Nadxieli Nieto, in her first purchase at Algonquin, preempted world English rights to Dust by Theresa Hottel (pictured l.) from Carla Briner at Pontas Literary & Film, with Clare Smith at Abacus taking U.K. rights. The speculative historical novel, per the publisher, is “set in Dust Bowl Oklahoma, against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the Chinese Exclusion Act, and follows an itinerant traveler in search of the otherworldly creatures and half-glimpsed fauna that roam the dry plains—and the battle for the soul of an isolated town.” Publication is planned for summer 2026.

Candice Coote at Berkley preempted world rights to Madison Tyler Nelson’s debut novel, Portrait of a Haunting, from Paige Terlip at Andrea Brown. The novel, the publisher said, “follows a young woman plagued by her mother’s dark past and an ability to see spirits, who discovers her best friend was murdered and must rely on the powers she’s been stifling, her found family, and the man who’s always loved her to help find the killer before she becomes the next victim.” Publication is slated for fall 2026.

Kristin Temple at Tor Nightmare purchased North American rights, at auction, to Deena Helm’s debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, alongside a second, untitled horror novel, from Alex Land at Mad Woman Literary Agency, with Nadia Saward at Orbit UK taking U.K. rights. The publisher described the novel as an “upmarket horror debut that weaves together three generations of Palestinian women and the haunted house that binds them,” in which “three women converge in their ancestral haunted home and must learn what the price of the past truly is.” Release is set for September 2026.

Tara Parsons at Amistad and HarperCollins Español won North American English and world Spanish rights, at auction, to NBC news anchor Morgan Radford’s Now Then from Johanna Castillo at Writers House. Viviana Castiblanco will edit the Spanish edition. The publisher called the book “a powerful debut novel about hidden histories, second chances, and the choices—and loves—that shape our lives,” following “a Harvard student uncovering her mother’s secret past fleeing Cuba during the height of the revolution while navigating her own path to self-discovery.” Publication is slated for May 2026 in English and September 2026 in Spanish.

Tim Duggan at Holt preempted North American rights to Freya India’s non- fiction debut, Girls: Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything, from Matthew Hamilton at the Hamilton Agency, for a 2026 release. The book, per the publisher, “explores the ruthless commercialization of the inner lives of young women and the effect it has had on this misunderstood generation.”

In Brief

  • Lisa Sharkey at Harper Influence took North American rights to Hostage by Eli Sharabi, a freed Israeli captive of Hamas, in a translation from the Hebrew by Eylon Levy, from Jennifer Joel at CAA on behalf of Neil Blair and Rory Scarfe at the Blair Partnership, for an October release.

  • Zachary Wagman at Flatiron acquired North American rights to CNN anchor Abby Phillip’s A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power, about the civil rights leader’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, from Matt Latimer at Javelin, for release in October.

  • Judy Clain and Jade Hui at Summit preempted North American rights to Elizabeth Bard’s memoir Ice Cream Sunday: Food and Family in the South of France from Wendy Sherman, who has an eponymous shingle. Pub date TBD.

  • Nana Twumasi at Balance bought world rights, at auction, to Your Teen Is Not an A**hole by Cameron Caswell, host of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam podcast, from Linda Konner, who has an eponymous agency. No pub date has been announced.• Alicia Clancy at Bantam preempted world rights to Jessica Brody’s “meta locked-room thriller” How to Write a Murder from Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Pub date TBD.