By Cecilia Cackley
I’m hoping that there were Latinx authors who got book deals this month and just didn’t end up in Publisher’s Weekly, otherwise this is a sad-looking report! Only two book deals, both at the very beginning of the month for YA books. Is it too much to hope that the world self-corrects in November and we get dozens?
This is a monthly series keeping track of the book deals announced by Latinx writers and illustrators. The purpose of this series is to celebrate book deals by authors and illustrators in our community and to advocate for more of them. If you are an agent and you have a Latinx client who just announced a deal, you can let me know on Twitter, @citymousedc. If you are a Latinx author or illustrator writing for children or young adults, and you just got a book deal, send me a message and we will celebrate with you! Here’s to many more wonderful books in the years to come.
October 31
Jill Santopolo and Beverly Horowitz at Penguin Random House´s Philomel and Delacorte imprints have acquired world rights to three books for young readers by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Philomel will publish the picture book autobiography Turning Pages: My Life Story, illustrated by Lulu Delacre, in which Justice Sotomayor follows the path of her life as it relates to the books she read along the way. Delacorte will publish The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, a middle grade adaptation of her bestselling memoir, My Beloved World. Both books will be released in fall 2018; a second picture book about childhood differences will follow from Philomel in 2019, illustrated by Rafael López. Both Philomel and Delacorte editions will also be published in Spanish, with the picture books releasing simultaneously with the English editions, and the middle grade title releasing in 2019. Amy Bernstein and Peter Bernstein of Bernstein Literary Agency represented Sotomayor, Delacre is unagented, and Adriana Domínguez and Stefanie von Borstel of Full Circle Literary represented López.
October 26
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October 24
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October 19
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October 17
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October 12
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October 5
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October 3
| Kristin Daly Rens at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired, in a five-way auction, A Forgery of Magic, first in a debut YA fantasy trilogy by 24-year-old former Random House Children’s editorial assistant Maya Motayne. Set in a Latin-American inspired kingdom based in part on the author’s Dominican heritage, the first book follows a face-changing thief and a grief-stricken prince as they race to vanquish a dark magic they have accidentally unleashed. The first book will publish in summer 2019. Author agent: Alexandra Machinist and Hillary Jacobson at ICM Partners. |
| Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has bought Laura Pohl‘s The Last 8, a YA sci-fi duology about a young Latina pilot who finds herself grounded and alone after a devastating alien attack, but finds hope in an unlikely group of survivors who aren’t what they seem. Publication for the first book is scheduled for 2019, with the sequel due in 2020. Author Agent: Sarah LaPolla at Bradford Literary Agency. |
Cecilia Cackley is a performing artist and children’s bookseller based in Washington, DC, where she creates puppet theater for adults and teaches playwriting and creative drama to children. Her bilingual children’s plays have been produced by GALA Hispanic Theatre and her interests in bilingual education, literacy, and immigrant advocacy all tend to find their way into her theatrical work. You can find more of her work at www.witsendpuppets.com.
Latinxs in Kid Lit 
Yes, I got deals! My agent doesn’t usually do these announcements, especially not far ahead of time, but I will reveal that one deal is for a sequel to my memoir, Enchanted Air, for 2019.
Sent from my iPad
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YAY! Good to hear!