• Canadian poet Lydia Kwa‘s ORACLE BONE and THE WALKING BOY, the ancient storytelling tradition referred to as Chuanqi literally means “to transmit the strange,” and the literary speculative Chuanqi Duology is inspired by and subverts Chinese mythologies, literary traditions, and tropes, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media in a two-book deal, by Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists (world English).

• Wade Davis’s INTO THE SILENCE, the definitive, epic true story recounting the beginning of the end of the British Empire and the guilt of the survivors of the first world war, among whom was the British adventurer George Mallory who along with Sandy Irvine went on to risk their lives attempting to climb Mount Everest in 1924, carrying that survivor’s guilt and so much more, to Bublico Productions, by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists.

• PEN/Hemingway Award finalist and author of THE LOST GIRLS OF CAMP FOREVERMORE, Kim Fu’s LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, a poignant, erotic, and darkly comic short story collection, to Alana Wilcox and Crystal Sikma at Coach House Books, for publication in winter 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (Canada English). U.S. rights were previously sold to Masie Cochran at Tin House Books.

• World rights to Governor-General’s Literary Award finalist Alison Hughes’s MORE OR LESS have been acquired by Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, with publication slated for winter 2024.  The picture book uses variations of just five words to celebrate living more sustainably, simply and generously, reinforcing that by having “less”, something “more” meaningful can be gained.  Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists represents Hughes, and Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated for Caldecott Honor recipient Oge More to illustrate.

• Iris Tupholme at HarperCollins Canada has acquired Canadian rights to MINDFUL OF MURDER by Stephen Leacock Medal winner and Edgar-award nominee Susan Juby (The Woefield Poultry Collective). The comedic murder mystery features high-end domestic service, unusual spiritual pursuits, the Death Positive movement, and the best organized investigator you’ve ever met. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists represented the author.

• Esteemed architect Jack Diamond’s memoir CONTEXT AND CONTENT, about his life from growing up in South Africa and his early experiences with anti-Semitism to designing iconic buildings around the globe, to Scott Fraser at Dundurn Press, for publication in Spring 2022, by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists.

• Former police officer and current crime reporter for CP24 Steve Ryan’s THE GHOSTS THAT HAUNT ME, about homicide cases he investigated as a detective and how they still affect him, to Scott Fraser at Dundurn Press, for publication in Spring 2023, by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists.

Foreign deals:

• Bobbi French’s THE LAST CHANCE OF FRANCES DELANEY to Kinneret (Israel), by Geula Geurts at Deborah Harris Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.

• Yann Martel’s LIFE OF PI renewed to Presenca (Portugal), by Jordi Ribolleda, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Westwood Creative Artists has an immediate opening for a full-time position in our busy rights and contracts department.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated self-starter with strong critical thinking, organization, and problem solving skills; excellent attention to detail; the ability to work well both independently and in a team; and the desire to excel and grow within an entrepreneurial environment. Prior office and publishing experience are assets, as is a publishing degree. The successful candidate will gain experience in all aspects of the agenting business by supporting and participating in the full range of our domestic, international, and multiplatform activities, including proposal evaluation, submission tracking, contracts / royalties / accounting, outreach to publishers and co-agents via catalogues and newsletters, and of course the most important activity of all, author care. Please note that candidates must be available to work both on-site at our Toronto office (near Bloor and St George) and remotely.

WCA looks forward to considering a diverse range of applicants, however only those candidates selected for a virtual interview will be contacted.  Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter asap, and no later than Friday, March 12, 2021, to hilary@wcaltd.com.  

Robert Hough’s THE FINAL CONFESSION OF MABEL STARK (World English audio, excl. US & Canada), renewed to Bolinda (Australia), by Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.

Yann Martel’s THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF PORTUGAL, renewed to United Sky New Media (China), by Vicky Wen at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Beijing, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Michael Ignatieff’s ON CONSOLATION, to Ullstein (Germany; in a pre-empt), by Hanna Vielberg at Liepman Agency; to Cossee (Netherlands), by Stella Nelissen at Marianne Schonbach Literary Agency; to Taurus/Penguin Random House (Spain), by Jordi Ribolleda at Sandra Bruna Agency; to Business Weekly Publications (Taiwan), by Paula Chen at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Taiwan, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.

