Kirja genret

2022, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2021, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2020, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2019, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here

2016, Crime & Suspense

BAD BLOOD by New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck sold to the Netherlands!

Posted on 16.05.202224.05.2022

We are thrilled to announce that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has been acquired by his Dutch publisher A.W. Bruna! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

BAD BLOOD was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With the Netherlands, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 14 territories!

BAD BLOOD has also garnered excellent reviews:

Swedish readers have discovered a new exciting thriller writer in Finnish Max Seeck. Albert Bonniers Förlag is enthusiastically planning to publish the third installment in the Jessica Niemi series, Kauna, in early 2023. Max Seeck’s pacy, intriguing and surprising plot twists combined with a female hero fits perfectly for the Swedish audience.
– Helena Ljungström, Senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

Becoming Max‘ German publisher of the first two Jessica Niemi novels was an excellent idea, I think. An even better idea was to pick up novel number 3, too. This series is outstanding.
– Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG

The cover and Finnish title – LOUKKO – of the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller were revealed in Finland in the beginning of May and the book itself will be released in Finland in September. The rights for the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller have already been sold to 7 territories!

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Max Seeck is currently working on the fourth book of the Jessica Niemi series, which is to be published in Finland in fall 2022.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Max Seeck

2022, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2021, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2020, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2019, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

Download the full English manuscript by clicking here!

2016, Crime & Suspense

Estonian rights for THE FINNISH FACTOR sold!

Posted on 13.05.202219.05.2022

We are thrilled to announce that the Estonian rights for THE FINNISH FACTOR: KEKKONEN, KENNEDY, KHRUSHCHEV AND THE COLD WAR by Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and author Gordon F. Sander have been acquired by Varrak! The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

THE FINNISH FACTOR has garnered excellent reviews both in Finland and abroad:

Over the last quarter-century, the world has learned much about what happened behind the scenes during the Cold War. One big story, though, remains largely untold, and this book finally tells it. Finland and its brilliant leader, Urho Kekkonen, managed not only to balance enemy power blocs but also to contribute decisively to peace in Europe. By telling this story, THE FINNISH FACTOR: KEKKONEN, KENNEDY, KHRUSHCHEV AND THE COLD WAR adds a vital piece to our understanding of modern world history. It also provides a gripping account of the the greatest crisis in Finnish post-war history, the 1961 Note Crisis.
– Stephen Kinzer, former Berlin bureau chief, New York Times; senior fellow, Watson Institute for International Affairs, Brown University (US)

THE FINNISH FACTOR is remarkable and significant for several reasons. For one, it is the first, not to mention the most thorough examination of Finland’s recent history by an American – particularly its crucial and little understood role in the Cold War, when its status as a Soviet sphere of influence was a test of wills between the East and West… [—] Perhaps the high point of Sander’s spellbinding book is his account of the meeting between Finnish president Urho Kekkonen and US President John Kennedy, on the eve of the so-called 1961 Note Crisis, one of the great “forgotten” episodes of the Cold War, which includes a full never-before-published transcript of the pivotal two day conference. [—] THE FINNISH FACTOR, which reads like a page-turner, is a great read and an important and worthwhile – as well as fun – work of non-fiction and creative biography unto itself.
– Michael Franck, documentarian and film maker, Finland

So much has happened since the end of the Cold War that even a serious student of today’s crises would surely learn much by casting an eye back at Finland’s ‘active neutrality’ role in the dangerous Berlin crisis in the early 1960’s. Gordon Sander’s THE FINNISH FACTOR is gripping history, rich with insight, fascinating characters such as Kennedy, Khrushchev and Kekkonen, and valuable lessons in crisis understanding and management. Rarely does a small country play so large a role.
– Marvin Kalb, former Moscow bureau chief, CBS News; Murrow Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

THE FINNISH FACTOR
KEKKONEN, KENNEDY, KHRUSHCHEV AND THE COLD WAR
by Gordon F. Sander
WSOY, August 2021, 507 pp.

In the fall of 1961, Soviet and American tanks faced off at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin in an explosive confrontation known as the Berlin Crisis which many feared might lead to World War III. At the same time, 1500 kilometers to the north, in Finland, the USSR and the US were also squaring off for another potentially explosive confrontation over the Kremlin’s desire to maintain its sphere of influence over that country.

This was called the Note Crisis. That crisis, the events leading up to it, and the three figures who were at the center of it—Urho Kekkonen, the Machiavellian president of Finland, who was then fighting for his political life; Nikita Khrushchev, the feisty Soviet premier and Kekkonen’s sponsor; and John Kennedy, the US president, who sent a top secret message of support to Kekkonen—comprise the climax of Gordon Sander’s groundbreaking book.

Sander’s biography, which focuses on Kekkonen’s pivotal first term, which culminated with the Note Crisis and his re-election to the presidency, is based on three years of research, and includes exclusive interviews with Khrushchev’s late son Sergey, Kekkonen’s former chiefs of staff and President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.

THE FINNISH FACTOR is intended for the general audience and the scholarly one. It would be of interest to anyone who:
-is interested in reading and learning about one of the great “forgotten” crises of the Cold War
-is interested in Russian/Soviet history and/or Nikita Khrushchev
-is interested in the Kennedy administration.

KANSALAINEN KEKKONEN
Suuri suunnitelma
WSOY, August 2021, 507 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak

Bibliography

Gordon F. Sander

The Finnish Factor: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War

2021, History & Politics

Finlandia-winning novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN sold to Hungary!

Posted on 10.05.202218.05.2022

Anne-Maija Aalto’s Finlandia-winning novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN Hungarian rights sold!

We are delighted to let you know that the Hungarian rights to Anne-Maija Aalto’s YA title WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN have been sold to Metropolis Media Group! They praised the book saying:

“A very original novel. As a publisher, I always try to find books that can suggest something new, approach a topic from a new perspective, and this novel has surpassed all our expectations. Impressive and captivating dystopia, and these books have the potential to inspire young people to read.”
– Dr. Mund Katalin, Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis Media Group, Hungary

Download the English materials for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN here!

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN won the prestigious Finlandia prize for Children’s and YA literature in 2021, and was also selected as the audiece favourite! The jury said:

“The narration is effortless, the world distant yet timely. The great questions of humanity are present. The story elegantly invites young people to see how their relationships with their parents can change when they get to know them better.”

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN

What is a person if you take away their memory? Who determines what we believe? A captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity.

Alexei is a young man whose father runs a human research institute in Tokyo, which is now partly covered by the sea. New cargoes of test subjects regularly arrive at the facility, one containing Satomi, a young woman whose memory is set to be erased. Satomi becomes Alexei’s trial case, since he is meant to continue his father’s work. But something is already churning beneath the surface, and the younger generation can see the horrors of the system their parents have created.

Download the English materials here!

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN
Mistä valo pääsee sisään, Otava, 2021. 320 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group

Anne-Maija Aalto

Anne-Maija Aalto is an award-winning Finnish author of both YA and adult fiction. Her YA novel Where the Light Comes In won the prestigious Finlandia Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021 and has received praise for its effortless narration, beautiful prose and compellingly current story.

Where the Light Comes In is a standalone sequel for Dragonfly which was nominated for the Topelius Prize in 2020. The prize is awarded yearly to an expectional novel for young people, and the jury described Dragonflyas “a deeply touching and beautifully written story of friendship, loss and social inequality.” Her other works include YA novel Into Deep Water and novel The Silence of Snow. Her books often dwelve into the darker sides of humanity, exploring the themes of loss, loneliness, identity and coming of age.

Anne-Maija holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of Turku where she also studied English and creative writing. She lives in Turku with her husband and an extensive collection of half-filled notebooks. When she isn’t writing, she can most likely be found walking in nature with her camera or lounging on the couch with a good book.

Author page

Bibliography

Anne-Maija Aalto

Where the Light Comes In

2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Anne-Maija Aalto

Dragonfly

2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Swedish and Estonian deals for Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series #3 and #4!

Posted on 06.05.202217.05.2022

We are extremely happy to announce know that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Swedish publisher Albert Bonniers and the fourth title of the series by both Albert Bonniers in Sweden and Pegasus in Estonia!
The deals were closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Swedish readers have discovered a new exciting thriller writer in Finnish Max Seeck. Albert Bonniers Förlag is enthusiastically planning to publish the third installment in the Jessica Niemi series, Kauna, in early 2023. Max Seeck’s pacy, intriguing and surprising plot twists combined with a female hero fits perfectly for the Swedish audience.
Helena Ljungström, Senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

BAD BLOOD was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With Sweden added, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 13 territories!

JESSICA NIEMI #4 will be published in Finland this autumn and has now already sold to 6 countries pre-publication!

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here

Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life.
Due to a violent incident in her civil life she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.

More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace.
Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. And soon one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Has this something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

JESSICA NIEMI #4
Loukko
Tammi, 2022

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Max Seeck is currently working on the fourth book of the Jessica Niemi series, which is to be published in Finland in fall 2022.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Max Seeck

2022, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2021, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2020, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2019, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

Download the full English edition of FUTURE SKILLS here!

2016, Crime & Suspense

FUTURE SKILLS now acquired in Hungary

Posted on 03.05.202216.05.2022

We are really glad to announce that Perttu Pölönen’s Finnish bestseller FUTURE SKILLS has now been acquired in Hungary by Anna Inkeri Pap for publication in 2023.
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The rights have been previously acquired in 4 territories, but are still available in Estonia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Lithuania etc.

FUTURE SKILLS
by Perttu Pölönen
What are the 12+1 essential skills that will help you defeat the fear of the future?

PRAISE FOR FUTURE SKILLS:

The most significant insight I gained [from the book] was the difference between
happiness and meaningfulness, that complete freedom is not the well of creativity, and that they suffer from the Impostor Syndrome in Silicone Valley, too. For a change, it was great to read about a positive outlook on the future and the role that technology plays in it. All in all, Future Skills is an inspiring and thought provoking piece. It’s clearly targeted for young adults and hence makes a perfect graduation gift; having said this, it has lots of information from which parents can also learn.
– Lukujonossa Blog, Finland

TULEVAISUUDEN LUKUJÄRJESTYS
Otava, 2020, 192pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

ARMENIA: Guitank
HUNGARY: Anna Inkeri Pap
SOUTH KOREA: BP Publishers
TURKEY: Büyükada
UNITED STATES: Recorded Publishing
UNITED STATES: Start Publishing

Perttu Pölönen

Author page Author webpage

Bibliography

Perttu Pölönen

Future Identities

2021, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Perttu Pölönen

Future Skills

2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Norwegian rights pre-empted for PUTIN’S TROLLS! Now will be published in 14 territories!

Posted on 03.05.202213.05.2022

We are thrilled to announce that the Norwegian rights to international bestseller PUTIN’S TROLLS – On the Frontlines of Russia’s Information War Against the World by the award-winning journalist Jessikka Aro have been pre-empted by Mangschou! The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The publishing rights to Putin’s Trolls have now been sold to 14 territories and it has just been published in English by Ig Publishing, available now in e-book format and print in June 2022.

We are very proud to be publishing Jessikka Aro’s important and eye-opening book to the Norwegian readers. Putinin Trollit (Putin’s Trolls) is both fascinating and frightening and the author shows a great courage in her investigation on how information, lies, and manipulation are used in and outside Russia to prevent free speech and democracy.
– Åsne Bruvik Lie, editor, Mangschou Publishing, Norway

The rights are still available in Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Denmark, Slovakia, Greece etc.

Download the full English PDF for PUTIN’S TROLLS by clicking here!

The book has been a bestseller both in Finland and internationally and has garnered excellent critical success.

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:

Aro’s cri de coeur is well-documented and persuasive. This disturbing study does a stellar job of depicting Russia’s propaganda machine in action.
– Publishers Weekly, Reviewed on: 03/22/2022

Throughout this book, Aro reveals the mechanics of Russia’s insidious nonmilitary tactics and widespread propaganda targeted at civilians—strategies used decades before in both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to gain control over the minds of citizens. As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson.
– Kirkus Reviews April 2022 issue

By exposing Putin’s institutionalized trolling operations, Jessikka Aro has gone where no one has had the courage to go before and has done so at great peril. Ms. Aro has done the world a huge service by showing us how these tactics work so we can better defend ourselves going forward.
– Bill Browder, New York Times bestselling author, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice, USA

PUTIN’S TROLLS
by Jessikka Aro

First published in 2019 in Finland by Johnny Kniga, Aro’s book is a groundbreaking exposé of the scale and detail of Russian information warfare against the West through extraordinary true stories, including her own. These well documented and shocking cases prove that Russia does not shy away from the darkest means of eliminating its opponents through cyber-espionage, social media trolls, fake news, cyber-attacks, death threats and hate campaigns by PR professionals.

PUTININ TROLLIT
Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
GERMANY: Goldmann
HUNGARY: Corvina
LATVIA: Pētergailis
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NORWAY: Mangschou
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio

FILM & TV: Onerva Pictures Oy

Jessikka Aro

Jessikka Aro is an award-winning reporter with Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, specializing in Russia, extremism and information warfare. In 2014 and 2015, she published a series of articles on pro-Kremlin social media trolls and their influence outside of Russia’s borders. Due to her investigations, Jessikka became the target of a severe and still ongoing international propaganda and hate speech campaign, which she recounts in Putin’s Trolls.

In 2019, the US State Department awarded Jessikka the International Women of Courage Award, but the award was mysteriously rescinded by the Trump administration, allegedly due to her social media criticism of then President Trump. On December 1, 2020 Jessikka Aro received the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award, presented in partnership with the Washington Post and hosted by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Jessikka was recognized for her award-winning investigative reporting of Russian information warfare. Jessikka lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter

Bibliography

Jessikka Aro

Download the full English PDF here!

2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Two new Children’s deals!

Posted on 29.04.202206.05.2022

We are thrilled to announce two new Children’s deals!

Firstly, the Danish rights for ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT BABIES by Hannele Lampela and Ninka Reittu have been acquired by Turbine! The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Secondly, Alatoran has acquired the Azerbaijani rights to LITTLE MOUSE, the first title in the LITTLE MOUSE series by Riikka Jäntti! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The hilariously funny and uniquely clever ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT BABIES has been sold to Denmark and Estonia. All other rights are available!

The charming, humorous and relatable LITTLE MOUSE series has been sold to 20 territories, but the rights are still available in Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Hungary, Norway, Czech Republic, Lithuania, etc.

Download the full English PDFs for the entire series here!

FILI GRANTS REMINDER

We are thrilled to remind you that the latest application period for Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) translation and printing grants is still open and will last until May 1st!

It’s a perfect time to acquire exciting Finnish titles and apply for translation grants!
Don’t have a Finnish translator yet? Find them here!

In the last application period in Winter 2022, 63 projects earned a grant with 113,000€ awarded in total. See the previously awarded projects here!

Translation grants
Up to 70% of translation costs from Finnish or Finland-Swedish can be covered by a FILI translation grant. There are 3 application periods in a year, and the Spring application period is 1.4.–1.5.2022.

ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT BABIES
PRINSESSA PIKKIRIIKKI JA (KAAMEA) TOTUUS VAUVOISTA
Otava, 2022, 32 pp.

READING MATERIALS:
Full English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Kirjastus Elust Enesest

LITTLE MOUSE SERIES
PIKKU HIIRI
Tammi, 2015-2022, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
Full English PDFs

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Into (orig.)
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
ALBANIA: Dritan
AUSTRALIA: Scribble/Scribe
CHINA: Beijing Yuntu Tech
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Cambourakis
GERMANY: Cross Cult
ITALY: Sinnos
NEPAL: Kathalaya
NEW ZEALAND: Scribble/Scribe
POLAND: Filia
PORTUGAL: Harper Collins Iberica
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45
RUSSIA: Strecoza
SLOVAKIA: Fortuna
SPAIN (Spanish): Harper Collins Iberica
SPAIN (Catalan): Harper Collins Iberica
UK: Scribble/Scribe

Hannele Lampela

Hannele Lampela's lovable works have been praised above all for their rich humor and ability to truly show the world from a child's perspective. She has the ability to enchant her readers, and that is why both children and adults love her stories. Lampela's works have been dramatized for example by the Finnish National Theater, Kuopio City Theater and YLE's radio plays. She has been awarded the prestigious Kaarina Helakisa Prize for her work and she has been nominated for Runeberg Junior award in 2019 and for Storytel Award, and Arvid Lydecken Award in 2020.

In addition to her fictional works, Lampela has written and created a world of stories for the next national ABC book of Finnish schools. First graders across the country will learn to read through Hannele’s texts. Lampela lives in a small wooden house in the middle of apple trees with her family, and spends her days not only writing, but also pampering herself and others on a regular basis.

Author page Author webpage

Ninka Reittu

Ninka Reittu (b. 1982) is an illustrator and children's book writer.

Reittu lives in an old clergy house in Liperi, Finland, with her son and carpenter husband. Their family also includes two cats, several dogs, and a flock of sheep.

In addition to her own picture books Messi ja Mysteeri and Sinä olet superrakas, she has illustrated the titles of Hanna Lampela (The Itty-Bitty Princess) and Kreetta Onkelin.

Author page

Riikka Jäntti

Riikka Jäntti, a 2003 graduate of University of Industrial Art of Helsinki, now part of Aalto University, is a Helsinki-based illustrator and author who has created art for both nonfiction and fairy tale books for children. Her first children’s book was published in 2005. Jäntti is best known for the adorable Little Mouse series that has publishers in 16 territories, including Australia, Nepal, and China!

In her illustrations, she uses pen and ink as well as watercolor and gouache. In 2009 Jäntti won the first-ever Tieto-Lauri, an award for children’s and juvenile non-fiction, for her illustrations in Viidakkotanssi (Jungle Dance). The book was written by Markku Löytönen about the explorer Rafael Karsten in Ecuador.

Author page

Three new Children’s deals!

Posted on 26.04.202203.05.2022

We are thrilled to announce three new Children’s deals!

Firstly, Cambourakis has acquired the French rights to LITTLE MOUSE AND THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT, the 8th and latest title in the LITTLE MOUSE series by Riikka Jäntti! The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The Éditions Cambourakis are delighted to continue publishing Riikka Jäntti’s series Little Mouse. As we follow in his footsteps, we discover everyday’s marvels and surprises; a character our little French readers don’t seem to be tired of!
– Charlotte Groult, Assistante éditoriale, Éditions Cambourakis, France

Secondly, the Bulgarian rights for I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER, a children’s non-fiction title by Tero Mielonen and Mari Ahokoivu, have been acquired by Enthusiast, an imprint of Alto! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Thirdly, the Albanian rights to the internationally bestselling MONSTER NANNY trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen have been acquired by Westprint! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The wonderful LITTLE MOUSE series has been sold to 19 territories, but the rights are still available in Hungary, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Norway, Czech Republic, Lithuania, etc.

Download the full English PDFs for the entire series here!

