Category Archives: Deal Announcements

March 2023 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Author of STARS COLLIDE Rachel Lacey‘s COVER STORY, a sapphic bodyguard romance featuring an A-list actress in need of extra protection who hires a female bodyguard to pose as her girlfriend in order to keep the real story under wraps, again to Lauren Plude at Montlake, by Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary Agency (world).

Laura R. Samotin‘s THE SINS ON THEIR BONES, pitched as inspired by Jewish mysticism and folklore, in which two estranged husbands on opposite sides of a civil war fight for the same throne, with a daring spymaster caught in the crossfire, set in a fantastical reimagining of 19th century Eastern Europe and pitched for fans of Leigh Bardugo, C.S. Pacat, Ava Reid, and Katherine Arden, to Amanda Ferreira at Random House Canada, in a two-book deal, by Hannah VanVels Ausbury at Belcastro Agency (world).

Author of the forthcoming GLASSWORKS Olivia Wolfgang-Smith‘s THE SYNDICATE, set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, following a lavender marriage between a soap company’s mid-level manager, an eccentric scion of New York’s social royalty, and a lesbian who builds a business empire behind her husband’s names, pitched in the vein of Hernan Diaz’s TRUST and Colm Toibin’s THE MAGICIAN, to Grace McNamee at Bloomsbury, for publication in winter 2025, by Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic (world English).

S. A. MacLean‘s debut THE PHOENIX KEEPER, a queer fantasy romance set in a magical zoo of mythical creatures, in which a socially anxious phoenix keeper and a hotshot griffin keeper go from academic rivals to lovers while navigating fraught zoo politics, fighting off vicious poacher attacks, and trying to save their critically endangered residents, to Priyanka Krishnan at Orbit and Bethan Morgan at Gollancz, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton Agency (world).

NYT bestselling author of THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE Mackenzi Lee‘s LADY LIKE, a queer regency rom-com pitched as Bridgerton starring Kate McKinnon, in which two very different women set their sights on marrying the same duke, but instead find themselves falling in love with each other, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a pre-empt, by Laurie Liss at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Author of the forthcoming JUST AS YOU ARE Camille Kellogg‘s THE NEXT CHAPTER, pitched as a queer retelling of Notting Hill, in which a butch bookseller has a meet-cute with a famous actor who just so happens to need a starter girlfriend to establish her new branding as a Queer Icon, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a two-book deal, by Jessica Alvarez at BookEnds (world English).

NYT bestselling author Melissa Marr‘s REMEDIAL MAGIC, in which a lesbian librarian is taken away to a magical community college within an inclusive magic city where she falls for a secretive Victorian witch – only to discover that her new world is dying and her witch is a liar, to Monique Patterson at Bramble, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House (NA).

THE TWO DOCTORS GORSKI author and LAMBDA award winner Isaac Fellman‘s AS ABOVE, SO BELOW, the story of a boy and his two adoptive parents, their transitions, their art, and the revolution they sparked in a mystical far-future state, told through the lens of the character’s memoir and autobiography, to Carl Engle-Laird at Tor, by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

Children’s and Middle Grade Fiction

NYT-bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp‘s SPLINTER & ASH, a debut prose series in which a disabled princess and her nonbinary squire find solace and friendship in each other, only to have their mettle tested when the princess is kidnapped and secrets that could send their kingdom crumbling into war and ruin are revealed, to Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow, in a major deal, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

Joelle Retener’s picture book MARLEY’S PRIDE, in which a nonbinary child with big anxieties must overcome their fear of crowds when their zaza is up for an award at Pride, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley, to Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books, for publication in spring 2024, by James McGowan at BookEnds for the author and the illustrator (world).

Lee Wind‘s picture book LOVE OF THE HALF-EATEN PEACH, pitched as an epic take on Yuan (Duke Ling of Wei) and his beloved Mi Zi Xia, who shared a peach circa 500 BCE, inspiring generations of people to use the expression “Love of the Half-Eaten Peach” in Chinese to describe romantic love between men, illustrated by Jieting Chen, to Wiley Blevins at Reycraft, for publication in spring 2024, by Marietta Zacker at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency for the author, and by Alexandra Gehringer at The Bright Group for the illustrator (world).

Author-illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch‘s picture book O.K. IS GAY, which follows a boy who discovers that words cannot express the joy of loving who he loves, to Courtney Code at Abrams Children’s, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2025, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of ANYTHING BUT FINE and TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL Tobias Madden’s WRONG ANSWERS ONLY, about a queer teen overachiever whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s sent to live on a cruise ship with his estranged uncle following a series of panic attacks, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2024, by Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management (NA).

Author of JADE FIRE GOLD June CL Tan‘s DARKER BY FOUR, pitched as The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, where an exorcist-in-training makes a deal with a trickster death god to regain the magic she lost—and save the life of the boy who stole it, to Alice Jerman at Harper Teen, in a significant deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Author of IN THE RAVENOUS DARK and the forthcoming COURT OF THE UNDYING SEASONS A.M. Strickland‘s LADY DRAGON, a sapphic romantasy where two new leaders coming of age in war-torn lands—a reluctant human princess and the favored contender for the draconic queenship—must grapple with betraying their clashing nations or their unexpected feelings for each other, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in spring 2025, by Hannah Bowman at Liza Dawson Associates (world).

Author of forthcoming THE ALCHEMY OF MOONLIGHT David Ferraro‘s A VILE SEASON, pitched as Bridgerton meets Interview with a Vampire, in which a jaded vampire who has lost his immortality is tasked with wooing the young heir to a dukedom in order to regain his eternal life, but the secrets and scandals of British high society and an intriguing surprise suitor provide obstacles that force him to reevaluate his quest and his heart, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2024, by Eva Scalzo at Speilburg Literary Agency (world English).

Author of I’LL BE THE ONE and FLIP THE SCRIPT Lyla Lee‘s THE CUFFING GAME, pitched as a K-drama take on Pride and Prejudice, but if Elizabeth and Darcy were forced to work together on a LGBTQ-friendly Love Island-esque reality TV show, the story follows a bisexual film student, who needs a star to help generate interest for her show, so she enlists the campus heartthrob, and while whirlwind dates are happening on camera, the director and contestant realize they might be falling for one another behind the scenes, to Mabel Hsu at Katherine Tegen Books, in an exclusive submission, for publication in winter 2025, by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management (NA).

Non-Fiction and Poetry

E.F. Schraeder‘s THE PRICE OF A SMALL HOT FIRE, a debut poetry collection that is a study on estrangement and loss, excavating the archetypal horrors of monstrous motherhood, from abandonment and unsteady reconciliation to the grave, giving voice to a semi-autobiographical examination of a griefscape from a queer lens, to Jennifer Barnes at Raw Dog Screaming Press, with Stephanie Wytovich editing, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in July 2023 (world English).

Managing editor of Brevity and coeditor of THE LYRIC ESSAY AS RESISTANCE Zoe Bossiere‘s memoir CACTUS COUNTRY, about growing up genderfluid in a trailer park outside of Tucson, Arizona, capturing the violence and poignancy of trans boyhood set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, and the fraught and tender beginnings of life as a queer adult and writer, to Abby Muller at Abrams Press, at auction, by Maggie Cooper at Aevitas Creative Management (NA).

James Beard Award–winning author of THE MAN WHO ATE TOO MUCH John Birdsall‘s WHAT IS QUEER FOOD?, a historical excavation of the queer voice in food, arguing that food became a language of queer identity in post-war America, and the queer embrace of sensuality in food changed the way we cook, eat and gather around the table, to Melanie Tortoroli at Norton, by Dado Derviskadic and Steve Troha at Folio Literary Management (world English).

Western Washington University professor Carol Guess‘s INFODEMIC, focusing on contemporary queer life during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Trump’s presidency; beginning with the memory of a thwarted kidnapping attempt and ending with musings on life after death, the author engages philosophical questions about spirituality, ethics, and politics, incorporating prose narratives with lineated poems, and capturing the humor and interconnectedness of the author’s queer chosen family, to Diane Goettel at Black Lawrence Press, for publication in July 2024.

Queer somatic therapist, known as @somaticwitch who specializes in treating trauma and PTSD specifically with the LGBTQ+ community Andrea Gutierrez-Glik LCSW’s RADICAL TRAUMA HEALING: A TRANSFORMATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND BEYOND, addressing the specific trauma that affects the queer, trans, POC communities and all those at the margins so they can finally see themselves in the healing process, recognizing that trauma can be more than personal, it can be rooted in systemic oppression and the recovery process might be radical, loud and angry and ultimately a political act, to Meg Leder at Penguin Life, by Laura Nolan at Aevitas Creative Management (world).

February 2023 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award and a Lambda Literary Award, and author of BIG FAMILIA Tomas Moniz‘s ALL FRIENDS ARE NECESSARY, set in the Bay Area, following a late-30s bisexual man’s effort to reconnect to the world through misadventures in dating, Peloton, and OnlyFans after his marriage dissolves in the wake of his partner’s loss of a full-term pregnancy, to Evan Hansen-Bundy at Algonquin, in a pre-empt, by Eleanor Jackson at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner (world).

Continue reading February 2023 Deal Announcements

January 2023 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Hana Lee’s debut MAGEBIKE COURIER, a cross-cultural fantasy pitched as Mad Max: Fury Road with magic and sapphic romance, about a messenger between star-crossed royals who finds herself embroiled in a high-speed chase across the perilous desert wastelands when the princess she works for decides to escape an unwanted betrothal, to Amara Hoshijo at Saga Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Paul Lucas at Janklow & Nesbit (world English).

Author of THE MAGIC BETWEEN Stephanie Hoyt’s PROVE IT, the first in a New Adult romance series pitched as The Mighty Ducks’s queer adventures in the NHL, in which a poorly timed comment during a joint interview leaves the relationship between the first and second overall picks a point of interest long after the draft is over, to Elizabeth Coldwell at NineStar, for publication in spring 2024.

Johanna van Veen‘s MY DARLING DREADFUL THING, a sapphic Gothic novel pitched as THINGS IN JARS meets THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE, about a young woman who has a spirit companion only she can see; but as she’s undeniably drawn to an enigmatic young widow, a gruesome death puts both her innocence and her sanity in question, to Jenna Jankowski at Sourcebooks, in a very nice deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring of 2024, by Kristina Perez at Zeno Agency (world English).

