The New York Times
Best-Sellers List

With the right amount of money and hyperbole, you can still drive nearly any dead horse into the pop charts.  Ask American Idol's Simon Cowell.  He's made a career of it. 

Enter the Internet.  With nearly every band holding a presence on MySpace and YouTube, it's a snap for most performers to reach a global online audience, even without the benefit of a major record label backing them up.

Of course, the numbers for self-promoters via the Internet are miniscule compared to what they could well be once a major player steps into the scene.  And those who do make a self-generating splash in cyberspace are nearly always plucked away by the Bigs.  But there's no denying that the number of bands reaching their intended audience has never been greater.

And you would think that the same thing is true in publishing, where writers of any talent and ilk can easily create a Website or a blog and obtain instant notoriety, if not outright fame.  Belle de Jour began her professional career as a high-class call girl on the blogs, and Judith O'Reilly received a £70,000 advance from Viking for her six-week-old blog about moving to the countryside.  Adding to the allure of instant Weboriety is publication next month of blogger Catherine Townsend's Sleeping Around: Secrets of a Sexual Adventuress.

But unfortunately, for every one of these cyber-space successes, there are tons of outright failures.  Check out the New York Times' Review of Books or the Boston Herald's best-seller list, and you'll find the same old names dominating the literary landscape.  Literary fiction still belongs to the Ian McEwans, Zadie Smiths, Graham Swifts, and Sebastian Faulkses of the world.  Crime and thrillers still fall to the likes of Ian Rankin, P.D. James, Michael Connelly, and Tom Clancy.  Worse still, nonfiction goes to any celebrity or politician ambitious (or callous) enough to write-and-tell and then talk some publisher into overpaying for rights to the memoir.

The problem is not necessarily that publishers are notoriously resistant to change, which they are, or even that new technology lags far behind that of the media arts, which it does.  The problem is that, unlike the recording industry and its new stars, publishers believe it's more difficult, time-consuming, and thus costly to break out a new literary star than it is to rely on the same old names.  There are exceptions, of course, but they're called exceptions for a good reason. 

By and large, the Internet and digital science are far less user-friendly for writers who want to make money from writing than to other artists.  Musicians can give away a few free downloads on their Websites and still increase revenues by using them as a promotional ploy for plugging their albums and live performances, an advantage over writers that no one can deny. 

In writing, when something appears on a Website, it loses virtually all of its inherent financial value.  Book readings and signings are hardly major revenue streams, and even the best known authors often find their personal appearances turn out to be little more than a dog-and-pony show.  Add to that the fact that e-paper is still a rich-man's toy, and you begin to see the problem.  And putting a couple of chapters on a Website as an enticement to buy a book only works if there's already a major book deal in place with a major publisher.  Which begs the question: which comes first, the chicken or the chicken?

Alas, even self-publishing via POD can't step in and come to the rescue, as hopeful writers once had dramed; for, even with a book firmly in hand, writers are beginning to realize that, without the major promotional funding available to them from the Bantams and Penguin-Putnams of the world, POD boils down to little more than an exercise in futility...and vanity.

Is there hope for change in the future?  Of course.  Hope doth spring eternal, after all, more so in writers, apparently, than in most.  Given a breakthrough technology in e-book development, a more friendly interface with readers, and a less costly means of reaching the masses with their properties, writers may well be able to rake in those big sales numbers in the near future, even without the support of Publisher's Row.

But for now, it's business as usual and half-speed ahead.

According to his new memoir, God in My Corner, former heavyweight champion George Foreman claims that he was secretly drugged prior to his heavyweight title fight against Muhammed Ali in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire). The ex-champ says that he was given a cup of funny-tasting water right before the start of the fight.

"I almost spit it out ... Man, I know this water has medicine in it," Foreman told his trainer at the time, according to his book. "I climbed into the ring with that medicinal taste still lingering in my mouth ... After the third round, I was as tired as if I had fought 15 rounds. What's going on here? Did someone slip a drug in my water?"

Foreman's trainer has denied the water had anything in it. Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, has since died.

Ali won the fight with an eighth-round knockout.

Nearly 40 years after its original publication, Tom Wolfe's hallucinogenic tome, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, is headed for the bigscreen.

Gus Van Sant is attached to direct, and Lance Black (Big Love) will write the script. FilmColony's Richard Gladstein is producing, and he's in the process of setting the project with a financier.

The book told the story of a cross-country road trip that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest author Ken Kesey orchestrated with a group called the Merry Pranksters. Driving in a psychedelically painted bus from California to visit the World's Fair in New York in 1964, Kesey and his band used the trip as a way to turn on those they met to the mind-expanding wonders of LSD.

Kesey ingested the drug while he wrote Cuckoo's Nest, crediting the hallucinogen for many of the ideas in the book. - More

The Rocky Mountain News offers its annual summer reading issue, filled with great books that are sure to please a wide variety of readers. You'll find titles by high profile authors, as well as those from first-time writers - enough to keep you entrenched in that beach chair from now till next summer, no doubt.

Rocky critics have worked hard to let you in on their favorite reads so far this year.  But even with our expansive list, I was reminded while putting it together that there are many titles worthy of your attention that we simply didn't have space to mention.

With that in mind, this seems like a good time to remind you of one of the best features Rocky Books offers: our online reviews of unforgettable debut novels .

Each month, I forward a stack of first-time novels we don't have room to review in print to critics who volunteer to screen them. Their marching orders are simple: Read and discard those that aren't top-notch. When something special turns up, write a brief review to be posted online.

