Sunday Times-bestselling author of A MARVELLOUS LIGHT ‘s SWORDCROSSED, pitched as Ellen Kushner’s SWORDSPOINT meets LEGENDS & LATTES; a second novel pitched as Grey’s Anatomy meets A DEADLY EDUCATION; an untitled novel; and an untitled novella, to Ruoxi Chen at Tor, in a six-figure deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Diana Fox at Fox Literary (US).
Book Riot contributor and writer of their monthly horoscopes and book recommendations column ‘s QUEERLY BELOVED, a queer debut rom-com set in Tulsa, Oklahoma that follows semi-closeted baker and bridesmaid-for-hire Amy’s search for Happily Ever After — with the new mysterious lesbian in town, of course, but most importantly, with herself, to Katy Nishimoto at Dial Press, in an exclusive submission, by Jamie Carr at The Book Group (world).
Liz Bowery’s COVER STORY, a hate-to-love queer rom-com pitched as The West Wing meets RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE by way of THE HATING GAME, in which a viral photo forces two ruthless political staffers to fake a relationship to save their presidential candidate’s campaign, to Emily Ohanjanians at Mira, by Laura Zats at Headwater Literary Management (world English).
NYU MFA graduate ‘s ACTS OF SERVICE, following a young queer woman’s consuming affair with a straight couple, a dangerous arrangement that forces her to interrogate her own desire and complicity; an examination that cuts to the heart of modern sexuality, power, politics and moral responsibility, to Parisa Ebrahimi at Hogarth, in a pre-empt, by Dan Kirschen at ICM (NA).
Griffin Prize-winning poet and scholar ‘s A MINOR CHORUS, about an unnamed narrator who abandons his unfinished thesis to return to his hometown, where he has a series of intimate encounters with friends, lovers, and elders that brings the modern queer and Indigenous experience into sharp relief, to David Ross at Hamish Hamilton Canada, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Stephanie Sinclair at CookeMcDermid (Canada).
2019 Lambda Fellow ‘s THE UNFORTUNATES, pitched in the vein of LUSTER, QUEENIE, and MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION, about a queer, half-Nigerian college student enraged and exhausted by the racism, tokenism, and indifference to the Black experience at her elite college, who pens a no-holds barred thesis (“to my advisors: Mr. White Supremacy, Mr. Capitalism, Ms. Racism”) documenting her search for the truth about The Unfortunates, an unlucky subset of her Black classmates who keep dying at the hands of white supremacy, to Millicent Bennett at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a pre-empt, for publication in spring 2022, by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (world, excl. UK).
Zoe Sivak’s SEASON OF ASHES, about a biracial woman who flees to Paris following the start of the Haitian Revolution and into the inner circle of Robespierre and his mistress, where she must contend with her place in both uprisings, to Jen Monroe at Berkley, in a pre-empt, by Amy Elizabeth Bishop at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).
McDuffie Diversity Award-winning author of M.F.K. ‘s REEL LOVE, based on the author’s experiences embracing being asexual, the graphic novel follows a young woman who goes on a summer trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains where she develops a passion for fishing, meets a boy, and learns there’s no getting away from growing up and from facing her questions about identity and love, to Polo Orozco at Random House Children’s, in a major deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2023, by Patrice Caldwell at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).
Editor at ACC Art Books B.L. Radley’s STRICTLY NO HEROICS, a queer adventure love story pitched as Dumplin’ meets Deadpool, about a teen without powers trying to survive and find justice and love in a world filled with superheroes and villains, to Holly West at Feiwel and Friends, at auction, for publication in winter 2023, by Beth Marshea at Ladderbird Literary Agency.
Ciera Burch’s THE INEVITABILITY OF HOME, in which a Black girl is forced to meet her estranged, dying grandmother all while grappling with ancestral ghosts, a girl who wants to be more than friends, and a trove of secrets; pitched as perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Jesmyn Ward, to Elizabeth Lee at Farrar, Straus Children’s, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in winter 2023, by Patrice Caldwell at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).
Author of RULES FOR VANISHING Kate Alice Marshall’s THESE FLEETING SHADOWS, a queer supernatural in which a girl inherits her ancestral home, only to discover that a dark presence lurks within it—and within herself; with the help of the young woman, she must unlock the house’s secrets and her own if she wants to survive, to Maggie Rosenthal at Viking Children’s, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2022, by Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS Literary Agency (NA).
Brian Kennedy’s debut A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY, in which two boys—one who wants to be the biggest openly gay country music superstar, and one who, as the grandson of a faded Nashville star, hates country music more than anything—fall for each other while working at a Dollywood-esque theme park, to Kristin Daly Rens at Balzer & Bray, in a good deal, at auction, by Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS Literary Agency (world English).
Author of HOT DOG GIRL and VERONA COMICS Jennifer Dugan’s COVEN, in which a young witch must leave sunny California for dreary upstate New York after members of her coven are murdered under mysterious circumstances, illustrated by Kit Seaton, to Stephanie Pitts at Putnam Children’s, for publication in the fall of 2022, by Brooks Sherman at Janklow & Nesbit for the author, and by Ben Grange at L. Perkins Agency for the illustrator (world).
Author of WHO I WAS WITH HER and Lambda Literary Writer’s Retreat fellow ‘s THE SONG I SANG UNCARING, set during the Swingjugend movement in 1930s and 1940s Berlin, centering around a girl who finds herself swept up in the culture and the resistance while falling for another girl in the middle of it all, again to Catherine Wallace at Harper Teen, for publication in summer 2022, by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (world English).
Patrice Caldwell’s WHERE SHADOWS REIGN, set in the aftermath of a war between vampires, humans, and the gods that created them, in which a vampire princess teams up with a seer, who only has visions of death, to journey to the island of the dead—a mythical place where all souls go at their end—to save her kidnapped best friend, to Vicki Lame at Wednesday Books, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2022, by Sara Megibow at kt literary (NA).
Author of the forthcoming IN DEEPER WATERS F.T. Lukens’s HOW TO SURVIVE EVER AFTER, pitched as Dungeons & Dragons meets CARRY ON, in which a group of teenagers, having just completed a quest to save their kingdom, now need to figure out what comes next while their de facto leader is accidentally crowned king and is caught up in a curse that requires him to find his soulmate before he turns 18, to Kate Prosswimmer at Margaret K. McElderry Books, in a nice deal, in an exclusive submission, for publication in spring 2022, by Eva Scalzo at Speilburg Literary Agency.
Activist, artist, filmmaker, and scholar ‘s MARSHA: THE BEAUTY AND DEVIANCE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON, a biography of the legendary Black trans activist whose role in the 1969 Stonewall riots sparked the gay liberation movement, and whose fabulous, fearless life as a colorful trans woman still inspires the current wave of LGBTQ protests, to Amber Oliver at Tiny Reparations Books, at auction, for publication in fall 2022, by Georgia Frances King and Bridget Wagner Matzie at Aevitas Creative Management (world).
Culture columnist at Longreads Jeanna Kadlec’s HERETIC, a memoir in essays on life after leaving the evangelical church, queerness, and what faith looks like in the face of millennial loneliness and desire for community and meaning—all in light of the hold evangelicalism has on American politics, power structures, and pop culture, to Jenny Xu at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, at auction, by Dana Murphy at The Book Group (world).
Former senior editor at Out Lester Fabian Brathwaite’s RAGE: THE EVOLUTION OF A BLACK QUEER BODY IN AMERICA, a collection of essays about how his search for love thrust him into the crosshairs of a potent and specific brand of racism, converting his trauma into a weapon and critiquing the evolution of his Black queer consciousness, to Amber Oliver at Tiny Reparations Books, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic (world).
‘s THE OTHER MAN, an urban gay rom-com about love and longing in Mumbai, dealing with the crazy pressures of family expectations, the staunch traditions of Indian society, and how the power of love can change everything, to Chris Werner at Lake Union Publishing, in a very nice deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in fall 2021, by Priya Doraswamy at Lotus Lane Literary (world).
‘s THE HOURGLASS THRONE, the third in the tarot and Atlantis-inspired queer urban fantasy series about the heir to a lost throne who must navigate a cutthroat society with a ragtag band of allies, to Rene Sears at Pyr, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Sara Megibow at kt literary.
Hettie Bell’s LEARN TO KNIT IN NINE MONTHS OR LESS, in which an unplanned pregnancy spurs a young woman to join a knitting group, where she finds an unexpected romance in the woman who runs it and an unexpected family in her kooky fellow knitters, to Ronan Sadler at Carina Press Adores, for publication in spring 2021 (world).
Author of DEATH INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX Candice Wuehle’s MONARCH, a humorous novel based on a popular 90’s-era conspiracy theory about a former child beauty queen who falls in love with a fellow pageant girl and, with the help of her riot grrrl babysitter, decides to take down the organization that secretly programmed her as an assassin, to Sarah Lyn Rogers at Soft Skull, by Kiele Raymond at Thompson Literary Agency (world).
