Has anyone else noticed this lately? The number of insiders getting book deals for creative work? No? I am not present at watercoolers in the publishing world anymore, but I can’t help but notice lots of news where major, non-writer players in the publishing world (editors, publicity people, etc) are suddenly nabbing huge book deals from other major, non-writer players in the publishing world. Seven figures? This should be interesting. I mean, is the book good or will it just have the marketing-will that comes with trying to reclaim a seven-figure advance? Time will tell. (Or will it? Time’s so full of shit.) Anyway, not suggesting something organized is afoot, just that market forces seem to be favouring those who can already manipulate market forces. As usual?
In a deal rumored to be in the seven figure-range, Knopf editor Jenny Jackson sold her debut novel. Pam Dorman, who has an eponymous imprint at Penguin Random House, preempted North American rights to Pineapple Street. The book, which follows three sisters who are members of a wealthy family, is slated for early 2023.
Brettne Bloom at the Book Group brokered the deal for Jackson, a 19-year veteran at Knopf who has edited such authors as Emily St. John Mandel and Erin Morgenstern. Pineapple Street, which was heading for auction before Dorman swooped in, is, the publisher said, “set in late-capitalist New York,” and follows the daughters of the WASP-y Stockton family: Darley, Sasha, and Georgiana. Each sister has a different relationship to the family funds, with the oldest having been born into it, the middle sister having married into it, and the youngest eager to give all her money away.
Bookninja 