Feb 18
Love0

WCA Deal Report for February 18, 2022

By Deals
  • Ojibwe author Nancy Cooper’s AMIK’S BIG DAY, a story about an industrious beaver who shows her cousins visiting from far away the many things that she and her family do to help different animals in the forest, illustrated by Ojibwe artist Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, to Karen Boersma at Owlkids Books, for publication in spring 2023, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists for the illustrator (World).
  • Author of ENCOUNTER Brittany Luby‘s WHEN THE STARS CAME HOME, about an Anishinaabe child who misses the night stars when he moves to the city and the traditional Star Blanket that connects him to his ancestors, illustrated by Natasha Donovan, to Susan Rich at Little Brown Books for Young Readers, for publication in Fall 2023, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists for the author, and by Lindsay Auld at Writers House for the illustrator (World).
  • Marc Lewis’ THE BIOLOGY OF DESIRE to Next Door (Spain), by Sandra Bruna at Sandra Bruna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
  • Richard Wagamese’s MEDICINE WALK to Antigona (Portugal), by Sandra Bruna at Sandra Bruna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce and Chris Casuccio.
  • Thomas King’s THE RED POWER MURDERS to Liana Levi (World French excl. North America), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
  • Michael Ignatieff’s ON CONSOLATION to Kalich (Czech Republic), by Kristin Olson at Kristin Olson Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
  • Michael Ignatieff’s ON CONSOLATION to Kontrast (Serbia), by Nada Perisic at Plima, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
  • Kim Fu’s LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY to Host (Czech Republic), by Kristin Olson at Kristin Olson Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
Feb 04
Love0

WCA Deal Report for February 4, 2022

By Deals
  • Don Thompson’s THE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK renewed to Atticus-Azbooka (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.
  • A collection of short stories by Josef Skvorecky to Fundacja Instytut Reportazu (Poland), by Tomasz Berezinski at Graal Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Bruce Westwood.
  • Thomas King’s DEEP HOUSE to Alire (Quebec), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
  • Kamal Al-Solaylee’s BROWN to Editions Hashtag (Quebec) by Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.
  • Kim Fu’s LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY to Racconti Edizioni (Italy), by Elisa Beretta at The Italian Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
Jan 28
Love0

WCA Deal Report for January 28, 2022

By Deals
  • Jennifer Lambert at HarperCollins Canada has acquired World English rights to Gina Buonaguro’s VIRGINS OF VENICE, historical fiction in the vein of Philippa Gregory and Laura Morelli, set in Renaissance Venice. It follows two daughters from a noble family, sacrificed to the convent and a strategic marriage to pay off their father’s debts – including to the most infamous courtesan in the city – who decide to push back against their fates. Publication will be in late 2022. The deal was arranged by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists.
  • B. Brett Finlay and Jessica Finlay’s THE WHOLE-BODY MICROBIOME to Parabooks Co., Ltd. (Korea), by Tae Eun Kim at Shinwon Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Chris Casuccio and John Pearce.
  • Dr. Marc Lewis’ THE BIOLOGY OF DESIRE to Wilcza Anna Gruszczynska (Poland), by Tomasz Berezinski at Graal, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
  • Michael Ignatieff’s ON CONSOLATION to Kachi Books (Korea), by Tae Eun Kim at Shinwon Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
Jan 21
Love0

WCA Deal Report for January 21, 2022

By Deals
  • Nick Garrison from Penguin Canada has acquired world rights to Roy Ratnavel’s PRISONER 1056, an incredible rags-to-riches immigrant story from a prominent Tamil Canadian who fled torture and imprisonment, then rose from the mailroom to the executive suite. The deal was done by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists for publication in fall of 2023.
  • Marc Côté from Cormorant Books has acquired world rights to Scott McIntyre’s memoir,  BUILDING THE HOUSE, about his almost 50 years in the Canadian publishing industry, with opinions and stories about the founding of Douglas & McIntyre, one of the country’s most important publishers, and much more. The deal was done by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists for publication in Fall 2023.
Jan 10
Love0

Job Opening Alert!