‘s AFTER YOU DIED, a supernatural thriller set in 1968 and partially based on a true story, in which a bisexual teen has no memory of why he woke up covered in his girlfriend’s blood, sentenced to five years at a sinister reform school, which, like his memory, hides violent secrets of its own, and he must find the truth to save himself and those he loves, to Chantelle Aimee Osman at Agora Books, by Jill Marsal at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world).
‘s THE HEIRESS: THE REVELATIONS OF ANNE DE BOURGH, pitched as an LGBTQ+ reimagining of the life of the PRIDE AND PREJUDICE character Anne de Bourgh, to Thorne Ryan at Hodder & Stoughton, for publication in January 2021, by Laura Williams at Greene & Heaton, on behalf of Jennifer Weltz at the Jean V. Naggar Agency.
‘s J-CURVE, the first in the Jade Harbour Capital series, in which an executive on a high-stakes deal must work with the one-night-stand he’s never quite been able to forget—his best friend’s little brother, to Stephanie Doig at Carina Press Adores, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2021 (world).
JACOB’S ROOM TO CHOOSE coauthors Ian Hoffman and Sarah Hoffman’s JACOB’S NEW WORD, the third book in the Jacob collection, where Jacob and his classmate perform a play that showcases pronoun use as well as gender fluidity and diversity, illustrated by Chris Case, to Kristine Enderle at Magination Press, for publication in June 2021, by Deborah Warren at East-West Agency for the authors (world).
Cindy Rizzo’s THE PAPERCUTTER, in which three Jewish teens, including a queer girl in the USD, come of age in a split USA and are unprepared for what they must confront as increased violent anti-Semitism threatens Jews in the USF, to Katherine V. Forrest at Bella Books for publication in June 2021 (world).
Author of the forthcoming THE SKY BLUES Robbie Couch’s BLAINE FOR THE WIN, in which a boy is determined to prove his worth by becoming senior class president after his boyfriend breaks up with him to pursue more “serious guys,” and sacrifices his own sense of self in the process, to Amanda Ramirez at Simon & Schuster Children’s, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2022, by Moe Ferrara at BookEnds (world English).
Sydney Taylor Honor-winning author of THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON ‘s THIS REBEL HEART, a fabulist novel, pitched as for fans of LOVELY WAR and CODE NAME VERITY, in which a Jewish teen finds her voice during the very real student-led 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and which explores whether failed revolutions matter—and whether you should fight for a country that doesn’t love you back, to Marisa DiNovis at Knopf Children’s, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2022, by Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).
Cultural critic ‘s CARLOS ALEJOS HAS TO LOSE HIS CHICHOS, about a queer Puerto Rican teen of size as he grapples with body image, friendship, and his burgeoning sexuality in suburban New Jersey, illustrated by , to Trisha de Guzman at Farrar, Straus Children’s, in an exclusive submission, for publication in winter 2023, by Melissa Edwards at Stonesong for the author, and by Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency for the illustrator (world).
Former NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC anchor and producer ‘s HIGH YELLA: A MODERN FAMILY MEMOIR, exploring the question of what defines family, from the author’s perspective as the white-appearing gay son of a large, poor Black family, and as father to two adopted Black sisters, to Beth Snead at University of Georgia Press, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2021, by Gina Panettieri at Talcott Notch Literary Services (world English).
Librarian and author of The Cardboard Kingdom and Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom Molly Muldoon’s A QUICK & EASY GUIDE TO ASEXUALITY, the next installment in the A Quick & Easy Guide series, exploring what asexuality is for those who want to learn and for Ace people to validate their experiences, illustrated by Will Hernandez, to Ari Yarwood at Limerence, with Amanda Meadows editing, for publication in spring 2021 (world).
Stonewall Award-winning author and trans rights activist ‘s IF YOU’RE A KID LIKE GAVIN, a nonfiction account of Gavin’s fight against his school administration when he was banned from using the boys’ restroom and subsequent Supreme Court case, illustrated by , to Mabel Hsu at Katherine Tegen Books, for publication in summer 2022, by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services (NA).
American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, drag queen, and pop star James Whiteside’s CENTER CENTER, a humorous memoir-in-essays about how the author discovered his sexuality, pushed creative boundaries, and subverted the classical traditions of ballet on his journey to center stage, to Gretchen Schmid at Viking, in an exclusive submission, by CAA (world English).
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(Listings originally posted in Publisher’s Marketplace.)
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 ‘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 ‘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 ‘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 ‘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).
‘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).
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 ‘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 ‘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).
‘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).
‘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 ‘s untitled picture book, to Courtney Code at Abrams Children’s, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).
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 ‘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 ‘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).
