A Putin Biography Secretly Lights Up Frankfurt

It was the book that, as one insider put it, you had to “go into a closet to read.” If there was one hush-hush book at Frankfurt this year, it was Masha Gessen’s Vladimir Putin biography, The Man Without a Face.

Buzzed 'Deadmail' Goes to Doubleday

After we broke the news yesterday about a hot U.S. auction agent Molly Friedrich was coordinating at the Frankfurt Book Fair for the sophomore novel Deadmail, we have word that the novel has been snatched up by Alison Callahan at Doubleday.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2011: Crown Nabs Skloot's New, Untitled Book

Molly Stern at Crown has taken North American rights to the anticipated new book by Rebecca Skloot. The currently untitled work, will explore, as the publisher put it, “the animal-human bond.”

Levy Home Entertainment Sold to Investment Group

The Chas. Levy Company has sold its sole operating subsidiary, Levy Home Entertainment, to Readerlink, an affiliate of Treesdale Investments, Inc. whose managing partner, Dennis Abboud, had been an executive at Chas. Levy Company from 1994 to 2000.

Doubleday Acquires Three New Mosley Books

Doubleday has brought Walter Mosley into the fold, acquiring two new books in the author's Easy Rawlins series, as well as a standalone novel.

Frankfurt 2011 Briefcase: What the American Agents Are Selling

Art Spiegelman gets 'meta' on Maus; Richard Ford heads to the Great White North; Pete Townsend talks 'Tommy' (and life); and Jonathan Evison explores caregiving. These are just some of the authors the American agents will be pushing in the rights center this year.

Knopf to Publish New Bill Clinton Book

Knopf has acquired world rights to a new book by Bill Clinton called Back to Work, about how the U.S. can overcome its current problems and, as the former President put it, get "back into the future of business."

Chalberg, Sussman Start Lit Agency

Agents Terra Chalberg and Rachel Sussman are hanging up their own shingle, launching Chalberg & Sussman. The pair met ten years ago while working at Simon & Schuster and their new agency will focus on authors doing a range of literary and commercial fiction and nonfiction.

Google Buys Zagat

After earlier attempts to find a buyer fell through, Zagat has been acquired by Google. According to a post from Google v-p, local, maps and location services Marissa Mayer, “Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering.”

Thomas Nelson Acquires First WestBow Title

When Thomas Nelson and AuthorSolutions established the WestBow Press self-publishing division in 2009 the idea was that the unit would provide a testing ground for aspiring authors. Yesterday, Nelson acquired its first WestBow adult title, signing Marcia Moston’s Call of a Coward for publication next summer in trade paperback.

Deals, Week of August 29, 2011

Krauss Closes Double at Rodale, and more.

Rights Report: August 25

Joy Peskin at Viking Children’s Books has bought world rights to Beside Me, a YA novel by Isabel Gillies, author of the bestselling memoir Happens Every Day.

Amazon Publishing Signs Ferriss

Amazon Publishing made its first major deal since Larry Kirshbaum was named publisher of the unit, acquiring world rights to bestselling author Timothy Ferriss’ next book, The 4-Hour Chef.

Knopf Lands Two Books from Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Robert Gates, United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011, will publish two books with Alfred A. Knopf; the first book will be a memoir and is tentatively scheduled to be published in 2013; the second book will focus on leadership and is expected to be published the following year.

Licensing Hotline: July 2011

Zondervan Acquires The Beginner's Bible

Zondervan has acquired The Beginner’s Bible from Mission City Press, which first introduced the popular line in 1989.

Bloomsbury Buys Continuum for £20 Million

U.K.-based Bloomsbury Publishing has acquired the academic and professional publisher Continuum for £20.1 million ($32 million at current exchange rates).

Amazon Acquires McBain's Backlist

Amazon has bought the rights to 35 titles in Ed McBain's long-running 87th Precinct series, along with rights to 12 titles in the author's Matthew Hope series. Through the deal Amazon's recently announced mystery and suspense imprint, Thomas & Mercer, will release digital, print and audio versions of the 87th Precinct titles, starting in fall 2011.

Scribner Signs Giffords, Kelly for Memoir

Scribner has signed Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, Navy captain and astronaut Mark Kelly, to a write a joint memoir about their lives together.