Madeline Jones at Algonquin acquired world English rights to Bora Chung’s (pictured l.), The Pain Chasers, in a two-book deal, from Toni Kim at the Greenbook Agency. The publisher described the novel, translated from the Korean by Anton Hur, as “a speculative thriller set in a world where pain has been eradicated by Big Pharma and a cult that believes suffering gives life meaning rises up against it.” Hannah Chukwu at Dialogue in the U.K. and Marika Webb-Pullman at Scribe Australia picked up rights from Laura Mamelok at Algonquin. Publication is set for fall 2026.

Jennifer Baker at Storehouse Voices picked up world rights to Shawntelle Madison’s The Midnight Bus from Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret, in an exclusive submission. The speculative novel follows “a group of anti-segregationists during the 1961 Freedom Rides as their journey morphs into a fear-laden landscape that forces the protestors to confront demons of all varieties,” the publisher said. Publication is scheduled for 2027.

Talia Cieslinski at the Dial Press bought North American rights, at auction, to Hayley Fleming’s debut novel, Thighs Wide Shut, from Catherine Bradshaw at Writers House. The romantic comedy, per the publisher, is about “a young woman who reunites with her ex–best friend, only to discover that their lingering tension masks deeper feelings—and that to reconnect, she must confront the barriers that have long kept her from authentic intimacy.” Release is planned for summer 2026.

Mark Warren at Random House netted North American rights to The Running Ground by Nicholas Thompson, CEO of the Atlantic, from Rafe Sagalyn at CAA. The publisher described the book as “a profound meditation on what running can teach us about our limits and our lives from a record-setting distance runner.” An October release is planned.

Reagan Arthur at Cardinal acquired U.S. rights to Prestige Drama by Séamas O’Reilly from Dan Kirschen at the CAA. The book is billed by the publisher as “a darkly comic novel set in Derry where the arrival–and disappearance–of an American actress researching
her role in a film about The Troubles forces the community to reckon with its own
history.” Release is scheduled for summer 2026.

Hollis Heimbouch at Harper took U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to Jim Collins’s What to Make of a Life from Peter Ginsberg at Curtis Brown, in an exclusive submission. The book “shares findings from an ambitious 10-year research project devoted to studying remarkable lives from a wide array of human endeavors,” per the publisher. Publication is set for April 2026.

In Brief

  • Madeline McIntosh at Authors Equity acquired world English rights to Joseph Nguyen’s The Overthinker’s Guide to Making Decisions from Albert Lee and Rebecca Gradinger at UTA, for a November publication.

  • Erika Imranyi at Park Row acquired world rights to Jennie Garth’s I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose & Embracing Reinvention from Randy James at Randall James & Assoc. Release is set for April 2026.

  • Maria Goldverg at Liveright won world rights, at auction, to Bill Nye and Corey Powell’s Bill Nye’s Photo Guide to the Universe from Harry Sherer and Peter Steinberg at UTA for a spring 2027 release.

  • Ariel Curry at Sourcebooks bought world rights, at auction, to Dear Anxious Woman: A Therapist’s Letters to the Women Who Hold It All Together (Until They Can’t) by Kelly Vincent from Rebekah Von Lintel at Embolden Media Group, for a spring 2027 release.

  • Chip Fleischer at Steerforth Press netted North American rights to The Tesla Files: The Inside Story of Musk’s Empire by Sönke Iwersen and Michael Verfürden, from Dan Bunyard at Penguin Michael Joseph in the U.K. Publication is planned for September.