So far this year, our critics have found ten awesome titles - books as varied as a British hip-hop retelling of Hamlet and a historical novel involving Sir Thomas More. Our readers will keep searching, and the list will continue to grow all year long. You can find these titles by going to RockyMountainNews.com, then clicking on "Spotlight," then "Books."  - More

The McLean-based mega-media corporation, Gannett Co. Inc. (NYSE: GCI), announced recently that it has signed licensing deals with six publishers to extend the USA Today brand to books. Current plans for new publications include a series of books on business and legal issues, a hardcover year-in-review sports book, crossword and Sudoku puzzle books, and calendars.

All of the books will include graphics and content from USA Today the national newspaper.

The newspaper has hired Nancy Bailey & Associates, a corporate brand-licensing agency whose clients include Coppertone and Reynolds, to develop products around the USA Today brand.

In addition, USA Today which will mark its 25th anniversary this fall, has announced plans to publish a hardcover book entitled 25 Years of USA Today. The publication date, scheduled sometime for 2007, will be announced.

Every June brings the tantalizing conundrum: what books to drip lemonade on this summer? At the start of the season, we imagine the weeks stretching languorously in front of us, and what could be better than to pass our days lounging at the beach, in the yard or at the pool with the perfect page-turner?

But what constitutes a great summer read? Every airport newsstand is teeming with generic potboilers and steamy tales of love lost and found. The real trick is scoring a book that engages your imagination just enough, but not so much that your brain's gears start to grind.

Over the next four weeks, Salon's staff will recommend a list of summer reads that won't make you feel cheap and empty. (Or maybe they will, in the best possible way.) In the coming weeks we'll spotlight a choice selection of mysteries, ch**k lit, fantasy, sports and memoirs.

This week's list is killer thrillers: the quest for a lost Shakespeare manuscript, the case of a missing girl's mysterious return, a dying man's search for the truth about his ex-wife, an Australian detective whose time off turns grisly, and the mystery of a tattooed corpse. We hope these add sizzle to your long, sultry summer. - More

Bits & Bytes

FICTION

Debut
John Pipkin's WOODSBURNER chronicles the lives of a lovesick Norwegian immigrant farm hand, a struggling bookseller, a fire and brimstone preacher, and a pencil maker named Henry David Thoreau as their stories intersect over a fire Thoreau accidentally set which burned 800 acres near Walden Pond, to Janet Silver at Houghton Mifflin, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Marly Rusoff at Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).

Toni Jordan's ADDITION, a humorous and moving love story about a young woman struggling to balance romance, family and a compulsive counting disorder, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Kimberly Witherspoon and David Forrer at Inkwell Management, on behalf of Text Publishing (NA).

Isla Morley's debut novel COME SUNDAY, set in pre- and post-Apartheid South Africa and in Honolulu, is a story about what happens to a woman and her husband after their three-year old daughter dies in a tragic accident, and particularly how the woman tries to both escape and come to terms with her grief, to Sarah Crichton at Sarah Crichton Books/FSG, by Emma Sweeney at the Emma Sweeney Agency (NA).

Professor of history at Brandeis Jane Kamensky and professor of history at Harvard University Jill Lepore's BLINDSPOT, an erotic romp about a fallen woman who disguises herself as a boy to serve as the apprentice to a portrait painter in Boston as the American Revolution is waged, to Cindy Spiegel at Spiegel & Grau, at auction, by Tina Bennett at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).

Nafisa Haji's THE WRITING ON MY FOREHEAD, the story of a free-spirited and rebellious Muslim-American of Indo-Pakistani descent who finds herself caught in a struggle between her family's traditions and her desire for independence, to Laurie Chittenden at William Morrow, by BJ Robbins at BJ Robbins Literary Agency (World).
BJRagency@aol.com Juliette.Shapland@harpercollins.com

Playwright, poet, essayist and screenwriter Marisha Chamberlain's THE ROSE VARIATIONS, about a twenty-five-year-old woman who moves to a temporary professorship in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she struggles to figure out what would make her happy, getting mixed up along the way with many short-lived love affairs, to Katie Herman at Soho Press, for publication in fall 2008, by Stephany Evans at FinePrint Literary Management (world).

Debbie Fuller Thomas's TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE BLUE MOON, a story of restoration between a grieving mother and a child switched at birth, to Andy McGuire at Moody, for publication in spring 2008, by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Agency.

Golden Keyes Parsons's historical series about a Huguenot family who face devastating persecution for their faith in Louis XV's France, to Natalie Hanemann at Thomas Nelson, in a four-book deal, by Mary Beth Chappell at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (World).

Broadway producer Todd Johnson's THE MEASURE OF BRIGHTNESS, the story of four southern women of different ages and from very different backgrounds whose lives come together in a journey of courage, hope and humor, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, for publication in spring 2009, by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates (NA).

Mystery/Crime
Tasha Alexander's TEARS OF PEARL, taking continuing heroine Lady Emily to Ottoman Constantinople where her visit is interrupted by the slaying of one of the sultan's harem girls, plunging her investigation into an alien world of luxury and deadly intrigue, to Andrew Martin and Charles Spicer at Minotaur, in a pre-empt, for two books, by Anne Hawkins at John Hawkins & Associates (world). ahawkins@jhalit.com

Author of THE WAR AGAINST MISS WINTER Kathryn Haines's two more World War II novels, to Sarah Durand at Harper, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2008 and May 2009, by Paul Fedorko at Trident Media Group (world).

BODY COUNT author P.D. Martin's next two thrillers once again featuring a psychic FBI investigator, to Linda McFall at Mira, for publication in 2008 and 2010, by Elaine Koster at Elaine Koster Agency (World).

