2020 rights guide fall catalog - agenciariff.com.br€¦ · catalog. new leaf nl literary &...

c a k e l i t e r a r y. c o m

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2 0 2 0 r i g h t s g u i d e

Fall

Catalog

N E W L E A F

NLL I T E R A R Y & M E D I A

ABOUT CAKE

Cake Literary is a media and content company based in New York City dedicated to diverse concepts for kidlit, middle grade, teen, and women’s fiction readers across various platforms including book, film, and television.

Dhonielle Clayton, owner of Cake Literary, believes you can have rich, diversity-infused reads that are still compulsively readable – and very relatable to all audiences.

The company was co-founded with celebrity journalist and author Sona Charaipotra in order to focus on the kinds of stories they wished were on the shelves – stories that come in all flavors.

CAKE believes that crafting a good read is like baking a great cake – rich, decadent flavor with a healthy dose of heart.

TEAM

Dhonielle Clayton, Owner & CEODhonielle Clayton is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Belles series, the coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology which debuts as a Netflix original series in October 2020, and the author of the forthcoming MG fantasy series The Marvellers.

She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief.

CAKE Literary's YA imprint, CAKE aims for smart and sophisticated stories for teens (and beyond) – from contemporary to fantasy, and

everything in between – featuring strong, character-driven storylines

with big, exciting plots. While we’re all about a delicious, page-turning

read, CAKE’s YA stories explore often weighty themes and issues with a

deceptively light touch – so they’re at home on school library shelves and

in book clubs, too. And of course, like all of the company's projects, CAKE's

titles emphasize building organic diversity into every high concept story.

cake (noun): a sweet treat

with surprising depth

1. ambitious and bold stories with lots of flavor

2. handcrafted but high concept

3. dark, delicious and decidedly decadent

CAKE IMPRINT ya f i c t i o n

rights g uide | pAg E 7rights g uide | pAg E 6

Sona Charaipotra &

Dhonielle Clayton

TINy PRETTy ThINgS

B O O K I N F O R M AT I O N

publisher: HarperTeenpub Date/Season:

May 26, 2015; July 12, 2016genre/Category (Max 2):

YA ContemporaryUK/ANZ Rights: HarperCollins UK

Foreign Sales: Spain; France; Italy; The Netherlands

Russia; Czech Republic; Slovak Editor: Alice Jerman

Approximate Word Count: 110,000Manuscript: Available List Comp Titles (2-3):

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, One of Us Is Lying by Karen

McManus, Bunheads by Sophie FlackOne line hook:

Pretty Little Liars meets ballet.

Pretty Little Liars set in a ballet boarding school where three girls are willing to do whatever it takes to be the best.

S U M M A R Y

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton, and the author of the highly anticipated Symptoms of a Heartbreak, Sona Charaipotra. Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.

When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Don’t miss the gossip, lies, and scandal that continues in Tiny Pretty Things’ gripping sequel, Shiny Broken Pieces!

S A L E S p O I N T S + R E V I E W S

• “Charaipotra and Clayton skillfully craft three distinctive, complex characters. This enticing glimpse into the ballet world is rich with detail and drama as the authors highlight its glamour and darkness.” – Publishers Weekly

• “Diversity is organically spotlighted [in this] fun and fast read.” – School Library Journal

• “A page-turner with a heart” – Kirkus Reviews • “The book’s astute focus on ballet’s ability to

enrich, ennoble, and also consume the lives of its dancers is what provides this story with its delicious spark. Equal parts mystery and social commentary, the novel is engrossing and titillating without being hyperbolic, which is a testament to the authors’ talent and a reflection of an art form that simultaneously raises young women to the highest heights while reducing them to shells of themselves. An addicting thriller that will make anyone who loves ballet clamor for another installment.”– Kirkus Reviews

B AC K L I S T T I T L E S

Sona Charaipotra &

Dhonielle Clayton

ThE RUMOR gAME

c o v e rc o m i n g

s o o n


publisher: Disney/Freeform

pub Date/Season: TBD

genre/Category (Max 2):YA Contemporary

UK/ANZ Rights: Cake

Editor: Kieran Viola

Approximate Word Count: 100,000

Manuscript: November 2020

List Comp Titles (2-3): One of Us Is Lying by Karen

McManus, The Truth About Alice by

Jennifer Mathieu, That’s Not What I

Heard by Stephanie Kate Stohm

One line hook: A YA Gossip where

one rumor spirals out of control with

deadly consequences.