Author of WE ARE WATCHING ELIZA BRIGHT A.E. Osworth‘s AWAKENED, in which a 30-something gay witch wakes up one morning with magic powers and subsequently charms their way through love, loss, drag brunches, and the gig economy while battling an evil AI along with their newly adopted chaotic trans coven, to Seema Mahanian at Grand Central, by Ryan Harbage at Fischer-Harbage Agency (world).

Queer librarian Arden Brax’s debut THE LILY OF ENARAH, a sapphic science fiction novel in which an adopted daughter of the viceroy quickly learns that duty comes before all when she is forced to make an enemy of the girl she loves in order to save her people, to Cate Pearce at Hansen, for publication in May 2024.

Miniaturist and fantasy author Mary Lynne Gibbs’s THE PRINCESS AND THE THIEF, pitched as a sapphic Rapunzel retelling in which a cursed elvish princess escapes her sheltered home to seek the help of the empress and reluctantly enlists a rogue thief to aid in her quest, but fighting, torture, revenge, monsters, chases, escapes, and maybe true love stand in their way, to Cate Pearce at Hansen, for publication in July 2024.

Author of EVERYBODY (ELSE) IS PERFECT Gabrielle Korn’s THE SHUTOUTS, the sequel to the forthcoming YOURS FOR THE TAKING, a queer dystopian novel about the people excluded from a global climate change relief program, their struggle to survive, and their search for truth that reveals an interconnectedness larger than all of them, to Hannah O’Grady at St. Martin’s, by Nicki Richesin at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner (world).

New School MFA graduate Alana Saab’s PLEASE STOP TRYING TO LEAVE ME, in which, while god is sending her signs through Instagram and Spotify telling her to break up with her girlfriend, a 27-year-old meets a new therapist for one reason: she really needs to write again, to Ellie Pritchett at Vintage, for publication in summer 2024, by Mina Hamedi at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).

Author of ASK A QUEER CHICK Lindsay King-Miller‘s THE Z WORD, a debut queer horror novel about a zombie outbreak at a small-town Pride festival, in which a scrappy found-family band of queers must confront corporate pinkwashing, political manipulation, and shambling monsters who want to eat them, to Jess Zimmerman at Quirk Books, for publication in spring 2024, by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (world).

NBCC award finalist, Dylan Thomas Prize, Lambda Literary Award, National Book Award 5 Under 35 recipient, and author of LOT and MEMORIAL Bryan Washington‘s FAMILY MEAL, about two queer best friends who reconnect after an estrangement and a shocking loss, to Laura Perciasepe at Riverhead, by Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Lambda Award-winning author Julia Watts‘s LOVESICK BLOSSOMS, set in 1953, in which two married women struggle to come to terms with their deepening love for each other in a small college town in Kentucky, against a backdrop of racism, sexism, and complete rejection of same-sex liaisons, to Kat Georges at Three Rooms Press, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2023 (world English).

WHY AREN’T YOU SMILING, GUTTER BOYS, and I MARRIED AN EARTHLING, and Lambda Award finalist for the memoir DISASTERAMA Alvin Orloff‘s VULGARIAN RHAPSODY, a tour of San Francisco’s fabled queer bohemia in the waning days of the 20th century, as the city’s budget bon vivants work to save their eccentric lifestyles in the face of tech gentrification, to Peter Carlaftes at Three Rooms Press, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2023 (world English).

Metalsmith and queer horror author Sofia Ajram’s BURY YOUR GAYS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TRAGIC QUEER HORROR, to Max Booth III at Ghoulish Books, for publication in April 2024 (world English).

Children’s/Middle Grade Fiction

Rainie Oet’s MONSTER SEEK, about two children playing hide-and-seek during a thunderstorm, exploring gender identity, the love between siblings, and the meaning of monstrosity, illustrated by Deb JJ Lee, to Susan Dobinick at Astra Young Readers, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2026, by Abigail Frank at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates for the author, and by Edward Maxwell at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates for the illustrator (world).

Author-illustrator of GENDER QUEER Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar’s SAACHI’S STORIES, a coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about an aspiring author who struggles to navigate changing social dynamics and her evolving identity, as her friends start coupling up and everybody else seems to fit neatly into a boy/girl binary, to David Levithan at Graphix, in a good deal, at auction, for publication in spring 2025, by Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt Agency (world).

Melanie Gillman’s RECLUSIVIA, a graphic novel about a nonbinary kid going to an art summer program where things take a turn for the strange and haunted, to Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic, for publication in summer 2025, by Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management (world).

Young Adult Fiction

NYT-bestseller Rachael Lippincott’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE & PITTSBURGH, pitched as Freaky Friday meets Bridgerton, about a girl sent back in time who meets an unexpected love interest in the 19th century, to Alexa Pastor at Simon & Schuster Children’s, in a significant deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Emily van Beek at Folio Literary Management (world).

Freddie Kolsch’s debut NOW, CONJURERS, in which the partially devoured body of a high school quarterback is discovered in a local cemetery, and his bereaved boyfriend and close-knit coven of queer misfits are plunged into an occult murder investigation that leads to a wish-granting demon lurking beneath their town, to Laura Schreiber at Union Square Kids, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency (NA).

Author of I THINK I LOVE YOU Auriane Desombre’s I LOVE YOU S’MORE, a queer rom-com in which a teen has her heart broken after her high school sweetheart-turned-celebrity cheats on her, and she soon finds herself swept up in a fun and new swoony romance at summer camp with another camp counselor, to Kelsey Horton at Delacorte, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management (world).

Author of MAJOR DETOURS and SO YOU WANNA BE A POP STAR? Zachary Sergi’s THIS PACT IS NOT OURS, a queer YA horror in which four college-bound best friends return to the idyllic campsite their families have visited every summer, only to discover they are cursed by an ancestral pact that threatens to tear their friendships–and the world—apart, pitched as WE WERE LIARS meets Stranger Things, to Joshua Dean Perry at Tiny Ghost Press, for publication in October 2023, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world English).

Debut author Jamie D’Amato‘s THE GOOD VAMPIRE’S GUIDE TO BLOOD AND BOYFRIENDS, a rom-com in which the last thing a boy expects after surviving serious depression is to wake up a vampire; now he has to navigate not only college but bloodthirsty instincts, vampire clans who may not be as “good” as they claim, and feelings for the cute boy who is helping him keep his secret, to Vicki Lame and Vanessa Aguirre at Wednesday Books, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2025, by John Cusick at Folio Jr. (NA).

Non-Fiction

Annenberg Innovation Lab Fellow, writer, oral historian, and founder and director of Country Queers Rae Garringer’s COUNTRY QUEERS: THE STORY OF A DIY RURAL QUEER ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, part memoir of a project, part activation of a trove of over 90 oral histories, part collection of photographs of rural queer people, places, and ephemera made/found along the way, revealing the joys, challenges, and nuances of rural queer life, to Katy O’Donnell at Haymarket, with Dao Tran editing (world).

LGBTQ+ advocate and former professional hockey player Harrison Browne and investigative journalist Rachel Browne‘s LET THEM PLAY, centering trans and nonbinary voices to debunk myths around the increasingly volatile debate about the participation of gender-diverse athletes while advocating for the inclusion of trans athletes across all levels of sport, to Joanna Green at Beacon Press, by Carly Watters at P.S. Literary Agency (NA).

Author of the Pacific Northwest Book Award winner and an NPR Best Book of the Year RED PAINT Sasha LaPointe‘s THUNDER SONG, a meditation on what it means to be a proudly queer, indigenous woman in America today, suffused with the power of community and music to heal and inspire and drawing connections between the personal and the communal, the spiritual and the physical, the mundane and the miraculous, again to Harry Kirchner at Counterpoint, for publication in spring 2024, by Duvall Osteen at Aragi Inc. (NA).

Managing editor at The Experiment Zachary Pace‘s I SING TO USE THE WAITING, an inquiry into the nature of the queer voice through the lens of female singers—such as Cat Power, Rihanna, and Whitney Houston—who have informed the author’s identity, to Eric Obenauf at Two Dollar Radio, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2024 (world).

Santiago-based travel writer Mark Johanson‘s MARS ON EARTH, about a gay expat searching the otherworldly Atacama Desert of northern Chile for a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped both his relationship to his partner and to his adoptive homeland, to Don Gorman at Rocky Mountain Books, for publication in fall 2024, by Max Sinsheimer at Sinsheimer Literary (world English).

Clinical psychologist and therapist Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter‘s HOW I KNOW WHITE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY, a memoir of growing up poor, gay, and Black, navigating the systemically racist field of psychology, sharing lessons about how anti-Blackness harms mental health and the connection between mental and political liberation, to Alison Dalafave at Hachette Go, at auction, for publication in February 2025, by Cecilia Lyra at P.S. Literary Agency (world).

Whiting Award winner and winner of the 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction for 100 BOYFRIENDS Brontez Purnell’s TEN BRIDGES I’VE BURNT, a memoir in verse, tracing Purnell’s life from Alabama to Oakland and everywhere in between; and an untitled novel, about a family of feuding Black psychics living in 1970s Alabama, again to Jackson Howard at MCD/FSG, in a two-book deal, by Julia Masnik at Watkins Loomis (world).

December 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Neurodiverse and intersex author Phoenix Blackwood’s New Adult THE LOVE THAT BINDS US, a sequel to THE SECRETS THAT KILL, in which the protagonist is thrown out of her home when her mother discovers her relationship with her nonbinary transmasculine partner; when she moves in with him, she discovers that she is intersex and works to overcome past medical trauma, to Kisstopher Musick at Cinnabar Moth, in a nice deal, for publication in April 2023 (world English).

Hugo and Lambda award winning author and editor Bogi Takács’s POWER TO YIELD AND OTHER STORIES, 10 pieces spanning speculative genres from science fiction to the new weird, featuring chaotic interspecies cooperation, an AI child discovering Jewish mysticism, rental apartments that drink your blood, and a novella focusing on neurodivergent people trying to survive on a planetoid where thoughts shape reality, to Scott Gable at Broken Eye, in a nice deal, at auction, for publication in spring 2023 (world English).

