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: A HOME FOR UNUSUAL MONSTERS by Shaun David Hutchinson

Apr 172025
 

Horn Book: This sequel to The School for Invisible Boys (rev. 1/24) shifts its focus to twelve-year-old Samantha Osbourne, budding agent for the clandestine paranormal research group Kairos, as she navigates adolescence, grief, and…monsters. Sam is sent on a covert mission to recover a top-secret list created by recently deceased, eccentric Kairos agent Lionel Frobisher. Using her unique ability to alter her appearance in others’ minds, Sam disguises herself as Lionel’s cousin Sunny for a visit to his Seattle home. When the strange Draven family simultaneously moves in next door, Sam’s suspicions are raised. Hutchinson’s complex story line interweaves the fantastical (living buildings, magic glasses, deadly stuffed animals) with relatable tween concerns (such as feeling “exposed” in a two-piece swimsuit). Details around the loss of Sam’s parents in a fire and the surprising revelation about the Kairos organization’s true motives add narrative depth. Brief chapters, intriguing dilemmas, and near-constant twists will keep readers on edge throughout this substantial addition to a thoroughly creepy and captivating adventure series.

Starred Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by DeAndra Davis

Apr 162025
 

Publishers Weekly:Though Black high school junior Aiden loves football, he’s always believed that his reactions to overstimulation connected with his autism diagnosis would prevent him from joining his older brother, star quarterback Brandon, on the high school team. When he participates in summer tryouts, his overwhelm from a multi-person pileup triggers a meltdown. Assuming he’s doomed his chances, Aiden moves on, until a confluence of events results in his making the team, a development that not everyone—including some of his new teammates—is happy about. Then Aiden is involved in a physical altercation with a white teammate, and Brandon, having protected Aiden, is wrongfully charged with assaulting a white police officer. With the future Brandon has worked so hard for—and the brothers’ relationship—in jeopardy, Aiden determines to clear his brother’s name. Chapter titles count down the days leading up to and following the incident, grounding readers and injecting immediacy into Davis’s propulsive debut. Aiden’s intimate first-person perspective offers an organic portrayal of a Black autistic teen navigating social stigma and systemic racism. Writing nuanced and complexly rendered characters, family dynamics, and social commentary, Davis delivers a powerful portrayal of identity and siblinghood that’s as gripping as it is thoughtful. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kat Kerr, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)

2025 Hugo Awards Finalists!

Apr 142025
 

The finalists for the 2025 Hugo Awards Finalists were announced a couple of days ago, and we’re over the moon to see our DMLA authors honored! Congratulations all around!

BEST NOVEL

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)

BEST NOVELLA

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom)

BEST NOVELETTE

“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars” by Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons, Fund Drive 2024)

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK
The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)

BEST SEMIPROZINE
Amanda Downum and E. Catherine Tobler for their work on The Deadlands
Premee Mohamed for her work on Escape Pod

Robert Jackson Bennett’s A DROP OF CORRUPTION #66 on USA Today Bestseller List!

Apr 142025
 

Congratulations to DMLA author, Robert Jackson Bennett as his novel, A DROP OF CORRUPTION rings in as a USA Today Bestseller!

Starred Review: THE FOLDED SKY by Elizabeth Bear

Apr 102025
 

The cover of The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear with a dramatic outerspace scene.Library Journal: Information exists all over the universe, and Sunya Song’s goal in life is to preserve it. She is an archinformist, a specialist historian who has traveled halfway across the galaxy to save as much as she can of the Baomind, an alien artificial intelligence that is in orbit around a dying red giant. Sunya is surprised—and dismayed—to discover that her academic rival (and ex-lover) Vickee Devine has also arrived, along with Sunya’s alien wife and their two children. When the research station and small fleet of ships come under attack by Freeport pirates, the group must protect themselves as well as the Baomind, which the pirates believe should be destroyed. With danger outside and inside the station, Sunya must find a way to contact help, thousands of light-years away. VERDICT The latest entry in Bear’s “White Space” series following Machine) showcases her smart and introspective command of space opera. Well-developed characters highlight not only the big ideas of artificial intelligence, xenophobia, and data preservation but family dynamics and scientific rivalries.