Rebecca Cantrell's EVEN SMOKE LEAVES A TRACE, about an undercover crime reporter in Berlin in 1931 who discovers her brother's murder and resolves to find the killer, sparking a series of discoveries that lead her from the city's dark underbelly to the upper ranks of the rising Nazi party, to Kristin Sevick at Tor/Forge, in a nice deal, plus a sequel, for publication in July 2009, by Elizabeth Evans at Reece Halsey North (NA).

Boris Riskin's DEADLY BONES, a sequel to Scrambled Eggs, a Jake Wanderman mystery, to John Helfers at Five Star, in a nice deal, for publication in November 2008.
Rriskin@aol.com

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Fred Saberhagen's THE SABERHAGEN RETROSPECTIVE, a sampling of the late author's eclectic fiction (from his vampire stories to Berserker sf to alternate histories), collected by his widow Joan Saberhagen, to Toni Weisskopf at Baen Books, in a nice deal, by Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary Agency (NA).

Author of Magic Lost, Trouble Found Lisa Shearin's next two in the Raine Benares series, again to Anne Sowards at Ace, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency (NA).
knelson@nelsonagency.com
Translation: wlee@fieldingagency.com

Ann Aguirre's GOOD TOUCH plus two sequels in a new urban fantasy series featuring an on-the-run woman whose ability to "read" objects with her touch pulls her into an underground world of gifteds, where the bad guys are just as likely to hire a warlock as a hitman to even the score, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Thriller
Chris Kuzneski's next two international thrillers, THE LOST THRONE and THE PROPHECY, to Natalee Rosenstein at Putnam, in a significant deal, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (NA).

NYT bestselling author and editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, Kate White's three new thrillers, the first a stand-alone set in New York with a new lead character, moving to Kathy Schneider at Harper, with Marjorie Braman editing, for publication beginning in 2009, by Sandra Dijkstra of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Vienna historian J. Sydney Jones's THE EMPTY MIRROR, the first in series of historical thrillers in which the painter Gustav Klimt is fingered as the murderer of five young Viennese girls, but attorney Werthen and criminologist Gross soon discover that the trail actually leads directly to the gates of the Hofberg itself, to Thomas Dunne at Thomas Dunne Books, for publication in Fall 2008, in a two-book deal, by Alexandra Machinist at the Linda Chester Literary Agency (world).

Darren Dillman's THE PREACHER, in which a new preacher re-energizes a sleepy, little Baptist church, but as the bizarre incidences and violent deaths begin to mount, it becomes apparent that there's more to this preacher than meets the eye, to John Blase at David C. Cook, in a two-book deal, by Greg Daniel at Daniel Literary Group (World).

Women's/Romance
Sally Koslow's THE LATE, LAMENTED MOLLY MARX, a humorous but affecting story of a young mother who dies under mysterious circumstances, but narrates from above the events following her death as she makes sense of her formerly messy life, learns the truth about her death, and makes sure that their three year old daughter will be well cared for by her serial-philandering husband, plus THE SCHADENFREUDE CLUB, to Laura Ford at Ballantine, in a good deal, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Parry (world English).

Anya Bast, Jodi Lynn Copeland, Lauren Dane & Kit Tunstall's WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: Close Encounters, a follow up erotic romance anthology featuring four connected novellas, this time in Sin City's paranormal dark side, to Susan Pezzack at Harlequin Spice, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Cynthia Hickey's FUDGE-LACED FELONIES, the first in her "Summer Meadows Mystery Series," following a woman as she makes chocolates for her new candy store when she isn't hunting a diamond thief and killer, and even more dangerous, trying to forget her attraction to a handsome preacher she's known since childhood, to Susan Downs at Heartsong Presents: Mysteries!, for a June 2008 release, by Kelly Mortimer at Mortimer Literary Agency.

Author of ODD MOM OUT and FLIRTING WITH FORTY, Jane Porter's two novels, both concerning the plights of the contemporary woman, again to Karen Kosztolnyik at 5 Spot, in a good deal, by Karen Solem at Spencerhill Associates (world).

Sarah McCarty's two more books in her Hell's Eight series, to Susan Pezzack for Harlequin Spice, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency (world).

Vonna Harper's HAWK'S TALONS plus two more erotic romances and a novella, again to Audrey LaFehr at Kensington Aphrodisia, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Calista Fox's ONE WISH and HIGH VOLTAGE, Two new paranormal erotic romances, to Felecia Mills at Red Sage, for publication in 2007.

Emily Gee's WITCH-EYE, her second romantic fantasy novel, in which things are not what they seem as a prim courtier and her wastrel lover meet and plot as spies in the catacombs of Corhona Castle, to Christian Dunn of Solaris, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis Associates (world English).
rcurtis@curtisagency.com
Translation rights: barorint@aol.com

General/Other
Lynne Griffin's debut novel LIFE WITHOUT SUMMER, in which a mother who has just lost her four year old daughter in a hit and run and the grief counselor who helps her try to put her life back together discover that their lives intersect more powerfully than they ever imagined, to Hilary Rubin Teeman at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, by Elisabeth Weed at Weed Literary (world).

Biyi Bandele's BURMA BOY, about a hapless, naive 14-year-old who fights for the British in Burma during WWII, to Dawn Davis at Amistad, by Erin Edmison at PFD New York, on behalf of Simon Trewin at PFD (NA).
eedmison@pfdny.com

Juli Zeh's SCHILF, to Lorna Owen at Nan A. Talese, and to Harvill Secker in the UK, by Kathrin Scheel at Schoffling.

