On the heels of a soft fourth quarter in 2024 (-3.2 percent) capping a record year (+3.6 percent overall), PM deal reports show renewed strength in the first quarter of 2025. As was the case a year ago, early dates for the London Book Fair and Bologna Book Fair helped strengthen the pre-fair deal counts in the quarter, which could lead to a softer second quarter. Nonfiction maintained its comeback pattern, at least in total deals, rising one percent, as adult fiction remained the growth engine, gaining another 4.5 percent over last year’s record period. Children’s deals increased for the […]
Deals
Grand Central Wins Auction for INNER EXCELLENCE
Grand Central won the auction to reissue performance coach Jim Murphy’s bestselling INNER EXCELLENCE, the book that leaped to the top of the charts after Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown was shown reading the book on the sidelines during a playoff game. (The trade paperback has sold approximately 211,000 copies in the seven sales weeks since then, in outlets tracked by Circana Bookscan.) Brant Rumble and Ben Sevier acquired NA rights, represented by Pilar Queen and Peter Steinberg at UTA. Grand Central will issue their ebook and audio editions on March 11, and their trade paperback will follow […]
2024: The Year In Deals
A soft fourth quarter for overall deals (-3.2 percent overall) had only modest effect on what was a record-setting year for PM reports overall in 2024–even with continued weakness in the children’s market. Overall deals were higher than ever, as adult deals set new records by a large margin. And publisher investment, in terms of reported six-figure deals as well as in major and significant deals in particular, well exceeded previous records. In particular: – US deals overall were up 3.5 percent, just beating the previous record set in 2021 when pandemic retail sales also set new records. – Adult Fiction continued […]
2024: The Year In Deals
A soft fourth quarter for overall deals (-3.2 percent overall) had only modest effect on what was a record-setting year for PM reports overall in 2024–even with continued weakness in the children’s market. Overall deals were higher than ever, as adult deals set new records by a large margin. And publisher investment, in terms of reported six-figure deals as well as in major and significant deals in particular, well exceeded previous records. In particular: – US deals overall were up 3.5 percent, just beating the previous record set in 2021 when pandemic retail sales also set new records. – Adult Fiction continued […]
YA Authors Cross Over With “Adult Debuts”
One of the biggest acquisitions of 2024 was a seven-figure, three-book deal for YA author Adalyn Grace’s THE WRETCHED DIVINE by Feiwel and Friends. Grace’s book highlights a growing trend of authors who historically published in the children’s/YA market selling their first books marketed for adults. While many authors, such as Jacqueline Woodson and Victoria/VE Schwab, have long published books for kids and adults, PM deal reports show that there’s a marked uptick in what editors and agents are calling “adult debuts.” So far this year, PM has recorded at least 30 such acquisitions, almost a quarter of which were […]
Record Fall/Frankfurt Adult Deals Follow Big Third Quarter
Yes, your fall and pre-Frankfurt deal submissions really have been even more overwhelming than usual this year. As we noted yesterday, US publishers were strong buyers in the third quarter of the year and that continued in October, as we saw new records for overall deals during this key five-week-plus selling stretch, lifted by adult books in particular. (As a reminder, we measure the five weeks and a day leading up to the Wednesday opening of FBF. Usually that begins with Labor Day, though last year and this year Frankfurt is a week later than usual.) US deals were up […]