Review: THE REBEL’S GUIDE TO PRIDE by Matthew Hubbard

Apr 092025
 

Booklist:The rebel is 17-year-old Zeke Chapman, who rebels against his overbearing attorney father who, when Zeke came out, sternly admonished him to keep a low profile. Zeke struggles against this stricture, joining his school’s Queer-Straight Alliance, whose three (!) members are his best friend, Sawyer, her girlfriend, Kennedy, and his erstwhile boyfriend, Cohen, now his sworn enemy. Or is he? Meanwhile, things heat up when the Pride event the alliance has planned is summarily canceled by the odiously homophobic mayor. Inspired by his mom’s favorite flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald, Zeke suggests they replace the event with a clandestine (officially illegal) speakeasy party—which is a great success. There is much more to this plot-rich novel, but suffice it to say that Zeke’s evolving character is the focus, being examined in almost granular detail and leaving no question that Zeke emerges as a fully realized, multidimensional character—and, happily, an empathetic and proud one at that.

Starred Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

Apr 022025
 

Booklist: Treasure, dead bodies, and cursed underwater caves—just a few of the hidden dangers of deep- sea diving. Phoebe and her best friends, the Salt Squad, are halfway around the world from their home in Key West as they document their dive off the coast of Marimont Island; this is their last hurrah before college tears them apart. However, after Phoebe discovers a breathtaking underwater cave, it appears that the force actually destined to tear the Salt Squad apart is the curse that lurks in the deep. Vivid descriptions of both the sea life and the surreal experience of being far below the waves create such an intense appreciation for the natural, alluring danger inherent in diving that the appearance of the curse seems logical, rather than fantastical. The tension is airtight throughout, with the artful combination of both a present-day narrative and flashbacks to the night months earlier that cracked the Salt Squad’s foundation, building anticipation for a paired reveal. Each character has a depth rarely found in YA thrillers, which manufactures a compulsive narrative that is both plot- and character-driven. Even striving readers will find it difficult to pause their journey with Phoebe and the Salt Squad through the beautiful, deadly ocean around Marimont.

March Subsidiary Deals

Mar 312025
 

a pair of black ear budsAudio rights to Emily Blackwood’s new MYSTICS OF ASHORA SERIES, plus CROWN SO CRUEL, book three of Golden City series, to Julie Constantine at Podium Audio, in an exclusive submission, in a five-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier (NA).

Audio rights to Jess K Hardy’s WISH YOU WERE HERE, Book 3 of the Bluebird Basin Romances, to Kerri Buckley at Dreamscape Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier (NA).

Audio rights to Jo Walton’s forthcoming EVERYBODY’S PERFECT, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Cameron McClure (world English).

March Translation Deals

Mar 312025
 

Bulgarian rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ NETWORK EFFECT and FUGITIVE TELEMETRY, the fifth and sixth books in The Murderbot Diaries, plus “Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory,” to Studio of A, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Finnish rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ FUGITIVE TELEMETRY, the fifth installment in The Murderbot Diaries series, to Hertta Kustannus Oy, by Vere Bank at Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

French rights to USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw’s THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE, to Eilean Books, in an auction, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry.

German rights to K Webster’s CINDERELLA SERIES and DECEPTION DUET, to Digital Publishers, in a five-book deal, by Sarah Knofius at Thomas Schlueck Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Hungarian rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, EXIT STRATEGY, and NETWORK EFFECT, the first five books in The Murderbot Diaries, to Fumax, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish rights to Kel Kade’s KNIGHT OF SHADOWS, to Fabryka Slow, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Ukranian rights to Sue Burke’s SEMIOSIS, to Lobster, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy.

HEIRESS TAKES ALL is a Reese’s Book Club Pick!

Mar 252025
 

We are thrilled to share that HEIRESS TAKES ALL is a Reese’s Book Club Spring 2025 YA pick! Congratulations to author duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka!

More from the announcement:

“This novel is your next can’t-miss read: unexpected alliances, sharp wit, and incredible plot twists. Our Spring YA pick, Heiress Takes All, is here – and we’ve asked Raegan Revord to read with us all year long. This story follows a former heiress who enlists the help of unlikely classmates for a heist at the wedding of the season… and it just so happens to be her father’s. This novel pairs high stakes with a lovable cast of characters and is sure to keep you up all night reading.”

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