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Eric Chinski and Alex Star at Farrar, Straus and Giroux successfully acquired the world English rights to The AGI Chronicles, penned by Kevin Roose, a prominent tech columnist for the New York Times and cohost of the Hard Fork podcast. This deal, made during an auction, was facilitated through Sloan Harris and Kari Stuart at CAA. The publisher describes this book as “an unprecedented insider’s account of the race to develop artificial general intelligence through firsthand reporting and interviews with AI industry leaders.” International rights have also been sold for various markets including the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, with a publication date yet to be announced.
Nicole Otto, Sierra Stovall, and Hayley Wagreich, representing Slowburn, have preemptively secured North American rights to the Sorrowsong University duology by Autumn Woods. This deal was negotiated with Daisy Chandley and Rebecca Wearmouth at Peters Fraser and Dunlop. The duo of novels is characterized as “a dark academia romance in which a young woman enrolls in an elite Scottish university seeking revenge against a powerful family, only to find herself involved with her enemy’s enigmatic son.” Additionally, Kinza Azira at Pan Macmillan acquired U.K. rights, while foreign rights have been sold in twelve other territories. The inaugural title of the series, previously self-published and titled Nightshade, is scheduled for release this spring.
Rachel Page at Feminist Press has acquired the world English rights to Feral, authored by Gabriela Jauregui, with a translation from Spanish provided by Heather Cleary. The publisher highlights that this debut fiction narrates the experiences of a group of future archivists who recount the tale of four friends whose lives spiral into chaos following the murder of one of their own while working on an archaeological dig. The book is slated for publication in fall 2026.
Miriam Khanukaev from Random House has obtained exclusive world rights to Sugar Truck, the debut novel of Maia Ipp, a contributing editor for Jewish Currents. This acquisition was arranged through Alia Hanna Habib at the Gernert Company. The narrative focuses on “an overthinking young academic who dismantles her meticulously crafted life to pursue a Lithuanian exchange student to the location where her grandparents survived the Holocaust, triggering a series of destabilizing and humorous misadventures.” A publication date has not yet been established.
Simon Spanton at Angry Robot has secured world English rights to Peter F. Hamilton’s Arkship trilogy from Antony Harwood at his agency. The publishing house describes this sci-fi trilogy as “a fast-paced coming-of-age series that unfolds aboard a generation ship on a centuries-long voyage to a new world, where the intricate balance of life is suddenly jeopardized.” The series consists of three titles: A Hole in the Sky, The Captain’s Daughter, and Queens of an Alien Sun, which are set for release in January, June, and December, respectively.
In Brief
Kevin Doughten at Crown has acquired Insomnia, authored by the late Robbie Robertson, known for his work with the Band. This narrative promises to recount “the incredible journey shared with Martin Scorsese, exploring their friendship and their collaborative adventures,” scheduled for publication in November.
Matt Inman at Ten Speed has secured world rights to Dolly Parton’s forthcoming photo book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, negotiated through Jeff Kleinman and Steve Troha at Folio, with a release planned for November.
Alexandra Merkel at HarperAlley obtained world rights to Sam Bragg’s Hooves of Death, a young adult graphic novel that originated as a webcomic, through Lara Allen at Wattpad Webtoon, with publication slated for September.
Ardyce Alspach at Union Square purchased world rights, excluding Canada, to Joanna C. Keenan’s debut romantasy, Heart of the Dragonslayer, at auction from Steven Salpeter at 2 Arms Media, aiming for a fall 2026 release.
Rakesh Satyal at HarperVia acquired North American rights to Harriet Evans’s multigenerational family saga, The Treasures, which marks the beginning of a planned trilogy. This deal was finalized with Ariele Fredman and Christy Fletcher at UTA, on behalf of Steph Thwaites at Curtis Brown. The first book is set to publish in September, with the second installment following the next year.
A version of this article appeared in the 04/21/2025 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Deals
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