WCA Deal Report for June 26, 2020

Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired Susin Nielsen’s (Princess Puffybottom…and Darryl) picture book Apartment Cat, celebrating feline and human friendship in the humorous story of two lonely Manhattan cats who spy each other from their apartment windows and then secretly explore the city together, until one gets locked out and must find a way home. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights.  Vivien Mineker, represented by Lemonade Illustration Agency, will illustrate, for publication in summer 2022.

Lynne Missen at Puffin Canada has acquired Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour winner Susan Juby’s (The Fashion Committee) middle grade novel Me 3, from the perspective of an eleven-year-old boy who slowly learns that the reason he must rebuild his life in a new town is that his dad was accused in a #MeToo reckoning, forcing him to reconcile his idealized view of his father with some disturbing truths. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights, with publication slotted for Spring 2022.

Jared Bland and Jenny Bradshaw at McClelland & Stewart have commissioned Lauren McKeon (No More Nice Girls) to write a book tentatively titled Women of the Pandemic, providing a narrative record – through a broad spectrum of voices and experiences – of the defining role Canadian women played in the COVID-19 crisis, celebrating resilience and leadership but also acknowledging those forgotten and failed, for publication in spring 2021. Hilary McMahon of Westwood Creative Artists negotiated the deal for world rights.