Mid-March 2021 News, Deals, Reveals, & More

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Melanin in YA News

Melanin in YA is now on Clubhouse! If you are an Apple user (iPhone, iPad), please be sure to search “Melanin in YA” in Clubs and join the Melanin in YA Club!
Book Profiles are here! Check out the first profile here! Stay tuned for two new book profiles this week and more almost every single week moving forward! All 2021 book releases will get a book profile. Backlist titles are not a priority at this time, however if there are enough requests for a particular book to receive a profile, this book profile will be added sooner rather than later. You can request a book to get a book profile by sending a message to info@melanininya.com.

Note: To see the latest virtual events coming up, be sure to visit the Events page!

Book Deals

Alyssa Cole and ONeill Jones sold a two-book six figure deal (world English rights) for their fantasy romance graphic novel, REJECT SQUAD coming 2024 from Harper Collins / Balzar + Bray.

Achut Deng and Keely Hutton sold the YA memoir, NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE in an exclusive submission to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, coming winter 2022.

Talia Hibbert sold her debut novel, a romance, HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS, UNFAIRLY CUTE coming fall 2022 to Random House/Joy Revolution. This is Joy Revolution’s first acquisition. Joy Revolution was co-founded by Nicola Yoon.

Frederick Joseph and Porsche Landon sold North American rights in a six-figure deal for the nonfiction title, BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT, coming fall 2022 from Candlewick.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovic sold North American rights and Dutch rights for her debut, the sci-fi novel, YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART coming fall 2022 from Levine Querido.

Karen Strong sold world English rights for an anthology exploring Black geekhood featuring Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Terry Benton, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Tracy Deonn, Desiree S. Evans, Isaac Fitzsimons, Lamar Giles, Jordan Ifueko, Leah Johnson, Amanda Joy, Danny Lore, Kwame Mbalia, Tochi Onyebuchi, K. Arsenault Rivera, Ciannon Smart, Julian Winters, Ibi Zoboi, and an yet to be announced contest winner, coming spring 2023 from Philomel.

Publisher Breakdown 2021 So Far

Available to Substack Newsletter Subscribers

Cover Reveals

Oprah Magazine unveiled the cover for BEASTS OF PREY by Ayana Gray (September 28, 2021)

Cover Design: Theresa Evangelista

Awards/Honors

Voting is open for the AAMBC Awards. The Children/YA Book Award nominees include but are not limited to CINDERELLA IS DEAD by Kalynn Bayron, every body looking by Candice Iloh, YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by Leah Johnson, A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow.

General Updates

Namina Forna was featured in Elle Magazine for her novel, THE GILDED ONES. Her novel, along with Candice Iloh‘s EVERY BODY LOOKING were both featured in Five Books’s Best Books for Teens for 2021.

Juneteenth Book Fest is now accepting pitches for its June 19th virtual festival.

The L.A. Times have named their Book Prize Finalists which include Dean Atta (THE BLACK FLAMINGO), Tracy Deonn (LEGENDBORN), and Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaaam (PUNCHING THE AIR).

Louisa Onomé‘s novel, LIKE HOME was featured in The Globe and Mail.

Saint Paul Public Library featured THE STARS AND THE BLACKNESS BETWEEN THEM by Junauda Petrus as the as a city-wide read for the Read Brave 2021 program.

Angie Thomas has moved literary representation to Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency. Congratulations!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING by Nicola Yoon received a starred review from Kirkus.

Podcasts

The Stacks
- Nic Stone – March 3, 2021

March Joy

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