Jamil Jivani’s WHY YOUNG MEN?, which follows the author from Toronto to Yale to Molenbeek to Cairo as he learns more about destructive ideologies that promote crime and terrorism on both sides of the Atlantic, and offers possible solutions to radicalization, to Jim Gifford at HarperCollins Canada, arranged by Bruce Westwood at Westwood Creative Artists.
Knopf Canada Publishing Director Lynn Henry and Editor Amanda Betts of Knopf have acquired Canadian English rights to acclaimed mathematician and playwright John Mighton’s new book EXTREME EQUALITY, which asserts that wide-spread social and economic disparities are caused less by deficiencies in our social and political systems than by our ignorance about human potential, and that one of our most important issues is whether we will act on the evidence uncovered by cognitive scientists in the last decade about the mechanisms of learning. John is the founder of the charitable organization JUMP (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies), the author of 2 previous books The Myth of Ability and The End of Ignorance, and a 2 time Governor General Award winning playwright. The deal was arranged by Carolyn Forde of Westwood Creative Artists and publication is planned for Spring 2018.
World French rights to Robert Paul Weston’s rhyming middle-grade novel ZORGAMAZOO to Sueill Juenesse. The deal was arranged by Carolyn Forde of Westwood Creative Artists in association with Anna Jarota Agency on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.
World French rights to Robert Paul Weston’s middlegrade novel PRINCE PUGGLY AND THE KINGDOM OF SPIFF to Sueill Juenesse. The deal was arranged by Carolyn Forde of Westwood Creative Artists in association with Anna Jarota Agency on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.
Author of Empire of Deception Dean Jobb’s THE CASE OF THE MURDEROUS DOCTOR CREAM, about the hunt for a Victorian-era serial murderer whose killing spree in the U.S., Canada, and England coincided with the birth of forensic science, the creation of Sherlock Holmes, and the public’s insatiable appetite for tales of crime and detection, to Amy Gash at Algonquin, by Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists (World).
We are excited to announce Ann Y.K. Choi’s novel Kay’s Luck Coin Variety has been shortlisted for a 2016 Toronto Book Award.
Established by the Toronto City Council in 1974 the Toronto Book Award acknowledges authors of books that have literary merit and are evocative of Toronto.
What the Judges said about Choi’s coming-of-age novel:
“Ann Y.K. Choi’s debut novel is a vivid depiction of two generations clashing and caring for each other on a dangerous street corner in 1980s Toronto. Mary is determined to evade her fate, which means making some risky choices. Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety is unsentimental, bracing and beautifully balanced, a story that reveals the true costs of shifting between two names and two cultures.”
Congrats to internationally bestselling author Gail Anderson-Dargatz whose book The Spawning Grounds was voted number one favourite adult fiction for September by Canadian librarians. Rooted in the Thompson-Shuswap region of British Columbia, The Spawning Grounds tells the story of a troubled family, a torn nation, and a dying river.
Loan Stars, a readers’ advisory service brings together the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, BookNet Canada, the British Columbia Library Association Readers’ Advisory Committee, the Ontario Library Association Readers’ Advisory Committee, library vendors, independent Canadian publishers, and multi-national publishers. Using an online catalogue tool, library staff nominate their favourite adult titles, the most popular titles are marketed to libraries and library users.
Westwood Creative Artists, Canada’s largest literary agency representing more than 400 writers, is looking for a candidate to fill a full-time 12 week internship position, beginning Monday August 22nd and ending Friday November 11th.
A considerable amount of time during this internship will be spent working with WCA’s international rights director and rights assistant in preparation for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. There will also be the opportunity to work with other WCA agents and at the reception desk. In the rights department, the intern will be involved in catalogue proofreading, general preparation and follow-up for the Frankfurt Book Fair. There will also be some data entry and other administrative tasks. While working with individual agents, the intern will understand how the agent manages his or her authors, learn about Canadian and US submissions, and provide needed support in a varied number of capacities. At the reception desk, the intern will really be at the “nerve centre” of the agency. Tasks will include daily administration work, reading submissions, and receiving authors and publishers as they arrive at the agency.
We offer a competitive honorarium of $1500, a lively and congenial work environment at Spadina and Harbord, and an excellent opportunity to gain an overview of the publishing industry in Canada and abroad through the lens of the literary agent and the writers we represent.
The ideal candidate will be eager to learn, highly organized, energetic, and have a positive outlook. Strong proofreading and computer skills required; previous office experience and knowledge of the publishing industry an asset; passionate attention to detail and accuracy a must. Please send your cover letter, resume, and references to the attention of Carolyn Forde at Carolyn@wcaltd.com at your earliest convenience or by July 18th. We appreciate all applications but will only reply to candidates selected for an interview.
Big congratulations to Wab Kinew for winning the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
in the Nonfiction category for his memoir, The Reason You Walk!
This is the second annual Emerging Writer Prize and Kobo announced the winners on June 21, 2016. The prizes are awarded to the best debut books of the year in literary fiction, romance and nonfiction categories. A winning book in each category was chosen by established and respected Canadian authors, giving the debut writers an impressive vote of confidence from those at the top of their field.
Camilla Gibb, the judge for the Nonfiction category, said this of Kinew’s memoir:
“Wab Kine
w’s story is a deeply moving memoir about the possibility of forgiveness and healing within a family, a community and a country coming to terms with the damaging legacy of the residential school system. The son of an Anishinaabe chief and a non-native woman, Kinew moves within two worlds, as did his father, both seeking to reconcile conflicting parts of selves shaped by different cultural forces. Wab Kinew’s book is a gift to this country.”
We are so excited and proud of Susan Juby, winner of the 69th Leacock Medal for Humour for her novel, The Republic of Dirt!
The medal and the accompanying prize were awarded June 11, 2016 at a gala dinner at Geneva Park Conference Centre near Orillia, Ontario. The dinner celebrated all three shortlisted authors, which included Terry Fallis for Poles Apart and Sarah Mian for When the Saints.
Read Susan Juby’s thank you note here.
We are so excited to announce that Susan Juby and Sarah Mian have been shortlisted for the 2016 Leacock Medal for Humour! The prestigious Memorial Medal, accompanied by a $15,000 prize, is awarded annually for the best in Canadian literary humour. The award has attained an international reputation and is the only one of its kind for Canadian humour writing.
Susan Juby has been nominated for Republic of Dirt, published by HarperCollins. Told in four highly distinct, unforgettably hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking voices, Republic of Dirt is about what happens when passions collide with pride and what it takes to save each other, our small part of the planet and ourselves.
Sarah Mian has been nominated for When The Saints, also published by HarperCollins.
When the Saints is her first novel and is the story of a clan of outsiders whose redemption might be found in what they longed to escape: each other.
The third book on the shortlist is Terry Fallis’ Poles Apart.
The winner will be announced at a gala dinner on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at the Geneva Park Convention Centre, just outside Orillia.
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