The inspiring and educational I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER has been sold to Bulgaria and Latvia. All other rights are available!

Download the full English PDF here!

The humorous MONSTER NANNY trilogy has now been sold to 32 territories, but the rights are still available in Japan, Croatia, World Arabic, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovakia, Iceland etc.

Download the full English PDFs for the entire series here!

FILI GRANTS REMINDER

We are thrilled to remind you that the latest application period for Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) translation and printing grants is still open and will last until May 1st!

It’s a perfect time to acquire exciting Finnish titles and apply for translation grants!
Don’t have a Finnish translator yet? Find them here!

In the last application period in Winter 2022, 63 projects earned a grant with 113,000€ awarded in total. See the previously awarded projects here!

LITTLE MOUSE SERIES
PIKKU HIIRI
Tammi, 2015-2022, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
Full English PDFs

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Into (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
AUSTRALIA: Scribble/Scribe
CHINA: Beijing Yuntu Tech
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Cambourakis
GERMANY: Cross Cult
ITALY: Sinnos
NEPAL: Kathalaya
NEW ZEALAND: Scribble/Scribe
POLAND: Filia
PORTUGAL: Harper Collins Iberica
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45
RUSSIA: Strecoza
SLOVAKIA: Fortuna
SPAIN (Spanish): Harper Collins Iberica
SPAIN (Catalan): Harper Collins Iberica
UK: Scribble/Scribe

I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER
MAAILMAN TUTKIJAT
Ursa, 2021, 53 pp.

READING MATERIALS:
Full English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BULGARIA: Enthusiast
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji

MONSTER NANNY TRILOGY
MÖRKÖVAHTI
Tammi, 2015-2020.

READING MATERIALS:
Full English PDF for #1, English samples and synopses for #2 and #3

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND, Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Westprint
AUSTRALIA: Allen & Unwin
BOSNIA, Šahinpašić
BRAZIL, DarkSide Books
CHINA, Beijing Children’s Publishing House
CZECH REPUBLIC, Portál
DENMARK, Turbine
ESTONIA, Tiritamm
FRANCE, Editions Robert Laffont
GERMANY, Carl Hanser Verlag
HUNGARY, Tessloff Babilon
ITALY, Salani/Mauri Spagnol
KOREA: Seosawon
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NETHERLANDS: (print) Luitingh-Sijthoff
NETHERLANDS: (audio) Saga Egmont
NEW ZEALAND: Allen & Unwin
NORWAY, Gyldendal Norsk
OCEANIA: Allen & Unwin
POLAND, Vesper
PORTUGAL, Asa Editiones/Leya
ROMANIA: Univers
RUSSIA, Rosman
SERBIA: Laguna
SLOVENIA, Mladinska knjiga
SPAIN (Spanish), La Galera
SPAIN (Catalan), La Galera
SWEDEN, Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY, SEV Redhouse Kidz
UKRAINE: School Publishing House
VIETNAM, Nha Nam
WORLD ENGLISH, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
FILM RIGHTS, Scott Free Productions

Mari Ahokoivu

Mari Ahokoivu (b. 1984) is a Finnish illustrator and a comics artist. She’s been drawing professionally for over 10 years, mainly drawing graphic novels and comics for children, including Sanni & Joonas and Lola Olifante. Ahokoivu loves everything cute and scary. She lives and works in Copenhagen.

Author page

Pasi Pitkänen

Pasi Pitkänen has become known for his richly detailed illustrative work on several children’s books such as the extremely popular Monster Nanny trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen. He has also worked at Rovio Entertainment as an illustrator, character designer, and graphic designer. Pitkänen is the illustrator of the popular Kepler62 series and the author of two Children's titles Monster Tournament and The Island of Lost Animals.

Among Pitkänen’s hobbies are quantum physics, people-watching, B-movies, insects and baking.

Author page Author webpage

Riikka Jäntti

Author page

Tero Mielonen

Tero Mielonen (b. 1981), PhD, is an atmospheric scientist and a comic book enthusiast. He studies the role of atmospheric aerosols in climate change at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. He also enjoys public outreach in its various forms. Mielonen has written a graphic novel, The Ozone Diary (illustrated by Pentti Otsamo), which offers a refreshing perspective on how science is put into practice, and the adventure of starting a new life abroad. Mielonen has also written a children’s book, I'll Become a Researcher (illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu) which gives introductions to several scientific fields and shows how you can still do the things you enjoyed as a child when you become a scientist. Mielonen lives in Kuopio and is partial to cycling everywhere.

Author page

Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Tolonen is currently writing the Agnes series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2020 nominated for both Runeberg Junior and Arvid Lydecken Awards and won LukuVarkaus 2020 award!

Author page

3 new Fiction deals!

Posted on 22.04.202202.05.2022

We are extremely happy to announce that Naklada Ljevak has acquired the Croatian rights for Johanna Sinisalo’s novel BLOOD OF ANGELS and Elina Hirvonen’s novel WHEN TIME RUNS OUT.

Finnish literature is conquering Croatia! Another prestigious publishing house in Croatia, Mala Zvona, has acquired the Croatian rights to Tiina Raevaara’s Runeberg Prize-winning novella collection I DON’T FEEL YOU BY MY SIDE. The deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Naklada Ljevak praised both BLOOD OF ANGELS and WHEN TIME RUNS OUT:

Naklada Ljevak decided to publish the novel BLOOD OF ANGELS by award-winning Finnish author Johanna Sinisalo because its subject – environmental disaster caused by annihilation of the bees – becomes an increasingly urgent problem and because of the highest literary value of the novel that combines ecological warning, mythological themes and human relationships.

Naklada Ljevak is proud to announce publishing the Croatian edition of the haunting eco-thriller and psychological drama WHEN TIME RUNS OUT by one of the most esteemed Finnish writers, Elina Hirvonen. The timely and universal theme of the relationship within a family set against the backdrop of climate crisis will surely resonate with Croatian readers.
– Nada Brnardic, Editor, Naklada Ljevak, Croatia

BLOOD OF ANGELS
ENKELTEN VERTA
by Johanna Sinisalo
Teos, 2011, 275 pp.

“The queen is dead. The bees are gone. Thus, the world is about to end. But if you follow the bees, there are doors in the air. And a desperate man is ready to go through one.”

Albert Einstein is claimed to have said that if bees disappear from the earth, mankind has four years left to live. When mass bee-vanishings of unprecedented scope and devastation hit the United States, Orvo, a beekeeper, knows all too well where it will lead. And one day, when Orvo goes to check on his hives, he is forced to witness something he wishes he had never lived to see. The queen is dead. The epidemic has spread to Europe. The world is coming to an end.

The light of Orvo’s life is his son, Eero, whose secret animal activist existence Orvo discovers far too late. Eero’s activities as a defender of animal rights and an ardent opponent of Orvo’s inherited way of life propel the family into irreversible, gutwrenching conflict. Orvo takes a desperate step onto a path where only he and the bees know the way… This novel is a magical plunge into the myth of death and immortality, a tale of human blindness in the face of overwhelming choices and inevitabilities.

Download the full English PDF here!

WHEN TIME RUNS OUT
KUN AIKA LOPPUU
by Elina Hirvonen
WSOY, 2015, 256 pp.

Helsinki, less than a decade in the future. Laura Anttila is lecturing at the university on climate change, hope, and the responsibility of humans. In the hallway, she is confronted by two police officers.

Laura’s daughter Aava encounters a woman who has just lost her daughter in a Somalian village. Having returned to her apartment, Laura hears that someone is shooting at people from the rooftop of the Lasipalatsi building in Helsinki.

When Time Runs Out is a powerful novel about parenthood, about finding your place, and about the responsibility of people to intervene in the course of events. Hirvonen wakes the reader to ponder what climate change and the lack of clean water can entail for humans in the future.

Download materials here!

I DON’T FEEL YOU BY MY SIDE
EN TUNNE SINUA VIERELLÄNI
by Tiina Raevaara
Teos, 2010, 260 pp.

A young man is looking for his fate while observing dragonflies, an unknown something takes the life of Matilda, and Mr. Gordon ends up in a birds’ hospital.

Tiina Raevaara’s I DON’T FEEL YOU BY MY SIDE is a novella collection, the texts of which, veering into the surreal, take the reader on a journey to the confluences of man and nature, dreams and subconsciousness, the circle of death and life. In this collection of 14 novellas, Raevaara shines the spotlight on the human mind and the forces tearing through its realities. The feelings of alienation and longing combine with a clear language and different narrators, each of whom wants to connect with themselves or someone next to them before it’s too late.

Request materials here!

ENKELTEN VERTA
Teos, 2011, 275 pp.

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
BULGARIA: Perseus Publishing House
CROATIA: Naklada Ljevak
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard
FRANCE: Actes Sud
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group
POLAND: Foksal Publishing Group
UNITED KINGDOM: Peter Owen Limited

KUN AIKA LOPPUU
WSOY, 2015, 256 pp.

Reading materials:
Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Naklada Ljevak
CZECH REPUBLIC: Omega Publishing
ESTONIA: Varrak
LITHUANIA: Baltos Lankos
SWEDEN: Leopard Förlag
UK: Manilla

EN TUNNE SINUA VIERELLÄNI
Teos, 2010, 260 pp.

Reading materials:
Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
CROATIA: Mala Zvona

Elina Hirvonen

Elina Hirvonen is an author of adults’ and children’s prose, a journalist and documentary filmmaker. She has written four highly acclaimed adults’ novels that are at the same time tragic and beautiful. She is also known for her picture book series Princess Rascal, and a middle-grade trilogy Julia & P.A.L.

She has received Kalevi Jäntti Prize, and Nuori Aleksis Prize and has been nominated for Finlandia Prize and Debut Prize.

Author page

Johanna Sinisalo

Johanna Sinisalo (b. 1958) is a Finlandia-Prize winning superstar of Finnish speculative fiction. In addition to her eight novels, she has also written short fiction and film and television screenplays. Her works have been translated into twenty languages.

Sinisalo has won several literary prizes also abroad, such as the 2004 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and the 2017 Prometheus Award, and was nominated for the Nebula Award in 2008, the Prix Escapades in 2012, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire in 2017.

Author page Author Facebook

100pp English sample and new reviews for Tiina Raevaara’s ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY

Posted on 22.04.202229.04.2022

We are extremely happy to let you know that we now have available a 100pp English sample for ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY!

Also, take a look at the excellent reviews!

Multiple studies show clear evidence how spending time with pets lowers our stress levels and boosts our mental health.

In ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY, Tiina Raevaara explores the topic from a personal point of view but also draws on scientific research. As a previous writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her text is easy to follow for everyone.Download the long English sample and synopsis by clicking here

FINNISH PRAISE:

Faith in humanity is being tested at the moment. It is comforting to remember that we’re not alone on Earth. During the last years, the ability of humans to communicate with other animals has been explored a lot in literature: how we talk to animals and with them, how do we confront other beings, what do they mean to us. Biologist and writer Tiina Raevaara’s ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY starts with a personal experience, familiar from the works of Helen Macdonald. When Raevaara has a burnout, even close people feel burdensome, but a dog – never, despite how much care and attention a dog requires. From the friendship of the writer and a dog, and interesting survey of the history, causes, and consequences of the co-existence of species branches.
– Arla Kanerva, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

*****
In her book-long essay, Tiina Raevaara ponders the connection to other animals as part of humanity. The dog holds a special place, both in the common history of humans and animals, and in Raevaara’s own life. [—] By studying research literature and relying on her knowledge of genetics, Raevaara discusses the connection to animals as a trait of the human species. She goes through the shared history of humans and dogs which is full of unanswered questions. [—] Her aim is to understand the interaction [between humans and animals] and human nature. Raevaara also seeks answers from the perspective of animals and through the world of senses. The personal vein remains throughout the book. [—] Raevaara intriguingly depicts the enigmatic nature of humanity. In addition to the connection to animals, the approving way of living and being arises as a subject of the book. [—] For Raevaara, an appreciative and gentle attitude towards animals is good humanity.
– Outi Hytönen, Suomen Kuvalehti magazine

ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY
by Tiina RaevaaraIn the Autumn of 2018, biologist and award-winning author Tiina Raevaara found herself exhausted and anguished, with her mind dark like a Finland November. She did, however, find comfort in the company of her dog, Igor. She started pondering the reasons for her exhaustion and, simultaneously, the evolution of the human species and its relation to other animals.

The current ascendancy of mankind is, according to Raevaara, not a result of humanity’s innate superiority, but, in fact, a result of its connections and relationships to other species. Ours is not a story of a purpose-driven humankind achieving its predominance in grand solitude, but of a humanity which has striven for connections with other animals.

In her new book Me, My Dog and Humanity, Raevaara compellingly describes the coexistence between humans and animals, both personally and from the perspective of humankind, and seeks answers to a number of questions:

• Why does an exhausted person prefer to spend time with their dog than other people?

• Why do animals arouse such strong empathy in us?

• What does the human-animal connection mean from the perspective of evolution and humanity?

The domesticated dog is a much older creation of humankind than agriculture, religion or even writing. Mapping out the mutual journey between humans and dogs, Raevaara sheds light on the most fundamental essences of humanity and its relationship with nature.

FILI GRANTS REMINDER

We are thrilled to remind you that the latest application period for Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) translation and printing grants has opened and will last until May 1st!

It’s a perfect time to acquire exciting Finnish titles and apply for translation grants!
Don’t have a Finnish translator yet? Find them here!

In the last application period in Winter 2022, 63 projects earned a grant with 113,000€ awarded in total. See the previously awarded projects here!

ME, MY DOG AND HUMANITY
Minä, koira ja ihmiskunta
Otava, March 2022, 317pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava/Like (orig.)

Bibliography

Tiina Raevaara

Me, My Dog and Humanity: A History of Coexistence Between Species

2022, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

MY FRIEND NATALIA published in the US as a paperback!

Posted on 21.04.202226.04.2022

We’re excited to share the news that Laura Lindstedt’s MY FRIEND NATALIA has just been published as a paperback in the US!

Published by prestigious W.W. Norton / Liveright, and translated by award-winning David Hackston, MY FRIEND NATALIA has been listed as The New York Times Editor’s choice, and the review in New York Times is exciting:

“— This is the book’s tease, that Natalia — eccentric, unruly, compelling — will be definitively “solved.” But she’s not a dramatic principal, not a thing able to fire real bullets. This was her psychologist’s figure of speech and as such probably tells us more about the psychologist than the patient. The deeper, indeed more layered, mystery is, it emerges, the novel’s chimerical narrator. — Laura Lindstedt’s sly, intriguing novel.” -Hermione Hoby, New York Times

Download the full English manuscript for MY FRIEND NATALIA here

The rights have eben sold to 13 countries, but are still available in Denmark, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Bulgaria, Latvia, China, Spain, Iceland, Japan etc.

“This provocative Finnish author enters the fray of American literature (thanks to translation from David Hackston) with a racy, wonderfully weird novel about a therapist’s sessions with a sex-obsessed woman.” ― Entertainment Weekly

“Hypnotic. . . [A] surprisingly suspenseful story touching on psychology, philosophy, and sex.”
― Arianna Rebolini, Buzzfeed

“Throughout the novel, Natalia riffs on Sartre, Beauvoir, and others, baiting the psychologist with sexually charged critiques of patriarchal philosophy.” ― Publishers Weekly

MY FRIEND NATALIA
by Laura Lindstedt

Natalia cannot stop thinking about sex. A mesmerizing tale of one woman’s potent affliction by award-winning Finnish writer Laura Lindstedt. Narrated by an unnamed, ungendered therapist who leaps at the chance to employ their most experimental methods, My Friend Natalia offers a gripping examination of the power dynamics always present but rarely ever spoken about in therapy. “Something flared within me,” the therapist notes, “and it wasn’t merely sympathy, the emotion I feel for most of my clients. It was more like a sudden experience of harmony, wholly inappropriate given the circumstances.”

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. She is currently revising her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015) is a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death. Oneiron has continued Lindstedt’s critical success, earning her the coveted 2015 Finlandia Prize. Lindstedt’s latest novel My Friend Natalia has been a critical success and the rights have been sold to 13 territories.

Ystäväni Natalia
Teos, 2019, 240pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat AS
FRANCE: Gallimard
GERMANY: DTV
HUNGARY: Scolar Kiado
ITALY: Elliot Edizioni
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: De Bezige Bij
NORWAY: Oktober
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Norstedts
USA: W.W. Norton / Liveright

Laura Lindstedt

Author page Author webpage

Bibliography

Laura Lindstedt

My Friend Natalia

2019, Literary Fiction

Laura Lindstedt

Oneiron

2015, Literary Fiction

Laura Lindstedt

Scissors

2007, Literary Fiction

Film & TV rights for Johanna Sinisalo’s Finlandia Prize winning novel TROLL acquired by Måns Mårlind and Tuppence Middleton!

Posted on 20.04.202225.04.2022

We are extremely happy to announce that Swedish writer/director Måns Mårlind (The Bridge, Midnight Sun, The Defeated) and Tuppence Middleton (Mank, Sense8, War and Peace) have acquired the option for Johanna Sinisalo’s book TROLL, A LOVE STORY (2000).

Mårlind and Middleton are currently developing it for the screen and Middleton is set to direct. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Mårlind is represented by Eric Williams, Zero Gravity and Matilda Boström, Agentfirman. Middleton is represented by Conway Van Gelder Grant (UK) and UTA (US).

TROLL, A LOVE STORY has been published in 19 territories, but rights are currently available in: Estonia, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Japan, Hungary, Norway, Lithuania, Czechia, Romania, Albania, Latvia, etc

Download the Full English ms for this bestseller and Finlandia-Award winner here!

Måns Mårlind: We have been looking for something to do together for quite some time now and then suddenly Johanna’s wonderful book came to mind. It is a highly original, dark and touching folk horror set in our modern world where Trolls are rare, but do exist. It was when Tuppence suggested we move the story from Finland to London I realized this was meant to be.

Tuppence Middleton: The industry and audiences alike have shown a growing appetite for local stories with an international appeal, and Johanna’s one-of-a-kind novel provides the perfect urban fable for our time. I am thrilled to be bringing these unforgettable characters to life on screen and to explore this strange and beautiful tale about what it is to be an outsider and to embrace your true nature in an increasingly disconnected world.

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:
“A sharp, resonant, prickly book that exists on the slipstream of SF, fantasy, horror and gay fiction.”
– Neil Gaiman

”A wily thriller-fantasy … Each discovery sounds like the voice of a storyteller reminding us of how the gods play with our fates.”
– Margo Jeffersson, The New York Times

“A punk version of The Hobbit”
– USA Today

“Chillingly seductive.”
– Independent, Best Reads of 2003

TROLL
by Johanna Sinisalo

The international fantasy bestseller and winner of the Finlandia Prize. Mikael, a young gay photographer, finds in the courtyard of his apartment block a small, man-like creature. It is a young troll, familiar from Scandinavian mythology: a demonic, wild beast. And it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Supposedly extinct, today it is regarded as a hairy, cuddly toy by Nordic children. Mikael gives the troll a name, Pessi, and takes him home and hides him.

