Judy Clain at Summit acquired world English rights, in a two-book deal, to The Radiance by Ayad Akhtar (pictured l.) from Julie Barer at the Book Group. “When a hit-and-run shatters more than his body, a writer is caught between revelation and madness as an uncanny pull toward a brilliant colleague ensnares him in a scandal that threatens to destroy them both in this novel of spiritual transformation in an age of fracture,” the publisher said of the book. Publication is planned for October 2026.

Tim O’Connell at S&S took North American rights, in an exclusive two-book submission, to Catherine Ryan Howard’s Buyer Beware from Sara O’Keeffe at Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Imogen Nelson at Transworld acquired U.K. and Commonwealth rights. The book, per the publisher, is “a puzzle box thriller about a woman trying to flee the violence of her past only to find it in a house that has secrets of its own, that goes to the very edge of obsession, in relationships, in love, and in location.” Publication is planned for July 2026.

Lashanda Anakwah at Tiny Reparations bought North American rights, at auction, to Merle of Mumbai by Anushka Joshi from Nicole Aragi at Aragi Inc. Joanna Lee at Scribner UK preempted U.K. rights from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, and translation
rights have sold in five territories. The debut novel, the publisher said, is “a sweeping fictionalized account of the life of Merle Oberon, an actress best known for her role in the 1935 film The Dark Angel, which earned her an Academy Award nomination, who began her career in Britain but later became a Hollywood darling, all while guarding the life-long secret of her Indian ancestry.” Publication is planned for spring 2027.

Joy de Menil at Avid Reader picked up North American rights to The Nuns by Leah Redmond Chang from Jill Grinberg, who has an eponymous shingle. The book, per the agency, “tells the story of 16 Carmelite nuns, now Catholic saints, who were guillotined one by one in Paris at the height of the Terror, choosing to sacrifice their lives in an act of principled resistance that marked a turning point in the French Revolution.” No publication date has been announced.

Alexandra Sehulster at St. Martin’s netted world rights, in a two-book deal, to Arranged Mate by Sara Fields from Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. The first book in the Fated series, per the agency, is “set in a world of mafia bloodlines and supernatural secrets, where a fierce mafia heiress fights fate—and her attraction to a powerful stranger—when she’s forced into an arranged marriage with a man who may not be entirely human.” Release is planned for late 2026.

In Brief

  • Peter Conners at BOA secured world English rights to At the Gate: Uncollected Poems 1987–2007 by the late Lucille Clifton, edited by Kazim Ali, from Jazmia Young and Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown, for release in April.

  • Gabby Colangelo at Bantam Dell took North American rights to Anne Hellman’s debut novel The Indecipherables,
    following “estranged twin sisters on a surreal road trip to reconcile after a betrayal and mysterious illness—only to be stalked by identical doppelgängers,” from Rebecca Gradinger and Harry Sherer at UTA, for a spring 2027 release.

  • Aranya Jain at DAW picked up North American rights to The Thorns We Wear Inside by Amy Avery, a “dark sapphic fantasy about a witch and a monster, each haunted by parasitic demons, who must break the curse that’s trapped them inside a mysterious castle,” from Jennifer Azantian at the agency of the same name. Pub date TBD.

  • Marnie Cochran at Rodale won world rights, at auction, to Tufts Medical School assistant professor Amy Funkenstein’s But Really, Do Less: A Guide to Under-parenting Your Kids into a Resilient Future from Mia Vitale and Sarah Passick at Park, Fine, & Brower. Pub date TBD.