Izzy Wasserstein’s THESE FRAGILE GRACES, THIS FUGITIVE HEART, a cyberpunk novella set in a future Kansas City devastated by fascism and climate change, in which a trans woman returns to the commune she abandoned to investigate the murder of her ex, and finds she must confront her own past if she hopes to save the people she loves, to Jacob Weisman at Tachyon Publications, with Jaymee Goh editing, by Dorian Maffei at Kimberley Cameron & Associates (world English).

Rona Jaffe Foundation Award recipient Temim Fruchter’s CITY OF LAUGHTER, part speculative queer family history and part folklore, tracing four generations of Jewish women who are bound by blood, half-hidden secrets, and the fantastical visitation of a shapeshifting stranger over the course of 100 years, set against a tapestry of real and invented Jewish mythology, to Amy Hundley at Grove/Atlantic, for publication in early 2024, by Stephanie Delman at Trellis Literary Management (world).

Soula Emmanuel‘s WILD GEESE, the story of an Irish trans woman living in Scandinavia who unexpectedly reconnects with her first love over the course of one fateful weekend, reigniting memories she thought she’d left behind, to Nick Whitney at Feminist Press, for publication in fall 2023, by Olivia Maidment at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (NA).

Author of CALLING THE SHOTS Kelly Farmer‘s IT’S A FABULOUS LIFE, pitched as a sapphic retelling of the holiday movie classic, in which a realtor with big city dreams once again puts her plans on hold to help manage her small town’s winter festival and, with the aid of angelic drag queens, reconnects with her high school crush, to Holly Ingraham at Alcove Press, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Eva Scalzo at Speilburg Literary Agency (world).

World Fantasy Award finalist R.B. Lemberg‘s THE YOKE OF STARS, a Birdverse novella in which a rebel who has escaped a remote egalitarian community and a linguist who has left behind an abusive marriage negotiate an assassination contract, only to find how their lives intersect in unusual ways, involving sea serpent shape shifters, fallen stars, and a powerful magical family, to Jacob Weisman at Tachyon Publications, with Jaymee Goh editing, in an exclusive submission, by Mary C. Moore at Kimberley Cameron & Associates (world English).

K Arsenault Rivera‘s OATH OF FIRE, pitched as a sapphic Eros and Psyche retelling with a fairy court feel, to Leah Hultenschmidt at Grand Central, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in early 2024, by Sara Megibow at kt literary (world).

Author of CHEF’S KISS TJ Alexander‘s EDEN’S END, a trans regency romance featuring a man of unusual make whose penchant for privacy is upended when he is given the dreadful task of finding a wife by the end of the London season if he wants to keep his estate—a situation further complicated by his intriguing new valet, who is harboring a secret of his own, to Anna Kaufman at Vintage, in a very nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2025, by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (NA).

Young Adult Fiction

Author-illustrator Tai Manzano’s SING WITH ME, a contemporary YA graphic novel about queer first love pitched as Check, Please! meets Yuri on Ice, set in Mexico in the high-stakes world of competitive charreria, to Elizabeth Lazowski at Chronicle Children’s, for publication in 2025, by Tamara Kawar while at ICM/CAA (world).

Author of RIGHT WHERE I LEFT YOU and upcoming AS YOU WALK ON BY Julian Winters‘s PRINCE OF THE PALISADES, pitched as RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE meets Netflix’s Young Royals, where a roguish prince of Iles de la Reverie goes to America to clean up his image after a horribly public breakup goes viral, and ends up falling for a not-so-royal American boy who might be a fairy-tale romance come true—or another disaster in the making, to Dana Leydig at Viking Children’s, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Author of THE SPY WHO RAISED ME and MOTH & WHISPER Ted Anderson‘s graphic novel THE MASKED PRINCESS, in which a high schooler cosplaying his childhood-favorite character at an anime con unwittingly becomes an overnight hero after helping a fellow cosplayer, and ends up exploring his gender and discovering new aspects of his identity amid the backdrop of fandom and sudden fame, illustrated by Ollie Roswell, to Samia Fakih at First Second, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2025, by Jennifer Chen Tran while at Bradford Literary Agency for the author, and by Paloma Hernando at Einstein Literary Management for the illustrator (world).

Marisa Kanter‘s FINALLY FITZ, a queer rom-com in which a fashion influencer reeling from a breakup enlists her former best friend to pose as her boyfriend during a summer program in New York City to make her ex-girlfriend jealous, only to realize that the relationship she wants to repair might be the one she’s faking, to Alexa Pastor at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in spring 2024, by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary (world).

Non-Fiction

Professor of English and linguistics at Los Angeles City College Lane Igoudin’s A FAMILY, MAYBE: TWO DADS, TWO BABIES, AND THE COURT CASE THAT BROUGHT US TOGETHER, part gay memoir, part family drama, set against the LGBTQ+ civil rights struggle of the early 2000s, in which a Russian-Jewish immigrant and his African American partner battle the Los Angeles County foster and family court systems and a teenage birth mother to adopt two babies and build the family they’ve always dreamed of, to Alena Rivas and Kelly Zatlin at Ooligan Press, in a nice deal, for publication in February 2024 (world English).

Fermilab physicist Jessica Esquivel’s OUR QUEER UNIVERSE: DECONSTRUCTING DEFINITIONS, PRODUCING PARTICLE BEAMS, AND EXAMINING ENTANGLED IDENTITIES, describing the physics and engineering of a particle beam and using it as a metaphor for the author’s journey through academia as a Black, Mexican, neurodivergent queer woman who also happens to love the ethereal elegance of physics, to Jermey Matthews at MIT Press, for publication in fall 2025, by Jessica Papin at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (NA).

Contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, and n+1, and a founding editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books Evan Kindley’s STILL IN THE PUBLISHED CITY, a group biography of the New York School of Poets, telling the intertwined stories of John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, Kenneth Koch, Barbara Guest, James Schuyler, and Amiri Baraka, the intersections of various artistic and cultural scenes, as well as reading their influential poetry in light of politics, race, sexuality, and a rapidly changing New York, to Daniel Halpern at Knopf, by Elias Altman at Massie & McQuilkin (NA).

Author of A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS Robin Gow‘s A MUSEUM FOR THAT WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS, which explores the history of a Berlin institute burned during World War II that was one of the first to affirm trans and queer people, and reimagines in poetry a museum where these artifacts and people are kept safe from destruction, to Leah Angstman at Alternating Current, in a nice deal, for publication in November 2023 (world English).

Pastor, founder of Unfit Christian, and spiritual doula for Black, queer, and marginalized-gender people D. Danyelle Thomas‘s THE DAY GOD SAW ME AS BLACK, answering “What do I do with a Christian faith that feels less comfortable for me as I better understand myself, my gender, my sexuality, and what it means to be Black in America?” with essays exploring Black faith experiences through the lens of gender, race, sexuality, and class consciousness, interwoven with the author’s personal narrative of her faith journey and critical cultural analysis, to Tamela Gordon at Row House, for publication in August 2024 (world).

Museum of the Moving Image editorial director and author of FILMS OF ENDEARMENT Michael Koresky‘s SICK AND DIRTY, a 21st-century rethinking of Vito Russo’s THE CELLULOID CLOSET that celebrates the presence of queerness onscreen, behind the camera, and between the lines during the dark days of the Hollywood Production Code, and reclaims certain controversial, misunderstood films as neglected classics, to Ben Hyman at Bloomsbury, by Farley Chase at Chase Literary Agency (NA).

Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices fellow and Sewanee Writers’ Conference Tennessee Williams Scholar Thomas Dai‘s TAKE MY NAME BUT SAY IT SLOW, a memoir-in-essays exploring the intersection of place and identity through the lens of the author’s experience growing up queer and Asian American in the South, questioning the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what it means to be “in-between,” to Helen Thomaides at Norton, by Christopher Combemale at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Deal Announcements: November 2022

Adult Fiction

Autostraddle contributor Shelly Jay Shore‘s BODIES IN WATER, pitched as One Last Stop meets Six Feet Under, about a clairvoyant trans man drawn back to his messy Jewish family and their imploding funeral home business after a lifetime of trying to outrun both, who must confront the ghosts of his disappointed grandfather and the gone-too-soon husband of his charming new crush in order to move forward in life and love, to Jesse Shuman at Bantam Dell, in a pre-empt, by Ayla Zuraw-Friedland at Frances Goldin Literary Agency (NA).

Philip William Stover‘s THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECT, in which the executive producer of a hit LGBTQ lifestyle show finds that the handsome host goes AWOL right before the all-important live Pride broadcast and the only option is to track down the host’s estranged identical twin brother and teach him to play the part; transforming this human sasquatch into a star is no easy task, but when romance blossoms behind the scenes, perfection is about to get real, to Keshini Naidoo at Hera, for publication in summer 2023, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Birch Path Literary (world English).

Former bookseller and LGTBQ+ activist Alana S. Portero’s BAD HABIT, a coming-of-age novel about the journey a trans woman takes to discover herself against a world that has no space for her, with the backdrop of a working-class family in the Madrid of the ’80s and the ’90s, to Juan Mila at Harper Via, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Maria Cardona at Aevitas Creative Management UK (world English).

Editor-in-Chief of Electric Literature, MacDowell Fellow, and cohost of the Food 4 Thot podcast Denne Michele Norris’s WHEN THE HARVEST COMES, about a young Black gay man reckoning with the death of his reverend father, who never accepted him, exploring the effect of this loss on his marriage and how it forces him to confront his deepest desires around gender, family, and sex; pitched for readers of SHUGGIE BAIN, to Noa Shapiro at Random House, in a pre-empt, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (world).

SOME GIRLS DO author Jennifer Dugan‘s LOVE AT FIRST SET, a queer rom-com about a gym employee who accidentally ruins her bosses’ daughter’s wedding, then even more accidentally falls for the runaway bride, to Sylvan Creekmore at Avon, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in May 2023, by Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties (world English).

