Author of QUEERING THE TAROT, QUEERING YOUR CRAFT, and LESSONS FROM THE EMPRESS Cassandra Snow’s TAROT: IN OTHER WORDS, an anthology of essential writing by leading queer tarot writers and community leaders about their tarot practice and its relevance to LGBTQ+ issues, with contributions from Charlie Claire Burgess, Meg Jones Wall, Siri Vincent Plouff, Asalie Earthwork, Rebecca Scolnick, Maria Minnis, Nick Kepley, and others, to Peter Turner at Weiser Books, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2025, by Kelly Van Sant at kt literary (world English).
Poet charles theonia’s GAY HEAVEN IS A DANCE FLOOR BUT I CAN’T RELAX, a poetry collection where poetic citation assumes the form of cross-generational conversation between queer and trans artists and writers, with methodologies and forms promiscuous (not limited to pop songs, paintings, a sexological study, and AIDS activist agitprop), variable in their structure, and invested in intergenerational queer connectivity, to Nicodemus Nicoludis at Archway Editions, for publication in spring 2024 (world English).