Rights sold previously to Ambo Anthos in Holland; Weyler in Sweden; and Actes Sud in France.
kathrin.scheel@schoeffling.de

Ariana Franklin's GRAVE GOODS, a third novel in the Adelia Aguilar series about a female medical examiner in 12th century England, to Rachel Kahan at Putnam, for publication in 2009, by Helen Heller at Helen Heller Agency (US).

Children's: Fantasy
Lesley Livingston's debut WONDROUS STRANGE, an urban fantasy that weaves elements of A Midsummer Night's Dream together with teen romance and chilling adventure that erupts when dangerous faeries invade the human world through a gate in Central Park, to Laura Arnold at Harper Children's, in a two-book deal, by Jessica Regel at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Children's: Middle grade
Robert Paul Weston's ZORGAMAZOO, a debut novel in rhyme, about a young runaway girl and a Zorgle who set out to find and free all the missing creatures of Zorgamazoo, to Jessica Rothenberg at Razorbill, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (NA).
jackie@wcaltd.com
jessica.rothenberg@us.penguingroup.com

Children's: Picture book
Dahlov Ipcar's THE LITTLE FISHERMAN and MY WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TREE, to Dean Lunt at Islandport Press, for publication in 2008, by Edward Necarsulmer IV and Cate Martin at McIntosh & Otis.

Children's: Young Adult
Author of the "Magic or Madness" trilogy Justine Larbalestier's THE ULTIMATE FAIRY BOOK, set in a world where everyone has their own personal fairy and featuring two teens who concoct a fairy-swapping scheme that turns their world upside down, to Melanie Cecka at Bloomsbury Children's, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
jill@grinbergliterary.com

Author of WHAT THE MOON SAW and RED GLASS, Laura Resau's book set in the Ecuadorian Andes, explorinh the heart's definitions of home and family through the eyes of a girl whose wanderlust-filled mother keeps them constantly on the move, to Stephanie Lane at Delacorte, in a very nice deal, for two books, by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Jan Blazanin's YA debut, CROWNING GLORY, about a teen beauty queen who is forced to re-think self image, relinquish old relationships and forge new ones when an unexpected turn cuts her beauty days short, to Jennifer Heddle for MTV Books, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. rosemary@stimolaliterarystudio.com

Greg Logsted's ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH, about a thirteen-year-old boy accustomed to living a globetrotting James Bond lifestyle with his mysterious dad who must learn to cope with regular school life for the first time after he's forced into hiding when a secret mission turns bad, to Liesa Abrams at Simon Mix, in a nice deal, by Pamela Harty of The Knight Agency.

Cheetah Girl/Dancing With the Stars contestant Sabrina Bryan and Julia DeVillers' PRINCESS OF GOSSIP, about a high school student who gets in over her head when she inadvertently creates the next hot gossip blog, to Jennifer Heddle at MTV Books, for publication in fall 2008, by Mel Berger at William Morris Agency (world).

Author of The Boys Next Door, Jennifer Echols' BOY IN BLUE, in which a high school senior arrested for a misdemeanor is sentenced to ride along with a rookie cop on the night shift and finds herself falling, to Jennifer Heddle at MTV Books, in a nice deal, by Caren Johnson at Caren Johnson Literary Agency

Paperback
Trade paperback rights for Margaret Cezair-Thompson's number one Book Sense Pick for October, THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER, to Jane von Mehren at Random House, in a significant deal, by Unbridled Books.

Film
Nina Shengold's CLEARCUT, a romantic triangle set in the Pacific Northwest backwoods of the 1970s, to Screen Siren Pictures, by Amy Schiffman at Gersh Agency, on behalf of Phyllis Wender.

Meg Cabot's THE QUEEN OF BABBLE, QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY and QUEEN OF BABBLE GETS HITCHED, about a big city girl with a big mouth and a big heart, optioned to Jeff Sharp Entertainment (Proof, You Can Count On Me, Boys Don't Cry), by Bill Contardi, on behalf of Laura Langlie.

Film rights to Junot Diaz's THE BRIEF AND WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, to Miramax and producer Scott Rudin.

TV
Victoria Christopher Murray's THE DIVAS, pitched as Gossips Girls meets Dreamgirls, optioned to producers Robert Shapiro and Jerry Leider for development as series, by Bill Contardi, on behalf of Stephanie Lehmann at the Elaine Koster Literary Agency.

Audio
Justin Cronin's apocalyptic trilogy beginning with THE PASSAGE, to Tara Hoffman at Random House Audio, by Alanna Ramirez on behalf of Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group.

Inger Wolfe's THE CALLING and MURDER PLOT, to Jeff Golick at BBC Audiobooks America, by Alanna Ramirez on behalf of Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group.

UK
Jessie Keane's thriller WHERE THE BOYS ARE, a mixture of murder, adultery, prostitution and dangerous love, to Wayne Brookes at Harper UK, in a good deal, for three books, for publication in October 2008, by Judith Murdoch at the Judith Murdoch Literary Agency (UK/Commonwealth).

James Becker's APOSTLE, a high-concept adventure thriller comprising a scroll, an ancient chalice, two deadly men from the Vatican, and a race-against-time to uncover the a deadly secret that will threaten the basis of Christianity, to Selina Walker at Transworld, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in July 2008, by Luigi Bonomi at Luigi Bonomi Associates. Translation rights are with ILA.

INCENDIARY author Chris Cleave's LITTLE BEE, about a Nigerian girl who fled to the UK after her family was killed and her village destroyed and goes looking for the couple who saved her, to Suzie Doore at Hodder, for six figures, in a two-book deal, for publication in August 2008, by Peter Straus at Rogers, Coleridge & White.

