Dear writers: Please be aware of ongoing scams by agent impersonators. Use extra caution with any unsolicited offers from agents. Reputable agents will not ask for upfront fees of any kind. For more information, look at sites such as Writer Beware (https://writerbeware.blog/). Please always check email addresses/spellings. All official emails from Donald Maass Literary Agency will come from an address that ends in @maassagency.com (2 A's, 2 S's in MAASS).

Review: HELP, I’M BEING EATEN BY A BEAR! by Neil Sharpson

Sep 092026
 

Cover of the book: HELP! I'M BEING EATEN BY A BEAR! by Neil Sharpson. Cover image features a cartoon man with a scared expression looking out from inside the mouth of a bear.School Library Journal: Collaborators Sharpson and Santat take on another suspicious species in this follow-up to their 2025 picture book Don’t Trust Fish. Here, a pair of fancy traveling pants leads a man from his Ireland home to the Alaskan wilderness. Upon arrival, the man receives an important—but unfortunately unhelpful—pamphlet explaining what to do if he encounters a bear. The bear arrives, seemingly while the man is still in the airport; misunderstandings and ill-advised survival attempts ensue, ultimately changing the course of man and bear’s futures forever. This unpredictable, entertaining story is outlandish and poignant. The somewhat anthropomorphic bear and man’s misguided attempts to coexist will amuse children and adult readers alike. Their story is a delight to read aloud, but the lengthy narrative and nuanced storytelling make this a story best suited for sharing with elementary-age readers. Award-winning Santat’s iconic, energetic art style is well matched with Sharpson’s sarcastic adventure; each image provides plenty of visual details and jokes for readers to giggle over. With a resolution that is as surprising as the rest of this offbeat story, this laugh-out-loud book will leave a positive mark on readers’ minds once it concludes. VERDICT Unexpected turns and irreverent humor mark this entertaining man vs. nature story; hand this to fans of picture books with advanced storytelling and dry wit.

Deal: Tamsyn Muir

Sep 032026
 

Cover for Floralinda by Tamsyn Muir. Cover features a young blonde woman on the right of frame perched atop a pile of decapitated heads and weaponry from assorted monsters and persons. She is looking out into the distance where a lonely moss-covered tower stands. A fairy floats in the middle of the frame, above the text: "Princess, Captive, Wildlife"Tor Publishing has acquired a new novel, FLORALINDA, from Tamsyn Muir, the New York Times bestselling author of the Locked Tomb series. Set to be published on July 27, 2027 by Tor Books (and simultaneously by Tor Nightfire UK) this full-length novel will be Muir’s first in five years, and her first novel outside the widely-beloved Locked Tomb series! Floralinda branches out into the world of fairy tale, showing what happens when a princess in a tower doesn’t get rescued by a brave and charming prince, and instead has to rescue herself. The novel is a massive expansion of Muir’s 2019 short fiction Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower, previously published by Subterranean Press. Jennifer Jackson handled the deal for Floralinda, which was acquired under exclusive submission by Tor Senior Editor Carl Engle-Laird.

THE TOWER BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

TRUE LOVE MADE THEM WORSE.

The princess in the tower is a classic for a reason. Witch kidnaps princess. Witch puts princess in tower guarded by monsters. Prince kills monsters, rescues princess: happily ever after, roll credits. Princess Floralinda’s story goes a little differently.

Read an excerpt at Cosmopolitan!

2026 Hugo Award Winners

Sep 032026
 

Congratulations to our DMLA authors for their 2026 Hugo Awards!

Best Short Story:

  • “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld)

Best Related Work:

  • Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer (University of Chicago Press; Head of Zeus)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form:

  • Murderbot: “All Systems Red”, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)

Review: DROP DEAD HANDSOME by Matthew Hubbard

Sep 022026
 

School Library Journal: Parker feels hemmed in by his conservative Tennessee hometown, where his bisexuality and unapologetic ­LGBTQIA+ activism garner derision from his peers. When he discovers that there is no rule against males competing in the Miss Spirit beauty pageant, he enters to get material for his college admissions essay. Realizing that Parker’s in over his head, student council president and pageant liaison Dean comes to the rescue. Nerdy, cute Dean promises to coach Parker if Parker helps him with a fundraiser for a local LGBTQIA+ charity. Danger stalks the pageant as Parker receives anonymous threats and escalating attempts at sabotage. The boys team up to uncover the culprit while their romance blossoms. The interactions between Dean and Parker are sweet and sincere, and the payoff of their first kiss is well-earned. ­Despite his reputation as an attention seeker, Parker’s bluster is a facade, and he struggles to gain the confidence to express himself authentically. He receives support from others, including his sister Marley and a handful of his fellow pageant contestants. The dialogue becomes repetitive at times, and some characters come across as two-dimensional. The mystery element is entertaining, however, the perpetrator may be obvious to seasoned readers. References to the film Miss Congeniality tie the narrative together. Principal characters read white; pageant contestants are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. VERDICT A sweet story of queer love in the South, with elements of mystery and plenty of pageant shenanigans.

