SHE’S BACK: Sloane Crosley’s first book in three years — “Cult Classic” — is due out in June and she has already inked a deal for the next one.
MCD, a Farrar, Straus and Giroux imprint, has already acquired the North American rights for “Grief Is for People.” That will be the author’s first full-length nonfiction piece. Due out in 2023, the book will delve into a burglary, the suicide of Crosley’s best friend and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City.
But first up is “Cult Classic,” the first book that the native New Yorker has published since 2018. Crosley’s writing life includes working as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Her work has previously earned the praise of Steve Martin, Colson Whitehead and David Sedaris. “Cult Classic” centers on a recently-engaged woman who finds herself running into old boyfriends downtown in New York City.
Crosley is in the process of pitching “Cult Classic” for adaptation to other media, but there isn’t anything specific to share at this stage of the game, according to a spokesperson for FSG, a division of Macmillan Publishers.
“Grief Is for Other People” is heavier than her typical coming-of-age tales such as “I Was Told There’d Be Cake,” one of three collections of essays written by Crosley. The next book will start with her apartment being burgled in June 2019. A month later that becomes incidental after Crosley’s best friend and former boss dies by suicide a few days after they had dined together. And then there’s the pandemic.
The interwoven story covers the five Kübler-Ross stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. “Grief Is for People” is said to also include her signature wry humor and insights. It was acquired by her longtime editor Sean McDonald.