Shona MacLean's THE REDEMPTION OF ALEXANDER SEATON, a historical crime novel about faith, betrayal, witchcraft, friendship and forgiveness set in 17th century Scotland, to Jane Wood at Quercus, for publication in July 2008, by Judith Murray at Greene & Heaton.

UK journalist Marion McGilvary's debut novel, about "a woman running away from a life-shattering decision that she made as a teenager," to Jenny Dean at Viking UK, for publication in spring 2009, by Rosie Apponyi at Capel & Land (UK/Commonwealth).

Foreign
Preeta Samarasan's EVENING IS THE WHOLE DAY, a family saga set in post-Independence Malaysia, to Fourth Estate in the UK, HarperCollins Australia, and HarperCollins India, by Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedman; to Suma de las Letras/Alfaguara in Spain, Edicions 62 for Catalan, and to Rocco in Brazil, by Sandra Bruna Literary Agency; to Ullstein in Germany, by Eva Koralnik at Liepman; to Einaudi in Italy, by Marco Vigevani Agency; to Aschehoug in Norway, and Gyldendal in Denmark, by Trine Licht at Licht & Burr; to Arena in Holland, by Marijke Lijnkamp at Lijnkamp Literary Agency; and to Kinneret, by the Harris/Elon Agency; all on behalf of Ayesha Pande at Collins Literary.
ayesha@collinsliterary.com

French rights to Duane Swierczynski's THE BLONDE and THE WHEELMAN, to Les Arenes, in a two-book deal, by Danny Baror at Baror International, on behalf of David Hale Smith at DHS Literary. david@dhsliterary.com

Foreign rights to Ronald Cutler's THE SECRET SCROLL, about archaeologist who discovers a scroll written by Jesus two weeks before his crucifixion, to Ullstein Verlag in Germany and Olma Media in Russia, for publication in February 2008, by Danny Baror at Baror International.

Foreign rights to Garth Stein's THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, to Rui Augusto at Difusao Editorial in Portugal, at auction; Mariana Rolier at Ediouro Publica in Brazil; Martijn David at Mouria in Holland; and Marika Hemmel at Damm in Sweden, by Philip Sane; and JOTA Nakladatelstvi in the Czech Republic, by Lidja Plisic at Prava & Prevodi; Ms. Shin Sunsook at Bulgansesang in South Korea, on behalf of Folio Literary Management.
anna@annastein.com

Romanian rights to James Lee Burke's The Tin Roof Blowdown, to S.C. Humanitas Fiction, in a nice deal, for publication in 2009, by Tamara Vukicevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Lukas Ortiz at Philip Spitzer Literary Agency.
lukas.ortiz@spitzeragency.com

Norwegian rights to Elif Shafak's THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL, to Synnove Tresselt at Anschehoug, by Michael Radulescu at Marly Rusoff & Associates.

Simplified Chinese rights to Canadian book designer C.S. Richardson's THE END OF THE ALPHABET, to Shanghai Translation, in a nice deal, at auction, by Gray Tan at Jia-Xi Books, on behalf of Suzanne Brandreth at the Cooke Agency.

Simplified Chinese rights to C.S. Richardson's debut, THE END OF THE ALPHABET, to Shanghai Translation, in a nice deal, at auction, by Gray Tan at Jia-Xi Books on behalf of Suzanne Brandreth at the Cooke Agency.

Russian rights to Joan Schweighardt's GUDRUN'S TAPESTRY, a lone woman's quest to destroy Attila the Hun, to Arabesque/AST, in a nice deal, for publication in 2009, by Whitney Lee at The Fielding Agency.

Rights to Anna Godbersen's THE LUXE, to Ulpiuz-Haz in Hungary, by Andrew Nurnberg and to Nermina in Romania, by Simona Kessler, on behalf of the Allison Heiny at Alloy Entertainment.
aheiny@alloyentertainment.com

Nonfiction

Advice/Relationships
Dr. Linda Papadopoulos's WHAT MEN SAY, WHAT WOMEN HEAR, a practical and informative take on male/female relationships by highly regarded media-savvy therapist, to Patrick Price at Simon Spotlight Entertainment, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2008, by Paul Fedorko at Trident Media Group (NA).

Biography
Younger brother of William F. Buckley, Jr., Reid Buckley's THE BUCKLEYS, a look at the iconic American conservative family, to Anthony Ziccardi for Threshold Editions, by Alex Hoyt of Alexander Hoyt Associates.

Assistant director of the American Historical Association Noralee Frankel's STRIPPING GYPSY: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee, a biography of the "intellectual stripper," also a writer, artist, political activist, and union leader, to Nancy Toff at Oxford University Press, in a nice deal, for publication in January 2009 (world).

Fred Basten's MAX FACTOR, a biography of the inventor of modern makeup, Max Factor, who literally changed the faces of the world and created a cosmetics empire, to Casey Ebro at Arcade, by Mike Hamilburg at the Mike Hamilburg Agency (world).

Investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck's DECONSTRUCTING SAMMY, a portrait of the sinister forces that shaped Sammy Davis Jr.'s life and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death, based on a six-year investigation and including newly discovered documents and photographs, to Dawn Davis at Amistad, for publication in 2008, by Stephen Hanselman at LevelFiveMedia (world).

Business/Investing/Finance
Tim Mooney and Robert Brinkerhoff's COURAGEOUS TRAINING, showing how the training industry has allowed itself to accept mediocre performance levels, and how trainers should adopt a gutsier leadership role (with all the inherent risks) to take training beyond where it is now, to Steven Piersanti at Berrett-Koehler, for publication in June, 2008 (world).

