Whitney Frick at the Dial Press bought North American rights, at auction, to Of Wind and Dust, the adult debut from Ezra Jack Keats Award–winning children’s book author Shirin Yim Leos (pictured l.), from Heather Jackson, who has an eponymous shingle. The book, the publisher said, is “a braided historical epic about three women—one born married, one born enslaved, one born free—all wives of the same man in 19th-century China and an emerging Seattle, all striving for autonomy and love.” Publication is planned for early 2027.

Denise Oswald at Pantheon acquired North American rights to Terra Infirma, by Economic Hardship Reporting Project executive director Alissa Quart, from Jill Grinberg, who has an eponymous agency. The book, according to the agency, is “a work of immersive reporting on, and sharp analysis of, the uncertainty of American life during the second Trump era, where a small ruling class both creates and exploits cascading crises to keep the majority insecure.” No publication date has been announced.

Alexandra Sehulster at Saturday netted world rights to actress Julia Jones’s debut novel, Friends, Lovers, Strangers, edited by Glasstown Entertainment cofounder Lexa Hillyer, from Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management. The book, per the publisher, is “a speculative novel told in multiple timelines about a young woman who either makes, misses, or catches a later flight to her summer home in Nantucket to see the local boy she’s loved for years, and all the devastating and romantic ways their paths intertwine.” Publication is planned for 2027.

Erika Imranyi at Park Row preempted world rights to Take Back the Night by Heather Gudenkauf, Kaira Rouda, and Kimberly Belle, the creators of the Killer Author Club, from Marianne Merola at Brandt & Hochman, Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency, and Nikki Terpilowski at Holloway Literary. The speculative thriller, per the publisher, is a “gripping cat-and-mouse story, where three former friends come together to take down a man they thought had died years ago, when they outed him as a predator on live radio.” A winter 2027 release is planned.

Diego Lopez at Abrams Fanfare took world rights to the ongoing Ignatz Award–winning webcomic series Buuza!! by Shazleen Khan from Kurestin Armada at Root Literary. The publisher said the series, “set in the vibrant, low-fantasy realm of Dawlat Al-Harir, an eclectic melting pot inspired by Silk Road history and rich Asian and African Islamic cultures, is a queer YA romance that features a uniquely dynamic blend of magical realism and political drama.” The first three volumes are slated for publication next spring.

In Brief

  • Jeramie Orton at Pamela Dorman acquired North American, Canadian, and open market rights to the next two suspense novels by Shari Lapena from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown UK, for release in summer 2028 and 2029, respectively.

  • Lyssa Keusch at Grand Central took world English rights, in a two-book deal, to former NFL player Andre Hardy’s debut crime novel Playing Coltrane, “blending elements of jazz, football, and a gritty portrait of a city divided,” from Simon Lipskar at Writers House, for release next September.

  • Judith Curr at HarperOne netted world rights to photographer Randee St. Nicholas’s collection A Photographic Retrospective: From Without and From Within, “capturing the raw soul and magnetic presence of the world’s most iconic figures,” from Ryan Supple of Impyrium, for release next fall. Elizabeth Mitchell will edit.

  • Gary Groth at Fantagraphics netted North American rights to John Vasquez Mejias’s graphic novel Lolita Lebrón, about the Puerto Rican nationalist “whose fight against colonialism led her to lead an attack on the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954,” from Anjali Singh, who has an eponymous agency. Pub date TBD.