The first thing Mikael does is research everything he can about trolls from the internet, from folklore, nature journals and newspaper cuttings.What Mikael does not discover is that trolls exude pheromones that smell like a Calvin Klein aftershave and that this has a profound aphrodisiac effect on all those around him. Shooting an assignment for an ultra-hip brand of jeans, Mikael finds himself fast-tracked into a dangerous liaison with Martes, the sexually ambivalent art director of the advertising agency concerned, while a couple of his friends in turn fall in love with him because he carries the troll’s scent. What Mikael fails above all to learn, with tragic consequences, is that Pessi the troll is the interpreter of man’s darkest, most forbidden impulses.

FILI GRANTS REMINDER

We are thrilled to remind you that the latest application period for Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) translation and printing grants has opened and will last until May 1st!

It’s a perfect time to acquire exciting Finnish titles and apply for translation grants!
Don’t have a Finnish translator yet? Find them here!

In the last application period in Winter 2022, 63 projects earned a grant with 113,000€ awarded in total. See the previously awarded projects here!

TROLL. A LOVE STORY

Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi
Tammi, 2000, 268pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Dituria*
BRAZIL: Devir*
BULGARIA: Perseus*
CZECH REPUBLIC: One Woman Press*
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard
FRANCE: Actes Sud
GERMANY: Tropen (Klett-Cotta)
JAPAN: Sunmark*
LATVIA: Atena*
LITHUANIA: Vaga*
POLAND: Terytoria*
RUSSIA: Amphora*
SLOVENIA: Modrijan*
SPAIN: Polledro*
SWEDEN: Wahlström&Widstrand*
UK, Peter Owen*
USA, Grove Atlantic

*Rights reverted

Johanna Sinisalo

Author page Author Facebook

Bibliography

Johanna Sinisalo

The Storm Flute

2021, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

Strangers Inside

2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

IRON SKY: RENATE'S STORY

2018, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

The Core of The Sun

2013, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

Blood of Angels

2011, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

The Möbius Twist

2010, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Johanna Sinisalo

Birdbrain

2008, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Johanna Sinisalo

Troll

2000, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Estonian rights sold for HILJA AND THE OPERATION CHRISTMAS MAGIC

Posted on 20.04.202222.04.2022

We are glad to let you know that the 4th title of Heidi Viherjuuri’s HILJA-series – HILJA AND THE OPERATION CHRISTMAS MAGIC – will be published in Estonia by Eesti Raamat!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

The Hilja-series show the charm of simplicity and the magic of everyday situations. Together with the colorful characters, it results in captivating and humorous reading.
– Reet Trummal, head of Children’s & YA, Eesti Raamat, Estonia

Hilja is an energetic, curious and cheeky seven-year-old girl who lives in the countryside in a wooden house that always needs some fixing. She loves to climb trees, run around, go fishing and make new friends.
Hilja has only seen her grandma in an old photograph. However, there are three ladies in the neighborhood who are making sure that Hilja doesn’t have just one grandma but three!

Download the English materials for Hilja-series here!

HILJA AND THE OPERATION CHRISTMAS MAGIC
by Heidi Viherjuuri, illustrated by Nadja Sarell
Chapter Books (6-9 Years)

Hilja’s sister Veini claims that Christmas is just a publicity trick, but Hilja decides to prove that Christmas is real and magical. A secret operation begins, and it involves making an elf trap, lots of secret notes and spying on neighbors. Even Santa is not having it easy – he has to take part to Hilja’s lie detection test.

Many, many miscommunications are ahead before the family of the Green house can finally calm down for Christmas.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Mäkelä (orig.)

ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
GERMANY: WooW Books
RUSSIA: Strecoza

Heidi Viherjuuri

Heidi Viherjuuri lives in Cologne, Germany, where she writes about things big and small and also everyday life situations. She loves green tea, weekdays, history, traveling by train and having silly laughs with her son. Heidi´s works have rich language and are straight-to-the-point at the same time and one of her favorite books is the Finnish thesaurus.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook

Nadja Sarell

Nadja Sarell is an illustrator living in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with MA in Dance from Theatre Academy Helsinki. Soon after that she moved to a small town in North Wales to study children’s book illustration. She graduated from North Wales School of Art and Design with BA in Illustration for Children’s Publishing in 2004.

Since then she has worked as a freelance illustrator for children’s publishing in Finland and abroad. She loves to teach art, illustration and dance for both children and adults. She is also passionate about surface pattern design and enjoys creating charismatic, expressive book characters.
If Nadja was an animal, she would be a cat living in an old mansion with a large fireplace and a comfy sofa. Her favourite things are her family, music, dancing, black coffee and chocolate.

Author page Author webpage Author Instagram

AGNES AND THE GARDEN OF DREAMS acquired in Hungary!

Posted on 20.04.202222.04.2022

We are very happy to announce that Tuutikki Tolonen’s AGNES AND THE GARDEN OF DREAMS, illustrated by Kati Vuorento, has been acquired by Cerkabella in Hungary.
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

Agnes is a courageous, lovely character, a real model for our young readers, especially in such demanding, almost frightening times.
-Agnes Nyulas, editor, Cerkabella, Hungary

11-years-old Agnes has to move to a small countryside town with her mother. Her parents are divorced, and Agnes doesn’t know anyone from her new hometown. She is not having the best summer of her life. But then something weird happens. Agnes finds an old tombstone that has her name and birthday engraved on it – only the birth year is different!

The series will already be published in 8 countries, but rights are still available in Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, the US, UK, Turkey, Poland etc.

Download the English materials for the Agnes-series here.

AGNES AND THE GARDEN OF DREAMS
by Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Kati Vuorento
Middle Grade (8-12 Years)11-years-old Agnes has to move to a small countryside town with her mother. Her parents are divorced, and Agnes doesn’t know anyone from her new hometown. She is not having the best summer of her life. But then something weird happens. Agnes finds an old tombstone that has her name and birthday engraved on it – only the birth year is different. Whose grave is it? And after the visit to the cemetery she starts to have very mysterious dreams. It feels like someone who lived a long time ago is trying to tell something to her… Is it possible that these two Agneses from different times have some connection?

Rights sold:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CZECH REPUBLIC: Portál, s. r. o.
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
GERMANY: Carlsen Verlag
HUNGARY: Cerkabella
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45
RUSSIA: Rosman

Kati Vuorento

Kati Vuorento is an illustrator living and working in Espoo, Finland: ”In small details there is an infinite magic. I want my illustrations to stir emotion in the audience. Empathizing is important to me. In my illustrations, I always include approachable characteristics to even the most hardened anti-hero. This is how I mold the characters into personalities with depth and dimension.”

She is the illustrator of middle-grade Agnes series by Tuutikki Tolonen that was in 2020 nominated for both Runeberg Junior and Arvid Lydecken Awards and won LukuVarkaus 2020 award!

Author page Author webpage Author Instagram

Tuutikki Tolonen

Author page

LITTLE MOUSE and PRINCESS RASCAL sold to Albania!

Posted on 12.04.202221.04.2022

We are very excited to let you know that the Albanian publisher Dritan has acquired the rights to the first titles in the LITTLE MOUSE and PRINCESS RASCAL series! The deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The wonderful LITTLE MOUSE series has now been sold to 19 territories, but the rights are still available in Hungary, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Norway, Czech Republic, Lithuania, etc.

Download the full English PDFs for the entire series here!

The hilarious PRINCESS RASCAL series has now been sold to 6 territories, but the rights are still available in Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Romania etc.

Download the full English PDFs for the entire series here!

LITTLE MOUSE SERIES
written and illustrated by Riikka Jäntti

A 8-book series about a little mouse living with a single mother mouse, acting as all little persons do – in the first book, it says NO to everything – to broccoli, getting dressed, washing teeth, sleeping. Other parts talk about Christmas, winter, having guests, having a holiday, summer vacation and going on an island.

LITTLE MOUSE (BOOK 1)
Tammi, 2015, 48 pp.

A day in the life of a toddler is a busy one and Little Mouse’s is no exception. Between getting dressed, going to daycare, eating dinner, and splashing in puddles, Little Mouse has a lot to do … and a lot to say ‘no’ to!

LITTLE MOUSE HELPS OUT (BOOK 2)
Tammi, 2016, 48 pp.

Little Mouse’s friend Pip is coming over to visit. But first, there are chores to do around the house, like cleaning, laundry and cooking lunch. Little Mouse is determined to help Mummy Mouse with all of them.

LITTLE MOUSE’S CHRISTMAS (BOOK 3)
Tammi, 2017, 48 pp.

Christmas is coming and Little Mouse can’t wait for Christmas Eve. Luckily there are all kinds of wonderful preparations to be made, from cooking to choosing the Christmas tree.

LITTLE MOUSE’S HOLIDAY (BOOK 4)
Tammi, 2018, 48 pp.

Little Mouse and Mommy Mouse take the train together to the countryside to stay at their cottage on an island, pick berries, heat the sauna and cook sausages over a campfire under the starry skies. It’s a real treat for a little city mouse!

LITTLE MOUSE’S WINTER (BOOK 5)
Tammi, 2019, 48 pp.

Winter is here and Little Mouse enjoys playing outside. But his fun is interrupted by piano lessons. And why do all the other kids have
phones and lots of collectable toy figures? Luckily mom has lots of fun activities that will make him happy again.

LITTLE MOUSE’S SUMMER (BOOK 6)
Tammi, 2020, 48 pp.

Summer holiday is full of fun: going to the amusement park, playing by the beach and visiting the art museum. Buying strawberries and ice cream, and going to the cinema when the weather is too hot. Little Mouse knows that one must enjoy the summer, because it doesn’t last forever.

LITTLE MOUSE GOES CAMPING (BOOK 7)
Tammi, 2021, 48 pp.

One beautiful summer’s day, Little Mouse’s goes camping with mom. Little Mouse helps their mother set up the tent, light the grill and prepare sausages and vegetables wrapped in foil. When it gets dark, Little Mouse listens to the sounds of the night in the tent. In the morning, they are both very hungry but luckily the island’s restaurant is open!

LITTLE MOUSE AND THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT (BOOK 8)
Tammi, 2022, 48 pp.

At last, DING DONG! Little Mouse opens the front door for the birthday guests. Little Mouse receives delightful presents from his friends and then it is time to feast: the birthday cake and other desserts are to everyone’s taste. Games and quizzes are also a part of Little Mouse’s birthday. The next morning Little Mouse gets a present from his mother, butt ends up causing a surprising amount of trouble, especially to Mom!

PRINCESS RASCAL (BOOK 1)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi, 2017, 42 pp.

You would think that Rascal is a just a little girl, but she’s also a princess with many crowns for different purposes: one for Important Thoughts, one for Great Adventures, one for Peaceful Dreams. When Mom gets mad at her, she must find the right crown to calm Mom down.

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS (BOOK 2)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi, 2019, 42 pp.

Princess Rascal starts pre-school. She’s nervous about her new mates and new teacher. Especially nervous she is about going to the toilet. When she uses toilet words in a completely wrong situation, she’s sure that she is the most embarrassing girl in the world. But a solution for the problem can be found in her secret treasure chest.

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE QUARREL SPELL (BOOK 3)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi, 2021, 44 pp.

Which spell is the best when it seems that the parents do not have enough time for themselves? Resourceful Princess Rascal has a solution to every problem!

“You have to go in there to kiss. Then you will love again. And never quarrel again.”

PIKKU HIIRI
Tammi, 2015-2022, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
Full English PDFs

PRINSESSA RÄMÄPÄÄ
Tammi, 2017-2021

READING MATERIALS:
Full English PDFs

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Gads Forlag
ESTONIA: Elust enesest
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto/ Publishing House Nothing Serious

Elina Hirvonen

She has received Kalevi Jäntti Prize, and Nuori Aleksis Prize and has been nominated for Finlandia Prize and Debut Prize.

Author page

Mervi Lindman

Mervi Lindman (b.1971) is a much-loved illustrator whose cheerful artworks have been published in 19 different countries to date. Lindman’s illustrations have been regularly appraised by critics and public alike, and she has received several grants to support her art work.

Author page

Riikka Jäntti

Author page

Now World English Audio rights sold for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY

Posted on 07.04.202220.04.2022

Martta Kaukonen’s award-winning thriller, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, with “the most sympathetic serial killer” continues to amaze readers!

We are very excited to announce a wonderful World English Audio rights deal for Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY. Audible in the US has acquired exclusive World English Audio rights to Follow the Butterfly for simultaneous publication with Pushkin Press in 2023. Previously Pushkin Press acquired UK & US/World English print and e-book rights to Follow the Butterly. Pushkin is distributed in the US by Penguin Random House. Audible is an Amazon company.
The deal was closed by Rhea Lyons at HG Literary and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

Previously, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Denmark (Falco), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).

Rights are still available in France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, etc.

US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut and is excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
– Adam Freudenheim |Publisher and Managing Director, Pushkin Press

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaper“Martta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

”I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.” – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

Bibliography

Martta Kaukonen

In Your Shadow

2022, Crime & Suspense

Martta Kaukonen

Follow the Butterfly

2021, Crime & Suspense

Latvian rights for Jessikka Aro’s PUTIN’S TROLLS sold! Now 13 territories for this eye-opening title!

Posted on 05.04.202212.04.2022

We are thrilled to announce that the Latvian rights for PUTIN’S TROLLS by Jessikka Aro have been acquired today by Pētergailis! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.
Recently, the German rights for the title were acquired by Goldmann Verlag and the World English audio rights by Blackstone Audio.

Rights to PUTIN’S TROLLS have now been sold to 13 territories, and the title will be published in English by Ig Publishing, available already in e-book format and in print in June 2022.
The rights are still available in Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Denmark etc.

Download the full English PDF for PUTIN’S TROLLS by clicking here!

The book has been a bestseller both in Finland and internationally and has garnered excellent critical success.

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:

Aro’s cri de coeur is well-documented and persuasive. This disturbing study does a stellar job of depicting Russia’s propaganda machine in action.
– Publishers Weekly, Reviewed on: 03/22/2022

Throughout this book, Aro reveals the mechanics of Russia’s insidious nonmilitary tactics and widespread propaganda targeted at civilians—strategies used decades before in both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to gain control over the minds of citizens. As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson.
– Kirkus Reviews April 2022 issue

PUTIN’S TROLLS
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Russia wages war against civilians online. Every critical voice is an enemy. Award-winning journalist Jessikka Aro’s book presents criminal smearing campaigns, launched and approved by the Kremlin against private individuals around Western countries.

PUTIN’S TROLLS, praised by critics in Finland, brings together recent international and illegal filth operations to silence and smear the critics of the Kremlin. The book zooms into the destinies of the author Jessikka Aro, financier Bill Browder, Bellingcat investigator Eliot Higgins, journalist Liz Wahl and many more.

Well documented and shocking true stories show that Russia does not shy away from the darkest means of eliminating its opponents through cyber-espionage, social media trolls, fake news, cyber-attacks, death threats and hate campaigns by PR professionals.

PUTININ TROLLIT
Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
GERMANY: Goldmann
HUNGARY: Corvina
LATVIA: Pētergailis
LITHUANIA: Briedis
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio

Jessikka Aro

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter

Bibliography

Jessikka Aro

Download the full English PDF here!

2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER sold to Latvia! First international sale for this Children’s Non-Fiction title!

Posted on 04.04.202208.04.2022

We are overjoyed to announce that the Latvian rights for I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER, a children’s non-fiction title written by Tero Mielonen and illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu, have been acquired by Latvijas Mediji! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Latvijas Mediji praised the book for being an inspiring and entertaining read:

“I’ll Become a Researcher” is a vibrant and important book, introducing young readers to the various career options that their interests can lead to. This book celebrates the need for research and evidence-based thinking in the modern world (including the importance of humanities!). It will provide many fun hours for the readers and their parents and teachers who will be able to study the detailed illustrations and discuss the different professions of the world together.
– Līva Kukle, Children’s Editor, Latvijas Mediji

I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER
by Tero Mielonen and Mari Ahokoivu
Ursa, 2021, 53 pp.

South American Kat used to examine the starry skies with her father and now her job is to search for new planets. Marjane loved hunting for treasures, and she became an archeologist who solves the mysteries of ancient cultures. Eduardo loved playing video games. He did not become a professional gamer, but now he creates climate models and ponders what our world will be like in a hundred years. All kinds of people do science, and anyone can become a scientist!

MAAILMAN TUTKIJAT
Ursa, 2021, 53 pp.

READING MATERIALS:
Full English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Ursa (orig.)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji

Mari Ahokoivu

Author page

Tero Mielonen

Author page

ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT BABIES sold to Estonia pre-publication!

Posted on 01.04.202207.04.2022

It’s absolutely a pleasure to let you know that even before Finnish publication, the upcoming title in the Itty Bitty Princess series has been sold to Estonian publisher Elust enesest.
ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT BABIES is the 7th title in this award-winning series and it’s written by Hannele Lampela and illustrated by Ninka Reittu.

Download the Finnish pdf for this amazing title here.
English materials are coming soon!

Itty Bitty Princess and the Truth About Babies
By Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Ninka Reittu

Where do annoying little siblings come from? Itty-Bitty Princess figures out the icky truth about babies in her own bold manner.

Of course, Itty-Bitty Princess knows that babies grow in mothers’ tummies. But how did they end up there? And how do they get out? And most importantly: why on earth would parents want a baby that poops a lot and wakes them up in the middle of the night?

This charming picture book by Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Ninka Reittu, provides answers to children’s puzzling questions about babies but also touches on the emotions that big sisters and brothers go through, when they hear a baby is about to arrive.

ITTY BITTY PRINCESS SERIES
by Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Ninka Reittu

Otava 2016-

Rights sold for the series:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Elust enesest
NORWAY: Gyldendal
RUSSIA: Reich

Hannele Lampela

Author page Author webpage

Ninka Reittu

Ninka Reittu (b. 1982) is an illustrator and children's book writer.

Reittu lives in an old clergy house in Liperi, Finland, with her son and carpenter husband. Their family also includes two cats, several dogs, and a flock of sheep.

In addition to her own picture books Messi ja Mysteeri and Sinä olet superrakas, she has illustrated the titles of Hanna Lampela (The Itty-Bitty Princess) and Kreetta Onkelin.

Author page

AGNES AND THE SHADOW IN THE WINDOW now sold to Estonia pre-publication!