Henry Devries and Chris Stiehl's PAINKILLER MARKETING, how to turn customer pain into marketing gain, to Arthur Chou at WBusiness Books, in a nice deal, for publication in April 2008, by New Client Marketing Agency (World).
PR@academiclearningcompany.com

Authority on non-profit management Ron Mattocks' THE ZONE OF INSOLVENCY, How Nonprofits Avoid Hidden Liabilities & Build Financial Strength, showing that most non-profit organizations hover in or near financial failure, creating unrecognized liability for well-meaning but unaware board members, to Susan McDermott at Wiley, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2008, by Leanne Sindell at Thought Leaders.
lsindell@thoughtleadersintl.com

Health
Founder and director of the health clinic, Women to Women, Marcelle Pick, N.P.'s PERSONAL BEST: Connect the Dots between Women, Weight Loss and Wellness, providing the reader with new tools for dramatic, long lasting weight loss by addressing core imbalances, with no calorie counting, to Patty Gift at Hay House, in a very good deal, by Stephanie Tade of the Stephanie Tade Agency.

History/Politics/Current Affairs
NYT Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of bestselling LEGACY OF ASHES: The History of the CIA, Tim Weiner's two additional books "on the American struggle for national security in an open democracy," THE ENEMY WITHIN: The FBI and the Search for National Security, about the Bureau's long practice of sweeping up loyal Americans in its dragnets and the deep disorganization within its own ranks, and THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE ON EARTH: How the American Military Shaped the World will be a narrative history of our armed forces and their civilian leaders since the end of WWII, to Bob Loomis at Random House, by Kathy Robbins at The Robbins Office (NA).

MacArthur fellow, National Magazine Award and Pulitzer-winner, and New Yorker writer Katherine Boo's ON THE WESTERN EXPRESS, chronicling the lives of families in a Bombay slum as they struggle to find a niche in a fast-moving global economy, to Kate Medina at Random House, in a two-book deal, by Amanda Urban at ICM (world).
Rights: ctisne@randomhouse.com

NPR foreign correspondent Deborah Amos' THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, about the millions of Iraqi refugees spilling over into neighboring countries, and the impact this displacement will have upon the region and the world, to Clive Priddle at Public Affairs, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world English).

Author of RED MOON RISING Matthew Brzezinski's THE MOVEMENT: A Seven Year Underground Odyssey with the Jewish Resistance in Nazi and Soviet Occupied Poland, a sweeping saga of survival, which goes beyond the 28 day Warsaw uprising to tell the entire story, from the earliest Nazi invasion in 1939 through the Soviet takeover in 1946, of the heroes who directed the remaining Polish Jews to their new homeland Eretz Israel, to John Flicker at Bantam Dell, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency.

Former chief congressional correspondent of Time magazine Neil MacNeil's CALL THE ROLL: A Candid History of the United States Senate, a history of the Senate based on fifty years of close-up observation, to Nancy Toff at Oxford University Press, in a nice deal, for publication in January 2009.

Drum Major Institute executive director Andrea Batista Schlesinger's YOUTH DISCONNECTED, an account of the author's own coming of age and work as civics champion, making the case that we can build a better future for all by guiding young people less toward the right answers and more toward asking the right questions, to Johanna Vondeling at Berrett-Koehler (World).
jvondeling@bkpub.com

How-To
Fan-favorite and finalist on season two of Project Runway, Daniel Vosovic (aka Daniel V)'s FASHION INSIDE OUT: How Style Happens from Inspiration to Runway and Beyond, an inside look at the creative process of fashion, from inspiration to execution to promotion, including tips and how-to for aspiring designers and anecdotes from his TV experience, to Joy Aquilino at Watson-Guptill, for publication in fall 2008, by Daniel Greenberg and Monika Verma at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.

Humor
New York County assistant district attorney, Joel Seidemann's, GUILTY BY REASON OF STUPIDITY, a collection of the most ridiculous court cases and other crimes of stupidity, to Christine Schillig at Andrews McMeel, by Richard Morris at Janklow & Nesbit.

Lifestyle
Isaac Mizrahi's HOW TO HAVE STYLE, an illustrated guide to looking fabulous for all occasions, from the who brought high/low fashion into our consciousness, to Lauren Marino at Gotham, by Marisa Gardini (world).

Domino magazine's THE DOMINO BOOK OF DECORATING, edited by Domino editor in chief Deborah Needleman, creative director Sara Ruffin Costello, and style director Dara Caponigro, offering inspiration and advice for decorating every room of the home, with floor plans, before-and-after shots, and a wealth of photography, to Simon & Schuster, for publication in fall 2008, packaged by Melcher Media.

Gail Belsky's 100 THRILLS FOR WOMEN WHO NEED THEM: Lessons in Stripping, Surfing, and Other Rut-Busting Adventures, an illustrated guide to new adventures for women looking to shake things up and bust out of their daily routines, with advice from experts in their field and everyday women, to Brooke Warner at Seal Press, by Matthew Elblonk at Collins Literary.

Memoir
Kate Brennan's pseudonymous IN HIS SIGHTS, the harrowing true story of a woman stalked by a wealthy and ruthless ex-boyfriend that ultimately forces her to assume a false identity and give up any semblance of a normal life, to Jennifer Barth at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Marly Rusoff (NA).