By News

Westwood Creative Artists, a leading literary and media rights agency, represents more than 400 award-winning writers and creators in the book publishing, film and television, and podcast marketplaces. We have an immediate opening for a detail-oriented, experienced bookkeeper who can work remotely with occasional hours in our downtown Toronto office, and who thrives in an entrepreneurial setting.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Payment processing for our clients, including monitoring incoming funds, communicating with WCA staff as well as publishers and producers to clarify details; cutting cheques and initiating outgoing electronic transfers of funds
  • Inputting payment details in our custom publishing software, Bradbury Phillips (thorough training will be provided)
  • Payroll processing and monthly source deduction remittances
  • Prepare journal entries, account reconciliations and monthly financial statements
  • Prepare and file quarterly GST/HST return
  • Prepare year-end financial analyses package for filing of corporate tax return by chartered accountant
  • Maintain supporting documentation and proper filing system for all financial transactions
  • Initiate transition of payment processing and other recordkeeping to online platforms with support of WCA’s management and admin teams

Required Education, Skills and Qualifications:

  • Post-secondary degree or diploma in accounting, book publishing or a related field
  • Minimum 3 years of experience in bookkeeping
  • High proficiency with Sage 50 and Microsoft Office
  • Experience processing EFTs and wire payments through online banking platform
  • Strong attention to detail with high level of accuracy
  • Eager to take on a challenge and establish new systems; a self-starter with a positive attitude
  • Proven to work well independently and collaboratively; a problem-solver
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Able to maintain strict confidentiality
  • Experience in a small business setting an asset
  • An interest in book publishing and/or film and television is not essential but would make the job more rewarding!

Please send a cover letter along with your resume to Hilary McMahon at hilary@wcaltd.com.  Thanks for your interest, and we’ll be in touch if we’d like to set up an interview.  The deadline for applications is Friday, January 21st, 2022.  Westwood Creative Artists is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.

Job type: permanent, full time

Salary: $40,000 – $50,000, vacation, health and dental benefits

Dec 10
Love0

WCA Deal Report for December 10, 2021

By Deals
  • Glenn Gould’s THE GLENN GOULD READER to Misuzu Shobo (Japan), by Asako Kawachi at Tuttle Mori, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists.
  • Yann Martel’s BEATRICE AND VIRGIL to Beijing Xiron Culture Group Co., Ltd. (China) by Claire Qiao at Andrew Nurnberg Associates International, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
  • Bobbi French’s THE GOOD WOMEN OF SAFE HARBOUR to Kösel/Diederichs Verlag (Germany), by Hannah Nuspliger-Fosh at Liepman, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.
Dec 03
Love0

WCA Deal Report for December 3, 2021

By Deals
  • The Globe Theatre in Regina, Saskatchewan has licensed the right to stage a live radio play of Thomas King’s A COYOTE SOLSTICE TALE, winner of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards for Best Picture Book. The performance will be recorded for an audio-broadcast. The deal was arranged by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.
Nov 26
Love0

WCA Deal Report for November 26, 2021

By Deals
  • CineVedas Inc. has optioned the film to M.G. Vassanji’s NO NEW LAND. The deal was arranged by Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists on behalf of Bruce Westwood.
  • Award-winning author (THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING) Elyse Friedman’s THE OPPORTUNIST, about three adult siblings who devise a plan to get rid of their wealthy father’s much younger fiancée who they view as a threat to the family fortune, in a pre-emptive two-book deal to Patrick Crean at HarperCollins Canada and Nicole Brebner at MIRA (U.S.) for publication in December 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (World). 
  • Award-winning artist and educator Diane Borsato’s MUSHROOMING: A MODERN GUIDE, a beautiful, modern guide to more than 100 common and charismatic mushroom species found across the northern hemisphere, proposing mushrooming as a compelling cultural practice that can teach us to see what is often unseen and to experience the world with greater intimacy and intelligence, with illustrations by Kelsey Oseid, to Anna Comfort O’Keeffe at Douglas & McIntyre, for publication in Fall 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists for the author (North American English & French).
  • Elizabeth Philips at Thistledown Press has acquired Canadian rights to Giller-prize nominee for THE ISLAND WALKERS John Bemrose’s novel THE RIVER TWICE, exploring the traumatic effect of WWI on the home front, when a returning soldier, stricken with psychic wounds, confides his stories of the front to his sister-in-law, Grace, emotionally isolating his wife.  Publication is slated for spring 2022; Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists represented the author.
  • Tara Walker, Lynne Missen, Liz Kribs and Peter Phillips at Tundra Books have jointly acquired six new books by bestselling Indigenous author David A. Robertson. The deal includes Book Five in THE MISEWA SAGA, a middle grade fantasy series (THE BARREN GROUNDS, THE GREAT BEAR) that has just been optioned by ABC Signature; two new picture books; a graphic novel; and the first two books in a brand-new chapter book series, LAUREN GOES EXPLORIN’, about a 10-year-old Indigenous girl whose tight knit family and optimistic, adventurous spirit empower her to solve everyday mysteries and overcome her own obstacles in the process. The deal was arranged by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists.
Oct 29
Love0