Posted on 01.04.202206.04.2022

We are really happy to announce that the final title in Agnes series – AGNES AND THE SHADOW IN THE WINDOW has now been acquired by Eesti Raamat in Estonia!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

ESTONIAN PRAISE:
The books of the „Agnes“ series masterfully interweave the past and the present, fascinating us with the mysterious atmosphere and beautiful illustrations. Despite of the serious topics covered, the books leave a bright impression and are very enjoyable to read.
– Reet Trummal, Head of Children’s and YA literature, Eesti Raamat, Estonia

The series has 7 international publishers, but the rights are still available in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Lithuania etc.

Download the English samples and synopses for the trilogy here.

NEW: #3 Agnes and the Shadow in the Window

The acclaimed series continues!
Agnes and her mother have moved into their mysterious manor where summer camps are held. Suddenly, drawings that no one claims to have drawn appear during the summer arts camp. A strange shadow is captured by Agnes’s camera, as if someone is standing next to the window in the empty room. Does the manor have more secrets to share?

#1 Agnes and the Garden of Dreams

Moving to a new city is frightening enough for 11-year-old Agnes. But when she makes an exciting discovery at the local cemetery, the summer isn’t the same anymore!
Everything began on that one summer day when Agnes walked through the cemetery gate. She had just moved to a boring new town and left behind her old home and friends. But then something weird happened and her life became more exciting than ever!
She finds a tombstone that has the name Agnes on it – and the same birthday as hers! From that day on, Agnes keeps having dreams of a girl who hides a key in a beautiful garden. When Agnes stumbles upon the same garden, she knows she must find the key. But what will it open?

#2 Agnes and the Mysterious Mansion

Agnes’ adventures continue in this sequel that is both a ghost story and a family mystery.
Agnes and her mother have inherited a beautiful old villa, but there seems to be something strange about it. There is a lovely scent of flowers in the air, even though there aren’t any flowers in the houses. Every morning, the lid of an old piano is found open even though no one has been playing it. More importantly, why can they hear steps on the staircase to the attic?

PRAISE:

Agnes is a very charming story about friendship and family, it is gripping and heartwarming at the same time. Tuutikki Tolonen takes us to a place full of mysteries and dreams and she creates an atmosphere where the reader immediately feels comfortable. We are very happy to welcome Agnes to our list!
– Wiebke Andersen, Editor, Carlsen Verlag, Germany

AGNES TRILOGY
by Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Kati Vuorento

WSOY 2020-2022.

Rights sold for the series:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CZECH REPUBLIC: Portál
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
GERMANY: Carlsen Verlag
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela
RUSSIA: Rosman

Kati Vuorento

She is the illustrator of middle-grade Agnes series by Tuutikki Tolonen that was in 2020 nominated for both Runeberg Junior and Arvid Lydecken Awards and won LukuVarkaus 2020 award!

Author page Author webpage Author Instagram

Tuutikki Tolonen

Author page

SNOW WHITE TRILOGY by Salla Simukka sold to Albania!

Posted on 01.04.202205.04.2022

We are very excited to announce that the Albanian rights for the internationally bestselling YA series SNOW WHITE by Salla Simukka have been acquired by Muza!

Salla Simukka is Finland’s #1 internationally translated YA author with her SNOW WHITE TRILOGY which has been sold to 52 countries and has a major international TV show in the works in Hollywood.

The trilogy will have a series of relaunches all over the world, with Italian, Icelandic and Arabic rights also just recently updated.

Download the English PDFs for the whole trilogy here!

#1 AS RED AS BLOOD
17-year-old Lumikki Andersson goes to a high school of performing arts. She has made it a rule to stay out of things that do not involve her. However, the rule is put to the test on leap day when she finds washed five hundred euro notes hung to dry in her school’s darkroom. It turns out that three students from Lumikki’s high school have in their possession plastic bags containing bloody notes, and soon Lumikki finds herself caught in a tangled web of international drug trade.

Elisa, one of the three students and daughter of a wealthy family, begins to suspect that her father, a police officer in the narcotics division, is somehow involved.
Lumikki is swept into a whirlpool of events and faces life-threatening situations on the run from Russian and Estonian criminals. Finally, after four hectic days, Lumikki finds herself in a huge mansion where the mysterious Polar Bear is having a legendary secret party. In the mansion, all secrets are revealed. It’s the coldest winter in decades; the streets of Tampere are frozen and white with snow. And nothing is as red against white snow as blood.

#2 AS WHITE AS SNOW
Lumikki Andersson is backpacking in Prague, where the weather is scorching hot. A girl approaches her in a small café and claims to be her half sister. Lumikki’s parents seem to be hiding a secret concerning the family’s past, so the girl’s claim rouses Lumikki’s interest. Despite her erratic behaviour, the girl manages to persuade Lumikki to join a religious family community.

Later it turns out that the members are no relation to each other, after all. But it is not until Lumikki learns that the cult leaders are planning mass suicide that she understands just how dangerous the cult is. Furthermore, someone is planning to profit from the tragedy. Lumikki gets acquainted with the streets and graveyards of Prague when she is forced to run for her life to prevent the tragedy. The religion of the cult is not pure; and innocence is not as white as snow.

#3 AS BLACK AS EBONY
Lumikki Andersson is set to play the leading role in a modern-day version of Snow White at her high school. The rehearsals are going well, and Lumikki seems to have found a stable and loving relationship with the boy playing the Huntsman. As opening night approaches, Lumikki starts receiving notes from a secret admirer whose infatuation soon turns out to be a dangerous obsession. The admirer threatens to turn the premiere into a blood bath unless Lumikki consents to his demands.

Lumikki tries to uncover the stalker’s true identity, and in doing so comes face to face with the darkest secrets from her past: being a victim of bullying at school and the mysterious disappearance of her sister from Lumikki’s life. Time is running out, the opening night is just around the corner and Lumikki has to find a way to outwit the stalker with a soul as black as ebony.

SNOW WHITE TRILOGY:

#1 PUNAINEN KUIN VERI
Tammi, 2013, 240 pp.

#2 VALKOINEN KUIN LUMI
Tammi, 2013, 240 pp.

#3 MUSTA KUIN EEBENPUU
Tammi, 2014, 250 pp.

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARAB WORLD: Arab Scientific
ARGENTINA: Nuevo Extremo
AZERBAIJAN: Qanun
BELGIUM: Clavis
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: BTC Sahinpasic
BRAZIL: Novo Conceito
BULGARIA: Egmont
CANADA (French): Hachette Livre
CATALAN: La Galera
CHINA: Modern Press
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC: Egmont
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FAROE ISLANDS: Bókadeildin
FRANCE: Hachette Livre
GEORGIA: Bakur Sulakauri
GERMANY: Arena
GREECE: Metaixmio
HUNGARY: Athenaeum
ICELAND: Forlagid
ICELAND: Storyside (audio and e-book rights)
INDONESIA: Gramedia/Bhuana Ilmu Populer
ISRAEL: Yedioth
ITALY: Mondadori
JAPAN: Nishimura
KOREA: Gimm Young
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Alma Littera
MACEDONIA: Bata Press
MALAYSIA: Buku Fixi
MONTENEGRO: BTC Sahinpasic
NETHERLANDS: Clavis
NORWAY: Gyldendal
POLAND: Foksal/WAB
PORTUGAL: Presença
ROMANIA: Trei
RUSSIA, Eksmo
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Verbarium
SLOVENIA: Mladinska Knjiga
SPAIN: La Galera
SWEDEN: Rabén & Sjögren
TAIWAN: Emily Publishing
THAILAND: Nanmee Books
TURKEY: Altin Kitaplar
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Hot Key Books
UNITED STATES & CANADA: Penguin Random House/Crown
VIETNAM: Alpha Books

TV: Zerogravity

Salla Simukka

Salla Simukka is the author of the international success story The Snow White Trilogy: rights are sold in 52 territories and in Hollywood. She has written several novels for young readers and her accolades include the Topelius Prize 2013 and the Finland Prize 2013.

Previously Simukka has written book reviews for the newspapers, translated all kinds of texts into Finnish, worked an editor at a literary magazine and as a screenwriter for a popular TV show for young audiences. These days she writes books for young adults and children, and travels the world talking about them.

Author page Author Facebook

Bibliography

Salla Simukka

In the Dark I Can Be Yours

2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Detained

2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Turn off the Lights! Turn on the Lights!

2018, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Sisterland

2016, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Salla Simukka

As Black as Ebony

2014, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

As Red as Blood

2013, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

As White as Snow

2013, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Elsewhere

2012, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Without a trace

2012, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS wins Nextory E-Book Award!

Posted on 01.04.202204.04.2022

We are thrilled to congratulate Elina Hirvonen and Mervi Lindman for having won the Children’s category of the Nextory E-book Award for PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS!

Nextory E-book Awards have been awarded in Finland since 2020, and their aim is to praise and draw attention to the most read e-books of the preceding year and to celebrate e-books and digital reading experience in general. The hilarious and relatable PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS was one of the most read children’s e-books in Nextory streaming service in Finland!

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS is the second title in the excellent Princess Rascal series that has been sold to 5 countries, but is still available in France, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, Germany, United States, UK, Japan, China, Taiwan etc.

Download the full English PDFs for all 3 titles in the series here!

#1 PRINCESS RASCAL
You would think that Rascal is just a little girl, but she’s also a princess with many crowns for different purposes: one for Important Thoughts, one for Great Adventures and one for Peaceful Dreams. When Mom gets mad at her, she must find the right crown to calm Mom down.

Princess Rascal is a picture book about a little girl who knows her mind and has a heart of gold, though sometimes it’s difficult to know the right thing to do. The book has been praised for its accurate and hilarious depictions of everyday life in a toddler family – sometimes parents get tired too.

#2 PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS
Princess Rascal starts pre-school. She’s nervous about her new mates and the new teacher. She is especially nervous about going to the toilet. When she uses potty words in a completely wrong situation, she’s sure that she is the most embarrassed girl in the world. But a solution for the problem can be found in her secret treasure chest.

#3 PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE QUARREL SPELL
Which spell is the best when it seems that the parents do not have enough time for themselves? Resourceful Princess Rascal has a solution to every problem!

When Mom looks like a red-eyed panda and Dad like an angry troll, and they snap at each other without any reason, it’s time for some Rascal spells and Onni’s insights. The solution is the world’s finest KISSING BOOTH.
“You have to go in there to kiss. Then you will love again. And never quarrel again. And we don’t have to move to Flower’s.”

PRINSESSA RÄMÄPÄÄ SERIES:

#1 PRINSESSA RÄMÄPÄÄN TALVITAIKA
Tammi 2017, 42 pp.

#2 PRINSESSA RÄMÄPÄÄ JA VESSASANAT
Tammi 2019, 42 pp.

#3 PRINSESSA RÄMÄPÄÄ JA RIITATAIKA
Tammi, 2021, 42 pp.

Reading materials:
English PDFs

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Gads Forlag
ESTONIA: Elust Enesest
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto/ Publishing House Nothing Serious

Elina Hirvonen

She has received Kalevi Jäntti Prize, and Nuori Aleksis Prize and has been nominated for Finlandia Prize and Debut Prize.

Author page

Mervi Lindman

Author page

Indonesian rights for EVERYDAY SISU acquired by Gramedia Pustakama!

Posted on 31.03.202201.04.2022

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the Indonesian rights for Katja Pantzar’s EVERYDAY SISU have been acquired by the publisher Gramedia Pustakama, who also published Katja’s previous book, the international best-seller FINNISH WAY!

Rights have been previously acquired by Hojosha in Japan and Flying Bear Co. in Thailand. Penguin Random House/TarcherPerigee published the original work in the US this March!

Download the full English manuscript here!

In Everyday Sisu, journalist Katja Pantzar explores the simple practices that make Finnish life so stable, sustainable, and healthy for body and mind, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

“I’m thrilled that we’ll be publishing Katja’s next book, and there couldn’t be a more timely topic in these challenging times. We all need more sisu, and this book will help readers cultivate more of it every day.”

– Marian Lizzi, Editor in Chief at TarcherPerigee.

This timely title comes as Finland is named the happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to the UN-linked World Happiness Report. EVERYDAY SISU gives answers to how this is possible and what we all can learn from the happiest people on the planet!

In EVERYDAY SISU, journalist Katja Pantzar explores the simple practices that make Finnish life so stable, sustainable, and healthy for body and mind, even when life doesn’t go as planned. You’ll discover ways to boost your mental and physical resilience to face life’s challenges head-on, including:

connecting with nature
strengthening community
using what you have
reframing what you can’t control
adopting a solutions mindset
finding strength in the struggle

Featuring insights from Finnish experts in mental health, wellness, sustainability, social justice, and more, this practical and empowering guide presents a roadmap for overcoming what you thought you couldn’t — and finding hope and tools to create a brighter way forward.

EVERYDAY SISU:
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life.

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH:
TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House (orig.)

INDONESIA: Gramedia Pustakama
JAPAN: Hojosha
THAILAND: Flying Bear Co., Ltd.

Katja Pantzar

Helsinki-based writer, editor and broadcast journalist Katja Pantzar was raised in Canada with stints in New Zealand and the UK. Pantzar’s The Finnish Way has been translated into 20 languages. She is the author of three guides to the Finnish capital city Helsinki: The Hip Guide to Helsinki, Helsinki by Light and 100 Things to Do in Helsinki. Pantzar’s writing has appeared in a wide range of media, from The Globe and Mail to Elle. Her work has been widely covered around the world, including in Le Figaro, Le Monde, El País, Vogue, Real Simple, and more.

Author page Author webpage Author katjapanzar

Bibliography

Katja Pantzar

Everyday Sisu

2022, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Katja Pantzar

Finnish Way

2018, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

2 new deals for BAD BLOOD by New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck!

Posted on 30.03.202201.04.2022

We are extremely happy to announce know that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Bulgarian publisher EMAS and his Latvian publisher Latvijas Mediji! The deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The book was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With Bulgaria and Latvia, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 12 territories!

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Max Seeck is currently working on the fourth book of the Jessica Niemi series, which is to be published in Finland in fall 2022.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Max Seeck

2022, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2021, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2020, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2019, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

Download the full English PDF for PUTIN’S TROLLS by clicking here!

2016, Crime & Suspense

Goldmann Verlag acquires German rights for Jessikka Aro’s PUTIN’S TROLLS!

Posted on 29.03.202201.04.2022

We are really happy to announce that the German rights for Jessikka Aro’s PUTIN’S TROLLS: On the Frontlines of Russia’s Information War Against the World were sold to Goldmann Verlag of Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe.

Rights to PUTIN’S TROLLS have been sold now in 12 languages and will be published in English by Ig Publishing, available today March 29^th in e-book and in print in June 2022.
The rights are still available in Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Denmark etc.

And that is not all – there are now 2 excellent reviews for the book from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews! See them below.
The book has been a success story both being a bestseller in Finland with over 30 000 copies sold and with excellent critical success.

GERMAN PRAISE:

We are thrilled to be publishing Finnish investigative journalist Jessikka Aro’s deep dive into the mechanisms of the (des-)information war the Kremlin is waging against anyone valuing free speech, freedom and democracy. Her weaving together of personal experiences with the greater dimensions of Russia’s modern online warfare makes for a read both eye-opening, intriguing – and absolutely essential in these times of war and suffering!
– Doreen Fröhlich, Editorial Director Nonfiction, Goldmann Verlag, Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe GmbH

INTERNATIONAL PRAISE:

Aro’s cri de coeur is well-documented and persuasive. This disturbing study does a stellar job of depicting Russia’s propaganda machine in action.
– Publishers Weekly, Reviewed on: 03/22/2022

Throughout this book, Aro reveals the mechanics of Russia’s insidious nonmilitary tactics and widespread propaganda targeted at civilians—strategies used decades before in both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to gain control over the minds of citizens. As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson.
– Kirkus Reviews April 2022 issue.

PUTIN’S TROLLS
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

PUTIN’S TROLLS

Putinin trollit. Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
GERMANY: Goldmann Verlag
HUNGARY: Corvina
LITHUANIA: Briedis
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio

Jessikka Aro

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter

Bibliography

Jessikka Aro

Download the English synopsis and sample by clicking here

2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

2 new deals for MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS!

Posted on 23.03.202230.03.2022

We are thrilled to announce that Eeva Louko’s debut thriller MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS has been sold in two auctions!

The Italian rights were acquired by Newton Compton Editori, part of the Mauri Spagnol Publishing Group, who are also the publishers of Ann Cleeves, Stuart MacBride and Elina Backman. The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Agency.

The Polish rights were sold to the publishing house Czwarta Strona, the crime imprint at Poznańskie also the publisher of Ruth Ware and Ann Cleeves in Poland. The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

“Murder on the Isle of Bliss is an intriguing opening of the series: the island setting, three girlfriends who solve the murder mystery, hidden emotions that simmer just under the surface of everyday life. The characters seem to fall deeper and deeper into the past, at the same time trying to come to terms with the present relationships. Everyone may turn out to be a suspect. A great, very atmospheric book!”
– Paulina Surniak, Rights Manager, Czwarta Strona

Previously, the German rights were to Heyne Verlag in an auction and the Estonian rights pre-empted by Hea Lugu. In Finland, the book has sold over 10,000 copies in 2 months.

Rights are still available in the US & UK, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc.

This is the thriller of the London season!

It’s gray, cold and rainy October in Helsinki, with autumn storms picking up the pace. On a beach on the Island of Lauttasaari a dead man’s body is found, starting off this Nordic Crime series by a debut author Eeva Louko.

GERMAN PRAISE:
Eeva Louko’s Island of Bliss offers a highly atmospheric setting and an elaborate web of relationships that we, as readers, need to untangle in order to discover the dark truth behind the blissful façade. I love that everything in this book is personal and I’m convinced that this series has a huge potential to fascinate German readers.
– Janina Dyballa, Editor, Heyne Verlag, Germany

FINNISH PRAISE:
This debutant has crafted a multifaceted, clever, surprising, and truly entertaining plot, which is evidence of her talent for this genre.
– Antti Majander, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS
by Eeva Louko

Father found dead by the shore. A community where everyone knows everyone. Secrets of the past. Will the answers be found before it is too late?

Unsatisfied with the police, Ronja decides to start investigating the background of her distant father. In the process she uncovers the old secrets of the community that have been kept under wraps until now, and puts her own life on the line. When everyone knows everyone, each person becomes a suspect.

Onnellisten saari
Otava, January 2022, 396pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava(orig.)

ESTONIA: Hea lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
ITALY: Newton Compton
POLAND: Czwarta Strona/Poznańskie

Eeva Louko

Eeva Louko (b. 1982) is a reporter and communications professional who loves literature, music and all things creative. Becoming an author has been Eeva’s dream since she learned how to read, and she is especially drawn to crime fiction and horror. Eeva plays the saxophone and piano and always drinks her coffee from the biggest cup possible in her garden surrounded by vines.

Murder on the Isle of Bliss (Otava, 2022) is Louko’s debut novel which was published to rave reviews. Eeva’s dream is to find readers globally and create a long-lasting crime fiction series.

