Heads Up From Publishers Lunch

I don't subscribe to Publishers Lunch. If I was an editor, author, agent, bookseller, or some type of publishing professional, I probably would because it seems like PL has access to a lot of inside information. Using PublishersLunch gives you a major heads up on seeing what trends are dominating in publishing, which authors are getting contracts, which editors are selling, and an estimate of how much money certain types of manuscripts go for.

I do get the free teaser emails that PL sends out. The daily teasers are hit and miss for usefulness, but I do like the Lunch Weekly emails. They usually contain a few of the big deals of the week, and they cover genre fiction. Mystery, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, young adult and other often-overlooked genres get mentioned.

In the last few weeks, there have been a few sale announcements that have caught my interest:

In Romance:

Shannon McKelden's VENUS ENVY, about a goddess-turned-fairy godmother who isn't about to let any reluctant Cinderella get in her way, to Natasha Panza at Tor, for their new chick lit line, in a nice deal, by Deidre Knight at The Knight Agency (world English).

Linda Winstead-Jones' romantic fantasy trilogy CHILDREN OF THE SUN, taking up the tale of the generation following the protagonists of her trilogy SISTERS OF THE SUN, to Christine Zika of Berkley, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis Associates.

C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp's TOUCH OF EVIL, the first in a new vampire/shapeshifter world, plus two more in their award-winning Sazi shapeshifter series, again to Anna Genoese at Tor Romance, in a very nice three book deal, by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House.

Marta Accosta's BITE ME a humorous, sexy contemporary novel about a Latina aspiring writer, who finds love and acceptance among a family of sophisticated vampires, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a very nice deal, at auction, for two books, by Julie Castiglia at The Castiglia Agency.

In Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Author of HAMMERED, Elizabeth Bear's BLOOD & IRON, WHISKEY & WATER, a contemporary fantasy about the ages-old war between the realms of Faerie and the human mages of the Promethean Society, told from the point of view of the pawns who will be instrumental in deciding the fate of both worlds, to Liz Scheier at Roc, in a nice deal, by Jennifer Jackson at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (world English).

Co-founder of the UK's Orange Prize Kate Mosse's LABYRINTH, a thriller that connects two mysterious worlds in contemporary and Medieval France, featuring two heroines born centuries apart but linked by a common destiny, to Leona Nevler at Putnam and Berkley, for publication in spring 2006, by George Lucas of Inkwell Management, in collaboration with Lucas Alexander Whitley.

Fantasy and science fiction novelist Sean Williams' ASTROPOLIS TRILOGY, a pan-galactic gothic space adventure framed by a single murder mystery set in the far future, to Ginjer Buchanan of Berkley, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis Associates (NA). Foreign rights handled by Danny Baror.

Being published in the UK:

26-year-old James Palmer follows the crazed romantic figure of THE BLOODY WHITE BARON, a Russian aristocrat who crossed Asia to conquer Mongolia in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan, to be finally deposed and executed by Trotsky's Red Army., to Neil Belton at Faber & Faber, by Jon Jackson at Gillon Aitken Associates (UK/Commonwealth).

Movie Rights sold:

Film rights to Elizabeth Kostova's forthcoming THE HISTORIAN, to Sony, for producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher at Red Wagon, in a major deal, for seven figures, at auction, by Sylvie Rabineau, on behalf of Amy Williams at Collins McCormick.

Dan Simmons's epic horror thriller CARRION COMFORT, pitting a concentration camp survivor and a Southern sheriff against an army of mind vampires, optioned to Michele Gavras at director Costa-Gavras's K. G. Production, by Relevant Entertainment's Michael Prevett, on behalf of Richard Curtis Associates.

In Non-Fiction:

Dr. Chris Lavers' THE NATURAL HISTORY OF UNICORNS, presenting the mythical evolutionary history of the unicorn from 400BC to the present day, to David Roth-Ey at Harper, at auction, by Rebecca Winfield at the Rebecca Winfield Literary Agency (NA).

Authors of THE GOVERNMENT MANUAL FOR NEW SUPERHEROES Matthew David Brozik and Jacob Sager Weinstein's THE GOVERNMENT MANUAL FOR NEW WIZARDS, the second in a series of parodies of consumer-information guides (and of the audiences they serve), to Lane Butler of Andrews McMeel, by Robert Shepard at the Robert E. Shepard Agency (world; excl. UK/Commonwealth).