August Subsidiary Deals

Aug 312026
 

a pair of black ear budsAudio rights to Ada Palmer’s AND LOKI IN HIS PRISON and AND ODIN IN HIS TREE, the Norse duology, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, in a two-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

August Translation Deals

Aug 312026
 

Bulgarian rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, to Enthusiast, by  Tamara Vukićević  at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Catalan rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ EXIT STRATEGY and NETWORK EFFECT, books 4 and 5 in the New York Times bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, to Rayo Verde, by Elena Rodríguez at International Editors & Yáñez Co’ S.L. in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Chinese (simplified) rights to Nebula and Locus Award winning author Thomas Ha’s UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES, to Sichuan Science Fiction World (SFW), by Alyssa Wu at Grayhawk Agency for Michael Curry.

Czech rights to Miranda Lyn’s HIDE THE WITCHES, to Swan, by Nada Popovic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Georgian rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALLSYSTEMS RED and ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, the first two books in The Murderbot Diaries, to Medusa Books, by Nada Popovic at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, to KDW, by Tamara Vukićević at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Polish rights to Gretchen Powell Fox’s Shattered Crown series, to Poznańskie, in a three-book deal, by Nada Popovic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Polish rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy series, to Niezwykle, in a four-book deal, by Nada Popović at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Romanian rights to Aggie Blum Thompson’s YOU DESERVE TO KNOW, to Blue Dot Books, by Nada Popović at Prava i Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Spanish rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ NETWORK EFFECT and FUGITIVE TELEMETRY, the fifth and sixth books in the New York Times bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, to Hidra, by Elena Rodríguez at International Editors & Yáñez Co’ S.L. in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Starred Review: TALES FROM CABIN 23: THE SINKING HOUSE by Darcie Little Badger

Aug 282026
 

Kirkus: Unhappy about being at summer camp instead of getting to stay home with his desperately ill brother, a 12-year-old boy follows a mysterious fog and meets the infamous witch of Cabin 23. Vernon’s brother had told him about the witch, but he’s surprised by how much the witch knows about him. Reluctant to talk about his own life, he settles in instead to hear “the scariest story ever told.” In it, a sixth grade Lipan Apache boy named Sean leaves Texas to stay with his cousin, Zeke, in Massachusetts after his mother’s cancer treatment led to bankruptcy. One day, Sean and Zeke find a missing cat and her kittens in an abandoned cliffside house. A girl named Jenny appears, warning of danger—just before the ground collapses, plunging the house to the shoreline below. Trapped by rising tides on an upper floor, the kids encounter a lurking monster. The ocean creature, angry over humans’ destructive, wasteful ways, offers them a deal: If they can guess one of its names, it will return them safely to land, and Sean is reminded of the monster in the Rio Grande from one of his mother’s stories. The cousins’ heritage is integral to this stand-alone series entry that weaves environmental themes into a layered, high-stakes survival story. The characters are caringly developed, adding emotional depth, and genuine tension and scares propel the story. Expertly crafted chills and thrills in a rich tale that’s so much more than the sum of its parts.

Mo Ellery hits the USA Today Bestseller list!

Aug 262026
 

We’re excited to share that DON’T CROSS MO ELLERY by Birdie Horne rings in at #118 on the USA Today Bestseller list!

A laugh-out-loud mystery following the indomitable hot mess Mo Ellery, whose job as a school crossing guard pulls her into an unhinged murder investigation.

Review: PLATFORM DECAY by Martha Wells

Aug 212026
 

Wall Street Journal: “As always, Murderbot is snarky and deadly but unsure of where it stands in the world of humans when it isn’t the one holding the gun. For some foul-mouthed and lethal summer fun, this is a perfect escape.”

Review: THE UNHAUNTING by Michaiah Johnson

Aug 202026
 

Booklist: Avery and Shantell have been friends for decades, while the two fear Tobias, Avery’s older brother, who has uncontrolled anger. Avery takes care of and protects Shantell, who struggles with agoraphobia. They move from the city to a house in Mississippi that has been in Avery’s family for some time. The plan is that over the course of the summer, Shantell, Avery, and Avery’s girlfriend Emily will stay there and work on the house with the help of Tobias, who is a contractor. Once in the house, Shantell and Avery see a figure in the hallway. It doesn’t seem to want to hurt them, but certainly freaks them out. Horror fans will love the method of storytelling employed in this book as the reader is routinely invited into the mind of the haunting, which nearly takes over the narration. It becomes a voyeuristic experience as both side of events are clear. This is a unique and fascinating way to tell a haunted house story that will appeal to fans of this trope and genre.”

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