Selection of Unusual Books....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

International Herald Tribune editor Tom Rachman's THE IMPERFECTIONISTS, about the hapless copyeditors, stringers and executives who form the staff of a fictional English-language international newspaper in Rome, to Susan Kamil at Dial Press, by Susan Golomb at The Susan Golomb Agency (NA).

Former prison warden (and Oxford graduate) Anna Lawrence Pietroni's debut RUBY'S SPOON, to Julie Grau at Spiegel & Grau (US), and to Clara Farmer at Chatto & Windus, at auction, for publication in 2010, by Tina Bennett at Janklow & Nesbit.

GENERAL/OTHER:

Gabrielle Zevin's THE CHILDREN IN THE APPLE TREE, about three decades in the life of a downwardly mobile family of five, and their unique struggles with credit card debt, ambition, materialism, rationalization, denial and the war in Iraq, to Lauren Wein at Grove/Atlantic, by Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).

Kim Echlin's THE DISAPPEARED, a love story set in Montreal and Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge regime, to Elisabeth Schmitz at Black Cat (US). Dutch rights previously sold to Bezige Bij, in a pre-empt, and Italian rights to Einaudi.

Musician and author of And the Ass Saw the Angel, Nick Cave's THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO, to Mitzi Angel at Faber, by Jamie Byng at Canongate (US).

CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT:

Author of the Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld's trilogy LEVIATHAN, a steampunk-inspired, lavishly-illustrated, sci-fi-historical series that follows two unlikely teens on a fantastical adventure around the world, with the look and feel of a "boy's own adventure" series from the early 20th century, illustrated by Keith Thmpson, starting in fall 2009 and following annually, plus a color guide book published at the conclusion of the series, to Bethany Buck at Simon Pulse, by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (NA).

Author of five NYT bestselling teen novels including the recent IDENTICAL, Ellen Hopkins' PERFECT, which explores the drive among teens to attain perfection through surgery, self-regulated eating and extreme exercise, to Emma Dryden at Margaret K. McElderry Books, for publication in fall 2011, in a three-book deal, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

UK CHILDREN'S:

Becca Ajoy Fitzpatrick's YA novel HUSH, HUSH, a darkly romantic story of dangerous love between a teenage girl and a fallen angel, plus a sequel, to Venetia Gosling at Simon & Schuster UK, for publication in January 2010, by Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Agency, on behalf of Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management (UK/Commonwealth excl. Canada).

Conn Iggulden's TOLLINS: Dangerous and Explosive Tales for Children, illustrated by Lizzy Duncan, his first fiction for children, promising an explosive, magical and adventurous world, and a guide to little flying creatures featured in the title, to Ann-Janine Murtagh at Harper UK Children's, in a two-book deal, for publication in October 2009 simultaneously with Harper Children's in the US, by Victoria Hobbs at A.M. Heath (world).

NON-FICTION

BIOGRAPHY:

Biologist in the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History, Darrin Lunde's THEODORE ROOSEVELT: The Naturalist, a biography that examines Roosevelt's life as a naturalist, taxidermist, hunter, and explorer, spanning his legendary expeditions throughout the US, Africa, and South America, to John Glusman at Harmony, by Elaine Markson at Elaine Markson Agency (world).

Author of Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, Howard Sounes's THE LIFE OF PAUL MCCARTNEY, to Ben Schafer at Da Capo, by Kate Lee at ICM, Tim Rostron at Doubleday Canada, by Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown UK, and toNatalie Jerome at Harper UK, for publication in fall 2010.

BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Founding partners of software company 37 Signals Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson's UN-CONFORM: Cancel All Your Meetings, One-Down the Competition & Discover Greatness, on how to focus on just the important stuff at work and fight the epidemic of more (the company's "idea skunkworks" blog Signals vs. Noise has tens of thousands of regular readers), to Rick Horgan at Crown, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2009, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions (world). Rights: kschulze@randomhouse.com

Washington Post personal finance columnist Nancy Trejos' HOT MESSES: TO BE YOUNG AND BROKE IN AMERICA, chronicling her rise from fiscal irresponsibility and advising how young people today can go from a generation of buy now, pay later, to one with a hold on their financial future, to Tracy Martin at Business Plus, by Robert Guinsler at Sterling Lord Literistic.

HEALTH:

Professer emeritus of economics at the University of California at Irvine, Arthur De Vany's EVOLUTIONARY FITNESS, evaluating modern health issues from his evolutionary perspective, to Jonathan Burnham at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management. UK rights to Clare Hulton at Vermillion.

MEMOIR:

Former foreign editor of the London Daily Telegraph, John Lahutsky THE BOY FROM BABY HOUSE 10, written by Alan Philps's, about being born premature in Russia, consigned to the deplorable conditions of the Russian orphanage system, and then rescued by a single mother in the US and helped him to grow into a successful American high school student, to Michael Flamini of St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, by Annabel Merullo at PFD (world).Italian rights to Piemme, in a pre-empt.

SCIENCE:

Climatologist, Nobel laureate, and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, Stanford University's Dr. Stephen Schneider's SCIENCE AS A CONTACT SPORT, pitched as "An Inconvenient Truth" meets "What Happened?," revealing behind the scenes stories of the 40-year battle to save our planet, helping people understand why optimal policy changes have not been implemented yet, and what they can do about it, to Lisa Thomas at National Geographic, at auction, for publication in December 2009, by Carol Susan Roth at Carol Susan Roth Literary & Creative (World).

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