WCA Deal Report for October 29, 2021

By Deals
  • House of Anansi’s Douglas Richmond has acquired World Rights to Scott Thornley’s fifth novel in his MACNEICE MYSTERIES series, in which Detective Superintendent MacNeice and his seasoned team investigate a series of murders without bodies. Publication is expected for Spring 2023. The deal was arranged by Chris Casuccio at Westwood Creative Artists.  
  • Author of THE LOST ART OF FEEDING KIDS, Jeannie Marshall’s SEEING THINGS IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL, a personal account of finding meaning, a model for how to engage deeply with the past, and a sublime meditation on how art, once invested with the power to save our souls, can enlarge our lives if only we learn how to look, to Dan Wells at Biblioasis Press, for publication in Fall 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (World).
  • Lynn Henry at Knopf Canada has acquired English Canadian rights to FRANCIE’S GOT A GUN by Carrie Snyder.  Reminiscent of the early novels of Miriam Toews, the suspenseful and poignant tale from the author of GIRL RUNNER is about an imaginative girl navigating social breakdown and chaotic family life in a close-knit small town.  Publication is scheduled for summer 2022; Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists inked the deal.
  • Thomas King’s INDIANS ON VACATION to Dublinense (Brazil), by JP Riff at Riff Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
  • Josef Skvorecky’s THE MENORAH to Braumüller Verlag (Germany), by Hannah Nuspliger-Fosh at Liepman, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists.
  • Tomson Highway’s PERMANENT ASTONISHMENT to Prise de parole (North American French), with acquiring editor Stéphane Cormier, by Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.
  • Jay Ingram’s THE SCIENCE OF WHY renewed to Beijing Green Beans Book Co., Ltd (China), by Claire Qiao at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.
  • Marc Lewis’s MEMOIRS OF AN ADDICTED BRAIN to Next Door (Spain), by Sandra Bruna at Sandra Bruna Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.
  • A.J. Vrana’s THE CHAOS CYCLE duology (THE HOLLOWED GODS and THE ECHOED REALM) to Eksmo (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler at Westwood Creative Artists for Emmy Nordstrom Higdon.
Oct 15
Love0

WCA Deal Report for October 15, 2021

By Deals
  • Amy Gash at Algonquin Books has acquired world rights to JEWELS FOR THE TAKING by Dean Jobb (THE CASE OF THE MURDEROUS DR. CREAM), a rollicking historical true-crime story of one of the world’s most successful jewel thieves, who charmed the elite of Jazz Age New York and outfoxed police and private detectives as he brazenly swiped ten million dollars in gems from posh Long Island estates. Publication is slated for 2024; Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists represented the author.
  • Marie Hoy-Kenny‘s THE GIRLS FROM HUSH CABIN, a debut young adult thriller about four estranged former best friends who reunite after the death of their beloved camp counselor, only to realize that there is much more to her death than meets the eye; they decide to investigate, no matter where it takes them or what secrets from years earlier are revealed, to Brandan Deneen at Blackstone Publishing, in a pre-empt, by Jack Heller at Assemble Media on behalf of Emmy Nordstrom Higdon at Westwood Creative Artists (world).