Center for Fiction Emerging Writer Fellow and Publishing Coordinator at Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books Jiaming Tang‘s CINEMA LOVE, about gay men in rural China, the women who marry them, and the secret theater where their husbands cruised for love; spanning three timelines—from contemporary New York to late 80s Chinatown to post-socialist China—and examining the legacies of caregiving and assimilation in Chinese America, to Pilar Garcia-Brown at Dutton, at auction, by Kent Wolf at Neon Literary (NA).

Host and founder of the storytelling night Generation Women and author of IT HAD TO BE YOU and ISLAND TIME Georgia Clark‘s MOST WONDERFUL, a queer holiday rom-com about three adult siblings, each dealing with their own personal and romantic struggles, who reunite at their larger-than-life mother’s Catskills manor for Christmas, to Emma Caruso and Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a two-book deal, by Allison Hunter at Trellis Literary Management (world English).

NYU MFA graduate Jessie Ren Marshall‘s WOMEN! IN! PERIL!, a story collection with queer and speculative elements that features a diverse cast of women, including a former ballerina with memory loss, an Asian sex-bot trying to outlast her return policy, and a pioneer traveling on a spaceship to populate a new colony; and ALOHALAND, a novel set on Hawai’i Island, following two half-sisters—one a resort’s “Aloha Ambassador” forced to cater to the guests’ every whim, the other a reality TV star—who grapple with questions of home and belonging as they face a megastorm fueled by global warming, to Grace McNamee at Bloomsbury, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Michelle Brower and Natalie Edwards at Trellis Literary Management (NA).

Screenwriter Emma R. Alban’s MISCHIEF & MATCHMAKING, a queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other, pitched as a lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap, the first book in a duology, to Sylvan Creekmore at Avon, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Stacy Testa at Writers House (world).

Reese Hogan‘s audiobook MY HEART IS HUMAN, a near-future SF thriller set in a world that has shut down tech to avoid an AI uprising, about a young transgender dad who, during the chaos of a robbery, activates an old bionic that uploads itself into his head, and he and the bionic must navigate the blurred lines between human and machine while uncovering the true reasons for the tech shut down, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, by Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency, on behalf of Cameron McClure (world English).

Author of EMPANADA: A LESBIAN STORY IN PROBADITAS Anel Flores’s CURTAINS OF TEARS, which follows the story of a woman who escapes her small border town and arrives at the door of her gay tios on a quest to queer traditions, turn trauma into triumph, and find home, to Lisa Pegram at Jaded Ibis Press, for publication in January 2024 (world English).

Brooklyn MFA graduate and former Truman Capote fellow Zachary Solomon‘s ZELNIK, about a queer Jewish architecture student who flees his antisemitic homeland for a new life in a utopian city in the west, where, to his horror, he uncovers the same machinery of human oppression hidden beneath a veneer of civilization, an allegory for the Jewish emigre experience and a dark exploration of the interconnections between art, artifice, and the fascist urge, to Christine Neulieb at Lanternfish Press, for publication in spring of 2024, by Reeves Hamilton at Vertical Ink Agency (world English).

Ollie Hicks and Emma Oosterhous‘s second and third books in the queer, magical-girl sports romance GRAND SLAM ROMANCE series, following former rivals to lovers as they face a new league of challengers and challenges, to Charlotte Greenbaum at Abrams ComicArts, with Mariko Tamaki editing, in a very nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2024, by Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management (world).

Children’s Fiction

TEAM TRASH AND THE TIME BOT cocreator Kate Wheeler’s graphic novel GOAT MAGIC, pitched for fans of Wolfwalkers and MOONCAKES, about two girls on an adventure—one a reluctant goatherd, the other a goat who happens to be an enchanted princess—and how their friendship blossoms into something more as they confront treachery against the throne, to Grace Scheipeter at Oni Press, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2025, by Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (NA).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of the anthology VAMPIRES NEVER GET OLD Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker, eds.’s MERMAIDS NEVER DROWN, stories by the editors and Darcie Little Badger, Kalynn Bayron, Preeti Chhibber, Rebecca Coffindaffer, Julie C. Dao, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Adriana Herrera, June Hur, Katherine Locke, Kerri Maniscalco, Julie Murphy, Gretchen Schreiber, and Julian Winters; and FAERIES NEVER LIE, including stories by the editors and Nafiza Azad, Holly Black, Dhonielle Clayton, Christine Day, Chloe Gong, Tessa Gratton, Ryan La Sala, Kwame Mbalia, L.L. McKinney, Anna-Marie McLemore, Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, Linda Raquel Nieves Perez, and Rory Power, to Foyinsi Adegbonmire and Liz Szabla at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in fall 2023 and fall 2024, respectively, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media for Cordova and Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency for Parker (world).

Kara A. Kennedy’s debut I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, a YA speculative thriller pitched as Kara Thomas meets THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, about a girl being haunted by the ghost of her toxic ex-girlfriend, who gives her a chilling ultimatum—help her possess another girl or go down for her murder, to Hannah Hill at Delacorte, for publication in fall 2024, by Chloe Seager at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (NA).

Robin Talley‘s EVERYTHING GLITTERED, a sapphic thriller set at an elite boarding school in Washington, DC circa 1927, in which three young women become involved in the investigation of the murder of their controversial young headmistress, to Erika Turner at Little, Brown Children’s, for publication in summer 2024, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world English).

Author of DANCING BEARS Rob Costello, ed.’s QUEER BEASTIES, an anthology that celebrates the monster as a positive and empowering metaphor for the otherness of being queer, with contributions from Costello, Kalynn Bayron, David Bowles, H.E. Edgmon, Michael Thomas Ford, Naomi Kanakia, Claire Kann, Sam J. Miller, and Alexandra Villasante, among others, to Britny Brooks-Perilli at Running Press Kids, for publication in May 2024, by Marie Lamba at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency (world English).

Erin Cotter’s debut BY ANY OTHER NAME, a historical romp set in Elizabethan England, pitched as THE GENTLEMEN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE meets THE BOY IN THE RED DRESS, in which a young Shakespearean actor must partner with a dashing lord to solve the murder of his playwright friend, while trying to keep their budding romance a secret from the royal family, to Nicole Ellul at Simon & Schuster Children’s, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Hilary Harwell at kt literary (world).

Author of GEARBREAKERS and GODSLAYERS Zoe Hana Mikuta‘s OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, where blood and betrayal meet in this sapphic, Korean-inspired book pitched as a re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland in which two girls’ (horrible, cruel, and precariously balanced on that line between love and murder) twisted past comes to light as they’re once again thrust into each other’s lives and beckoned back to the dark, monster-filled forest where it all began: Wonderland, to Rebecca Kuss at Disney-Hyperion, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in spring 2024, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Author of the forthcoming THE VERMILION EMPORIUM Jamie Pacton‘s THE ABSINTHE UNDERGROUND, a sapphic friends-to-lovers romantasy, pitched as JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL meets Holly Black, in which an artist and her best friend are pulled into the glittering world of an underground nightclub, where a green fairy enlists them to steal from a magician’s house, to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2024, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (world).

Non-Fiction

Peloton instructor and Dancing with the Stars finalist Cody Rigsby‘s XOXO, CODY: AN OPINIONATED HOMOSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO SELF-LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS, AND TACTFUL PETTINESS, chronicling the author’s journey growing up gay and poor in the South with an addict mom to somehow going from broke dancer to fitness icon, with stories about learning how to handle the scary sh*t, interspersed with Q&As and his rankings on everything from fashion faux pas to celebrity breakups, to Sara Weiss at Ballantine, at auction, by David Doerrer at A3 Artists Agency.

Authors of THE GAY AGENDA and QUEER TAROT and owners of the Ash + Chess stationery store Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham’s THE BIG BOOK OF QUEER STICKERS, a compendium of their most recognizable art pieces in decal format, such as “Trans People Belong Here,” “Make America Gay Again,” “Every Body is a Good Body,” along with never-before-seen new queer art, to Shannon Connors Fabricant at Running Press, in an exclusive submission, by Meg Thompson at Thompson Literary Agency (world).

October 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Maori author Rebecca K Reilly’s GRETA AND VALDIN, a humorous slice-of-life family saga that follows the titular siblings as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and their eccentric Maori-Russian-Catalonian family, all while flailing their way to love in contemporary Auckland, to Amy Guay in her first acquisition for Avid Reader Press, for publication in spring 2024, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency on behalf of Martha Perotto-Wills (NA).

Author of FERAL CITY and VANISHING NEW YORK under the pen name Jeremiah Moss Griffin Hansbury‘s SOME STRANGE MUSIC DRAWS ME IN, exploring the 1980s friendship between a young trans woman and a teen who will grow into a trans man, as he looks back on his youth from 2019, where he grapples with middle-age, the death of his mother, and the troubles of his right-wing sister amidst his own gender-related scandal, to Tom Mayer at Norton, by Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Kate Young‘s EXPERIENCED, about a 30-year-old woman whose blissful happiness is shattered when her first girlfriend insists she go explore the queer dating scene she missed out on before recently coming out, leading her to awkward dating mishaps, a few memorable nights, a found family, and unexpected love along the way, to Marie Michels at Pamela Dorman Books, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Zoe Ross at United Agents (NA).

Author duo Kit Rocha‘s THE HIGH COURT OF DREAMERS, the first book in an epic fantasy romance series, in which a princess and her assassin handmaid are sent to kill an ancient dragon god, plunging all three into a darkly sensual world of secrets, power, and love, to Lauren Plude at Montlake, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary Agency (world English).

Karmen Lee‘s THE 7-10 SPLIT, pitched as a Black sapphic, second chance romance between two high school teachers forced together to coach the school’s bowling team to victory amidst their long-standing rivalry, a group of meddling kids rooting for their HEA, and memories of that searing-hot kiss they shared as teens, to Errin Toma at an unnamed new imprint at Harlequin, in a three-book deal, for publication in February 2024, by Taj McCoy at Rees Literary Agency.

Courtney Smyth’s THE UNDETECTABLES, a queer fantasy murder mystery in which three witches and a ghost form a supernatural detective agency to track down the magical serial killer who is stalking their town, to George Sandison at Titan Books, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Zoe Plant at The Bent Agency (world English).

