Emi Ikkanda at Tiny Reparations acquired North American rights, at auction, to an untitled memoir by comedian, TV host, podcaster, and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu (pictured l.) from Erin Malone at WME. The book, per the editor, “shares hilarious stories and provocative insights on race, politics, class, and pop culture, both to make us laugh and to shift the national conversation. His jokes are regularly quoted on protest signs, and his memoir will be a revelatory and humorous book that speaks to our times.” Publication is scheduled for spring 2028.

Reagan Arthur at Cardinal won North American rights, at auction, to publishing veteran (and former Arthur assistant) Michael Mezzo’s Dismissal from Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic. The novel, per the publisher, is “set at a storied private school in Connecticut on the day a beloved retired teacher’s death instigates a string of revelations about the decades-old disappearance of a student, threatening the lives of four people who have guarded the truth about their involvement for years.” Alex Russell at Jonathan Cape took U.K. rights, at auction, from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. Publication is planned for summer 2027.

Brianna Fairman and Daphne Durham at Putnam picked up world rights, in an exclusive submission, to Siren Says, by David Black Literary agent Jennifer Michelle Herrera, from Heather Jackson, who has an eponymous shingle. The romantic fantasy, per the publisher, “inspired by Celtic mythology and plant medicine, is about a young woman who must put a stop to the sacrifices her family has been making for more than a century while falling for her childhood friend turned nemesis.” Siren Says is set for release next summer.

Melissa Milsten at Black Privilege netted world rights to comedian, actor, and talk show host Sheryl Underwood’s I Am Fat Because of You from Larry Turner at Lawrence J. Turner & Associates. The memoir, per the publisher, “brings Underwood’s fearless candor from the stage to the page, offering transparency about her life in Hollywood, the military, and her wounded family, combining her trademark humor with surprising revelations.” Publication is set for next spring.

Jessica Tribble-Wells at Thomas & Mercer took world rights to Ellie Marney’s adult crime novel debut, No One Is Safe, from Josh Adams at Adams Literary. The series starter, per the agency, is a “gritty thriller about an amnesiac serial killer who joins forces with an antisocial ex-cop to dig into the unkillable past on the mean streets of late 1980s New York City.” No One Is Safe will be released early next year.

In Brief

  • Andy Ward at Random House netted North American rights to Lena Dunham’s memoir Famesick from Bill Clegg at the Clegg Agency, for an April release.

  • Gary Groth at Fantagraphics acquired world English rights, in an exclusive submission, to Mule’s Diner by Stan Mack, “a collection of strips that originally ran in National Lampoon, plus extensive new material,” from Liz Nealon at Great Dog Literary, for a 2028 release.

  • Molly Stern, Nicole Otto, and Sarah Goldstein at Zando took world English rights to Janklow & Nesbit agent Emma Parry’s debut novel, Mrs. Benedict Arnold, “a reimagining of the misrepresented woman behind the notorious traitor,” from Chad Luibl at Janklow, for release in April.

  • Charlie Spicer at St. Martin’s picked up U.S. and Canadian rights to journalist Lucy Hornby’s The Last Man: A Biography of Xi Jinping from William Clark, who has an eponymous agency. Pub date TBD.

  • Laura Schreiber at Avon preempted North American rights to Emily Rath’s Devour Me, the “first in a spicy paranormal trilogy in which a young woman becomes caught between a handsome witch and a cursed wraith,” from Susan Velazquez Colmant at JABberwocky, for release next summer.