Army Chaplain Roger Benimoff's FAITH UNDER FIRE, with Newsweek writer Eve Conant, a memoir centered on his struggles with his faith and post-traumatic stress disorder during his second tour of duty in Iraq and while working at Walter Reed Hospital after he returned home, to Mary Choteborsky at Crown, in a pre-empt, by Alice Martell at Alice Martell Agency.

Doreen Orion's QUEEN OF THE ROAD, the true tale of 22,000 miles, 200 shoes, two cats, a poodle, a husband and a bus -- a humorous, heart-felt account of two married mid-40's psychiatrists who have it all until they decide to squeeze it all into a 340-square-foot bus, taking a year-long road trip across the country, to Stacy Creamer at Doubleday, in a pre-empt, in a very nice deal, at Mollie Glick at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Simon Garfield's ERROR WORLD, the author's personal examination of obsession and desire through stamp collecting, to Rebecca Saletan at Harcourt, by Erin Edmison at PFD New York, on behalf of Pat Kavanagh at PFD (US).
eedmison@pfdny.com

Colonel Jack Jacob's memoir and political views, from one of the most decorated soldiers of the Vietnam era and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations who led Global Investment Management to $2.2 billion in assets, co-written by Doug Century, to Natalee Rosenstein for Berkley, in a good deal, by Frank Weimann of The Literary Group.

Charles Strouse's PUT ON A HAPPY FACE, to mark his 80th birthday, the composer of such Broadway hits as "Annie" and "Bye, Bye Birdie" recalls his life in the theater, to Iris Blasi at Union Square Press, in a nice deal, for publication in June 2008, by Linda Konner at Linda Konner Literary Agency (World English).

Stephanie Covington's NOT ALL BLACK GIRLS KNOW HOW TO EAT: A MEMOIR OF BULIMIA, which chronicles the author's lifelong struggle with eating disorders to her final recovery, to Susan Betz at Chicago Review Press, in a nice deal, for publication in Summer 2009, by Jennifer de la Fuente at Venture Literary (world). jennifer@ventureliterary.com

Greg Garrett's continuation of his, CROSSING MYSELF, to Andrea Christian at David Cook, in a nice deal, by Jill Grosjean at the Jill Grosjean Literary Agency.

Narrative
Alicia Oltuski's THE MOVEMENT OF PRECIOUS OBJECTS, part immigrant tale and part history of the diamond business and the stone itself, taking readers on an odyssey from the origins of her family's diamond dealing in postwar Germany to the historic diamond district on New York's 47th street, to Alexis Gargagliano at Scribner, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary (NA).

Micah Toub's GROWING UP JUNG: THE FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY, part coming-of-age memoir about growing up as the son of two Jungian psychologists and part "Psychology For Dummies", to Alane Mason at Norton, in a pre-empt; Kristin Cochrane and Tim Rostron at Doubleday Canada, at auction, by Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic.

William Bryant Logan's AIR: The Exquisite Unfolding of the World, the third volume of the trilogy that began with Dirt and Oak, a multidisciplinary study from every point of view regarding air; physics, biology, history, pathology, meteorology, memoir, and natural philosophy, to Alane Mason at Norton, by Amy Hughes at McCormick & Williams Literary Agency (world).
Rights: ekerr@wwnorton.com

Parenting
Neurologist and middle-school teacher Judy Willis's HOW YOUR CHILD LEARNS BEST, a guide for parents that reveals scientifically savvy ways to harness brainpower and improve their children's chances of success in school, based on the latest brain research, to Shana Drehs at Sourcebooks, by Nancy Love (world).
shana.drehs@sourcebooks.com
nloveag@aol.com

Sally Wendkos Olds and Laura Marks, MD's THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING, 4th edition, the classic breastfeeding guide, which has been in print since 1972 and has sold some 2 million copies, updated for 21st century moms, to Suzanne Rafer at Workman, in a very nice deal, for publication in 2009, by Linda Konner at Linda Konner Literary Agency (World).

Pop Culture
Recent Harvard grads, journalist Greg Atwan and TV writer and former Lampoon staffer Evan Lushing's THE FACEBOOK BOOK, a funny and satirical insider's guide to survival on the social networking site and a group portrait of Generation Facebook, to Eric Himmel at Abrams Image, for publication in spring 2008, by Andrew Blauner of Blauner Books Literary Agency.

Reference
Eric Hanson's A BOOK OF AGES, an idiosyncratic miscellany of biographical facts of the famous and infamous, including failures, rejections, dead ends, as well as early masterpieces, second chances and lifetime achievements, organized by ages one to one hundred, to Shaye Areheart at Harmony, at auction, by Marly Rusoff at Marly Rusoff & Associates (NA).

Suzanne Reisman's OFF THE BEATEN (SUBWAY) TRACK, an alternative guidebook to all that is strange, weird and wonderful about New York City's often overlooked museums and attractions and the sweetly deluded souls who run them, to Ron Pitkin at Cumberland House, by Matthew Elblonk at Collins Literary.

Elizabeth S. King's SO YOU WANT TO SCORE? THE SAT SECRETS THE COLLEGE BOARD DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW, a young dynamo who charges hundreds of dollars an hour for tutoring, reveals how to break the code, to Aaron Wehner at Ten Speed Press, in a nice deal, for publication in 2008, by Jeffrey Herman at the Jeff Herman Agency (world).

Religion/Spirituality
Brian Thomsen's OVAL OFFICE OCCULT: A BOOK OF WHITE HOUSE WEIRDNESS, a collection of true stories about US presidents and their encounters with occult phenomena, to Lane Butler at Andrews McMeel, in a two-book deal, by Frank Weimann of The Literary Group.

