It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, both culturally and politically, but we’re grateful to look back at both the books our authors have released this year as well as the new deals that have promised great and important things yet to come to bookshelves! But first: we need to give a proper welcome to Hannah Brattesani, our new Foreign Rights Director here at The Friedrich Agency, who is also building her list as an agent! Hannah joined the agency just after the Thanksgiving break, having previously worked for Emma Sweeney Agency as well as Folio Literary Management. It’s an honor to have her on The Friedrich Agency team!
Following its release this past October, OLIVE, AGAIN by Elizabeth Strout has enjoyed over two months on the New York Times Bestseller list, and was announced on CBS The Morning as the next pick for Oprah’s Book Club! If you’ve been wanting to pick up a copy, but haven’t yet read OLIVE KITTERIDGE, rest assured that “like its iconic heroine, this book is capable of standing alone” as Elizabeth Egan put it in her New York Times Book Review. And for Strout fans who are within an easy commute of New York City, tickets are now on sale for the Broadway adaptation of MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, a one-woman show starring the magnificent Laura Linney, which opens on January 15th at MTC.
In exciting book deal news, Heather & Molly closed an auction with Grand Central (Hachette) for Bill Alexander’s next book: TEN TOMATOES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD! With the wit and humor of Bill Bryson and the cultural insight of Mark Kurlansky, the book will be a narrative history of the tomato, from its 300-year stint as an ornamental plant in Italy to six dollar per pound heirlooms.
And if you’re a word-obsessed reader like we are, do check out Cathleen Schine’s latest novel, THE GRAMMARIANS! The story follows identical twin sisters who share a fierce passion for words and the English language, but as adults, find themselves locked in a vicious feud about whether or not language is an evolving construct or fixed set of rules. THE GRAMMARIANS got a rave review on the cover of NYTBR, and has popped up on numerous “Best of 2019” lists, including the 100 Notable Books, as well as Kirkus and Buzzfeed.
Looking ahead to 2020, one of our most anticipated releases is BECOMING DUCHESS GOLDBLATT, the Anonymous memoir by the author behind the beloved Twitter account. Following the deal announcement of Lucy’s sale to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Kirkus ran a feature on the intrigue surrounding this forthcoming publication, and it has already landed on the Real Simple list of books to watch for in 2020. While you won’t learn the author’s name, this inventive and heartbreaking book will be unlike any memoir you’ve ever come across—look for it in July, or pre-order it and receive a unique bookplate signed by Her Grace.
Also on deck for 2020: A new novel by the great Terry McMillan titled IT’S NOT ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE, is coming in March! Another March title is the terrifying debut horror novel by Rachel Harrison (currently in development for TV) titled THE RETURN. And in April, a third novel by Rufi Thorpe (whom Kevin Wilson has called “an unbelievably unique talent”), titled THE KNOCKOUT QUEEN! Then in August, published on the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Lesley M.M. Blume’s meticulously researched and urgently important FALLOUT will release in hardcover from S&S.
Now in paperback: two memoirs by intelligent, powerful women whom we deeply admire. Sally Field’s exquisite debut, IN PIECES, and Glynnis MacNicol’s ground-breaking NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS are both freshly available in paperback format. If you missed them in hardcover, now is the time to grab yourself a copy!
Wishing everyone a joyous holiday break, with plenty of stolen moments for delving into the books that have been piling up, awaiting your attention and promising access to new worlds and fresh ideas. Onward to 2020!