Diversion Books Recent Acquisitions

Diversion Books, a division of Diversion Publishing Corp., is an independent publisher with a strong track record for launching compelling, story-driven non-fiction and fiction in hardcover, paperback, digital, and audio formats. Diversion publishes non-fiction titles in history, music, true crime, pop culture, sports, science, business, self-help/wellness, and current events. In fiction, Diversion seeks high-concept thrillers, speculative sci-fi/fantasy, and plot-driven horror.

Diversion’s titles have been listed as Best Books of the Year by Financial Times, Forbes, and NPR among others. Author appearances include CBS This Morning, The Today Show, NPR Morning Edition, The View, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, FOX and Friends, FOX News, CSPAN BookTV, CNN, and Lopate at Large. We’ve had coverage and reviews in New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Fortune, Vanity Fair, USA Today, and more. And our authors have penned op-eds for publications including the New York Post, Newsweek, and Forbes.

Due to the volume of submissions, Diversion cannot guarantee a response to unagented queries. For projects we are interested in pursuing, a Diversion editor will be in touch generally within two weeks of receipt. Thank you for your patience.

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Sunday Times-bestselling author Rebecca Zahabi's THE MONKEY QUEEN, pitched as a gender-flipped retelling following the trickster god Sun Wukong, who must settle a dispute that could upturn the heavens, pulling from various mythologies and for fans of Shannon Chakraborty and Rebecca Roanhorse, to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books, in a two-book deal, by Alice Speilburg at Speilburg Literary Agency (world).

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Shannon Rampe's debut GODS OF SKY AND DUST, in which a psychic scoundrel uncovers a rare, world-changing relic and must decide between seeking his biggest payday or helping the motley crew he's been thrown in with, while the fate of the world hangs in the balance, pitched as Christopher Ruocchio's EMPIRE OF SILENCE meets Final Fantasy, to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books, in a two-book deal, by Susan Velazquez Colmant at JABberwocky Literary Agency (world).

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Songwriter, performer, producer, and architect of the California rock sound Jim Messina and Paul Volponi's YOUR DADDY DOES ROCK AND ROLL, tracing Messina's journey from Buffalo Springfield through Poco and Loggins & Messina during the rise of Laurel Canyon, country rock, the singer-songwriter movement, and the arena touring boom, while also covering the years before Messina's breakthrough and the creative life and legacy that followed, including the yacht rock nostalgia trend, to Keith Wallman at Diversion Books, by Joseph Perry at Perry Literary (world).

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Author of THE WRECKING CREW Kent Hartman's HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US, covering the emergence and creative arcs of Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, and Scott Weiland when they reshaped American rock, featuring the late-'80s/early-'90s Pacific Northwest scene, the MTV acceleration, the uneasy marriage of underground grunge ethos and sudden global fame; and the tragedies around these artists, which cannot and should not be avoided, to Keith Wallman at Diversion Books, by Helen Adams Zimmermann at Zimmermann Literary (world).

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Author of CAPTAIN KIDD and the forthcoming EMPIRE AND FRONTIER Samuel Marquis's FRANKLIN'S SEA WARRIORS, a narrative history of Benjamin Franklin and his formidable squadron of Continental Navy seamen and privateers who helped win the American Revolution, pitched as the maritime counterpart to Atkinson's THE BRITISH ARE COMING, revealing the critical naval front where a colonial rebellion became a global conflagration, to Evan Phail at Diversion Books, in a nice deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in summer 2027, by Max Sinsheimer at Sinsheimer Literary (world).

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The Modern Elder Academy cofounder Jeff Hamaoui's HOW FRIENDSHIP CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE, a guide to building a friendship practice at any age, weaving science and stories to show friendship as the overlooked base to a longer, healthier and more meaningful life, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, in a pre-empt, for publication in summer 2027, by Laura Yorke at Laura Yorke Literary Services (world).

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Social media personality and advocate for Israel Lizzy Savetsky's UNAPOLOGETICALLY JEWISH: A GUIDE TO SPEAKING UP FOR YOUR PEOPLE, a guide for Jews who want to become effective advocates for their people and Israel, providing strategies, wisdom, and inspiration for anyone ready to step up and speak out, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2027, by Karen Gantz at Karen Gantz Literary Management.

