Hilary Teeman at Ballantine preempted North American rights to  A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys (pictured l.), in a two-book deal, from Steven Malk at Writers House, for a summer 2026 release. The book is “set during the height of Prohibition in Detroit, amid the glittering lives of the auto barons,” and follows, the publisher said, a “windshield heiress who defies her family’s expectations and escapes to an exclusive artists’ enclave, where she uncovers a web of deceit, corruption, and romance, shining a light on the glamour and grift of the Motor City’s golden age.”

Mary Altman at Sourcebooks picked up world English rights to the Tree of Knowledge series by Daniel G. Miller, for six figures, from Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. Pitched as a cross between Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets and Alex Michaelides’s The Maidens, the books, the agency said, follow “a Princeton math professor unknowingly gifted with foresight who must decode a hidden cipher to clear his name in a murder investigation—before the future he sees catches up with him.” Release is set for winter 2026.

Seema Mahanian at Pamela Dorman acquired North American rights, at auction, to Tastes Like Seeing God by debut author Nina Michiko Tam from Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic. Pitched as The Bear meets Bryan Washington’s Memorial, the book, the publisher said, centers “a young woman who, grieving the death of her older brother, a chef, embarks on a whirlwind pilgrimage around the world, in pursuit of the five dishes he claimed ‘taste like seeing God.’ ” No publication date has been announced.

Lara Jones at Emily Bestler bought world English rights to Love and Lake Monsters by TJ Alexander from Larissa Melo Pienkowski while at Jill Grinberg Literary Management. The adult contemporary LGBTQ+ rom-com, the publisher said, follows “an amateur cryptid hunter who rents a cabin in Upstate New York in an effort to stave off a boring, normal life and instead make history by proving the existence of a little-known cryptid—but when his grumpy, grizzled new landlord reluctantly agrees to help in the hunt, their lives will never be normal again.” Publication is set for fall 2026.

Ann Triestman and Devorah Backman at Countryman Press landed world rights to A Field Guide to Sad Beige Parents by Hayley DeRoche from Sharon Pelletier at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. The publisher called the book “an IRL version of the librarian and viral TikTokker’s tongue-in-cheek humor and instinct for relatable parenting content in an illustrated gift book, to appeal to parents who reject the ‘beige phenomenon’ and for those who embrace it.” Release is set for next April.

In Brief

  • Ann Godoff at Penguin bought U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket from Melanie Jackson at the agency of the same name, for an October release.

  • Ben Greenberg at Random House netted North American rights to Patti Smith’s memoir Bread of Angels from Betsy Lerner at Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner, for a November release.

  • George Witte at St. Martin’s picked up North American rights to former senator Joe Manchin’s memoir, Dead Center, from David Larabell at CAA, for a September release.

  • Andrew Martin at Minotaur took North American rights to Louise Penny’s next two Chief Inspector Gamache novels from David Gernert at the Gernert Company, for fall 2026 and 2027 release.

  • Leah Hultenschmidt at Forever secured world rights to three books by Say You’ll Remember Me author Abby Jimenez from Stacey Graham at 3 Seas Literary. Publication is set for 2027–2029.

  • Rebecca Taylor at Inklore and Kate McHale at Inklore UK took world English rights to SSAL and 26’s manhwa series How to Hide the Emperor’s Child, based on Lee Yeonseon’s webnovel, from C&C Revolution. Katelyn Hemmeke will edit. The first title is set for 2026.

This article has been updated with further information.