Author page

Bibliography

Eeva Louko

Murder on the Isle of Bliss

2022, Crime & Suspense

Dutch rights sold for THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER!

Posted on 22.03.202229.03.2022

We are thrilled to announce that the Dutch rights to Mia Kankimäki’s THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER have now been acquired by Orlando Uitgeverij! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Orlando praised the book for being a captivating and inspiring read:

“I am thrilled that we now also will publish THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER after the success of THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT. Mia is a wonderful writer, and the story of her travel to Japan in the footsteps of Sei Shonagon, her soulmate who lived over 1000 years ago, is mesmerising! I couldn’t put it down and my only problem is that I now want to go to Japan myself as soon as possible.”
– Jacqueline Smit, Owner/Publisher, Uitgeverij Orlando, The Netherlands

This bestselling book has recently been published in Germany and Japan to glowing reviews:

In the life-changing experience of reading and writing there is no room of one’s own, only a truth of one’s own. When this truth reaches the reader, they will be moved. Kankimäki’s book is doubtless a beautiful account of one’s own truth.
– Natsuko Seto in Shukan bunshun, Japan

The expansive book cleverly portrays the modernity of Sei Shonagon as a provocateur, a “pre-columnist” and an “original blogger”. The enlightening meanderings describe the reception and the artistic and feminist legacy of this world literature classic also as a history of abridgments, slander, and misunderstandings.
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany

Download the English sample and synopsis for the book here!

THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER
by Mia Kankimäki
Otava, 2013, 380 pp.

Mia Kankimäki quits her job and embarks on an adventure. She travels to Kyoto to research Sei Shonagon, a Japanese writer and lady-in-waiting who wrote about her life in the court of Heian era Japan. Mia doesn’t speak a word of Japanese, and isn’t quite accustomed to scientific research, but her endeavor produces the most wonderful book about Japan, Sei Shonagon, and a middle-aged woman’s solo travels.

Despite her struggles and initial culture shock, Mia finds herself mesmerized by temples, cherry blossoms, kabuki theater, Zen meditation and tearooms. She reads the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon and finds a soul sister – a modern woman who loves making lists of all things charming, annoying, elegant and things that make one’s heart beat faster.

ASIOITA JOTKA SAAVAT SYDÄMEN LYÖMÄÄN NOPEAMMIN
Otava, 2013, 380 pp.

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
German edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC:Motto
ESTONIA: Varrak
JAPAN: Soshisha
GERMANY: btb Verlag/Random House
NETHERLANDS: Orlando

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 45,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 20 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

Author page Author webpage Author Instagram Author Facebook

Bibliography

Mia Kankimäki

The Women I Think About At Night

2018, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Mia Kankimäki

Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster

2013, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

World English audio rights sold for PUTIN’S TROLLS! The auction winner is Blackstone Audio!

Posted on 18.03.202228.03.2022

We are really happy to announce that the award-winning investigative reporter and winner of the US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award Jessikka Aro’s PUTIN’S TROLLS: ON THE FRONTLINES OF RUSSIA’S INFORMATION WAR AGAINST THE WORLD, was sold to Addi Wright at Blackstone Audio, for publication in June 2022, by Rhea Lyons at HG Literary on behalf of Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

”We are excited for the opportunity to publish this timely and heroic work in audio book to the English-speaking world. Putin’s Trolls by award-winning Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro is a ground breaking expose of Russia’s information warfare.”

– Addi Wright, Acquisitions Editor, Blackstone Publishing, US

Rights to PUTIN’S TROLLS have been sold now in 11 languages, and will be published in English by Ig Publishing, available in e-book on March 22, 2022 and in print in June 2022. The rights are still available in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands etc.

“Jessikka Aro has written a frightening and fascinating book, chronicling Russian information warfare in irrefutable detail. Exposing Putin’s trolls is dangerous, vital, and ultimately heroic work.”
– Anne-Marie Slaughter

“By exposing Putin’s institutionalized trolling operations Jessikka Aro has gone where no one has had the courage to go before and has done so at great peril. Ms. Aro has done the world a huge service by showing us how these tactics work so we can better defend ourselves going forward.”
– Bill Browder

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

The book has been a bestseller in Finland and internationally, and has just this week received an excellent review in the US in Kirkus Reviews:

“Timely exposé of Russia’s vast disinformation campaign from a Finnish journalist persecuted for her persistent reporting of its brazen abuses.

In this important, firsthand account of Russian malfeasance, Aro shows how she has suffered personally and professionally during her diligent quest to expose the rampant social media incursions orchestrated by Putin and his minions. Her work is especially telling in terms of Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and implementation of its online “troll factory,” which meddled significantly in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. [—] Throughout this book, Aro reveals the mechanics of Russia’s insidious nonmilitary tactics and widespread propaganda targeted at civilians—strategies used decades before in both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to gain control over the minds of citizens. [—] the author is to be commended for both her journalism and for her creation of a damning portrait of Putin and his autocratic, manipulative regime.

As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson.”
– Kirkus Reviews, 08.03.2022

PUTIN’S TROLLS
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

About the author:

Jessikka Aro (born 1980) is a Finnish journalist working for Finland’s public service broadcaster Yle. In September 2014, she began to investigate pro-Russian Internet trolls, but became a victim of their activities herself.

On December 1, 2020 Jessikka Aro received the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award, presented in partnership with the Washington Post and hosted by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Jessikka was recognized for her award-winning investigative reporting of Russian information warfare.

PUTIN’S TROLLS

Putinin trollit. Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
Full English PDF

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
HUNGARY: Corvina
LITHUANIA: Briedis
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio

Jessikka Aro

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter

Bibliography

Jessikka Aro

D ownload the full English PDFs for books 1-3 and the text for book 4 in the series here!

2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Estonian rights sold for WHAT IS A ROBOT!

Posted on 17.03.202224.03.2022

We are very excited to let you know that Estonian rights for WHAT IS A ROBOT were sold to Avita!

WHAT IS A ROBOT is a new non-fiction title by Laura Ertimo, illustrated by Aapo Ravantti, for all children interested in technology and robots all around us.
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Download the Full English pdf here!

WHAT IS A ROBOT
by Laura Ertimo, illustrated by Aapo Ravantti

Friends Ro and Bot take a look at where one might bump into robots both now and in the future in this entertaining illustrated book. What do robots and humans have in common, and how do they differ? Do robots think, can they have a crush on someone or even get mad?

Everything becomes clear in this amazing book by award-winning, bestselling children’s non-fiction author Laura Ertimo.

WHAT IS A ROBOT
Mikä on robotti?, WSOY, 2022

Reading material:
English PDF

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (Orig.)
ESTONIA: Avita

Aapo Ravantti

Aapo Ravantti (b. 1974) is a multi-talented artist from Lahti. In addition to illustrations for children’s books, he also works as a sound technician and musician. Ravantti’s educational background is in visual art and music technology.

Author page

Laura Ertimo

Laura Ertimo is a geographer and author. She has previously worked in publishing of geography-related non-fiction and maps, and now she writes full time, specializing in children’s non-fiction. A recurring theme in her work is the holistic worldview, the interaction between phenomena, people and nature.

In 2020, she received the prestigious Tietopöllö Award for her work as a Non-Fiction writer. In 2021 - her children's title WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO= was nominated for Finlandia Award and in 2022 won the Tieto-Lauri award!

The Tietopöllö award jury: Laura Ertimo knows how to sum up difficult things appropriately in the blink of an eye. Her works can provide information and joy to a wide range of readers, and they also attract people of all ages to delve deeper into the book and consider even difficult issues together. Laura Ertimo's books open paths to important and current topics.

The Tieto-Lauri award jury: Children today grow up among worldwide ecological crises. It presents a great challenge for nonfiction literature: how to tell children about the complex phenomena in an easily understandable way and give factually based hope that even the hardest crises can be solved. Ertimo and Ahokoivu have successfully taken on this challenge.

Author page

Dutch rights for LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES 3 sold!

Posted on 17.03.202223.03.2022

We are overjoyed to announce that the Dutch rights for LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES 3: STICKY THE TERRIBLE SNOWMAN by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani have been sold to De Vier Windstreken! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The wonderful younger middle-grade series written by Magdalena Hai and illustrated by Teemu Juhani has already been sold to 24 territories, but the rights are still available in United States, United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Croatia, China, etc.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES
by Magdalena Hai, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

Nina is a is a clever, 9-year-old girl who goes to work in the Little Shop of Nightmares. During the course of the trilogy, she has to solve a mystery with tickling powder, find the lost teeth of a vampire and discover the reason why suddenly it just doesn’t stop snowing. The Little Shop of Nightmares is a mystery full of fascinating and fun characters that make young readers both wonder and laugh!

#1 THE TERRIBLE TICKLING POWDER
When Nina, 9 years old, enters The Little Shop of Nightmares in hopes of getting a job, she is
greeted by an odd sight: shopkeeper Mr. Kook is rolling on the floor, unable to stop laughing.
With a little help from a ghost called Paddy, they start looking for the untickling powder to help
him, but things are certainly not made easier by Mr. Kook’s world-domination-planning pet octopus
Squishy McGoo, who is a bit too quick about getting into trouble with rollerblades on its tentacles.

#2 MYSTERY OF THE MISSING TEETH
Nina goes to buy ice cream after her first work day at The Little Shop of Nightmares.
But at the ice cream shop she discovers a vampire – without teeth! Nina decides to help
vampire Lucas to find his teeth from Mr. Kook’s shop. But for some reason all the vampire
teeth seem to have disappeared. It seems like somebody has hidden them on purpose…

#3 STICKY THE TERRIBLE SNOWMAN
Same awesome monsters. New blizzardy trouble. The Little Shop of Nightmares is
getting buried in snow! Nina and Paddy are trying to find the cause of the snowstorm,
but that’s easier said than done. A well-meaning but horribly clumsy snowman keeps
getting in their way and stopping their every effort to stop the snowing inside.

#4 THE CRYSTAL SKULL
The Little Shop of Nightmares crew finds out that a pirate sailing competition is coming to town! Competing to be the fastest pirate ship are the Ghosts, the Zombies, the Sirens and the Better Pirates – all of whom want the Crystal Skull that has been given to Mr. Kook for safekeeping at the Little Shop of Nightmares. When the Crystal Skull suddenly goes missing from the shop, little Nina and her friends start their investigation – and the suspects are a-plenty!

LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES SERIES:

#1: Kamala kutituspulveri, WSOY, 2019, 60pp
#2: Hampaat hukassa, WSOY, 2019, 60pp
#3: Hirmuinen Jumimies WSOY, 2021, 60pp
#4: Kristallikallon tapaus, WSOY, 2022, 60pp

Reading materials:
English PDFs for books 1-3, English text for book 4

Rights sold:
FINLAND:
WSOY (orig.)

BULGARIA: Emas
CATALAN: La Galera
CZECH REPUBLIC: Euromedia
DENMARK: Vild Maskine
ESTONIA: Postimees Publishing
GERMANY: Egmont Schneiderbuch
GREECE: Dioptra
HUNGARY: Cerkabella
ITALY: Terre di Mezzo
KOREA: Gilbutschool
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NETHERLANDS: De Vier Windstreken
NORWAY: Fontini
POLAND: Znak
ROMANIA: Editura Univers
RUSSIA: KompasGuide
SERBIA: Odiseja
SLOVAKIA: Ikar
SWEDEN: Hegas
TURKEY: Epsilon
WORLD SPANISH: La Galera

Magdalena Hai

Magdalena Hai is an award-winning author, lover of cross-genre fiction and all things strange. Her fiction often combines elements of sci-fi, fantasy and horror.

Her Little Shop of Nightmares series has been sold to over 20 territories around the World. Among Hai's many accolades are winning the Finnish Literary Export Prize, and being nominated for the Finlandia Prize for Children's and Youth Litetature and the Nordic Council Children & Young People's Literature Prize.

Besides being an author, Hai teaches writing and is an active member and editor in the publishing co-operative Osuuskumma.

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter Author Facebook Author Instagram

Teemu Juhani

Teemu Juhani is a Finnish illustrator, comic artist and picture book author whose illustrations have been published in picture books and children's fiction in over 20 countries. In addition to children's books Teemu has illustrated magazines and educational material. Originally from the fields and woods of North Karelia, Teemu now lives, works and eats way too many cakes in Helsinki.

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter Author Facebook Author Instagram

FUTURE SKILLS sold to Armenia! Rights sold in 5 territories!

Posted on 15.03.202222.03.2022

We are very excited to announce that the Armenian publisher Guitank has acquired the rights to FUTURE SKILLS by Perttu Pölönen! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

FUTURE SKILLS has so far been published in the United States, South Korea and Turkey, but the rights are still available in Estonia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Poland etc.

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

FUTURE SKILLS
by Perttu Pölönen
Otava, 2020, 192 pp.

FUTURE SKILLS challenges assumptions about the future and provides insightful and thought-provoking observations – there’s a lot to digest. With the world developing so fast, we should not focus on what is changing but rather find what is not going to change. What makes us different from machines, makes us happy.

FUTURE SKILLS has become an instant bestseller in Finland where its readers have reported to have changed their career paths and found meaning in their current jobs. It is a book that gives hope. Pölönen is a bright young mind whose personal experiences and stories make the book lively and engaging, and you will find yourself laughing and sobbing. When nothing is certain, everything is possible.

“Our capacity for problem solving is a vital attribute of humankind – and Perttu Pölönen has captured the very essence of what our future depends on. Future Skills is an insightful and encouraging book about what skills we as a society should cultivate in the coming years and why. Filled with inspiring personal stories and thought-provoking examples, this is a book I would make my students read. Perttu is a visionary young thinker.”
– Esther Wojcicki, educator and best-selling author of How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results

TULEVAISUUDEN LUKUJÄRJESTYS
Otava, 2020, 192 pp.

Reading materials:
English PDF

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
SOUTH KOREA: BP Publisher
TURKEY: Büyükada
WORLD ENGLISH: Start Publishing / Viva Editions
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Recorded Books

Perttu Pölönen

Author page Author webpage

Bibliography

Perttu Pölönen

Future Identities

2021, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Perttu Pölönen

Future Skills

2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

EVERYDAY SISU by Katja Pantzar published in the US today!

Posted on 15.03.202218.03.2022

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that today is the US publication day of Katja Pantzar’s EVERYDAY SISU!

EVERYDAY SISU: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life is originally published in the United States and in the English language by Penguin Random House/TarcherPerigee. The rights have also been acquired by Hojosha in Japan and Flying Bear Co., Ltd. in Thailand.
Rights in all other territories are available!

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

EVERYDAY SISU: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
by Katja Pantzar
TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House, 15^th of March 2022, 224 pp.

Sisu is a powerful mindset that makes Finland one of the happiest countries in the world, despite long winters, social isolation, and a history of challenging times.

Words that express happiness can help you improve your own. Katja Pantzar, author of The Finnish Way, says that a good sense of “sisu,” a Finnish concept that means not giving up in the face of challenges, can improve physical and mental well-being, which has the spillover effect of happiness. Practicing sisu “means using resilience-building skills such as looking for solutions when faced with setbacks and trying to break out of negative lifestyle habits and thought patterns,” Pantzar adds.

connecting with nature
strengthening community
using what you have
reframing what you can’t control
adopting a solutions mindset
finding strength in the struggle

EVERYDAY SISU
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House, March 2022, 224 pp.

Reading materials:
English PDF

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH:
TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House,
JAPAN: Hojosha
THAILAND: Flying Bear Co., Ltd.

Katja Pantzar

Author page Author webpage Author katjapanzar

Bibliography

Katja Pantzar

Everyday Sisu

2022, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Katja Pantzar

Finnish Way

2018, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

PUTIN’S TROLLS sold to Albania! Rights sold in 11 territories!

Posted on 11.03.202217.03.2022

Today, the Albanian rights for PUTIN’S TROLLS by Jessikka Aro have been acquired by Muza! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Rights to PUTIN’S TROLLS have been sold now in 11 languages, and will be published in English by Ig Publishing, available in e-book on March 22, 2022 and in print in June 2022. The rights are still available in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands etc.

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

The book has been a bestseller in Finland and internationally, and has just this week received an excellent review in the US in Kirkus Reviews:

“Timely exposé of Russia’s vast disinformation campaign from a Finnish journalist persecuted for her persistent reporting of its brazen abuses.

As Russia continues to threaten Ukraine in hybrid warfare, Aro provides an extremely valuable lesson.”
– Kirkus Reviews, 08.03.2022

PUTIN’S TROLLS
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

PUTININ TROLLIT
Tositarinoita Venäjän infosodan rintamilta
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading materials:
English PDF

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECH REPUBLIC: Denik N
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia/Stratkom
HUNGARY: Corvina
LITHUANIA: Briedis
POLAND: Sine Qua Non
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: Ig Publishing

Jessikka Aro

Author page Author webpage Author Twitter

Bibliography

Jessikka Aro

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

A new deal for A WONDERFUL LIFE! Rights sold in 29 territories!

Posted on 10.03.202217.03.2022

We are very happy to announce the 29^th translation deal for Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE – the new lucky publisher is BIBLIO in Thailand! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The best-selling non-fiction title is still available in Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Iceland, Slovakia, China, Slovenia etc.

Frank Martela’s A Wonderful Life is a book that tries to define the meaning of life everyone should read. Especially the one who’s been searching for the meaning of life for a long time and still hasn’t found it. The thing is you may be looking at the wrong place all along. Read this book and you may find that you won’t have to look for it elsewhere. It’s in your own life and it’s in this provocative little book. It’s a pleasure to have an opportunity to bring this gem to Thai readers.
-Weerawat Techakijjathorn, Editorial and Rights Director, Biblio Co., Ltd. Thailand

A WONDERFUL LIFE: Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence
by Frank Martela
Harper Design, March 2020, 200 pp.Meaning in Life Explained. Why Happiness is Not Enough for a Life Worth LivingIs happiness a worthy goal? What is the foundation for meaning in a secular society? Is life an existential void?Frank Martela answers these questions and more in a relaxed, conversational tone and with a wry sense of humor, placing some of life’s greatest philosophical concerns and quandaries into a modern-day context. Martela quickly and concisely gets to the heart of the matter – your place in the world and how to find meaning in life – yet the emphasis here is on what we do with the life we have and how we can make it more meaningful.

The search for life’s meaning is perhaps the most important quest we can undertake. And for any quest, it’s essential to have a guide. Philosophically probing yet eminently readable, A Wonderful Life is a book you can refer to again and again on your journey toward purpose.

A WONDERFUL LIFE
Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence
Harper Design, March 2020, 200pp.

