September 13, 2006

2006 Check: The Big Deals So Far

So far this year, Publishers' Marketplace reports 84 "major deals" and 63 "significant deals". Select details are shown below.

Major deals are those starting at $500,000.00; significant deals range from $251,000 - $499,000.00. Now, this is only what PM reports - and it's only what has been reported to PM. This is not a complete list, and from what I understand, this information may not be totally accurate, either.

Major Deals:

Fiction: Thriller (10)
Fiction: Women's/Romance (9)
Fiction: Mystery/Crime (4)
Fiction: Debut (2)

The only major deal in non-fiction (religion, spirituality) went to romance writer Debbie Macomber for her book Knit Together: Discover God's Pattern for Your Life, saying that when we come to recognize our deepest longing, we can discover our potential and reach for our dreams, with her own journey of discovery weaved throughout the book.

The nine romance writers with major deals are: Carly Phillips, Kat Martin, Madeline Hunter, Karen Robards, Stephanie Laurens, Teresa Medeiros, Eloisa James, Kris Radish. All these deals are multi-book deals - mostly two books, sometimes three.

The four mystery/crime writers with major deals are: Iris Johansen (8 books, "multi-million dollar" deal); Ariana Franklin (2 books, "seven figure" deal); Joseph Wambaugh (1 book); Jacqueline Winspear (2 books).

The ten thriller writers with major deals are: Chelsea Cain (3 books); co-authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (2 books); Mitch Silver (1 book, a debut); Harlan Coben (2 books); Stephen J. Cannell (2 books, Scully series); C.J. Box (3 books, all stand alones); James Rollins (3 books, Sigma Force series); Erica Spindler (3 books); Kathleen McGowan (3 books, first being her initially self-published The Expected One); Dale Brown (2 books).

Significant Deals:

Fiction: Debut (2)
Fiction: Mystery/Crime (4)
Fiction: Thriller (4)
Fiction: Women's/Romance (2)
Non-fiction: Religion/Spirituality (2)

The two romance writers with significant deals are: Allison Brennan (three romantic suspense) and Julia London (1 romance).

The four mystery/crime writers with significant deals are: Linwood Barclay (1 book); Margaret Coel (2 more in her Wind River series); Lisa Lutz (1 book), P.J. Parrish (3 books).

Watching the Deals-4

This month, a significant deal for a romance writer was revealed, when Julia London's latest romance was sold to Pocket.

Recent Romance Sales:

NYT bestselling author Julia London's untitled romance, to Maggie Crawford at Pocket, in a significant deal, by Jenny Bent at Trident Media Group (world). Significant deal means $251,000 - $499,000.00.

Jennifer Oko's debut GLOSS, a peek at the ratings-driven, celebrity-mad world of TV news, told through the eyes of a young morning show producer who finds herself in jail after working on what she thought was just a fluffy feature, to Selina McLemore at Mira, in a two-book deal, by Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (World).

Francis Ray's ONLY YOU, the fifth novel of the Graysons of New Mexico series, in which Sierra Grayson falls in love with a compelling stranger, which leads to unforseen and almost disastrous consequences, to Monique Patterson at St. Martin's, for publication in summer 2007, by Elaine Koster at the Elaine Koster Agency.

Annie Windsor's BLOODLINE, the first in a paranormal trilogy, the story of a warrior-witch, a NYPD detective and the terrible murder that brings them together, to Charlotte Herscher at Ballantine, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Nancy Yost of Lowenstein-Yost (World). Vice nice deal means $50,000 - $99,000.00.

Molly O'Keefe's JIGSAW HEARTS, about a tortured journalist hiding from the world and the FBI agent sent undercover to investigate him, to Wanda Ottewell for Harlequin Superromance, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Pam Hopkins at Hopkins Literary Associates.

Marie Bostwick's untitled, again to Audrey LaFehr at Kensington, in a nice deal, by Jill Grosjean at Jill Grosjean Literary Agency.

Maya Reynolds's YOU'VE BEEN A BAD GIRL, to Tracy Bernstein at NAL, by Jacky Sach at BookEnds.

Recent Mystery Sales:

Timothy Boyd's A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART, launching a mystery series about Bangkok, and THE MILLION-DOLLAR MINUTE, the second in the series, in which the hero finds himself stuck between North Korean counterfitters, the Secret Service, and his long-estranged father's cry for help, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Bob Mecoy at Creative Book Services (World).

Martyn Waites's BONE MACHINE: A Joe Donovan Thriller, the second in the series, in which Joe Donovan and his crack team of investigators infiltrate a gangland prostitution ring but discover their quarry's a deranged serial killer, to Claiborne Hancock at Pegasus, in a nice deal, by Jane Gregory of Gregory and Company (US). Nice deal means $1 - $49,000.00.

Recent Thriller Sales:

Chicago Tribune editor/reporter Gerry Doyle's speculative thriller, DRAGON, pitting a CIA forensic scientist with a Navy SEAL team investigating deaths aboard a North Korean submarine defecting to the US, to Jackie Swift of McBooks Press, for publication in November 2007, by Lois Bennett at Bennett & West Literary Agency (US).

-- From Publishers' Marketplace.