One of Us Is Lying meets the thriller Gossip where a teen’s nasty rumor starts a rumor and chaos among her former friends, but when things get out of control, she doesn’t know how to stop it – or even if she wants to.

S U M M A R Y

Gossip meets One of Us Is Lying — or should we say, all of us are lying! — in The Rumor Game, a politically-driven thriller set at a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite. All it takes is one rumor to ruin a life. And in the fishbowl pressure cooker that is Foxham Prep, the tiniest ember could trigger a raging blaze. Still struggling after the car accident left her an exile, senior class president turned outcast Bryn Colburn is thrilled to see the spotlight shift. And at first, geeky Georgie Khalra — fresh (and hot) from a summer slimdown — doesn’t mind the whispers and attention, especially not from Foxham’s most popular guy, Baez, and his friends. But for Baez’s beautiful girlfriend Cora, the school’s cheer captain and prom queen, a moment’s mistrust could ruin everything. As the rumor grows and morphs, gossip spreading like wildfire through social media, lives will unravel and burn. But one girl has the power to stop the lies in their tracks. The question is, does she even want to? From Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton — authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series) — comes another edge-of-your-seat thriller that deftly tackles contemporary themes, including racism, body issues, bullying and sexual assault. Rumor Game: Every untruth has its consequences.


Sona Charaipotra

hOw MAyA gOT FIERCE


s o o n


publisher: Macmillan/Imprint

pub Date/Season: Summer 2021

genre/Category (Max 2):YA Contemporary

UK/ANZ Rights: Available from Macmillan/Imprint

Editor: Weslie Turner/Erin Stein


Manuscript: Available in Nov 2020

List Comp Titles (2-3):Gloria Chao’s

American Panda and Maurene Goo’s

Somewhere Only We Know

One line hook: The Bold Type meets

Younger where a soon-to-be-high

school senior accidentally scores her

dream job as a magazine editor, but

they think she’s twenty-six-years old.

The Bold Type meets Younger in How Maya Got Fierce, a fish out of water contemporary YA by Sona Charaipotra.

S U M M A R Y

Ever since she was little, farmer’s daughter Maya Gera has known what her

future holds.

The heiress to a mini garlic empire in the heart of Gilroy, California, she’s

meant to be a good Indian girl — which means agriculture school, an MBA,

and settling down with a suitable Sikh boy.

So spending her 17th summer at cow camp in New Jersey is a really big

deal. Farm kids nationwide convene to learn to milk cows, shuck corn, and,

uh, form 'strategic alliances.' But when Maya gets kicked out of camp after

an expensive accident — yes, it involves a boy — she scrambles to save

face and keep her parents from finding out. Hard to do when she owes the

school thousands of dollars.

Desperate to earn enough to pay off her mistake, Maya interviews for an

internship at Fierce, a fashion magazine she’s been obsessed with forever.

When she lands a gig as assistant features editor, it’s a New York City dream

come true. Especially because she rocks at it.

But it might soon become her worst nightmare — because the Fierce folks

think she’s 26.

And just wait until her parents find out.

Sona Charaipotra

SyMPTOMS OF A hEARTBREAK


publisher: Imprint/Macmillan

pub Date/Season: July 2, 2019

genre/Category (Max 2): YA Contemporary

UK/ANZ Rights: Available from Imprint/Macmillan

Foreign Sales: Russia/AST

Editor: Weslie Turner/Erin Stein


Manuscript: Available

List Comp Titles (2-3): The Fault

in Our Stars by John Green, When

Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

One line hook: Doogie Howser, M.D. meets

The Fault in Our Stars where the

youngest doctor in America, an

Indian-American teen makes her

rounds—and falls head over heels in

the process.

Doogie Howser, MD meets The Mindy Project (with plenty of Grey’s Anatomy drama thrown in), in this YA contemporary that follows 16-year-old Saira Seghal, girl genius and the youngest MD in America, who ends up working as an oncology intern at the same hospital as her overbearing Indian mother, who’s pleased she can keep an eye on her. Like every teen, Saira thinks she knows it all. But even a genius has a lot to learn when it comes to love and medicine.

S U M M A R Y

Sixteen-year-old Saira has always juggled family, friendships, and her Girl Genius celebrity. Now, as the youngest med school graduate ever, she can finally achieve her mission to treat young people dealing with cancer.

But proving herself in life-or-death situations is tough when everyone from her boss to her patients can't see past her age to trust her skills. And working in the same hospital as her mom isn't making things any easier! Life gets even more complicated when Saira falls for a teenage patient. To improve his chances, she risks her lifelong dream—and it could cost her everything. In her solo debut, Sona Charaipotra brings us a compelling #ownvoices protagonist who’s not afraid to chase what she wants. Symptoms of a Heartbreak goes from romantic comedy highs to tearjerker lows and is the ultimate cure-all for every reader needing an infusion of something heartfelt.


• “A smart, tender and thoughtful exploration of loving in the face of

heartbreaking circumstances.” – Nicola Yoon, bestselling author of

Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star

• “Equal parts compelling and charming, this pitch perfect romcom is

just what the doctor ordered! Symptoms of a Heartbreak is absolutely

unputdownable.” – Julie Murphy, bestselling author of Dumplin’

• “A charming debut... offering rich, nuanced portrayals of Indian American

family and professional life.” – Kirkus Reviews

rights g uide | pAg E 10

Nandini Bajpai

A MATCh MADE IN MEhENDI


publisher: Little Brown Books

for Young Readers

pub Date/Season: September 10, 2019

genre/Category (Max 2): YA Contemporary

Editor: Nikki Garcia

List Comp Titles (2-3): When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya

Menon, My So Called Bollywood Life

by Nisha Sharma

One line hook: A YA Indian Matchmaking

UK/ANZ Rights: Available via Little, Brown



A YA Indian Matchmaking where a freshman girl topples the high school hierarchy using her family’s legendary matchmaking guide to set up the quiet new girl with the star of the soccer team.

S U M M A R Y

Fifteen-year-old Simran “Simi” Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole – matchmakers – with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the "gift."

But Simi is an artist, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah's social status. Armed with her family's ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service-via an app.

But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys' soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.

For fans of When Dimple Met Rishi comes a lighthearted novel about tradition, high school social hierarchy, match-making, and swiping right (or left!).


• “Just because Simran “Simi” Sangha is positive that she doesn't want to pursue her family's tradition of professional matchmaking doesn't mean she can't use their wisdom to help her peers find love. Simi is confident, principled, and unapologetic, and her voice glitters with optimism and honesty. The plot is fast paced and utterly readable, and Simi's family is quirky and lovable without ever being stereotypical. A sweet and quirky romance told by a protagonist who will steal readers' hearts.” – Kirkus Reviews

• “A breezy, high-spirited novel, full of helicopter parents and high school drama, Simi's story subtly updates familiar tropes while questioning teenage social norms.”– Teen Vogue

• “Nandini's delicious story is a match for anyone who ever felt like they needed to question high school norms and prove that they matter.” – Nisha Sharma,

author of My So-Called Bollywood Life

s o n a c h a r a i p o t r a d h o n i e l l e c l ay t o nt i n y pr e t t y t h i n g s

“It always feels like death. At least at

first. your muscles stretch and burn

until they might rip. The bones in your

hips threaten to rotate right out of their

sockets. your spine lengthens and twists

into impossible shapes. The veins in your

arms swell, blood pulsing through them.

your fingers tremble as you try to hold

them taut but graceful, just so. your toes

jam into a pretty pink box, battering your

feet with constellations of blisters and

bruises. But it all looks effortless and

beautiful. I hope. Because that's all that

really matters.”