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:

WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)
ALBANIA: Botime Koliqi
ARABIC: Sefsafa
BULGARIA: Prozoretz
CROATIA: Planetopija
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FINLAND: Gummerus
FRANCE: Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY: Blessing Verlag
GREECE: Klidarithmos
HUNGARY: Corvina
INDONESIA: Gramedia
ITALY: Edizioni Lindau
JAPAN: HarperCollins Japan
KOREA: Across Publishing
LATIN AMERICA: Ediciones Urano
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
NETHERLANDS: Ambo Anthos
NORWAY: Gursli Berg Forlag
POLAND: Czarna Owca
PORTUGAL: Editora 2020
ROMANIA: Editura Humanitas
RUSSIA: Bombora
SERBIA: Odiseja
SPAIN: Ediciones Urano (World Spanish)
TAIWAN: Crown
THAILAND: Biblio
TURKEY: Orman Kitap

Frank Martela

Frank Martela, PhD, is a philosopher and researcher of psychology specializing in the question of meaning in life. His articles have appeared in Scientific American Mind, Harvard Business Review and Salon and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Journal of Personality, Journal of Positive Psychology, Journal of Happiness Studies, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, Review of General Psychology, and Organization Studies. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on four continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, and Monocle Observer among others. He is based at Aalto University in Helsinki.

Outside of work, Frank is a father to three lovely children (currently 10, 7, and 5 years old), an amateur-level soccer player, with an occasional skiing trip in the winters. He is made in Green Bay, so Packers holds a special place in his heart.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Twitter

Bibliography

Frank Martela

A Wonderful Life

2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Estonian rights pre-empted for MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS!

Posted on 07.03.202215.03.2022

We are overjoyed to announce that the Estonian rights for debut author Eeva Louko’s thriller MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS have been pre-empted by Hea Lugu!

German rights were previously sold to Heyne Verlag in an auction. Both deals were closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

This is the thriller of the London season!

Hea Lugu is the Estonian publisher to Stephen King, Emelie Schepp, Khaled Hosseini, Bill Bryson, Liane Moriarty, Ray Bradbury, Martta Kaukonen etc.

ESTONIAN PRAISE:
In Eeva Louko’s debut thriller, the murder investigation is closely connected with people’s emotions and daily life and from page one, the life of the victim’s relatives and investigators starts developing before your eyes. Different fates and secrets will engage and make one sink deeper in the book. Characters that seem cruel, may turn out to be kind and vice versa. Opening this book is like entering a dark room – who is there and what does it want?
– Einar Ellermaa, editor, Hea Lugu publishing, Estonia

It’s gray, cold and rainy October in Helsinki, with autumn storms picking up the pace.
On a beach on the Island of Lauttasaari a dead man’s body is found, which starts off this Nordic Crime series by a debut author Eeva Louko.

Download the English synopsis and sample by clicking here

MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS
by Eeva Louko

Father found dead by the shore. A community where everyone knows everyone. Secrets of the past. Will the answers be found before it is too late?

Onnellisten saari
Otava, January 2022, 396pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava(orig.)

ESTONIA: Hea lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag

Eeva Louko

Murder on the Isle of Bliss (Otava, 2022) is Louko’s debut novel which was published to rave reviews. Eeva’s dream is to find readers globally and create a long-lasting crime fiction series.

Author page

Bibliography

Eeva Louko

Murder on the Isle of Bliss

2022, Crime & Suspense

Ullstein pre-empts German rights to both MY ONLY HOME and the upcoming novel by Hanna Brotherus!

Posted on 04.03.202215.03.2022

We are extremely happy to share some wonderful news today: MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus has now been pre-empted by Ullstein -one of the most prestigious publishing houses in Germany!

Ullstein also pre-empted the upcoming Hanna Brotherus novel FOR MY LIFE, that will be published in Finland in September 2022 by WSOY. The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Ullstein couldn’t praise Hanna Brotherus more:

MY ONLY HOME is a breathtaking, infectious book. Not only is it written with rare personal urgency, we believe it will be read and experienced by its readers in a highly personal way – by everyone who has children, everyone who has siblings, a partner, a mother. It is alive with honesty, animated by the quest for truth, and driven by a deep yearning for peace. We are happy and proud to welcome Hanna Brotherus at Ullstein and introduce her incredible voice to German-language readers.
– Karsten Kredel, Publisher and CEO, Ullstein Verlag, Germany

Download the full Finnish ms for MY ONLY HOME by clicking here.

With her debut novel MY ONLY HOME, a dancer and choreographer Hanna Brotherus has also redeemed her place as a writer.

Her book was the #1 Finnish fiction bestseller in 2021 with more than 66.000 copies sold and MY ONLY HOME is also on the top lists of most listened audiobooks on both Storytel and BookBeat in 2021.

My passion is to join together different people from different backgrounds and age groups. I believe in intuition, in the power of the touch and presence.
-Hanna Brotherus.

MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus

When her children leave home, a woman takes a deep dive into her past.
She wants to understand all the lives she has lived. She wants to examine whose have been the eyes she has seen herself through, who have been the ones she has yearned to walk beside her, and to understand what she still has ahead of her.

And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible.

ESTONIAN PRAISE:

MY ONLY HOME is a story about life itself. A dancer writing about her own life, her identity and troubles. The Finnish origin and Finnishness of the book doesn’t mean it wouldn’t touch the soul of readers in Estonia. Because in the end, regardless of our nationality, all of us will only have ourselves – our only home.
– Piret Saluri, translator, Estonia

My Only Home has already sold more than 66.000 copies and it has been reprinted six times. The reader feedback emphasizes just how moving the striking honesty in the book is and how well one can identify with it. The book moves you, touches you, cleanses you and makes a profound impact on you.

Hanna Brotherus’ debut novel plumbs through a woman’s different life stages without too much embellishment and in a relatable way.

My Only Home is a fearless auto-fictive novel about the frenzy for life and the acceptance of incompleteness.

When her children leave their home, the woman wants to take a deep dive into the past. She wants to understand all the lives she has lived. She wants to examine whose have been the eyes she has seen herself through, who have been the ones she has yearned to walk beside her, and to understand what she still has ahead of her. And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible.

An uncompromising journey into the truth behind the memories begins. The gates are wide open when the woman realizes that she is the most important person in her life. Her body is her only home.

FOR MY LIFE by Hanna Brotherus

For My Life is a story about the aging of a woman. The novel contemplates the essence of independence and one’s own body, the connections one creates with family and friends, and the transience of life.
Her life as an artist and the mother of four children has kept a woman in motion incessantly. She’s found the meaning in the needs and hopes of others. Once her children leave their childhood home, she needs to find purpose for her days once again. Freedom is difficult to grasp, the future is hard to see.

When the old family summer villa is sold, it’s time to dispose of things. The important memories. The clear autumn air sees the woman set out on her own for the villa where no one is waiting for her – no one except the inevitable change. She goes through her life and amidst the silence she finds a path to follow.
For My Life is as brave and honest as the debut novel My Only Home, which gained immense popularity within an exceptionally large readership.

MY ONLY HOME
Ainoa kotini, WSOY, March, 2021 331 pp.

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Ullstein (2-book deal)

READING MATERIAL:
English sample and synopsis

FOR MY LIFE
Henkeni edestä, WSOY, Septmeber, 2022

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
GERMANY: Ullstein (2-book deal)

Hanna Brotherus

Dancer, director and choreographer Hanna Brotherus is constantly addressing and probing the prevalent questions of society. Brotherus is a pioneer in community stage art, with an extraordinary ability to unite different groups of people and collaborators.

In her work, Brotherus has managed to unreservedly involve both cutting-edge artistic professionals, recovering addicts, daycare children, the elderly and many more.

With her debut novel ’My Only Home’, Hanna Brotherus has also redeemed her place as writer. Her book has become a major bestseller and presently Hanna is working on a new title.
Hanna’s exceptional experience as a performing dance artist also contributes creatively to her writing by offering a corporeal perspective that touches the readers in a unique way.

”My passion is to join together different people from different backgrounds and age groups. I believe in intuition, in the power of the touch and presence”.

Author page Author webpage Author facebook

Bibliography

Hanna Brotherus

My Only Home

2021, Literary Fiction

PRINCESS RASCAL series sold to Czech Republic!

Posted on 02.03.202211.03.2022

We are happy to announce that the first two titles in the PRINCESS RASCAL SERIES by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman, have now been pre-empted in the Czech Republic by Albatros Media!

CZECH PRAISE:
A lovely, cute heroin and her true and funny stories caught my heart, not only as an editor, but especially as a mom. I´m sure all families will definitely love Princess Rascal and her pure baby heart.
– Zuzana Neubauerová, Albatros Media, Czech Republic

The series has publishers in 5 languages and is still available in France, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, Germany, United States, UK, Japan, China, Taiwan etc.

Download the Full English pdfs for all 3 titles in the series here!

PRINCESS RASCAL (BOOK 1)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi 2017, 42 pp.

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE POTTY WORDS (BOOK 2)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi 2019, 42 pp.

PRINCESS RASCAL AND THE QUARREL SPELL (BOOK 3)
by Elina Hirvonen, illustrated by Mervi Lindman
Tammi 2021, 44 pp.

Which spell is the best when it seems that the parents do not have enough time for themselves? Resourceful Princess Rascal has a solution to every problem!

“You have to go in there to kiss. Then you will love again. And never quarrel again.”

PRINCESS RASCAL SERIES
Tammi 2017-2021.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media (1-2)
DENMARK: Gads Forlag (1-3)
ESTONIA: Elust enesest (1-3)
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto/ Publishing House Nothing Serious (1)

READING MATERIALS:

Full English PDFs

Elina Hirvonen

She has received Kalevi Jäntti Prize, and Nuori Aleksis Prize and has been nominated for Finlandia Prize and Debut Prize.

Author page

Mervi Lindman

Author page

WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO sold to Hungary!

Posted on 02.03.202210.03.2022

We are very excited to let you know that the WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO written by Laura Ertimo and illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu has now been acquired in Hungary by the publisher Tessloff Babilon!
Rights have now been sold to Germany, Hungary and Estonia!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

In WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO, two children, Lotta and Kasper, find clues about the great changes that life has undergone in the past and how life has continued after major catastrophes.

Through their journey, they come to see the roots of the current situation, understand why solving it is so tricky and learn how the human species has overcome previous crises to survive to this day.

Download the English sample and Finnish pdf for the book here

This amazing title won the Tieto-Lauri award for the Best Children’s Non-Fiction title of 2021!
Here’s what the award jury said:

Children today grow up among worldwide ecological crises. It presents a great challenge for nonfiction literature: how to tell children about the complex phenomena in an easily understandable way and give factually based hope that even the hardest crises can be solved. Ertimo and Ahokoivu have successfully taken on this challenge.

WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO: Traveling Through Time With Lotta and Kasper
by Laura Ertimo, illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu
Lotta and Kasper keep seeing new worrisome news: dying bees, endangered animals, plastic in the Mariana Trench and on the glaciers of Antarctica, rivers polluted by mines, forest fires…

The children realize that even if the problems of climate change were solved, Mother Nature would still be in trouble! Climate change is only one part of an escalating environmental crisis. How will we survive?

The fossil gremlin suggests that Lotta and Kasper set out on a grand journey through time in search of threads that may connect the past to the present and provide solutions for the future.

With the gremlin as their guide, the children find clues about the great changes that life has undergone in the past and how life has continued after major catastrophes. Through their journey, they come to see the roots of the current situation, understand why solving it is so tricky and learn how the human species has overcome previous crises to survive to this day.

WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO?
Aika matka! Lotta, Kasper ja luontokadon arvoitus
Into, 2021, 48 pp.

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Into (orig.)

ESTONIA: Avita
GERMANY: Cross Cult
HUNGARY: Tessloff Babilon

Laura Ertimo

Author page

Mari Ahokoivu

Author page

Miika Nousiainen’s ROOTS now sold to Poland!

Posted on 01.03.202207.03.2022

We are really happy to announce, that ROOTS by Miika Nousiainen has now been acquired by Książkowe Klimaty in Poland!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

POLISH PRAISE:

„Roots” by Mika Nousiainen is touching, wise and entertaining at the same time. Reading it was, for me, a delightful mixture of laughter, amazement and melancholy, all in just right proportions. This is the story of searching for the truth about ourselves, of courage to face the unknown — and of a family that was reunited for the first time. This beautiful story made me reflect back on my life and my family history — and made me think about so many stories yet to be found, so many bad myths to be put right. I am thrilled that we will have it in Polish!
– Sebastian Musielak, translator, Poland

Roots has already been sold to 8 countries, but is still available in Denmark, Norway, Greece, Romania, Latvia, Korea, UK, US, Albania, Turkey etc

Download the English sample and synopsis for ROOTS here

ROOTS
Juurihoito
Otava, 2016, 250pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

CZECH REPUBLIC: XYZ
ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
GERMANY: Nagel & Kimche
HUNGARY: Kossuth
ITALY: Iperborea
NETHERLANDS: Prometheus
POLAND: Książkowe Klimaty
SWEDEN: Brombergs

Miika Nousiainen

Miika Nousiainen writes sharp, gentle and often tragicomical novels about surprising themes like long-distance running, the desire to be Swedish, and dentistry. He works as a journalist and writes also for television.

Author page

Bibliography

Miika Nousiainen

Facelift

2020, Commercial/Upmarket, Humor

Miika Nousiainen

Roots

2016, Humor

Miika Nousiainen

Raspberry Boat Refugee

2007, Humor

Albanian rights sold for BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3) – now 10 countries for this best-seller!

Posted on 01.03.202204.03.2022

We are extremely happy to let you know that New York Times Best-selling Author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Albanian publisher Muza! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The book was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge best-seller in Finland with more than 34 000 copies sold in all formats!

This is the 10th territory for the novel, with the rights having been previously acquired in the US, UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Norway and the Arabic countries.

The rights for Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood, but rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here

BAD BLOOD starts when a prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

BAD BLOOD
Kauna
Tammi, September 2021, 390pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishing
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley/Penguin Random House

Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Max Seeck is currently working on the fourth book of the Jessica Niemi series, which is to be published in Finland in fall 2022.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Max Seeck

2022, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2021, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2020, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2019, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

2018, Crime & Suspense

Max Seeck

Download the English pdfs for the whole trilogy here

2016, Crime & Suspense

Mondadori to relaunch SNOW WHITE TRILOGY in Italy!

Posted on 25.02.202202.03.2022

We are really glad to let you know that the Italian rights to Salla Simukka’s bestselling SNOW WHITE TRILOGY have been renewed by Mondadori and relaunch of the series will happen in Italy! As a major international TV show is in the works in Hollywood this is the perfect time to start planning the relaunch of the Snow White series. The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

“We are very proud to be the Italian publisher of Salla Simukka’s “Snow White Trilogy”. Being part of this big family is an honor.
We are pretty sure that the tv show will give Salla’s trilogy a new life and make her novels reach a new generation of readers who will fall for Lumikki and her story.
Actually, as all her readers, we cannot wait to see how the atmospheres and the characters of Salla’s novels have been translated into images and sounds. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long…”
– Simona Casonato, Young Adult Editor, Mondadori Italy

In January, Icelandic e-book and audio rights to SNOW WHITE TRILOGY were sold to StorySide.

“The Snow White Trilogy is an amazing YA series and I’m happy to be able to finally present the whole series for Icelandic readers. The books are extremely well written, total page-turners, and the main character is as cool as ice.”
– Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir, publishing coordinator, StorySide Iceland

Salla Simukka is # 1 Finland’s internationally translated author with her SNOW WHITE TRILOGY, sold to 52 countries and has a major international TV show in the works in Hollywood.

See Salla Simukka’s story of becoming a writer in the clip below.

Salla Simukka: “Books can be someone you can talk to when growing up”

SNOW WHITE TRILOGY
by Salla Simukka#1 As Red as Blood
(Tammi, 2013)It’s the coldest winter in decades: the streets of Tampere are frozen and white with snow. And nothing is as red against white snow as blood…
17-year-old Lumikki Andersson goes to a high school of performing arts. She has made it a rule to stay out of things that do not involve her. However, the rule is put to the test on leap day when she finds washed five hundred euro notes hung to dry in her school’s darkroom. Soon Lumikki finds herself caught in a tangled web of international drug trafficking.#2 As White as Snow
(Tammi, 2013)

Lumikki Andersson is backpacking in Prague, where the weather is scorching hot. A girl approaches her in a small café and claims to be her stepsister. Lumikki’s parents seem to be hiding a secret concerning the family’s past, so the girl’s claim rouses Lumikki’s interest. Despite her erratic behaviour, the girl manages to persuade Lumikki to join a religious community. But the religion of the cult is not pure; and innocence is not as white as snow…

#3 As Black as Ebony
(Tammi, 2014)

Lumikki Andersson is set to play the leading role in a modern-day version of Snow White at her high school. As opening night approaches, Lumikki starts receiving notes from a secret admirer whose infatuation soon turns out to be a dangerous obsession. The admirer threatens to turn the premiere into a bloodbath unless Lumikki consents to his demands. Time is running out, the opening night is just around the corner and Lumikki has to find a way to outwit the stalker with a soul as black as ebony.

Snow White Trilogy
by Salla Simukka

Rights sold:
FINLAND, Tammi (Orig,)

ALBANIA, Botime B-Books
ARAB WORLD, Arab Scientific
ARGENTINA, Nuevo Extremo
AZERBAIJAN, Qanun
BELGIUM, Clavis
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, BTC Sahinpasic
BRAZIL, Novo Conceito
BULGARIA, Egmont
CANADA (French), Hachette Livre
CATALAN, La Galera
CHINA, Modern Press
CROATIA, Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC, Egmont
DENMARK, Gyldendal
ESTONIA, Pegasus
FAROE ISLANDS, Bókadeildin
FRANCE, Hachette Livre
GEORGIA, Bakur Sulakauri
GERMANY, Arena
GREECE, Metaixmio
HUNGARY, Athenaeum
ICELAND, Forlagid
ICELAND (e-book & audio): StorySide
INDONESIA, Gramedia/Bhuana Ilmu Populer
ISRAEL, Yedioth
ITALY, Mondadori
JAPAN, Nishimura
KOREA, Gimm Young
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA, Alma Littera
MACEDONIA, Bata Press
MALAYSIA, Buku Fixi
MONTENEGRO, BTC Sahinpasic
NETHERLANDS, Clavis
NORWAY, Gyldendal
POLAND, Foksal/WAB
PORTUGAL, Presença
ROMANIA, Trei
RUSSIA, Eksmo
SERBIA, Vulkan
SLOVAKIA, Verbarium
SLOVENIA, Mladinska
SPAIN, La Galera
SWEDEN, Rabén & Sjögren
TAIWAN, Emily Publishing
THAILAND, Nanmee Books
TURKEY, Altin Kitaplar
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH, Hot Key Books
UNITED STATES & CANADA, Penguin Random House/Crown
VIETNAM, Alpha Books

TV & Film Rights: Zero Gravity Management

Salla Simukka

Author page Author Facebook

Bibliography

Salla Simukka

In the Dark I Can Be Yours

2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Detained

2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Turn off the Lights! Turn on the Lights!

