Tag Archives: Rachel Diebel

Deal Announcements

May 2023 Deal Announcements

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Adult Fiction

NYT staff writer Elizabeth Harris‘s HOW TO SLEEP AT NIGHT, about two gay siblings whose lives are upended when one decides to run for office—as a Republican, to Rachel Kahan at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2025, by Brettne Bloom at The Book Group (world).

Rose Black‘s TIL DEATH DO US BARD, a queer light fantasy pitched for fans of LEGENDS & LATTES and Our Flag Means Death, about a grumpy ex-adventurer who must come out of retirement to save the kingdom and his sunshiny bard husband, with the “help” of a flirty necromancer grandmother and the ghost of his ex-wife, to Natasha Qureshi at Hodderscape, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency (world English).

Kate Cochrane‘s debut WAKE UP, NAT & DARCY, a sapphic romance in which two former hockey teammates turned rivals with unresolved feelings for one another are paired to host a popular morning show’s Olympic coverage and must remain professional amid a nation of fans closely scrutinizing their incredible chemistry, to Errin Toma at Carina Adores, for publication in 2024, by Paige Terlip at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Dana Hawkins‘s LOVE AND RAINBOW LATTES, an opposites-attract queer romance, to Emily Gowers at Storm Publishing, in a two-book deal, for publication in January 2024 (world).

Author of ZEUS GRANTS STUPID WISHES Cory O’Brien‘s TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE, a literary science fiction mystery set in a half-drowned future Los Angeles where knowledge is literally currency, following an aging combat veteran who is dragged into investigating a murder that brings his ex-boyfriend back into his life decades after they parted ways, in a humorous, heartfelt blend of noir and cyberpunk, to Anna Kaufman at Anchor, by Jessica Felleman at Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency (NA).

McSweeney’s contributor and one of Electric Literature’s emerging voices of Nigerian fiction Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s BLESSINGS, a coming-of-age story following a young gay man in Nigeria longing for love, acceptance, and queer joy, culminating in the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act of 2014, interrogating how politics can impact ordinary lives, to Cara Reilly at Doubleday, for publication in 2024, by Emma Leong at Janklow & Nesbit (US).

Republic of Consciousness finalist Nate Lippens’s RIPCORD, which follows the narrator of MY DEAD BOOK as he navigates sex, intimacy, class, and queer aging in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Hedi El Kholti at Semiotext(e), in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2024, by Chris Fischbach at Fischbach Creative (NA).

Children’s and Middle Grade Books

Author of JUDE SAVES THE WORLD Ronnie Riley‘s ASKING FOR A FRIEND, in which a socially anxious, nonbinary 12-year-old lies to their mother about having friends at their new school—and has to make them fast when Mom wants to throw them a 13th birthday party, to Erin Haggett and Amanda Sun at Scholastic, with Emily Seife editing, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2024, by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency (world).

Emmy-winning journalist and poet Dr. Seema Yasmin, MD’s picture book THE ABCS OF QUEER HISTORY, a journey through key individuals, movements, and moments across a range of identities and experiences, illustrated by Lucy Kirk, to Pamela Bobowicz at Workman Kids, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2024, by Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary for the author (world).

Author-illustrator Jayme Brodie’s debut graphic novel STICK TOGETHER, which follows a 12-year-old who is excited to become fast friends with her new neighbor and join her school’s field hockey team, but her burgeoning friendship with (and crush on) one of the prettiest and coolest girls that she’s ever seen threatens to come between them, and she must reconcile their differences, and her feelings for the pretty one, before they tear the team and each other apart, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, in a very nice deal, at auction, for publication in spring 2026, by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency (world).

Young Adult Fiction

Author of BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING Justine Pucella Winans‘s ONE KILLER PROBLEM, a humorous mystery following a bisexual teen with IBS and an attitude, who convinces her murder-mystery obsessed, bookish best friends to investigate the suspicious death of their favorite teacher, to Lily Kessinger at Harper Teen, with Alice Jerman editing, for publication in summer 2024, by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

Jessica Lewis‘s NAV’S FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO FALLING IN LOVE, a queer rom-com in which an expert at flirting who is allergic to love agrees to give the painfully shy new girl lessons in romance to win over her best friend, only to fall for the new girl herself, to Olivia Valcarce at Inkyard Press, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2024, by Holly Root at Root Literary (world English).

Author of ZOMBABE and BABYLOVE I. S. Belle’s GIRLS NIGHT, a sapphic YA in which four unlikely friends at an all-girls school start an underground fight club, but what starts out as a way to let off steam quickly snowballs into something larger until the girls are forced to choose between the friendships they’ve made or the club that brought them together, to Joshua Dean Perry at Tiny Ghost Press, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2024 (world English).

