Random House Acquires New George Saunders Novel

Jul 25, 2025

Andy Ward at Random House acquired world rights to Vigil by George Saunders from Esther Newberg at CAA. The Booker Prize winner’s latest novel unfolds on the deathbed of a powerful oil company CEO as he is being ferried from this world to the next and receives worldly and otherwordly visitors who are “clamoring for a reckoning,” per the publisher. Publication is set for January 27, 2026.

“This book scared me, entertained me, and reminded me—not that I needed reminding—that George Saunders is one of the most daring, most imaginative, most accomplished writers working today,” Ward, EVP and publisher at Random House, said in a statement. “We’re incredibly proud to publish him at Random House. Vigil is a fierce and wild ride, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”

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