Winner of the 2021 Sewanee Review Fiction Prize Allen Bratton‘s HENRY HENRY, pitched as a queer, contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare’s Henriad that transposes the legend of Henry V’s wayward youth into 21st-century Britain, following the troubled relationship between 22-year-old English Catholic aristocrat Hal Lancaster and the father whose dukedom he will inherit, to Brandon Taylor in his first acquisition at Unnamed Press, by Martha Wydysh at Trident Media Group (NA).

Oisin McKenna‘s EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS, set over the course of one transformative weekend during a heatwave in London when a whale is beached on the banks of the Thames, following a group of friends coming to terms with the sexual, political, and economic challenges they must endure to exist in a 21st-century city, exploring issues of community, polyamory, environmental ruin, and housing instability, pitched for readers of Sally Rooney, Raven Leilani, and Torrey Peters, to Jessica Vestuto at Mariner, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Olivia Maidment at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (NA).

Adib Khorram‘s Wine Pairing series, pitched as a modern, BIPOC-and queer-centered Sex and the City, following the fierce friendships and many bottles of wine that sustain three gay, Iranian American millennial men as they navigate misguided meet-cutes and steamy second-chance romances, career-altering crushes, serious choices about commitment, and high-heat hookups gone terribly wrong…and occasionally exactly right, to Sam Brody at Forever, in a significant deal, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, fall 2025, and 2026, by Molly O’Neill at Root Literary (NA).

Children’s Fiction

A.J. Sass‘s JUST SHY OF ORDINARY, in which a 13-year-old nonbinary homeschooler attempts to find a “new normal” post-pandemic as they start public school, struggle to control their anxiety, meet new friends, and learn about their Jewish identity, to Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown Children’s, with Caitlyn Averett editing, for publication in winter 2024, by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

James Laughlin Award-winning poet and lecturer at Stanford University Sam Sax‘s YR DEAD, a queer Jewish diasporic bildungsroman told through the eyes of a young person as their life flashes in lyric fragments across time and geography during their final act of protest, exploring how historical memory shapes our political and emotional present, to Amanda Uhle at McSweeney’s, with Rita Bullwinkel editing, for publication in spring of 2024, by Rob McQuilkin at Massie & McQuilkin (NA).

Meka James‘s LOVE AND SPORTSBALL, a Black sapphic romance in which an athletic trainer who doesn’t like sports has an accidental one-night stand with the point guard of the women’s basketball team she’s about to work for, to John Jacobson at an unnamed new imprint at Harlequin, in a two-book deal.

Young Adult Fiction

Auburn Marrow’s debut 30 DAY TRIAL PERIOD, an LGBTQIA+ YA romance about two polar opposites who are challenged to date for 30 days to fix their bad dating habits, to Rebecca Sands at Wattpad, for publication in summer 2024 (world).

Matthew Hubbard‘s debut LAST BOYFRIENDS, a coming-of-age novel pitched as Heartstopper meets THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, featuring three queer teenage boys in small-town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up fighting their school’s anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives, to Alison Romig at Delacorte, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024 and summer 2025, by Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency (world English).

Bessie Flores Zaldivar‘s LIBERTAD, set in Honduras, where the protagonist must come into her queerness and to terms with her country’s history of violence, heading into an unprecedented presidential election, to Rosie Ahmed at Dial, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency (NA).

Non-Fiction

Author of WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS: A BOOK ABOUT PRONOUNS Katherine Locke’s GENDER REBELS, an illustrated history of important trans/nonbinary/gender nonconforming trailblazers for a Middle Grade audience, illustrated by Shanee Benjamin, to Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2023, by Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency for the author (world).

Cultural worker and stem cell transplant survivor Walela Nehanda‘s BLESS THE BLOOD, a poetry collection exploring what it means to be a young, queer, Black nonbinary medical patient facing racism and abuse within and outside of the hospital, meditating on traumas both physical and unseen, and celebrating the courage to grieve and the strength it takes to go on, to Sydnee Monday at Kokila, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in spring 2024, by Katherine Latshaw at Folio Literary Management (world).

September 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Senior marketing executive at Vintage UK Carmella Lowkis‘s SPITTING GOLD, a queer historical debut, set in 19th-century Paris, following two sisters—on the outside, gifted mediums, but in reality, astute con-artists—and when they reunite for one last con at an aristocratic family’s old estate, they begin to question whether they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit, and wonder just what other deep, dark secrets the family are hiding, to Loan Le at Atria, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Ginger Clark at Ginger Clark Literary, on behalf of Rachel Neely at Mushens Entertainment (NA).

Author of THE CHARM OFFENSIVE Alison Cochrun‘s HERE WE GO AGAIN, a queer road trip rom-com in which two childhood best friends-turned-rivals team up to help fulfill their former teacher’s dying wish by driving him across the country—only to end up wildly off course, to Kaitlin Olson at Atria, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Bibi Lewis at Ethan Ellenberg Agency (world).

Charlie Castelletti writing as C. A. Castle‘s THE MANOR HOUSE GOVERNESS, pitched as a love letter to the British Classics—and particularly JANE EYRE—in which a young, queer, nonbinary teacher takes a job as a governess for an eccentric family and becomes swept up in the family’s tangled past while also navigating an inconvenient attraction to his employer’s adult son, to Jess Verdi at Alcove Press, for publication in fall 2023, by Caroline Eisenmann at Frances Goldin Literary Agency (world, excl. UK).

Essayist and author of Lambda Literary Award Finalist SOME HELL Patrick Nathan‘s THE FUTURE WAS COLOR, about a gay Hungarian immigrant working as a studio hack writing monster movies in 1950s Los Angeles, facing the McCarthy-era studio system filled with possible Communists, spies, and the life of closeted men along Sunset Boulevard, whose friendship with a famous actress unlocks memories of his postwar life in Manhattan, pitched as a narrative mix of GODS AND MONSTERS and Eve Babitz, spanning from sun-drenched Los Angeles, to corners of working-class New York, to a virtuosic climax in the Las Vegas desert, to Dan Smetanka at Counterpoint, in a nice deal, for publication in 2024, by Erik Hane at Headwater Literary Management (world English).

Authors of THE VERY NICE BOX Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman‘s TRUST & SAFETY, about a newlywed straight couple who leave NYC in an attempt to buy their way into a “wild and precious” existence in the Hudson Valley, where they encounter—and quickly become entangled with—a queer couple living the dream analog life; examining questions of authenticity, betrayal, paternity, and entitlement, while poking fun at contemporary fear of the “gay agenda,” moving with Pilar Garcia-Brown at Dutton, by Faye Bender at The Book Group (NA).

Colombian poet Fatima Velez‘s GALAPAGOS, following a group of bohemian artists who are dying of AIDS as they embark on a final voyage through the Galapagos islands, their decaying bodies cloaked in the skins of their dead; a lyrical novel in which the alliance between female and queer male bodies is deeply fraught, and the intersection of AIDS and motherhood are interrogated in love, friendship, and abjection, to Deborah Ghim at Astra House, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2024, by Maria Lynch at Casanovas & Lynch Agency (world English).

Elaine Tipping‘s PATHWAYS: CHRONICLES OF TUVANA, a queer fantasy epic graphic novel that takes place in a world under siege by an ancient empire bent on restoring its perceived rightful control, following a small band of characters and the journey they take to become heroes, pitched as perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings, The Adventure Zone, and Monstress, to Brett Israel at Dark Horse, in a three-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Claire Draper at The Bent Agency (world English).

Sex and culture critic Ella Dawson‘s THE REUNION, about a burned-out bisexual young woman who attends her five-year college reunion only to encounter her estranged chosen family, old demons, and the ex she maybe shouldn’t have walked away from, to Maya Ziv at Dutton, in a pre-empt, by Jamie Carr at The Book Group (NA).

Author of NEVER BEEN KISSED and YOU’RE A MEAN ONE MATHEW PRINCE Timothy Janovsky‘s THE GAMES WE PLAY, a queer romance where a man auditions for a Supermarket Sweep-style reality show with a fake boyfriend following a breakup and falls head-over-heels in the process, to John Jacobson at Harlequin Desire, in a three-book deal, by Samantha Fabien at Root Literary.

Author of the Lambda Award-winning THE SAVAGE KIND and the Macavity Award-winning DODGING AND BURNING John Copenhaver‘s HALL OF MIRRORS, the second book in the Nightingale Trilogy, pitched as a twist on the traditional noir exploring LGBTQ issues, race, and corruption during Eisenhower Era DC, in which the suspicious death of a famous mystery author forces the tenacious heroines of THE SAVAGE KIND to face difficult truths about themselves amid the darkest days of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare, to Claiborne Hancock at Pegasus Crime, by Annie Bomke at Annie Bomke Literary Agency.

Author of PAPER IS WHITE Hilary Zaid’s FORGET I TOLD YOU THIS, about a queer artist who, while toiling away in obscurity, stumbles into a scheme to upend a social media giant gone berserk, to Courtney Ochsner at University of Nebraska Press, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2023 (world).

Karelia Stetz-Waters and wife Fay Stetz-Waters’s SECOND NIGHT STAND, about a high-strung former ballerina and a burlesque dancer who have a memorable one night stand on a lesbian cruise and then meet again when their dance companies make the cut on a reality TV show, to Madeleine Colavita at Forever Yours, by Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (NA).

Jane Kindred’s MASTER OF THE GAME, the third book in the queer Demons of Elysium series, set in a Russian-inspired heaven, to Rachel Haimowitz at Riptide Publishing, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2023, by Sara Megibow at kt literary.

Rae Valtera’s HER DARK GRACE, in which a woman, in a queer-normative world of magic, battles gods who despise having a shadow-marked rule their realm, and in order to survive the gods’ wrath, she must find allies among those who sanctioned the killing of her kind, to Brittany Weisrock at Lake Country Press, for publication in fall 2025 (US).

Children’s Fiction

National Jewish Book Award winner Nancy Churnin‘s  picture book THE RAINBOW BRIGADE, pitched as inspired by true events, the story of kids who stood against hate and rallied their neighborhood together to support a lesbian couple whose pride flag and home were vandalized, illustrated by Izzy Evans, to Naomi Krueger at Beaming Books, for publication in spring 2024, by Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary for the author, and by Lucie Luddington at The Bright Group for the illustrator (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Debut author Anthony Nerada‘s SKATER BOY, a queer spin on an Avril Lavigne classic that follows resident a bad boy and his star-crossed romance with a ballet dancer, to Alexa Wejko at Soho Teen, for publication in spring 2024, by Rena Rossner at Deborah Harris Agency (NA).