Non-Fiction

Fashion Fair commentator and founder of The Ground Crew Audrey Smaltz‘s EVERY INCH A LADY: A MEMOIR, highlighting the author’s life from a model, Wall Street mutual funds broker, department store dynamo, Ebony fashion coordinator and commentator, Vogue editor, and successful businesswoman; taking readers behind-the-scenes with her work with fashion royalty including Michael Kors, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren, and candidly discussing her “coming out” after marrying her wife, former WNBA and Olympic silver medalist Gail Marquis in 2011, to Patrik Henry Bass at Amistad, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2025, by Alina Mitchell at MacGregor & Luedeke (world).

Long-term survivor of AIDS, prominent advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and former Metropolitan Community Church pastor Rev. Dr. Steve Pieters‘s DANCING WITH JOY: COMING OUT, SURVIVING AIDS, AND EMBRACING GOD’S GRACE, the story of the man whose 1985 interview with Tammy Faye Baker changed how religious America perceived AIDS and the gay community, to Richard Brown at Rowman & Littlefield, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in March 2024, by George Greenfield at CreativeWell (NA).

Author of IN THE MARGINS Shannon T. L. Kearns‘s NO ONE TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE A MAN: A TRANSGENDER PERSPECTIVE ON NON-TOXIC MASCULINITY, in the author, a transgender man, examines how we got to this moment of a crisis of masculinity in modern culture and illustrates how transgender men provide unique insights on how readers can become better men, better feminists, and work more in solidarity with people of all genders, to Lil Copan at Broadleaf, for publication in spring 2025, by Trinity McFadden at The Bindery (world).

Justice, equity, and transformation post-doctoral fellow at the University of Calgary Lucas Wilson ed.’s SHAME-SEX ATTRACTION: SURVIVORS’ STORIES OF CONVERSION THERAPY, an anthology that collects the stories of those who have been harmed by anti-gay conversion therapy, offering hope in community and overcoming their shame, to Alex DiFrancesco at Jessica Kingsley, for publication in January 2025 (world).

Deal Announcements

March 2023 Deal Announcements

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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).

Deal Announcements

August 2022 Deal Announcements

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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).

Deal Announcements

July 2022 Deal Announcements

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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).

Deal Announcements

December Book Deal Announcements

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Adult Fiction

Columbia MFA Joss Lake’s FUTURE FEELING, set in alt-future Brooklyn and L.A., following three young trans men—a professional dog walker, a self-absorbed social media influencer, and a jaded TV writer—who must work together to remedy the disastrous effects of an ill-conceived hex at the behest of the Rhiz, the quasi-benevolent network responsible for the collective well-being of the global transgender community, to Yuka Igarashi at Soft Skull, by Chris Clemans at Janklow & Nesbit (world English).

NYT-bestselling author of PLEASE LOOK AFTER MOM and winner of the International Man Booker Prize Kyung-Sook Shin’s VIOLET, about a young woman who works in a flower shop and has been shunned by her female high school lover, which sets her apart from society and the world of Seoul, to Jisu Kim at Feminist Press, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2021, by Barbara Zitwer at Barbara Zitwer Agency (world English).

NYT bestselling author of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE Casey McQuiston‘s ONE LAST STOP, pitched as a queer Kate & Leopold, in which a 23-year-old realizes her subway crush is displaced from 1970’s Brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her – and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time – before it’s too late, to Vicki Lame at Griffin, in an exclusive submission, for publication in summer 2021, by Sara Megibow at kt literary (world English).

Sara Codair’s EARTH RECLAIMED, in which a 17-year-old non-binary mage must stop a budding war between mages and scientists before Mother Earth reclaims the world, to Zelda Knight at Aurelia Leo, in a nice deal, for publication in January 2021 (world English).

Lambda Literary Fellow and diaCRITICS.org contributor Eric Nguyen‘s A HISTORY OF LOST THINGS, set in the New Orleans housing project of Versailles and following a Vietnamese refugee mother and her two sons, one tempted by gangs and the other embracing his gay identity, as they reckon with their past losses and grapple with creating a new home, to Caitlin Landuyt at Knopf, in a very nice deal, at auction, by Julie Stevenson at Massie & McQuilkin (NA).

Author of the second installment of VERA KELLY series Rosalie Knecht‘s VERA KELLY IS NOT A MYSTERY, picking up with an ex-CIA agent after she loses her job and her girlfriend in a single day and reluctantly goes into business as a private detective, taking a case chasing a lost child through foster care and following a trail of Dominican exiles to the Caribbean, dredging up dark memories and dangerous characters from across the Cold War landscape, to Masie Cochran at Tin House Books, for publication in June 2020, by Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts at HG Literary (NA).

