THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT, by Mia Kankimäki, hits US shelves!

Posted on 11.11.202025.11.2020

Mia Kankamaki The Women I think About At Night US

What a day! Published by Simon & Schuster, Mia Kankimäki’s Finnish best-seller, “The Women I Think About at Night,” hit shelves yesterday, November 10, in the United States and Canada. On that same day, incredibly, she also published an essay in the Wall Street Journal. Kankimäki’s star is officially rising in North America; definitely cause for champagne, as you can see CEO, Elina Ahlbäck raising a toast to Mia. Bravo!

Request full English manuscript of the title by clicking here.

With rights to “The Women I Think About at Night” sold to 15 countries (and counting!), we at EALA are thrilled to partner with Simon & Schuster for Mia Kankimäki’s publication in the United States and Canada, where she’s already generating incredible buzz. Putting her alongside authors such as Barack Obama, Fortune magazine named Kankimäki’s unique work one of their 6 books to read in November!

“Fortysomething, childless, and feeling stuck, Finnish author Mia Kankimäki takes that big leap we all fantasize about but never have the guts to do: She quits her job, sells her apartment, and travels the world. In a blend of travelogue, memoir, and biography, Kankimäki recounts her travels through Japan, Kenya, and Italy, while retracing the steps of 10 remarkable female pioneers from history.” – Fortune

And make sure to read her beautiful Wall Street Journal essay, The Finnish Island Where Time Stops.

A publishing sensation in Finland with over 40,000 copies sold, “The Women I Think About at Night” solidifies Kankimäki’s standing as one of Finland’s leading new authors. Her book was translated by Douglas Robinson and published by Simon & Schuster, one of the four largest English-language publishers in the world.

Her book has already received positive reviews In Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Travel & Leisure,
and Kirkus Review, along with Fortune magazine.

Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency is responsible for the sale of international rights to Mia Kankimäki’s books. The rights to “The Women I Think About at Night” have already been sold to 15 countries.

In 2013, Mia Kankimäki instantly became one of the top names in the literary field with her debut, “Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster.” More than 80,000 of her two books have altogether been sold in Finland.

Rights Sold

FINLAND:
Otava (orig.)
CHINA:
Winshare Publishing
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Albatros Media/Motto
DENMARK:
Bilgrav Publishing
ESTONIA:
Varrak
FRANCE:
Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY:
btb Verlag/RandomHouse
ITALY:
Neri Pozza
LATVIA:
Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA:
Gelmes Publishing
NETHERLANDS:
Uitgeverij Orlando
NORWAY:
Gursli Berg Forlag
RUSSIA:
Eksmo Publishing
SLOVENIA:
Didakta
SWEDEN:
Wahlström & Widstrand
UNITED STATES & WORLD ENGLISH:
Simon & Schuster

About author

Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki is the author of two best-selling books which blend travelogue, memoir, biography, and women’s history. After taking a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and working diligently in Finnish publishing, in 2010 she left her job and traveled to Japan to write her first book. Her books have received several literary awards, for example the Best Travel Book of the Year 2013, the HelMet Award 2015, and Otava Book Foundation’s Non-Fiction Award 2020. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, whenever she’s not traveling for her next book project.

Mia has been enthusiastic about Japanese culture for years and is a qualified ikebana teacher of the Sogetsu school. Her first book Things That Make One’s Hear Beat Faster took her to Kyoto where she has spent long periods of writing and making research ever since. Kankimäki’s second book The Women I Think About at Night has sold over 55,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 21 territories, including USA and China.

Mia's both books have been aqcuired by Japanese publisher Soshisha:

"I am delighted to share that Mia Kankimäki’s debut title, THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER, is embraced and loved by many Japanese readers. A cross between an autobiography and a travelogue, the author finds an emotional connection with a woman geographically far apart and from a different era and tries to discover who she really was. I believe this style is reflected in THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT as well. Though some of the female figures in this second book might not be well-known locally, I am looking forward to seeing how our readers will react to their lifestyles." - Daisuke Watanabe, Editor, Soshisha

Bibliography

2018, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction