On the deal front

First up, it amuses me to no end to watch as Otto Penzler builds up Harcourt’s new crime imprint with his buddies, like Tom Cook, Robert Daley, and Andrew Klavan. But now he’s gone and got one of the biggest fishes of all:

Ed McBain’s FIDDLERS, a new 87th Precinct novel in which a series of murders are linked by long-ago events, plus a novella, a short story collection, and the second book in the Women in Jeopardy series, BECCA IN JEOPARDY, to Otto Penzler at Otto Penzler Books/Harcourt, in a major deal, by Jane Gelfman at Gelfman Schneider (NA).

A nice chunk of change, indeed. And I do wonder who’ll be next poached…

Speaking of change chunks, T. Jefferson Parker’s CALIFORNIA GIRL was the first with his new publisher, William Morrow, and it did quite well on the sales and award nominations front. The next book (out in January) is already garnering quite a bit of buzz and so, unsurprisingly, Morrow wants to keep him in the fold:

NYT bestselling author and Edgar winner T. Jefferson Parker’s next two novels, to Marjorie Braman at William Morrow, in a major deal, for seven figures, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (NA).

Now, if memory serves, Gottlieb has not always been Parker’s agent, but he certainly knows how to get major deals and major clients.

Finally, in potentially curious offerings, there’s this:

Amy Meade’s debut MILLION DOLLAR BABY, called "evocative of Thin Man movies and Moonlighting repartee (before David and Maddie got together)," to Barbara Moore at Llewellyn’s new mystery imprint, in a nice deal, by Janet Reid at JetReid Literary Agency (world).

Though something tells me the title’s going to go, because I don’t see anything about boxing and controversy in this plot summary…