Thomas King’s SUFFERANCE, to Memoire d’encrier (Quebec), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Don Thompson’s THE CURIOUS ECONOMICS OF LUXURY FASHION, to Atticus-Azbooka (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.

Richard Wagamese’s MEDICINE WALK, to La Nuova Fronteira (Italy), by Elisa Beretta at The Italian Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce & Chris Casuccio.

Journey Prize nominee Leanne Toshiko Simpson’s INFINITE SNAILS, a warm and sparkling #OwnVoices romantic comedy about navigating love while living with mental illness, pitched as Silver Linings Playbook meets The Rosie Project, featuring a trio of friends who meet inside a psychiatric hospital and the heartache and hilarity that ensues when two of them plan a destination wedding, to Iris Tupholme at HarperCollins Canada, for publication Spring 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (Canada English).

DCB’s Barry Jowett has acquired World rights to Kern Carter’s BOYS AND GIRLS SCREAMING, a YA novel in which a young girl tries to cope with family tragedy by forming a support group of traumatized teenagers. Publication is expected for spring 2022. The deal was arranged by Chris Casuccio of Westwood Creative Artists. 

English-languge Canadian rights to pioneering Vancouver-based neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Honey’s THE TENTH NERVE, which takes the reader inside a neurosurgeon’s life in a engaging, sympathetic, and frequently dramatic way and pays tribute to seven brave patients who taught the author some fundamental truths about medicine and humanity, to Amanda Betts at Random House Canada, by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in Spring 2022.

Suzanne Sutherland at HarperCollins Canada acquired on exclusive submission Canadian rights to DEAR BLACK CHILD, a picture book in free verse by Rahma Rodaah, inspired by her own experience, that explores race and racism and celebrates resilience.  Also included in the deal is a second picture book, DEAR MUSLIM CHILD. Alessandra Balzer at Balzer +Bray acquired world rights excluding Canada, and publication in both markets is slated for fall 2022. Rodaah is represented by Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists. Lydia Mba, represented by Marzena Torzecka at The Marlena Agency, will be illustrating DEAR BLACK CHILD. Publication of DEAR BLACK CHILD is slated for fall 2022.

Kathryn Nicolai’s NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS, to Helios (Estonia), by Tatjana Zoldnere at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Barbara Gowdy’s THE WHITE BONE and THE ROMANTIC, to Edizioni E/O (Italy), by Elisa Berretta at The Italian Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Thomas King’s DREADFULWATER, to Liana Levi (France), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

John Geiger and Owen Beattie’s FROZEN IN TIME, to Paulsen (Russian Federation), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.

Westwood Creative Artists, one of Canada’s largest literary agencies representing more than 400 writers, is looking for a candidate to fill a full-time 12-week internship position, beginning Monday January 27^th and ending April 17^th, with possible flexibility for the right candidate.

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 London Book Fair in March. 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 London Book Fair. There will also be some data entry and other administrative tasks. While working with individual agents, the intern will understand how the agents manage their 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 an honorarium of $1500, a lively and congenial work environment in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, 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 Meg Wheeler at meg@wcaltd.com at your earliest convenience or by January 2^nd, 2020. We appreciate all applications but will only reply to candidates selected for an interview.

How do we know summer isn’t over yet? Because CBC Books just released a list of Canadian thrillers and mysteries to check out this summer. We were excited to discover that 4 of the 10 books were authored by WCA clients!

A Dance of Cranes by Steve Burrows

A Matter of Malice by Thomas King

Hideaway by Nicole Lundrigan

Vantage Point by Scott Thornley

With the exception of Hideway, the above titles are the most recent books in their respective series. Click here to see the full list.

We’re delighted to share that author, journalist, and human rights activist, Sally Armstrong will deliver the Massey Lecture series this year! Power Shift: The Longest Revolution, publishing with Anansi on September 17, 2019, argues that improving the status of women is crucial to humanity’s collective survival. For dates, location, and ticket information, click here.

We’re thrilled to share that Jamil Jivani’s debut non-fiction Why Young Men – now published in Canada, America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand – scored a review in The Washington Post. Journalist Dina Temple-Raston writes, “Jivani offers a compassionate analysis of sidelined youth and does so with a special authority – because he was one.” Click here for the full article.