NYT- and USA Today-bestselling author Chelsea Cameron‘s THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, in which one woman’s plans for escaping her parents’ house and the confines of small town life are waylaid by the lobsterwoman next door, to Kerri Buckley at Carina Press Adores, for publication in June 2020 (world).

Morgan Rogers‘s HONEY GIRL, pitched for fans of RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, an #OwnVoices debut that follows a young black woman just finishing her PhD in astronomy who impulsively gets married in Vegas and decides to leave her perfectly ordered life for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows, to Laura Brown at Park Row Books, by Holly Root at Root Literary (NA).

Children’s Fiction

Sunmi’s FIREBIRD, a debut graphic novel that follows a girl as she crushes on an older girl she tutors, and their friendship through their varied experiences as queer children of Asian-American immigrants, to Clarissa Wong at Harper Alley, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2022, by Susan Graham at Einstein Literary Management (world).

Miel Moreland’s IT GOES LIKE THIS, an #OwnVoices story about a former queer pop band, the (messy) fallout of their globally mourned breakup, and the devastating hometown storm that brings the teens back together, leaving each member to wonder if they can rebuild more than just the town, to Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in spring 2021, by Jessica Errera at Jane Rotrosen Agency (NA).

Author of ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED Sophie Gonzales‘s THE EX-GIRLFRIEND GETTER-BACKER EXPERIMENT, in which a bisexual girl who gives out anonymous love advice at her high school is blackmailed by the hot guy in her class into helping him get his ex-girlfriend back, and the unintended consequences of her advice end up affecting everyone, including herself, pitched as THE DUFF meets TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, to Sylvan Creekmore at Wednesday Books, in an exclusive submission, for publication in 2021, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world).

Kate Prosswimmer at S&S/McElderry has acquired IN DEEPER WATERS by F.T. Lukens. Pitched as A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean, this high seas fantasy features a prince with secret magic who is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour and must rely on a mysterious young man to save him. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Eva Scalzo at Speilburg Literary Agency did the deal.

STRANGE GRACE author Tessa Gratton‘s NIGHT SHINE, pitched as a dark, queer Howl’s Moving Castle, in which the crown prince is kidnapped, and only an orphan knows enough of his secrets to seek him in a demon-haunted fortress, to Karen Wojtyla at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2020, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world English).

Maya MacGregor‘s THE MANY HALF-LIVED LIVES OF SAM SYLVESTER, about an autistic genderqueer protagonist who leaves an intolerant school for a new high school with the support of their loving father, finding a Rainbow Club and accepting friends, all of whom must come together to solve the decades-old mystery of the murder of a teenage boy and confront the child’s own fears of early death, to Jes Negron at Boyds Mills Press, for publication in fall 2020, by Sara Megibow at kt literary (world English).

Jake Maia Arlow‘s ALMOST FLYING, in which a 13-year-old takes part in a summer road trip to several amusement parks and celebrates found family, first queer crushes, and the singular delight of roller coasters, to Ellen Cormier at Dial, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2021, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actor, singer, dancer, writer, and advocate Billy Porter‘s untitled picture book, to Courtney Code at Abrams Children’s, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).

Non-Fiction

Contributor to Tin House and Granta Krys Malcolm Belc’s THE NATURAL MOTHER OF THE CHILD, about bodily autonomy and parenthood, from a transmasculine parent who identifies as neither mother nor father to his gestational son and the two children his partner carried, to Dan Smetanka at Counterpoint, with Jennifer Alton editing, by Ashley Lopez at Waxman Literary Agency (NA).

Trans activist, storyteller, and Director of Family Formation at Family Equality Trystan Angel Reese‘s TENDER MOMENTS AND TOUGH LESSONS: THE JOURNEY THROUGH ADOPTION, TRANS PREGNANCY, AND LGBTQ PARENTHOOD, a memoir of Trystan and his partner Biff’s route to parenthood, from adopting two kids in need to becoming pregnant as a man and candid reflections on it all, interwoven with universal lessons for those facing obstacles to parenthood, to Batya Rosenblum at The Experiment, for publication in spring 2021, by Myrsini Stephanides at Carol Mann Agency (world).

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actor, singer, dancer, writer, and advocate Billy Porter‘s UNPROTECTED, a memoir of childhood trauma, creative struggle, public courage, and triumph, to Jamison Stoltz at Abrams Press, in a pre-empt; also, an untitled picture book, to Courtney Code at Abrams Children’s, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).