Author of SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND David Valdes‘s FINDING MY ELF, a queer rom-com about a boy who’s trying to find the “the one” and also trying to find himself while spending winter break working at a hectic Santa’s Village, to Stephanie Guerdan at Harper Teen, for publication in fall 2023, by Annie Bomke at Annie Bomke Literary Agency (world).

Lambda finalist author of CAMP Lev Rosen’s EMMETT, pitched as a queer contemporary take on Jane Austen’s Emma, to Alvina Ling at Little, Brown Children’s, for publication in fall 2023, by Joy Tutela at David Black Literary Agency (world).

Author of MANU Kelly Fernandez‘s PRINCE FELIX AND LA PLUMA MAGIA, a queer YA romantic adventure featuring a prince who receives a magical feather from the bird of many colors and is led to a hunter instead of a princess, to Cassandra Pelham Fulton at Graphix, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary (world).

Leslie Vedder‘s THE CURSED ROSE, the third and final book in her debut LGBTQ+ fantasy trilogy that began with THE BONE SPINDLE, pitched as a gender-flipped retelling of Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones, in which a cursed treasure hunter and an axe-wielding huntswoman must team up in the treasure hunt of a lifetime to save a lost prince—and now the kingdom, to Ruta Rimas at Razorbill, for publication in early 2024, by Carrie Hannigan and Ellen Goff at HG Literary (NA).

Erin Baldwin‘s debut WISH YOU WERE(N’T) HERE, pitched as THE HATING GAME for teens, a f/f rom-com following childhood rivals who are forced to be summer camp cabin mates and must decide what they want more: to kill each other, or to kiss, to Aneeka Kalia at Viking Children’s, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world English).

Emily Riesbeck and Bayleigh Underwood‘s LUCKY 555, a queer sci-fi YA graphic novel pitched as The Expanse meets Paper Girls, where the citizens of the sky resign themselves to a slow, miserable decline, and a self-centered orphan teen meets a stowaway android who is hiding a secret that could turn the sky upside down, but her wealthy and domineering father won’t let her—or his secret—go that easily, to Charlotte Greenbaum at Amulet, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Claire Draper at The Bent Agency (world).

Nita Tyndall‘s HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL, a thriller about a North Carolina teen whose father is a notorious imprisoned serial killer, and when another girl is murdered, and signs point to the girl they love being next, they’ll have to confront their father as well as the ghosts that haunt them, to Stephanie Stein at Harper Teen, for publication in winter 2024, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (world English).

Author of BEAUTY AND THE BESHARAM Lillie Vale‘s HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST CHARM, a sapphic paranormal adventure pitched as YA THE EX HEX by way of Casey McQuiston, where a skeptic accidentally hexes her romantic rival (and secret crush) with dangerous bad luck and must team up with her rival’s exes on a quest to undo the damage she’s done, to Dana Leydig at Viking Children’s, for publication in fall 2024, by Jessica Watterson at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Non-Fiction

Dr. Angelo Robinson PhD’s NOT THE BOY FOR YOU, using both literary and epistolary forms to chart the author’s journey to unapologetic wholeness as young, Black, and gay in the 1960s South and finding internal acceptance after being rejected from all sides via country, culture, family, and religion, while examining the complex reality of how the Black male body has been perceived, exploited, and explored through the lens of James Baldwin’s political and narrative thought, to Alicia Sparrow at Chicago Review Press, for publication in fall 2023 (world).

Poet, director, and songwriter W.J. Lofton‘s SUE CITY, a memoir of the author’s childhood experience of family separation via Chicago’s foster care system, the bond that persevered between him and his sister Willette as they relocated to the South, his discovery of his queer identity, and his development as a young Black queer artist, to Catherine Tung at Beacon Press, by Kent Wolf at Neon Literary (world).

Mark Jason Williams and Amy Scher‘s untitled LGBTQIA-focused travel guide, highlighting inclusive destinations around the world, with itineraries that highlight what to do, where to go, what to see, where to stay, what to eat, and more, to Allyson Johnson at National Geographic, in a pre-empt, by Steve Harris at CSG Literary Partners (world).

August 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Marquette University professor of English B. Pladek’s DRY LAND, set at the cusp of America’s involvement in World War I, when a young queer forester discovers an uncanny gift for growing plants, seemingly from nothing, to Dennis Lloyd at University of Wisconsin Press, for publication in fall 2023, by Brenna English-Loeb at Transatlantic Literary Agency (world English).

Mark Waddell’s THE BODY IN THE BACK GARDEN, a queer cozy following a young investigative journalist as he inherits his estranged aunt’s estate in a coastal Canadian village, which includes a dead body behind the house that he is forced to investigate with a very handsome Mountie, to Faith Black Ross at Crooked Lane, for publication in fall 2023, by Melissa Edwards at Stonesong (world).

Ghassan Zeineddine’s DEARBORN, a collection of tragicomic stories that examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan, over several decades, exploring themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, notions of home and belonging, and more, to Elizabeth DeMeo at Tin House Books, for publication in fall 2023.

Emily Hamilton’s THE STARS TOO FONDLY, a debut queer space odyssey—part sci-fi, part sapphic rom-com—following four friends who break into a storied spaceship with a mysterious past and accidentally blast off to a planet lightyears away, with a hologram of the ship’s previous captain as their only guide (and an improbable, impossible love interest); about found family, interdimensional travel, and the galaxy-saving power of love, to Nate Lanman at Voyager, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Roma Panganiban at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).

2021 Lambda Literary Fellow Craig Wilse’s PROVIDENCE, pitched as reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith, in which an introverted queer English professor falls for an enigmatic sophomore who lures him into his web of chaos and deceit, to Claire Wachtel at Union Square & Co, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2024, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (world English).

NYT-bestselling and Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s four original untitled novels about queer love and family, set in curious and enchanting worlds, to Ali Fisher at Tor, in a major deal, in a seven-figure deal, in an exclusive submission, in a four-book deal, by Deidre Knight at The Knight Agency (world English).

Clementine Taylor’s SOMETHING ABOUT HER, following two young women at the University of Edinburgh and the romantic connection that grows between them as they navigate the pressures of school and family, pitched in the vein of Sally Rooney and Emma Cline, to Gabriella Mongelli at Putnam, by Millie Hoskins at United Agents (world).

Korean author Hwang Jungeun and translator Janet Hong’s SAVAGE ALICE, about a tormented drag queen—pitched as a Korean Hedwig—who leaves Seoul and returns to their small countryside hometown and must survive the bullying, marginalization, and tortured life in order to survive; and EVERY YEAR, to Chad Post at Open Letter, in a pre-empt, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in January 2023 and 2024, by Barbara Zitwer at Barbara Zitwer Agency (world English).

Short fiction writer, poet, essayist, and reviewer Jarrod Campbell’s THE REASON I’M HERE, a collection of fictions featuring queer protagonists in their attempts to navigate memories and their consequences, morality, and the silences within relationships; pitched as influenced by Tennessee Williams, John Cheever, and Andrew Holleran, to James Reich at Stalking Horse Press, in a nice deal, for publication in June 2023 (NA and UK).

Pushcart-nominated NYU MFA alum Cleo Qian’s LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO, a debut slipstream short story collection exploring the alienated, technology-mediated lives of young Asian and Asian American women, restless with fear, desire, queer longing, and escapist compulsions, who are far from the dutiful, docile stereotypes, to Alyssa Ogi at Tin House Books, for publication in summer 2023, by Annie Hwang at Ayesha Pande Literary (NA).

Rob Costello’s THE DANCING BEARS: QUEER FABLES FOR THE END TIMES, a collection of eleven dark speculative tales featuring queer characters dealing with queer themes, to Steve Berman at Lethe Press, in an exclusive submission, for publication in March 2024, by Marie Lamba at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency (world English).

Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award SJ Sindu’s THE GOTH HOUSE EXPERIMENT, a tragicomic collection of character-driven stories ranging from the fantastical to the all-too-real, following an array of loners and artists—a boy with wings, a poet haunted by the ghost of Oscar Wilde, a queer beer brewer, a viral influencer—as they struggle to overcome grief in the wake of divorce, the pandemic, and other significant life changes, to Mark Doten at Soho Press, in an exclusive submission, by Erin Harris at Folio Literary Management (NA).

Children’s/Middle Grade Fiction

Newbery Award Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and two-time Stonewall Award-winning author Kyle Lukoff’s THE GOLEM OF REFUSE, about a Jewish trans youth fighting evil–human and otherwise–with his friends and community, followed by an untitled middle grade novel, to Ellen Cormier at Dial, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of THE SKY BLUES and the forthcoming If I See You Again Tomorrow Robbie Couch’s YOU AGAIN, after the death of his best friend leaves him heartbroken and adrift, a gay teen enters an immersive study aimed at boosting his ability to forge bonds with classmates; just as researchers begin to help him form new relationships (and maybe even fall in love), he finds himself wondering if his friend is really gone for good… or if he’s losing his grip on reality, to Alexa Pastor at Simon & Schuster Children’s, in a very nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world English).

M.E. Corey’s OUT OF BLUE COMES GREEN, in which a transgender teen wants what every other teenage boy wants—a girlfriend and a successful rock band—but when a new girl assumes the teen is a boy and asks him out, he accepts without correcting her; what could possibly go wrong?, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, in a nice deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Tina Schwartz at The Purcell Agency (world).

Alex Dingley’s ANCESTREE, pitched as Crimson Peak meets The Green Knight, a queer YA horror graphic novel in which a young prince finds out the unsavory truth about his royal lineage when he becomes haunted by a dark creature lurking in the woods surrounding his family’s castle, to Michelle Nguyen at Oni Press, with Desiree Rodriguez editing, for publication in 2025, by Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management (world).

Author of the forthcoming titles HAZEL HILL IS GONNA WIN THIS ONE and NOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED Maggie Horne’s STAY HERE WITH ME, pitched as a cross between SOME GIRLS DO and Netflix’s The Half of It, a queer love story that centers on two best friends (and recent exes, after one of them came out as gay) who find themselves developing feelings for the same girl, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, at auction, for publication in fall 2024, by Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management (NA).