CAKE Literary's kidlit imprint, CUpCAKE aims for smart and sophisticated children's fiction — from picture books to middle grade

novels — with the kind of dark whimsical storytelling associated with the

classics of the genre, like The Phantom Tollbooth and Harriet the Spy.

Perfect for classrooms, libraries, and even late nights under a blanket with a

flashlight, our focus is on delightful and delicious reads that will have even

the most reluctant readers flipping pages. And of course, like all of CAKE's

projects, CUPCAKE emphasizes building organic diversity into every high

concept story.

cupcake (noun): a bite size confection

1. small stories with a heaping scoop of adventure

2. rainbow sprinkles

3. a sweet and salty nibble

CUPCAKE IMPRINT c h i l d r e n ' s f i c t i o n

rights g uide | pAg E 15

Kwame Mbalia

TRISTAN STRONg DESTROyS

ThE wORlD


Series: Tristan Strong series

publisher: Disney/Rick Riordian Presents

pub Date/Season: October 15, 2019;

October 6, 2020; TBD

genre/Category (Max 2): MG Contemporary Fantasy

UK/ANZ Rights:

Available from Disney/

Rick Riordian Presents

Foreign Sales: Romania

Editor: Stephanie Lurie



List Comp Titles (2-3):Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by

Rick Riordian, Aru Shah and the End of

Time by Roshani Chokshi

One line hook: A middle grade American Gods that’s

Jason Reynolds meets magic.

A middle grade American Gods that’s Jason Reynolds meets magic, starring a seventh-grade boy who accidentally creates a hole into the Midpass, a world where ancient African gods clash with gods of African-American legend.

T R I S TA N S T R O N g p U N C h E S A h O L E I N T h E S K Y

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s notebook. Tristan chases after it–is that a doll?–and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

T R I S TA N S T R O N g D E S T R OY S T h E W O R L D

Tristan Strong, just back from a victorious but exhausting adventure in Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, is suffering from PTSD. But there's no rest for the weary when his grandmother is abducted by a mysterious villain out for revenge.

Tristan must return to Alke–and reunite with his loud-mouthed sidekick, Gum Baby–in order to rescue Nana and stop the culprit from creating further devastation. Anansi, now a “web developer” in Tristan's phone, is close at hand to offer advice, and several new folk heroes will aid Tristan in his quest, but he will only succeed if he can figure out a way to sew broken souls back together.


• “Mbalia’s universe continues to excite through sheer conceptual brilliance, nonstop action and adventure, and – let’s be honest – the comical aggression of sidekick god Gum Baby.” – Booklist

• “Well-paced–just like the previous installment–this sequel focuses on themes such as the meaning of diaspora and the effects of trauma, making for a more nuanced and stronger story than the first. Packs a punch.” – Kirkus (starred review)

• “Part of the ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ series, this debut novel offers a richly realized world, a conversational, breezy style, and a satisfying conclusion that leaves room for sequels.” – School Library Journal

• “A brilliant action adventure rooted in African American lore.” – New York Times best-selling author Jason Reynolds


Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky(October 2019)


s o o n

Untitled Tristan Strong Book(October 2021)


Anna Meriano

lOvE SUgAR MAgIC:

A MIxTURE OF MISChIEF


Series: Love Sugar Magic series

publisher: Walden Media/

HarperCollins

pub Date/Season:genre/Category (Max 2):

MG Contemporary, Fantasy

UK/ANZ Rights: Available from

Walden Media/HarperCollins

Foreign Sales: German/cbj

Editor: Jordan Brown



List Comp Titles (2-3): Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan,

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

One line hook: Just Add Magic meets

a Mexican bakery and Latinx magic.