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John McKie's PRINCE: A SIGN 'O' THE TIMES, to Cassie Hanjian at Podium Audio, by Scott Waxman at Diversion Books (world English). April 22, 2026

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Jimi Hendrix's road manager and confidante Eric Barrett written with Lawrence Robinson's EXPERIENCED: ON THE ROAD WITH JIMI HENDRIX AND BEYOND, breaking five decades of silence, revealing what it was like to live inside the rock legend's orbit, with never-before-seen photos, to Keith Wallman at Diversion Books, for publication in August 2026, by Frank Weimann at Folio Literary Management (NA). Rights also to Zoe Osman at Sphere (UK), by Linda Kaplan, on behalf of Diversion. April 8, 2026

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John McKie's PRINCE: SIGN O' THE TIMES, examining the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious and magnetic figures in music, Prince, told through the prism of his 1987 masterpiece, "Sign o' the Times," to Evan Phail at Diversion Books, in a nice deal, for publication in September 2026, by Stella Giatrakou at Bonnier Books UK (NA). April 1, 2026

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Rhys Kimmitt's KILL BOY, about a trans man who works as an assassin to pay off his debts after top surgery and who is hired to infiltrate a religious terrorist cell deep in the Mojave Desert, to Toni Kirkpatrick at Diversion Books, in a two-book deal, by David Doerrer at The Platform (world). March 10, 2026

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Cofounder of NYU's Office of Global Spiritual Life, mindfulness teacher, and author of WHAT NOW? Yael Shy's GET YOUR HOPES UP, a guide to unleashing desire as a source of vitality and the antidote to anxiety, revealing how to use our deepest longings as a roadmap to energy, confidence, and feeling alive, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, at auction, for publication in the summer of 2027, by Bethany Saltman and Rachel Neumann at Wave Literary (world). March 5, 2026

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A T Sayre's THE ASTERIST, in which an isolated, misanthropic asteroid station commander discovers an alien in a spaceship crash and, in attempting to communicate with the possible threat, his cynical exterior transforms into curiosity and compassion, and he comes to realize that aiding the alien may require the ultimate sacrifice, to Evan Phail at Diversion Books, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2026, by Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky Literary Agency (world). February 27, 2026

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Filmmaker and host of YouTube's Secret Scholar Society Warren Smith's A MIND OF YOUR OWN, a guide to exposing deception and making decisions with confidence, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, for publication in August 2026, by Erin Niumata at Folio Literary Management (world). February 20, 2026

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Pop videographer and film director Tim Pope's I SHOOT ROCK STARS, an account of the author's antics and creativity in the golden age of music videos, working with The Cure, Neil Young, David Bowie, Queen, The Bangles and many more, with an introduction by Robert Smith, to Keith Wallman at Diversion Books, for publication in August 2026, by Eve MacSweeney at Calligraph (NA). Rights also to Alex Clarke at Wildfire, by Tom Killingbeck at A.M. Heath (UK), on behalf of Calligraph. February 17, 2026

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Former Los Angeles Times reporter and author of KINGDOM ON FIRE and STEVE KERR: A LIFE Scott Howard-Cooper's BAM! JOHN MADDEN AND THE RISE OF THE NFL, about how John Madden's unlikely second act—from his shocking decision to quit coaching to his reluctant move to the broadcast booth to becoming the face of the juggernaut video game that bears his name and is played in dorm rooms all over the world to his advocacy for safer youth football—helped transform the NFL into the most dominant cultural and commercial force in American sports, to Keith Wallman at Diversion Books, by Susan Canavan at WLA Books (world). February 2, 2026

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Coauthors of THE CUT actor Morris Chestnut and celebrity fitness trainer and nutrition expert Obi Obadike's THE 10-DAY FLAT BELLY FIX, a plan for adults of any age to accelerate fat loss, get rid of bloating, fight inflammation, and increase energy levels while improving overall health, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, for publication in spring 2027, by Joseph Perry at Perry Literary (NA). January 16, 2026

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Clinical psychologist and expert in autism and neurological impairments Timothy J. Wahlberg, PhD's FINDING THE GRAY, a guide to understanding and thriving in the black-and-white world of autism spectrum disorders, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, for publication in fall 2026, by Laura Yorke at Laura Yorke Literary Services (world). January 12, 2026

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Former NYT columnist and founder of The Company of Dads Paul Sullivan's DAD'S HOME, a roadmap for fathers and their families to thrive, with advice for dads to step up in their roles, standing in stark opposition to the bro culture and toxic masculinity still dominating conversations around manhood, to Dan Ambrosio at Diversion Books, for publication in spring 2027, by Christy Fletcher and Laurie-Maude Chenard at UTA (world English). January 12, 2026