Science
Professor Peter Bentley's THE SCIENCE OF MISHAPS, real science demystified by analyzing some of our daily worst-case scenarios, to Julie Will at Rodale, by Melissa Chinchillo at Fletcher & Parry, on behalf of Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown UK (US).

Naturalist Thor Hanson's THE IMPENETRABLE FOREST, which blends natural history with cultural insight to place Uganda's Bwindi forest, home to half the world's population of endangered mountain gorillas, in the context of modern Africa, to Eileen Bertelli at 1500 Books, in a nice deal, by Judy Klein of Kleinworks Agency, on behalf of iUniverse.

True crime
Godson and nephew of Mafia Godfather, Sam "Momo" Giancana, Sam Giancana, along with investigative crime journalist, Scott Burnstein's FAMILY AFFAIR: TREACHERY, GREED & BETRAYAL IN THE CHICAGO MAFIA, about the mysterious inner world of the deadly Chicago mafia, to Denise Silvestro at Berkley, in a nice deal, by Frank Weimann of The Literary Group.

General/Other
Author of THE GOOD GOOD PIG, Sy Montgomery's book on the natural history of birds with the his personal stories of birds known and loved, to Leslie Meredith at Free Press, in a good deal, by Sarah Jane Freymann at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency (world).

Author of NYT bestseller A Mind at a Time, education guru Dr. Mel Levine's BRAINS MAKING GAINS, examining recent neuro-scientific insights into brain development at four crucial stages of academic and social growth (kindergarten through Grade 2, Grade 3 through Grade 5, Grade 6 through Grade 8, and high school), to enable parents to anticipate brain "spurts" and take advantage of them as fully as possible within the context of academic demands, to Cindy Spiegel at Spiegel & Grau, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2009, by Lane Zachary at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (world).

Pagan Kennedy's THE DANGEROUS JOY OF DR. SEX AND OTHER TRUE STORIES, essays that mine the odd, eccentric dreams of iconoclastic America - and show us how a group of future-thinking individuals can remake the country in the 21st century, with a centerpiece looking back on the controversial life of author Alex Comfort, to Andrew Gifford at Santa Fe Writers Project, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2008 (world).

Writer Steve Horton and illustrator Jeong Mo Yang's PROFESSIONAL MANGA, the first book to marry Manga techniques with real world digital practice, to Laura Lewin at Focal Press, by Matt Wagner at Fresh Books (World).

Film
Anna Porter's KASZTNER'S TRAIN, the story of Reszo Kasztner's heroic efforts to save Hungarian Jews in 1944-45, to Serendipity Point Films/Barna-Alper Productions, by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists, on behalf of John Pearce.

Cora Daniels' GhettoNation: A Journey into the Land of Bling and Home of the Shameless, exploring the impact of "ghetto" mores, attitudes, and lifestyles on urban communities and American culture in general, to Codeblack Entertainment, by Nicholas Roman Lewis.

UK
Dr. Halima Bashir's TEARS IN THE DESERT, the first memoir by a Darfuri woman, about the author's idyllic village childhood, the hell that followed, and her dramatic escape to England, to Hodder, in a good deal, by Felicity Bryan.
German rights to Droemer, Italian to Sperling by Andrew Nurnberg.
US: george@inkwellmanagement.com
Film: cw@felicitybryan.com
fab@felicitybryan.com

Guardian and Financial Times journalist James Harkin's CYBURBIA, exploring how the new wave of online social networking (such as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Second Life) has become dangerously addictive, as a breeding ground for voyeurs and exhibitionists, stalkers and angry young men, and blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, to Stephen Guise at Little Brown UK, by Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown UK (UK/Commonwealth).  The US submission is underway now.
Elizabeth@curtisbrown.co.uk
Foreign: Betsy@curtisbrown.co.uk

Audio
The Goldman family's revised edition of OJ Simpson's IF I DID IT, to Josh Stanton at Blackstone Audio, in a nice deal, by Sharlene Martin at Martin Literary Management (world).
sharlene@martinliterarymanagement.com

Foreign
Dutch rights to IF I DID IT, O.J. Simpson's "hypothetical" confession to the murder of his wife, Nicole, and Ron Goldman, republished with additional commentary from Pablo F. Fenjves, Dominick Dunne and the Goldman Family, to Ramon Dahmen at the newly formed Dutch Media Group's Carrera imprint, in a nice deal, in a pre-empt, for publication at the end of 2007, by Marc Serges at Global Literary Management, on behalf of Sharlene Martin at Martin Literary Management.
marc@globallit.com

Spanish rights to co-author of The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book Dr. Travis Bradberry's THE PERSONALITY CODE, to Natalia Garcia Calvo at Granica/Norma, in a nice deal, for publication in 2008, by Lance Fitzgerald at Putnam.

Greek rights to Satoshi Kanazawa and Alan Miller's WHY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HAVE MORE DAUGHTERS, to Motibo - Topos Books, by Ana Milenkovic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Andrew Stuart.

Italian rights to Richard Robinson's WHY THE PHOTOCOPIER ALWAYS JAMS: the Murphy's Laws of Office Life, to Gabriella Ungarelli at Mondadori, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2008, by Roberta Oliva and Francesca Manzoni at Natoli, Stefan and Oliva.

Complex Chinese rights to Tim Guest's SECOND LIVES, to China Times, in a nice deal, by Gray Tan at Jia-Xi Books, on behalf of Nanci McCloskey at Denise Shannon
Literary Agency.

Complex Chinese rights to Nuala Gardner's A FRIEND LIKE HENRY, to JC Culture & Publishing, in a nice deal.
helen.manders@hodder.co.uk
 

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