2018, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Sisterland

2016, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Salla Simukka

As Black as Ebony

2014, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

As Red as Blood

2013, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

As White as Snow

2013, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Elsewhere

2012, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Salla Simukka

Without a trace

2012, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

German rights for THE BOOK OF OBOI sold to Cross Cult!

Posted on 22.02.202228.02.2022

We are really glad to let you know that the German rights to Veera Salmi’s THE BOOK OF OBOI have now been sold!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The new publisher is Cross Cult and they are really happy:

„The Book of Oboi” is a suspenseful adventure for middle-grade readers. This book is a great way to get children interested in literacy and the written language in general and to show them, that books are not only letters or words – there are fantastic thoughts and whole worlds in them.
– Andreas Mergenthaler, Cross Cult, Germany

Download the English sample and synopsis here

THE BOOK OF OBOI
by Veera Salmi

In the city where nobody reads – can a book save the World? What about an orphaned boy who doesn’t believe in stories?

A spectacular novel about a world where literacy has been decimated and a boy who does not believe in stories. Thirteen-year-old Oboi has run away to find his former homestead. He ends up in a peculiar and disaster-stricken city where no one knows how to read. People are led by the mysterious Wanda, who, via devices hooked up to one’s palm, says what everyone should know or do. At a flea market, Oboi meets a woman who gives him a book. According to her, this book can change everything and help find what Oboi thought was lost forever. Suddenly the story-averse Oboi notices he has become the hero, that orphaned boy deemed to save the whole world.

OBOIN KIRJA
Otava January 2022, 304 pp.

Age group: 10+

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
GERMANY: Cross Cult

READING MATERIALS:
English sample and synopsis

Veera Salmi

Veera Salmi (1976) is a Helsinki-based writer, who has worked over 15 years as a kindergarten teacher. The real starting point for her career as a writer was given by the children in the kindergarten, who said they wanted to hear stories of children who live in the city. So she started writing such stories. Now Veera Salmi is a bestselling author of over 20 books.

Author page

Bibliography

Veera Salmi

The Book of Oboi

2022, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Veera Salmi

A Beautiful Day to Die

2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Now 28 territories for A WONDERFUL LIFE and 25 territories for THE FINNISH WAY!

Posted on 22.02.202210.03.2022

We are very happy to announce that we just closed the 28^th translation deal for Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE – the new lucky publisher is Botime Koliqi in Albania! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The best-selling non-fiction title is still available in Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Iceland, Slovakia, China, Slovenia etc.

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

We are also very excited to announce that the Lithuanian publisher BALTO has acquired the rights for THE FINNISH WAY by Katja Pantzar! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

LITHUANIAN PRAISE:
“I am very excited to present THE FINNISH WAY to Lithuanian readers. I strongly believe that this informative and heartfelt book will be useful to everyone as it reminds us of a true and natural way of living. Let’s spread Sisu around the world!”
– Ieva Savukynaitė-Dubicka, Project Manager, BALTO, Lithuania

THE FINNISH WAY has been sold to 25 countries, but the rights are still available in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Latvia, Albania, Republic of Korea, Greece etc.

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

MORE ABOUT THE TITLES:

A WONDERFUL LIFE: Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence
by Frank Martela
Harper Design, 24^th of March 2020, 200 pp.

In this engagingly insightful book, Frank Martela – one of the only academic experts who has contributed to both the philosophical and psychological research on meaning in life – takes you on a voyage through the history, philosophy, and psychology of meaningfulness and worthy living.

The journey starts in the 19th century, where it is revealed why and how the Scottish author Thomas Carlyle came to be the first person in history who actually used the phrase »meaning of life.»

The life stories of Carlyle and Russian author Leo Tolstoy serve as representative examples of the transformation that this book aims to guide you, the reader, through. Finally, an answer is provided to the question of meaning that is compatible with latest scientific knowledge about human nature, yet still both inspiring and actionable.

THE FINNISH WAY: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu
by Katja Pantzar
Hodder & Stoughton, TarcherPerigee, 24^th of November 2018, 320 pp.

Journalist Katja Pantzar took a huge leap when she moved from North America to the remote Nordic country of Finland. What she discovered there transformed her body, mind and spirit.

In this engaging and practical guide, she shows readers how to embrace the “keep it simple and sensible” daily practices with the power of sisu that makes Finns one of the happiest populations in the world, year after year.

Topics include winter swimming, movement as medicine, forest therapy, healthy eating and the Nordic diet, and the gift of sisu – why Finns embrace a special form of courage, grit and determination as a national virtue – and how anyone can dig deeper to survive and thrive through tough times.

Katja Pantzar’s latest book EVERYDAY SISU, the practical guide to how sisu can be used and applied in various situations to improve your health and well-being, solve problems in your community, and make the world a better place, will be released in March!

Download the full English PDF by clicking here!

A WONDERFUL LIFE
Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence
HarperCollins/Harper Design March 2020

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)
ALBANIA: Botime Koliqi
ARABIC: Sefsafa
BULGARIA: Prozoretz
CROATIA: Planetopija
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FINLAND: Gummerus
FRANCE: Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY: Blessing Verlag
GREECE: Klidarithmos
HUNGARY: Corvina
INDONESIA: Gramedia
ITALY: Edizioni Lindau
JAPAN: HarperCollins Japan
KOREA: Across Publishing
LATIN AMERICA: Ediciones Urano
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
NETHERLANDS: Ambo Anthos
NORWAY: Gursli Berg Forlag
POLAND: Czarna Owca
PORTUGAL: Editora 2020
ROMANIA: Editura Humanitas
RUSSIA: Bombora
SERBIA: Odiseja
SPAIN: Ediciones Urano (World Spanish)
TAIWAN: Crown
TURKEY: Orman Kitap

THE FINNISH WAY
Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu
Hodder & Stoughton (UK), TarcherPerigee (US), November 2018

Rights sold:
UK: Hodder & Stoughton (orig.)
US: TarcherPerigee
BULGARIA: SKY PRINT 04 Ltd
CHINA: Yeeyan Publishing
CZECH REPUBLIC: Mlada Fronta
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FINLAND: Siltala Publishing
FRANCE: Belfond
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
HUNGARY: Jaffa Publishing Ltd.
INDONESIA: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
ITALY: Marsilio
JAPAN: Hojosha
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: Kosmos Uitgevers
POLAND: Jagiellonian University Press
PORTUGAL: Marcador
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SPAIN: Roca Juvenil
TAIWAN: My House
THAILAND: Openbooks Thailand
TURKEY: Mona Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Hodder & Stoughton
VIETNAM: Omega

EVERYDAY SISU
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House, March 2022

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House
JAPAN: Hojosha
THAILAND: Flying Bear Co., Ltd.

Frank Martela

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Twitter

Katja Pantzar

Author page Author webpage Author katjapanzar

German rights sold for MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS!

Posted on 22.02.202225.02.2022

We are extremely happy to announce that following an auction, the German rights for debut author Eeva Louko’s thriller MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS have been sold to Heyne Verlag!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

This is the thriller of the London season!

Heyne is the German publisher to Stieg Larsson, Stephen King, David Lagercrantz etc.

Download the English synopsis and sample by clicking here

MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS
by Eeva Louko

Father found dead by the shore. A community where everyone knows everyone. Secrets of the past. Will the answers be found before it is too late?

Onnellisten saari
Otava, January 2022, 396pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava(orig.)

GERMANY: Heyne Verlag

Eeva Louko

Murder on the Isle of Bliss (Otava, 2022) is Louko’s debut novel which was published to rave reviews. Eeva’s dream is to find readers globally and create a long-lasting crime fiction series.

Author page

Bibliography

Eeva Louko

Murder on the Isle of Bliss

2022, Crime & Suspense

Elina Backman’s STILL WATERS RUN DEEP now sold to Slovakia! Now 11 territories sold!

Posted on 17.02.202222.02.2022

We are really happy to announce that Elina Backman’s second title in the Saana Havas series – STILL WATERS RUN DEEP has been sold to the Slovak publisher Arkus!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary AgencySequel to the best-selling ALL THE KING’S MEN, STILL WATERS RUN DEEP is the second part in the Saana Havas -series, which has sold over 50 000 copies in Finland so far! The series now has publishers in 15 territories and an international TV series is in development.Rights are still available in the US, UK, Denmark, Turkey, Latvia, France, Bulgaria, Spain etc.Download the English samples and synopses for both titles here!ITALIAN PRAISE:
“[A]n unputdownable great Nordic crime novel with an intriguing plot which captivates you till the end.” – Gabriele Anniballi, Newton Compton.

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
Book #2 in Saana Havas-series

by Elina Backman

Is evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Still Waters Run Deep is an awaited sequel to the bestselling All The Kings Men!

Three young men are making a documentary film about a mystical hermit, living in the Isle of Sheep in Helsinki. First one of them disappears, then another one. When one of them is found dead in the nearby nature reserve, the police becmes involved.

Saana Havas, recovering from burnout, hears that her colleague’s younger brother has gone missing and decides to set up a true crime podcast to help with the search. Meanwhile, police commissioner Jan Leino and his team are investigating the disappearance and possible murder of the documentary makers.

When young men disappear and die, it’s ofter regarded just an accident. But could it be that someone is actually hunting for them?

ALL THE KING’S MEN
Book #1 in Saana Havas-series

by Elina Backman

Saana has been fired from her job as a click-bait journalist, so she decides to spend a summer with her aunt in a small-town Hartola. It sounds like a perfect opportunity to take it easy and recover. But when Saana begins to dig into a case of a teenage girl who died 30 years earlier, the peace of the small town is shaken.

Meanwhile in Helsinki a fire-marked body is found at Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, and crime investigator Jan Leino and his team have a new case in their hands. However, the investigation isn’t going anywhere, and Jan fears that the murder at King’s Gate a is just the beginning…

Saana and Jan continue working on their own cases until their paths cross – for more than one reason.

About the author:

Elina Backman is a media & marketing professional living in Helsinki, in an old wooden 1920 house with a family of two kids and a husband. Elina loves books (all sorts), travelling, cycling and is a host of a Book & Wine Club. She is a creative soul with a commercial mind, and her goal is to find readers globally – her dream is a Netflix series based on her novels.

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
(aka The Isle of Sheep)

by Elina Backman
Otava, 2021, 450 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
NETHERLANDS: Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken

TV: Aurora Studios

ALL THE KING’S MEN
(aka When the King Dies)

by Elina Backman
Otava, 2020, 495 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Varrak Publishers
GERMANY: Piper
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken

TV: Aurora Studios

Elina Backman

Elina Backman is an author and a media & marketing professional living in Helsinki. Elina loves books (all sorts), traveling, cycling and is a host of a Book & Wine Club. She is a creative soul with a commercial mind, and her goal is to find readers globally.

Her debut novel All the King's Men was published in 2020 and immediately gained an enormous amount of attention from the Finnish media, including a praising review by the biggest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The Havas series is now a best-selling series in Finland, with All the King's Men sold in 15 territories to-date, and an international TV series is in development.

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Elina Backman

Before the Polar Night Falls

2022, Crime & Suspense

Elina Backman

Still Waters Run Deep (a.k.a The Isle of Sheep)

2021, Crime & Suspense

Elina Backman

All the King's Men (a.k.a. When the King Dies)

2020, Crime & Suspense

Estonian rights pre-empted for Carita Harju’s Saunafulness!

Posted on 17.02.202222.02.2022

We are extremely happy to announce that Carita Harju’s SAUNAFULNESS rights are now pre-empted by Estonian publisher Rahva Raamat!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

In her new book, Carita Harju sheds light on the diverse and multifold health benefits of the sauna and how the sauna has increasingly become a source of wellbeing by reducing stress, strengthening the heart, and improving sleep quality.

Download the English sample by clicking here

The title will now be published in 4 countries but is still available in Germany, in the UK & US, Russia, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, etc.

SAUNAFULNESS
by Carita Harju

Saunafulness is all about holistic wellness, the aim of which is to help you relax. The heart of Saunafulness is the sauna and its heat therapy. Fulness, in turn, refers to a holistic approach that combines exercises and wellness to positively impact both mind and body.

It’s only natural that the beneficial effects of sauna – confirmed by many researchers – have mid-wifed a new model for sauna wellness. In her new book, Carita Harju sheds light on the diverse and multifold health benefits of the sauna and how the sauna has increasingly become a source of wellbeing by reducing stress, strengthening the heart, and improving sleep quality.

Saunafulness is divided into two parts. The first part offers the reader ample information on the health benefits of sauna, based on numerous studies, and presented in easily accessible writing. The second part provides the reader with a variety of natural wellbeing exercises that anyone can adapt to fit their own specific wishes. The exercises unite the mind, the body, one’s health, and all the different senses. Saunafulness can be practiced in any sauna with easy-access materials accompanied by clear instructions.

More info about the health effects of Sauna:

Hyvä oloa saunomalla – Saunafulness
Viisas Elämä, 2021, 272pp

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Viisas elämä (orig.)

ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
HUNGARY: Scolar Kiado
JAPAN: TOYO KEIZAI, INC.

Carita Harju

Carita Harju has always enjoyed saunas and goes to sauna with her family nearly every day. In 2010, she founded Sauna from Finland, because she felt that there was simply not enough discussion of saunas - especially from the perspective of health and wellness. The organization’s mission is to create the world’s best sauna experiences, and Harju loves her work, because it allows her to advance an idea that she is personally so passionate about.

Carita Harju is a Finnish Sauna Experience Expert and a versatile marketing professional. Her passion is to bring the knowledge on the large positive health and wellness impacts of the Finnish sauna to a wider global awareness. Carita is the Executive Director of her company Sauna from Finland that represents the network of over 200 sauna industry companies.

Author page Author saunafulness Author author_carita_harju

Bibliography

Carita Harju

Saunafulness

2021, General Nonfiction, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Estonian rights for MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus sold in an auction!

Posted on 11.02.202222.02.2022

The winner of the Estonian auction for MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus is Varrak!

We are really happy to let you know that the auction in Estonia for MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus has now ended and the winner is the largest publishing house in Estonia – Varrak!
The deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Haruki Murakami, Elena Ferrante, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Kazuo Ishiguro, Margaret Atwood, Mihhail Bulgakov are just some of Varrak’s authors.

Here’s what the Estonians said:

MY ONLY HOME is a story about life itself. A dancer writing about her own life, her identity, and troubles. The Finnish origin and Finnishness of the book doesn’t mean it wouldn’t touch the soul of readers in Estonia. Because in the end, regardless of our nationality, all of us will only have ourselves – our only home.
– Piret Saluri, translator, Estonia

Download the English synopsis and sample for MY ONLY HOME by clicking here.

With her debut novel MY ONLY HOME, a dancer and choreographer Hanna Brotherus has also redeemed her place as a writer.

Her book was the #1 Finnish fiction bestseller in 2021 with more than 60.000 copies sold and MY ONLY HOME is also on the top lists of most listened audiobooks on both Storytel and BookBeat in 2021.

Presently Hanna Brotherus is already working on a new title.

MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus

And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible.

My Only Home has already sold more than 60.000 copies and it has been reprinted six times. The reader feedback emphasizes just how moving the striking honesty in the book is and how well one can identify with it. The book moves you, touches you, cleanses you, and makes a profound impact on you.
Hanna Brotherus’ debut novel plumbs through a woman’s different life stages without too much embellishment and in a relatable way.

My Only Home is a fearless auto-fictive novel about the frenzy for life and the acceptance of incompleteness.
When her children leave their home, the woman wants to take a deep dive into the past. She wants to understand all the lives she has lived. She wants to examine whose have been eyes she has seen herself through, who have been the ones she has yearned to walk beside her, and to understand what she still has ahead of her. And she wants to begin anew anything that is possible. An uncompromising journey into the truth behind the memories begins. The gates are wide open when the woman realizes that she is the most important person in her life. Her body is her only home.

MY ONLY HOME
Ainoa kotini, WSOY, March, 2021 331 pp.

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak

READING MATERIAL:
English sample and synopsis

Hanna Brotherus

In her work, Brotherus has managed to unreservedly involve both cutting-edge artistic professionals, recovering addicts, daycare children, the elderly and many more.

”My passion is to join together different people from different backgrounds and age groups. I believe in intuition, in the power of the touch and presence”.

Author page Author webpage Author facebook

Bibliography

Hanna Brotherus

My Only Home

2021, Literary Fiction

Introducing: EALA Spring 2022 Non-Fiction Catalogue!

Posted on 08.02.202217.02.2022

The EALA Spring 2022 Rights Guide is here!

We are delighted and thrilled to launch our Spring 2022 catalogue!

Explore how humans have always sought connections with dogs and other animals, and find out how the President of Finland made his country and himself indispensable to international relations during the Cold War! Channel your negative emotions about relationships in a purifying and fun way, and learn how to tap into the Finnish mindset to improve your mental and physical well-being.

We have 18 exciting Non-Fiction titles in our Spring 2022 digital catalogue, browse the full list here.

We have picked out a few new and exciting titles – take a look!

**********

Me, My Dog and Humanity: A History of Coexistence Between Species
by Tiina Raevaara

Has humanity become so powerful through its own merits alone? Or do other species deserve a thanks as well?

The Finnish answer to Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman!

In the Autumn of 2018, biologist and award-winning author Tiina Raevaara found herself exhausted and anguished. She did, however, find comfort in the company of her dog, Igor. She started pondering the reasons for her exhaustion and, simultaneously, the evolution of the human species and its relation to other animals.

In her new book Me, My Dog and Humanity, Raevaara compellingly describes the coexistence between humans and animals, both personally and from the perspective of humankind. The domesticated dog is a much older creation of humankind than agriculture, religion or even writing. Mapping out the mutual journey between humans and dogs, Raevaara sheds light on the most fundamental essences of humanity and its relationship with nature.

Download the English sample and synopsis here

**********

The Finnish Factor: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War
by Gordon F. Sander

With the fate of his country and relations between superpowers in the balance, what is the President of Finland to do?

A gripping and lucid account of one of the lesser-known crises of the Cold War

In the fall of 1961 in Finland, the USSR and the US were squaring off for a potentially explosive confrontation over the Kremlin’s desire to maintain its sphere of influence over that country. The Note Crisis, the events leading up to it, and the three figures who were at the center of it—Urho Kekkonen, the Machiavellian president of Finland; Nikita Khrushchev, the feisty Soviet premier; and John Kennedy, the US president—comprise the climax of Gordon Sander’s groundbreaking book.

The biography, which focuses on Kekkonen’s pivotal first term as President, is based on three years of research, and includes exclusive interviews with Khrushchev’s late son Sergey, Kekkonen’s former chiefs of staff and President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.

Download the full English PDF here

**********

The Little Book of Bad Moods for Relationships
by Lotta Sonninen and Piia Aho

Channel your disappointments, resentments and negative emotions toward relationships into this helpful and trustworthy book!

The newest title in the highly successful The Little Book of Bad Moods series, sold in 30 languages!

However lovely, caring, and thoughtful your significant other might be, there are always moments when you have to muster up all of your strength to not let the other know what you really think about them. And why is it that the one closest to you always keeps saying and doing all the wrong things?

Not to worry – The Little Book of Bad Moods for
Relationships is here to the rescue!

Fill this adult activity book with your disappointments in relationships, reveal your true thoughts about your significant other (and exes!) and mark down the romantic duds. Reminisce about your worst dates, play some argument bingo and ensure that your partner’s errors are never forgotten!

Download the full English PDF here

**********

Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
by Katja Pantzar

Discover how the happiest people on earth survive – and thrive – through tough times using inner strength and courage!

The brand new book by the bestselling author of The Finnish Way, sold in 24 territories!

Sisu is a powerful mindset that makes Finland one of the happiest countries in the world, despite long winters, social isolation, and a history of challenging times. In Everyday Sisu, journalist Katja Pantzar explores the simple practices that make Finnish life so stable, sustainable, and healthy for body and mind, even when life doesn’t go as planned. You’ll discover ways to boost your mental and physical resilience to face life’s challenges head-on.

Download the full English PDF here

**********

… but that is not all!

We have 14 more exciting Non-Fiction titles in our Spring 2022 digital catalogue, browse the full list here.

Team EALA,
Elina, Toomas, Elsa, Sten-Erik and Linda

Introducing: EALA Spring 2022 Children’s & YA Catalogue!

Posted on 08.02.202211.02.2022

EALA Spring 2022 Children’s & YA Rights Guide is here!

Bologna season starts now!

Today, we cannot be happier to launch our 2022 Spring list!

Figure out how to become a researcher, notice robots among us, solve secret codes and find out, how can plants move and where have thousands of species disappeared.

Celebrate a birthday with Little Mouse, build robots with Kati-e, see the pirate ships hit the shores near Little Shop of Nghtmares, meet the Super Embarassed Superhero and discover with Oboi the land where nobody reads.
To read a captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity, go to water-covered future Japan with Aleksei and Satomi.

If you need a break go to an island with Anni – but beware – a treasure hunt is about to begin!
If you are looking for ghost stories, move into a mysterious manor with Agnes and see the shadow in the mirror. Or go to Lapland to an orphanage, where children’s emotions are robbed by Demons.

We have over 10 exciting new Children’s and YA titles for you in our Spring 2022 digital catalogue, browse the full list here.

THE BOOK OF OBOI
by Veera Salmi

In the city where nobody reads – can a book save the World? What about an orphaned boy who doesn’t believe in stories?

BENJAMIN BATEMAN – SUPER EMBARRASSED SUPERHERO
by Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Pasi PitkänenWhat if your superhero costume looked like a butterfly and your only superpowers would be having a good heart and an imagination?Welcome to the embarrassing life of Benjamin Bateman!The wholly hilarious and thrilling adventures of a super embarrassing superhero for middle-graders!Benjamin Bateman is stunned when he finds out that he is part of a family of superheroes. Who would’ve believed that about poor Benjamin?
Benjamin’s superhero costume is quite embarrassing though – a butterfly. And his superpower is even more mortifying – a good heart and imagination! But when Benjamin must battle the terrifying Mortem, a deep imagination will come in handy.
The story is enriched by the colorful illustrations of Pasi Pitkänen. A movie is being planned based on the title.Download the materials here

WHAT IS A ROBOT
by Laura Ertimo, illustrated by Aapo Ravantti

Robots are all around us and we don’t even notice

Laura Ertimo’s Children’s non-fiction titles have sold to 18 countries
Pre-publication rights already sold to Estonia!

Everything becomes clear in this amazing book by award-winning, bestselling children’s non-fiction author Laura Ertimo.

Download the reading materials here

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN by Anne-Maija Aalto

Aleksei is a young man whose father runs a human research institute in Tokyo, which is now partly covered by the sea. New batches of test subjects regularly arrive at the facility, including one with Satomi, a young woman whose memory is set to be erased. Satomi becomes Aleksei’s trial case, since he is meant to continue his father’s work. But something is already churning beneath the surface, and the younger generation can see the horrors of the system their parents have created.

Anne-Maija Aalto’s Finlandia Award-winning Where the Light Comes In is a tremendously skillful, captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity.

Download the English sample for this Finlandia-winner here!

… but that is not all!

We have 6 more exciting new Children’s and YA titles for you in our Spring 2022 digital catalogue, browse the full list here.

It would be so nice to talk about these and other titles with you!

Book an EALA Zoom meeting for the Spring season via e-mail: info@ahlbackagency.com

See you soon!

Team EALA,
Elina, Toomas, Elsa, Sten-Erik and Linda

Introducing: EALA Spring 2022 Fiction Catalogue!

Posted on 08.02.202209.02.2022

The EALA Spring 2022 Rights Guide is here!

Our titles represent the best in literary fiction and in crime fiction with awarded authors, in addition to extremely strong historical and humour titles!

Browse the catalogue here.

We have picked out a few new exciting titles – take a look!

MURDER ON THE ISLE OF BLISS by Eeva Louko
A crime-solving journalist investigates her father’s murder and the secrets of the tight community

This opening of a new cozy crime series is a perfect combination of surprising twists and messy relationships!

After living abroad for many years, thirty-something Ronja returns to her childhood home in Lauttasaari, Helsinki after her father is found murdered by the seaside. Welcoming her back are a group of old friends whom it’s both comforting and painful to see again, and the young police officer assigned to the case who does not seem to be doing his work properly. Using the skills she’s learned from working as a journalist, Ronja starts investigating the background of her distant father, uncovering the old secrets of the community that have been kept under wraps until now. When everyone knows everyone, each person becomes a suspect.

PRAISE:
“This debutant has crafted a multifaceted, clever, surprising and truly entertaining plot, which is evidence of her talent for this specific genre.” – Antti Majander in Helsingin Sanomat

LILI FLAME INVESTIGATES #1: MURDER AT THE MANSION by Laura Andersson
The beginning of this feel-good crime series charms with its wit!

A strong female lead, societal bling, and mysteries! Everything good in one book!

Post-war Helsinki is full of people looking to build a new life, and Lili Flame, who spent the war years in the US as a housemaid, is among them. However, the housekeeping gets swept aside when Lili breaks away from the traditional womanly roles of her time and begins a career as a private eye solving crimes which are too sensitive for the police.

Lili gets help from her husband, a gay man who’s becoming a companion like no other – even if the true nature of their marriage has to be kept a secret. The first case leads her to the party of a rich corporate family. The glamor and glitz of this segment of society is blinding, until the investigation takes a tragic turn and Lili realizes she has a much bigger mystery on her hands than she thought.

Inspired by Agatha Christie and the screwball comedies of the 30s, Lili will delight anyone looking for a good mystery, humor, and a little escapism!

For more Crime Fiction titles in our new catalogue: click here

THE SILK SISTERS #1: CHARLOTTA by Sara Medberg
Glamor, the courtly life, beautiful dresses, and passion!

A new series about the Grand Duchy of Finland in the spirit of Jane Austen.

Strict class hierarchy and fabulous silk ruffles rule in the 19th century Åbo, where seamstress Charlotta Silke is looking for her own Mr. Darcy. When Baron Ridderlöw of Starfire Manor hires Charlotta as a lady’s maid for her sister, both their lives change for good. Charlotta gets her hands on Jane Austen’s newly published Pride and Prejudice, which alters the way she sees her role as a woman. But the book’s ideas of modern love, marriage and early feminism are put to the test as the bitter war-torn Baron Ridderlöw becomes romantically interested in Charlotta. Can an ordinary lady’s maid have it all – a meaningful life and the man of her dreams?

ANNA OF HAGA MANOR by Riikka-Maria Rosenberg
Life and love of the nobility in 18th century Finland!

Opening chapter of a new series about historical women

Anna of Haga Manor is an enchantingly sensuous historical novel that transports the reader to 18th century Finland, still part of Sweden then, and into the middle of a certain love story.

Anna Magdalena Lilliebrunn, a noblewoman nearing her forties, has a stain on her reputation and the role of an old maid looms in her future. Everything is set to change, however, as the notoriously hot-tempered officer Karl Gustaf Uggla from the neighboring Haga Manor is chosen to be Anna’s husband.

At the Manor, Anna is met by a frigid atmosphere. The reserved relatives and her husband’s lover make sureshe will neither feel at home nor become lady of the house. Will the tough and self-willed Anna be capable of living in the manner that she believes in?

Anna of Haga Manor is the masterful opening chapter of a new historical novel series, The Ladies of Haga Manor. Based on thorough research on the lives and fates of real women who lived at the real Haga manor, the ambience of the past is expertly captured and the reader will want to savour every word.

For more Historical Fiction titles in our new catalogue: click here

THE GREEN CHAMBER by Sirpa Kähkönen
A heartfelt story of memories, youth, and searching for the people you’ve lost

A Savonia Prize winner!

A touching story set in the winter of 1964 in Kuopio, eastern lake area of Finland. Three teenagers try to navigate life shadowed by the pain inflicted by their parents, who cannot handle life after the trauma of WWII.

Leo, Irene and Jaakko have been friends since childhood, but dropping out of school, going to army, and falling in love have changed the dynamics between the three. A December day lights the spark which sees their lives changed.

Close to the teens and still far away, separated by the years lived and things seen, are the old couple Linnea and Santeri. Having lived through the Revolutions in Russia and both world wars, the couple has found refuge in tending to their flower shop, where Irene also works. Santeri, however, searches for something he lost decades ago in St. Petersburg, and sets out to try and find it once more.

MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus
The only way to regain control of your body, soul, and life is to be completely and brutally honest

No. 1 bestselling Finnish fiction title of 2021 with more than 60,000 copies sold in Finland!

An uncompromising journey into the truth behind memories begins. All of the old wounds and traumas, some spanning generations, are ripped open and exposed with uncompromising honesty, revealing a life punctured by sorrow, illness, pressures, and death. The gates are wide open when the woman realizes she is the most important person in her life. Her body is her only home.

This heart-rending debut novel by the dancer, director, and choreographer, Hanna Brotherus, moves through a woman’s different life stages without excessive embellishment and in a relatable way. MY ONLY HOME is a fearless autofictive novel about the frenzy for life and the acceptance of incompleteness. Reader feedback emphasizes the moving and striking honesty in the book and how well one can identify with it. The book moves, touches, cleanses and has a profound impact.

PRAISE:

“MY ONLY HOME is a book of crises. It is a confessional novel, and an exceptionally well-written one. [—] Brotherus’ text is as light as that of someone who is jotting down their thoughts in a journal. In fact, MY ONLY HOME is a journal, the journal of Life. It does not embellish. It laughs, grieves, and eventually nurtures its writer.” – Anne Välinoro, Kulttuuritoimitus magazine

For more Literary Fiction titles in our new catalogue: click here

We are so excited for this season!

Team EALA,
Elina, Toomas, Elsa, Sten-Erik and Linda

Italian deal for STILL WATERS RUN DEEP!

Posted on 08.02.202208.02.2022

We are so happy to let you know that STILL WATERS RUN DEEP has been sold to the Italian publisher Newton Compton Editori! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Sequel to the best-selling ALL THE KING’S MEN, STILL WATERS RUN DEEP is the second part in the Saana Havas -series, which has sold over 50 000 copies in Finland so far! The series now has publishers in 15 territories and an international TV series is in development.

Rights are still available in the US, UK, Denmark, Turkey, Latvia, France, Bulgaria, Spain etc.

Download the English samples and synopses for both titles here!

ITALIAN PRAISE:
“[A]n unputdownable great Nordic crime novel with an intriguing plot which captivates you till the end.” – Gabriele Anniballi, Newton Compton.

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
Book #2 in Saana Havas-seriesby Elina BackmanIs evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Still Waters Run Deep is an awaited sequel to the bestselling All The Kings Men!

When young men disappear and die, it’s ofter regarded just an accident. But could it be that someone is actually hunting for them?

ALL THE KING’S MEN
Book #1 in Saana Havas-series

by Elina Backman

Saana and Jan continue working on their own cases until their paths cross – for more than one reason.

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
(aka The Isle of Sheep)
by Elina Backman
Otava, 2021, 450 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
NETHERLANDS: Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken

TV: Aurora Studios

All the King’s Men
(aka When the King Dies)
by Elina Backman
Otava, 2020, 495 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

TV: Aurora Studios

Elina Backman

Author page Author webpage Author Facebook Author Instagram

Bibliography

Elina Backman

Before the Polar Night Falls

2022, Crime & Suspense

Elina Backman

Still Waters Run Deep (a.k.a The Isle of Sheep)

2021, Crime & Suspense

Elina Backman

All the King's Men (a.k.a. When the King Dies)

2020, Crime & Suspense

We are really happy to represent the bestselling Finnish authors and titles of 2021!

Posted on 04.02.202208.02.2022

We are really happy to represent the bestselling Finnish titles of 2021!

We are really happy to announce that our authors have written the bestselling Finnish Fiction title of 2021: MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus, selling over 61 000 copies last year (in all formats), and also the bestselling Finnish Non-Fiction title: Us & US: Surviving Hollywood with Comedy by Ismo and Angelika Leikola that sold closer to 62 000 copies!

Excellent sales also for bestselling author Miika Nousiainen and his novel FACELIFT, published in 2020, that sold 55 000 copies in 2021.

And amazingly – the New York Times Bestselling Author: Max Seeck sold 108 000 books in all formats in Finland and Leena Lehtolainen 156 000, both being one of the bestselling Finnish authors in 2021.

Congratulations to everyone!

MY ONLY HOME by Hanna Brotherus
Literary Fiction

The only way to regain control of your body, soul, and life is to be completely and brutally honest

When her children leave their home, a woman wants to take a deep dive into the past. She wants to understand all the lives she has lived, to examine whose eyes she has seen herself through, to understand what she still has ahead of her. And she wants to have a fresh start in everything possible.An uncompromising journey into the truth behind memories begins. All of the old wounds and traumas, some spanning generations, are ripped open and exposed with uncompromising honesty, revealing a life punctured by sorrow, illness, pressures, and death. The gates are wide open when the woman realizes she is the most important person in her life. Her body is her only home.This heart-rending debut novel by the dancer, director, and choreographer, Hanna Brotherus, moves through a woman’s different life stages without excessive embellishment and in a relatable way. MY ONLY HOME is a fearless autofictive novel about the frenzy for life and the acceptance of incompleteness. Reader feedback emphasizes the moving and striking honesty in the book and how well one can identify with it. The book moves, touches, cleanses and has a profound impact.

Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

US&US: SURVIVING HOLLYWOOD WITH COMEDY
by Ismo Leikola and Angelika Leikola
Memories & Biographies

What is Hollywood like for a newcomer from Europe?

A Finnish comedian-writer couple arrives in Los Angeles. Is the city ready for them?

The authors share their personal story of navigating through the Hollywood comedy industry and the American way of life as a freshly arrived writer-comedian couple from a very different society. As they examine this new world and how their old one looks from afar, they end up realizing their life is like an ongoing stand-up bit. And that the line between tragedy and comedy is truly so fine it’s in many ways non-existent.US&Us: Surviving Hollywood with Comedy is the international version of Finland’s #1 bestselling nonfiction title Suo, kuokka ja Hollywood, by the same authors, which was published in Finland in March 2021 and has sold more than 62,000 copies across all formats. Full English text available!

Rights sold: FINLAND: Siltala (orig.)

FACELIFT
by Miika Nousiainen

Commercial/Upmarket, Humor

Tragicomic tale of life’s biggest questions and their surprisingly simple answers.

Sami has a dream: he desperately wants to be a father. His biological clock has been ticking for the past 15 years so loudly that sometimes it’s hard to hear his own thoughts. But it’s not so easy to become a father, first of all, you need to find a suitable future mother candidate.But when Sami’s latest future-mother-candidate rides off with a biker guy, he makes a series of bad choices that cause him to anger the local motorcycle gang. How to fix a life where everything seems to go wrong? Sini, a wellbeing blogger with perfectly instagrammable life arrives to offer a solution.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava (orig.), CROATIA: Znanje, CZECHIA: Host, ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat, GERMANY: Kein & Aber, NORWAY: Vigmostad & Bjørke, RUSSIA: Livebook Publishing, SERBIA: Odiseja

THE WITCH HUNTER (A.K.A. FAITHFUL READER)
by Max Seeck
Crime & Suspense

Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), ALBANIA: Muza, ARMENIA: Guitank Publishing, AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran, BULGARIA: EMAS, CROATIA: Fokus, CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, FRANCE: Michel Lafon, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG, GREECE: Livanis, HUNGARY: Animus, ICELAND: Forlagid, ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky, ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos, NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna, NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel, NORWAY: Aschehoug, POLAND: Sonia Draga, PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda, ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA, RUSSIA: AST Publishers, SERBIA: Vulkan, SLOVAKIA: Motyl, SLOVENIA: Didakta, SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae, SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag, TURKEY: Doğan Kitap , TV: Stampede Ventures, UK: Welbeck Publishing, UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club, USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House, WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

THE ICE COVEN (A.K.A. EVIL’S NET)
by Max Seeck
Crime & Suspense

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi, ALBANIA: Muza, BULGARIA: EMAS, CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, FRANCE: Michel Lafon, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG, GREECE: Livanis, HUNGARY: Animus, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna, NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA, NORWAY: Aschehoug, POLAND: Sonia Draga, PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda, ROMANIA: Litera, SERBIA: Vulkan, SLOVAKIA: Motýľ, SLOVENIA: Didakta, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag, UK: Welbeck Publishing, USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House, WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

BAD BLOOD
by Max Seeck
Crime & Suspense

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe, HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft., NORWAY: Aschehoug, UK: Welbeck

THE LYNX FACTOR
by Leena Lehtolainen

Crime & Suspense

Hilja Ilveskero is hired to a secretive nature holiday center of the super-rich in Eastern Lapland called Ilvesvaara. The owner of the place fears that the worst security threat comes from the inside.

Arriving at Ilvesvaara, Hilja notices that it is not just an ordinary spa hotel, but a luxurious theme park accessible to only eight guests at a time, where wildlife roams freely. Millionaire Aku Rautio is also due to appear soon. Hilja is already familiar with the man, as she has once spent a hectic night with him. When Aku mysteriously disappears, everyone in the resort comes under suspicion, including Hilja. Why doesn’t Aku’s wife want to report the disappearance to the police? Why did so many people in Ilvesvaara know Aku?

Leena Lehtolainen’s fifth Hilja Ilveskero novel is a dense mystery of an enclosed space that shows that even a lavish setting and the latest technology cannot protect people from nature’s unpredictability.

Rights sold: Tammi, GERMANY: Rowohlt