Author of the forthcoming FUNERAL GIRL Emma K. Ohland’s HERE GOES NOTHING, pitched as a femme queer update of Much Ado About Nothing that finds across-the-street neighbors endlessly feuding and just maybe falling in love, sparking questions for one about her asexual identity, her place in their friend group, and her plans for the future, to Amy Fitzgerald at Carolrhoda Lab, for publication in fall 2024, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Louangie Bou-Montes’s debut DON’T FEAR THE REAPER, pitched as CEMETERY BOYS meets UNDEAD GIRL GANG, in which the 16-year-old, Afro-Latinx son of the local mortician accidentally reanimates the dead body of the boy he had more than friendly feelings for and has to uncover the truth about his family’s necromantic abilities to keep him alive for good, to Carolina Ortiz at Harper Children’s, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2024, by Saritza Hernandez at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Non-Fiction

Educator in the kink and queer communities Lee Harrington’s BECOME YOUR OWN BELOVED: A GUIDE TO DELIGHTING IN SELF-CONNECTION, sharing how readers can ease the pain of loneliness, heal longtime emotional wounds, and celebrate themselves as complete beings in and of themselves, embracing an all-inclusive approach to appeal to readers of any gender, age, race, sexual orientation, economic status, and disability, to Elena Vega at Twin Flame, for publication in February 2023 (world).

BDSM educator, Lambda Literary fellow, creator of the Image Comics series SFSX, and host of the eponymous podcast Tina Horn’s WHY ARE PEOPLE INTO THAT, a queer feminist exploration of kink, blending cultural criticism and personal narrative to examine how we conceptualize sex, pleasure, gender, fantasy, and power—and how we can reimagine those concepts for a more liberated future, to Carrie Napolitano at Hachette Books, by Sarah Bolling at The Gernert Company (NA).

Photographer Julie Rae Powers ed.’s QUEERING APPALACHIA’S VISUAL HISTORY, an anthology of contemporary images and writing by artists currently living in or from Appalachia who identify as queer, to Abby Freeland at University Press of Kentucky, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2024.

Performer, co-executive producer of HBOMax’s Legendary, and member of the House of Xtravaganza Sydney Baloue’s UNDENIABLE: A HISTORY OF VOGUING, BALLROOM AND HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE (AND THE WORLD), the untold history of ballroom—a transformative social space of competition, experiment, and creativity in gender, sexuality, and culture—a driving force in the Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ community and, eventually, of profound influence to wider American society, as told through the intimate story of how voguing helped the author to realize and embrace his identity as a transgender man, to Angela Ledgerwood at Sugar23, with Libby Burton at Crown editing, at auction, by Alice Whitwham at The Cheney Agency (NA).

July 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction

Author of THE DUKE UNDONE Joanna Lowell‘s A SHORE THING, in which a transmasculine artist falls for a renowned cis woman botanist as they compete in a shoreside bicycle race in this beach-set Victorian romance, to Kate Seaver at Berkley, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Tara Gelsomino at One Track Literary Agency (world).

Two-time Hugo Award finalist Chuck Tingle‘s CAMP DAMASCUS, in which a group of queer friends begin to realize their memories of surviving a hellish gay conversion therapy camp have been stolen from them; and a second standalone novel, BURY YOUR GAYS, to Kelly Lonesome at Nightfire, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in July 2023 and summer 2024, by DongWon Song at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (NA).

Author of CHEF’S KISS TJ Alexander‘s SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN, in which a down-on-his-luck, early-40s trans comedian begrudgingly returns to his outlandish Floridian hometown for the first time in decades, only to run into his high school ex-boyfriend, who’s inexplicably gotten hotter with time and soon throws into question where nostalgia ends and where moving on begins, to Lara Jones at Emily Bestler Books, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in December 2023, by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (world).

Lambda Award-winning author of SKYE FALLING Mia McKenzie’s DORIS STEELE, a comic novel about a pious, small-town teenager who travels to Atlanta in 1960 to get an abortion and finds herself smack in the middle of the civil rights movement and the secret lives of queer Black people, ultimately discovering the transformative power of leaving your bubble, even for just one chaotic weekend, to Caitlin McKenna at Random House, by Alexa Stark at Writers House (world).

Columbia MFA alum and Lambda Literary inaugural fellow Douglas Jones’s PRIME REAL ESTATE, set in Atlanta as the 1996 Olympics loom, following two Black men confronting their roles in displacing Black residents to make way for the Opening ceremony while coming to terms with their own sexuality, to Yahdon Israel at Simon & Schuster, in a pre-empt, by Haley Heidemann at William Morris Endeavor.

Author of CITY OF A THOUSAND FEELINGS Anya Johanna DeNiro‘s OKPSYCHE, a surreal short novel from the perspective of a trans woman navigating dystopia, anxiety, and motherhood, to Kelly Link at Small Beer Press, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2023 (world).

Andrew Wilmot’s WITHERED, in which a nonbinary student moves to a small, haunted town after reaching a low point with their mental health, to Terese Mason Pierre at ECW Press, with Jennifer Albert editing, by Kelvin Kong at K2 Literary (world).

Lambda Award-winning author of FLAMER and the Little Elliot picture books Mike Curato‘s GAYSIANS, a humorous graphic novel about an ensemble of queer Asian American friends in 2000s Seattle as they carve out space for themselves and navigate friendships, relationships, racism, and transphobia, to Betsy Gleick and Mae Zhang McCauley at Algonquin, at auction, by Brenda Bowen at The Book Group (world).

T M Payne‘s regional police procedural series set in Liverpool, following a tortured and authentic detective with a strong moral compass, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, to Victoria Haslam at Thomas & Mercer, in a three-book deal, for publication in March 2024, October 2024, and March 2025, by Broo Doherty at DHH Literary (world English).

Fulbright scholar Mary Liza Hartong’s HOT CHICKEN, pitched as Schitt’s Creek meets Dumplin’, a Southern novel about a PhD candidate at Vanderbilt who returns to her small Tennessee hometown for her father’s funeral and picks up work at a hot chicken shack, where she falls in love with another young woman and has to find a way forward for herself, her feisty mother, and her new love, to Rachel Kahan at William Morrow, in a nice deal, for publication in winter/spring 2024, by Janna Bonikowski at The Knight Agency (world English).

Pitch Wars mentee KT Hoffman‘s THE KEYSTONE COMBINATION, pitched as Red, White & Royal Blue meets Ted Lasso, a rom-com about what happens when the first openly trans professional baseball player in history is forced to share the infield with his arch nemesis—a standoffish, super-talented, and inconveniently gorgeous player, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Allison Hunter at Trellis Literary Management (NA).

Asha Thanki’s A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE, a queer literary speculative novel tracing three generations of mothers and daughters—spanning from the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan through to contemporary Brooklyn—who are connected by an ancient tapestry through which they inherit all the memories of their foremothers, to Nidhi Pugalia at Viking, at auction, by Stephanie Delman and Danya Kukafka at Trellis Literary Management (NA).

Children’s/Middle Grade Fiction

Middle school English teacher and GrubStreet Novel Incubator graduate Karen Wilfrid’s JUST LIZZIE, about an eighth grader whose study of asexual reproduction in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy, to Lily Kessinger at Clarion, at auction, for publication in fall 2023, by Lauren Scovel at Laura Gross Literary Agency (NA).

Rainie Oet’s THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, a picture book about a nonbinary child who is swept off to their surprise birthday party full of dreamlike creatures and magical, poignant moments, illustrated by Mathias Ball, to Susan Dobinick at Astra, for publication in spring 2024, by Abigail Frank at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates for the author, and by Natascha Morris at The Tobias Literary Agency for the illustrator (world).

Stonewall and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize award winning creator Harry Woodgate‘s GRANDAD’S PRIDE, a sequel to Grandad’s Camper, this time honoring the past and celebrating the future with a Pride parade, to Sue Buswell at Andersen Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in April 2023, by Alice Sutherland-Hawes at ASH Literary (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Elisa Bonnin‘s EXILES OF ELLERY WEST, a dark academia YA novel following a queer Filipino-American girl who returns as a probationary student to the acclaimed Ellery Academy of Magic, only to find her past—an accident involving dark magic that caused the death of her best friend—is far from behind her, and teams up with the other probationary classmates to prevent more deaths, even if it risks having her magic sealed away forever, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in spring 2024, by Natalie Lakosil and Antoinette Van Sluytman at Irene Goodman Agency (world).

Cecilia Vinesse‘s THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, following a bisexual film club nerd’s attempts to make her ex jealous by pretending to date his new girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend, who happens to be her ultra-cool next-door neighbor; as she gets deeper into the charade, she realizes why “fake dating” is such a tried-and-true movie trope—and that her heart’s in danger of being broken again, to Alyssa Miele at Quill Tree, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2023, by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency (NA).

Literary agent Lee Paige O’Brien’s A HUNDRED VICIOUS TURNS and an untitled sequel in The Broken Tower series, following the nonbinary heir to a powerful magical bloodline with the unsettling ability to find doorways that no one else can see, who finds themself drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse at an elite magic university when a malevolent force follows them back through the passages, to Emily Daluga at Amulet, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

Laura Steven’s THE SOCIETY FOR SOULLESS GIRLS, a dark contemporary thriller with a supernatural twist pitched as a sapphic retelling of Jekyll & Hyde set at a haunted university, which follows two roommates who must solve an infamous cold case of serial murders on campus after an arcane soul-splitting ritual gone wrong prompts another death, to Hannah Hill at Delacorte, for publication in fall 2023, by Juliette Clark at Farshore (US). (Note: this book has already been released in the UK.)

Danish cartoonist Jam Aden‘s LOVE, MISHA, pitched as A Goofy Movie meets Spirited Away, about a nonbinary teen and their mother who, during a contentious road trip, take a wrong turn that lands them in the realm of the spirits, where they are surrounded by trickster spirits who aren’t so keen on human trespassers, with no obvious way out, to Samia Fakih at First Second, for publication in spring 2025, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

NYT-bestselling author of CEMETERY BOYS Aiden Thomas‘s CEMETERY BOYS 2, a sequel told from Julian’s point-of-view, pitched as The Sixth Sense meets Final Destination, when a monster starts creating malingo spirits in East L.A., to Holly West at Feiwel and Friends, in a good deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2024, by Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

Non-Fiction

Transgender writer Stacy Jane Grover‘s TAR HOLLOW TRANS, a debut collection of personal essays that tracks the author’s attempts and ultimate failure to write themselves into a recognizable transgender, Appalachian identity, to Abby Freeland at University Press of Kentucky, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2023.

Appalachian bookseller and cofounder of Atlas Books Davis Shoulders’s QUEER COMMUNION: APPALACHIAN QUEERS & RELIGION, a collection of essays that examines how Queer individuals reimagine their relationship to spiritual communities and religious institutions, to Abby Freeland at University Press of Kentucky, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2024.

Ed Emcee Dr. Anthony Keith Jr’s HOW THE BOOGEYMAN BECAME A POET, a YA memoir-in-verse tracing the author’s journey from being a closeted-gay Black high school teenager battling against poverty, racism, White supremacy, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds unexpected freedom in poetry; and KNUCKLEHEAD, a poetry collection which takes the form of a tender love letter from an openly gay Black man to Black men and boys everywhere, to Ben Rosenthal at Katherine Tegen Books, in a significant deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024 and winter 2025, by Annie Hwang at Ayesha Pande Literary (NA).

Queer artist with ADHD and creator of the Instagram account @blessthemessy Jess Bird’s BLESS THE MESSY, an illustrated personal development book that speaks candidly about inclusivity, acceptance, and radical self-love, and inspires readers to reframe chaos and mess as tools for growth and change, to Veronica Alvarado at Simon Element, in a pre-empt, by Kate Woodrow at Present Perfect (world English).

June 2022 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction and Poetry

Author of the forthcoming THE ROMANCE RECIPE and HOT COPY Ruby Barrett‘s THE LEARNING CURVE, where a bi, down-on-his-luck ex-firefighter joins a cross-disciplinary academic study teaching millennials how to make friends as adults, but an unexpected flirtation with an earnest people-pleasing female participant jeopardizes the study and their hearts, to Stephanie Doig at Carina Adores, for publication in winter 2024, by Kiana Nguyen at Donald Maass Literary Agency (world).

D’VAUGHN AND KRIS PLAN A WEDDING author Chencia C. Higgins’s untitled novel, set in a woman-owned, queer-friendly adult entertainment club, in which a teddy bear stud music producer breaks her own rules and romances her BFF, the club’s highest earning dancer and a devoted single mom, pitched as BROWN SUGAR meets P-Valley, to Kerri Buckley at Carina Adores, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2023, by Keisha Mennefee at Honey Magnolia Media (world).

Sim Kern’s THE FREE PEOPLE’S VILLAGE, following a queer punk band in Houston swept up in an anti-capitalist revolution, in an alternate timeline where President Al Gore declared a War on Climate Change, transforming U.S. cities into solarpunk paradises—but only for wealthy white neighborhoods, to Irene Vazquez at Levine Querido, by Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency (world).

Author-illustrator of the LA Times Book Award finalist HONOR GIRL Maggie Thrash’s adult debut RAINBOW BLACK, part murder mystery, part gay international fugitive love story, part meditation on queerness and identity, set against the ’90s Satanic Panic and spanning 20 years in the life of a young woman pulled into its undertow, to Noah Eaker at Harper Perennial, for publication in spring 2024, by Stephen Barr at Writers House (NA).

Eugenio Volpe’s I, CARAVAGGIO, pitched as a postmodern retelling of the bisexual, street-fighting godfather of modern painting, to Christoph Paul at Clash, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in July 2023 (world English).

Writer, performance artist, and community healer Kai Cheng Thom’s LOVE LETTERS TO LOST SOULS, a collection of prose poems promising to uplift queer and marginalized people, show grace to those seemingly beyond saving, and affirm the imperfect yet sacred humanity in us all, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in a pre-empt, by Leonicka Valcius and Marilyn Biderman at Transatlantic Literary Agency (world, excl. Canada). Rights also to David Ross at Penguin Canada.

Audiobook narrator Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS & LATTES, in which an orc mercenary hopes to make a new start in life, opening the first coffee shop in Thune, to Lindsey Hall at Tor, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Jon Mitchell at Pan Macmillan.

I’M SO NOT OVER YOU author Kosoko Jackson’s WRANGLED AND ENTANGLED, a gay rom-com set on a family ranch in Montana, where a city boy licking his wounds post-breakup finds himself falling for the cowboy who never wanted his family legacy reduced to a tourist attraction in the first place, to Kristine Swartz and Mary Baker at Berkley, for publication in spring 2024, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Rachel Runya Katz’s THANK YOU FOR SHARING, pitched for readers of Casey McQuiston, following two biracial former Jewish sleepaway camp crushes (and rivals) as they’re forced put aside their baggage to save their careers and work together 14 years later, only to realize that they can’t ignore their shared history or their growing feelings for each other, to Vicki Lame at Griffin, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Jessica Mileo at Inkwell Management (NA).

Lebanon Valley College Director of Creative Writing Holly M. Wendt’s HEADING NORTH, pitched for fans of THE ART OF FIELDING and the BEARTOWN series, tracking a season in which a gay Russian ice hockey player must rebuild his life in the NHL after tragedy and his general manager wrestles for team control while her marriage deteriorates, in a novel about grief and social change on the global stage of professional sport, to Jeffrey Condran at Braddock Avenue Books, in a nice deal, for publication in November 2023 (NA).

Meredith Mooring’s REDSIGHT, a debut science fantasy with positive bisexual and disability representation that follows a blind priestess who powers warships for the galactic military by manipulating spacetime; when the captain of her ship is murdered by a pirate with a dark past, the priestess must choose between a painful life of service or a chance at freedom with the galaxy’s most wanted criminal, to Amy Borsuk at Rebellion, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2024, by Ernie Chiara at Fuse Literary (world).

A.K. Mulford’s THE FIVE CROWNS OF OKRITH series, a queer fantasy romance series, the first of which is popular on TikTok, to David Pomerico at Voyager, in a major deal, for seven figures, in a five-book deal, for publication in October 2022, by Jessica Watterson at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Sheila Connolly’s BLACK SAILS TO SUNWARD, the first in series in which a woman joins the Martian Imperial Navy to save her family’s waning fortunes but somehow ends up sucked into piracy with her ex-girlfriend instead, to Cate Pearce at Hansen, with Elizabeth Jeannel editing, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in July 2023.

Melissa Karibian’s A CHORUS OF ASHES AND SHADOWS, the sequel to A SONG OF SILVER AND GOLD, to Elizabeth Jeannel at Hansen, for publication in June 2023.

Children’s Fiction

Chinese Canadian writer, musician, and filmmaker, and author of THIS CITY IS A MINEFIELD Aaron Chan’s THE BROKEN HEART, a picture book pitched with identity-inspired LGBTQ2S+ themes, the story of a young girl who likes to fix things, and who sets out to help her brother mend his heart after his relationship with his boyfriend has ended, illustrated by Josiane Vlitos, to Lauri Hornik at Rocky Pond Books, for publication in spring 2024, by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND Robby Weber’s WHAT IS THIS FEELING?, a rom-com in which a high school theater star just wants to win a scavenger hunt and meet his Broadway idol on the drama club trip to New York City, but when he finds himself stuck sharing a room with his polar opposite, the snarky loner from the tech department, the last thing he expects is to form a friendship—and maybe more, to Connolly Bottum while at Inkyard Press, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Kristy Hunter at The Knight Agency (world English).

Kamilah Cole’s SO LET THEM BURN, pitched as “Jamaican Joan of Arc” and inspired by Zendaya’s 2018 Met Gala look, following a 17-year-old girl who once wielded the magic of the gods to save her island from dragon-riding colonizers and must now save her sister from the same enemy—even if it means bargaining with a long-forgotten god and ending the world, to Alexandra Hightower at Little, Brown Children’s, in a six-figure deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2024, by Emily Forney at BookEnds (world).

Debut author Carolyn Hill’s MASK OF CELIBACY, a 1990s-set novel featuring two heteroromantic ace characters, to Rebecca Sands at Wattpad, for publication in summer 2024 (world).

Author of YOU’RE NEXT Kylie Schachte’s HEARTS OF GOLD, a queer action-adventure pitched as Our Flag Means Death meets modern-day Indiana Jones, in which the daughter of an archeologist must team up with her archnemesis to uncover the truth about a legendary gang of female pirates—and find their long-lost treasure, to Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown Children’s, for publication in fall 2023, by Margaret Sutherland Brown at Folio Literary Management (world).

Nonfiction

Cohost of the Queer Kids Stuff YouTube series and TED speaker Lindz Amer‘s HOORAY FOR HE, SHE, ZE, AND THEY!, a celebration of pronouns and gender euphoria, illustrated by Kate Alizadeh, to Celia Lee at Simon & Schuster Children’s, for publication in 2024, by Claire Draper at The Bent Agency for the author, and by Mandy Suhr at Miles Stott Agency for the illustrator (world).

Professor of history at Eastern Michigan University John G. McCurdy‘s THE PARSON IS A BUGGERER: HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, the story of the trial of Lieutenant Robert Newburgh, placing LGBTQ+ presence at the founding of the United States, to Laura Davulis at Johns Hopkins University Press, by Christopher Rogers at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner (world).

Artist, publisher, and founder of Hello Mr. magazine Ryan Fitzgibbon’s untitled compendium of queer storytelling, collecting material from the magazine’s archives alongside new material from today’s emerging queer artists and writers, contextualizing the magazine’s lasting impact while celebrating a new generation of LGBTQ+ creators, to Zachary Knoll at Abrams, in an exclusive submission, by Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of GAY BAR Jeremy Atherton Lin’s DEEP HOUSE, a pre- and post-Obergefell love story weaving the author’s decades-long, transnational romance into a larger inquiry into the many ways queer couples lived and loved before gay marriage became legal, to Jean Garnett at Little, Brown, in a good deal, by Laura Macdougall at United Agents (NA).