A Practical Magic for middle grade where Leo discovers her family’s bakery isn’t just serving up Mexican treats in her small Texas town, but problem-solving magic.

A DA S h O F T R O U B L E

Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival. Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake.

Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business—even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet.

And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong?

Debut author Anna Meriano brings us the first book in a delightful new series filled to the brim with amor, azúcar, y magia.

A S p R I N K L E O F S p I R I T S

Leonora Logroño has finally been introduced to her family’s bakery bruja magic—but that doesn’t mean everything is all sugar and spice. Her special power hasn’t shown up yet, her family still won’t let her perform her own spells, and they now act rude every time Caroline comes by to help Leo with her magic training.

She knows that the family magic should be kept secret, but Caroline is her best friend, and she’s been feeling lonely ever since her mom passed away. Why should Leo have to choose between being a good bruja and a good friend?

In the midst of her confusion, Leo wakes up one morning to a startling sight: her dead grandmother, standing in her room, looking as alive as she ever was. Both Leo and her abuela realize this might mean trouble—especially once they discover that Abuela isn’t the only person in town who has been pulled back to life from the other side.

Spirits are popping up all over town, causing all sorts of trouble! Is this Leo’s fault? And can she reverse the spell before it’s too late?

Anna Meriano’s unforgettable family of brujas returns in a new story featuring a heaping helping of amor, azúcar, and magia.

A M I x T U R E O F M I S C h I E F

It’s spring break in Rose Hill, Texas, but Leo Logroño has a lot of work to do if she’s going to become a full-fledged bruja like the rest of her family.

She still hasn’t discovered the true nature of her magical abilities, and that isn’t the only bit of trouble in her life: Her family’s baking heirlooms have begun to go missing, and a new bakery called Honeybees has opened across town, threatening to run Amor y Azúcar right out of business.

What’s more, everyone around her seems to have secrets, and none of them want to tell Leo what's going on.

But the biggest secret of all comes when Leo is paid a very surprising visit—by her long-lost Abuelo Logroño. Abuelo promises answers to her most pressing questions and tells Leo he can teach her about her power, about what it takes to survive in a world where threats lurk in the shadows. But can she trust him?


• “Meriano’s first novel is steeped in Mexican culture, family lore, and delicious baked goods. Readers who don’t speak Spanish will share in Leo’s confusion (the magical recipes are all written in Spanish), and those who do will enjoy being in on the family’s secrets. A warmhearted read that will satisfy readers and leave them eager for a second helping.”

– Publisher's Weekly

• “Charming and delectably sweet.” – Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas series

• “Buen Provecho! Meriano smoothly incorporates pre-adolescent issues of friendship and family relationships, as well as including a poignant scene in which the spirit of Caroline’s mother discusses the grieving process.” – HornBook


A Dash of Trouble (January 2018)

A Sprinkle of Spirits(February 2019)


FOREIgN RIghTS CONTACTS

Dhonielle Clayton [email protected]

Veronica grijalva [email protected]

Victoria henderson [email protected]; 212-404-7595

N E W L E A F

NLL I T E R A R Y & M E D I A

ThE RECIPE

2 good eggs

2 CUPS brilliant idea

1 3/4 TEASPOONS

of adventure

1 1/2 CUPS

compelling characters 1 CUP of well-sif ted plot

A DASh (or four) of drama 1/2 CUP heart

A hEAPINg DOSE of diversity

k wa m e m b a l i at r i s ta n s t r o n g pu n c h e s a h o l e i n t h e s k y

“My fists were

everywhere. Black

fists in black

gloves delivering

black power two

jabs at a time.”

c a k e l i t e r a r y. c o m

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2020 rights guide fall catalog - agenciariff.com.br€¦ · catalog. new leaf nl literary &...

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