Non-Fiction

Hungarian deal for THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS FAMILIES IN THE WORLD

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Hungarian fans of THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD will be happy to hear that their publisher, Scolar Kiado have acquired Hungarian rights to Hannu Sokala‘s independent bestselling sequel: THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS FAMILIES IN THE WORLD!

We have an English sample available featuring 5 of the dangerous families: Musk, Rotenberg, Guriev, Grimaldi, Wallenberg

Click here to download all materials for THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS FAMILIES IN THE WORLD.

Many of the most important big companies around the world are still owned or controlled by their founding families. However, despite wielding significant economic and political power, these families would rather like to remain away from the limelight. What kinds of challenges might these families present for equality and democracy?

In THE 50 MOST DANGEROUS FAMILIES IN THE WORLD, investigative journalist Hannu Sokala presents a unique insight into the possessions of 50 different families all over the world. The reader might already be familiar with the Rockefellers, the al-Sauds, the Windsors and the Toyodas, but many others, including the Quandts, the Safras, and the al-Nahyans, remain mostly unknown. Hannu Sokala’s book reads like a thriller novel and reveals the twists and turns in the history of these absurdly wealthy and powerful families.

Rights still available in the US/UK, Germany, France…

Maailman 50 vaarallisinta sukua
Otava/Nemo, 2023

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Nemo (orig.)
HUNGARY: Scolar

About author


Hannu Sokala

Hannu Sokala has worked as a financial journalist for over 30 years, starting at the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and, lastly, as an investigative reporter for the Finnish National Broadcasting Company YLE. He enjoys digging into the biggest banks and corporations and the most powerful industries.

Hannu’s latest books (The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World, with co-author Juha-Pekka Raeste, and The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World) are bestsellers in Finland.

Hannu resides with his wife, daughter, and two huskies in Tuusula, a 40-minute train ride north of Helsinki. The four seasons start at the front door of their house, which is surrounded by big trees.

In addition to books, Hannu is into music (he is only one short of seeing 30 Bruce Springsteen concerts; his most recent big favourite is the amazing Welsh artist Ren), television (do not get him started, but everything by Stephen Poliakoff and Dennis Potter, in addition to Heimat, Seinfeld, The Sopranos, Gomorrah, Lost, Better Call Saul, etc.), and movies (just don’t).

His ambition is to write nonfiction in a way that inspires people to get interested in the big questions about money, economics, and democracy.

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Bibliography


2023, General Nonfiction

The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World

Hannu Sokala

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German rights sold for STOP CHASING HAPPINESS!

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The secret to happiness is traveling to Germany! German language rights to STOP CHASING HAPPINESS by Frank Martela have been sold to Knesebeck, in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Ahlback Agency.

For anyone else who wants to jump on the bandwagon, the full English MS will be delivered in just three months (Sept. 2024)! In the meantime, for any who missed it, click here to see Frank Martela’s recent interview with NBC in English on the World Happiness Report.

We currently have English sample chapters and a proposal, among other materials.

As it’s been awhile since we talked about the author himself, here are some tidbits to inform you about Frank Martela’s background as one of the world’s leading happiness researchers:

Professor 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, Salon, CNBC and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Academy of Management Review. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on five continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, Fox News, and Monocle Observer among others. He is Assistant Professor at Aalto University in Finland.

See why Finland has been named the #1 happiest country for the 7th year in a row and click here to download reading materials for STOP CHASING HAPPINESS!

 

 

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Gummerus

GERMANY: Knesebeck

WORLD ENGLISH: Allen & Unwin

About author


Frank Martela

Professor 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, Salon, CNBC and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Academy of Management Review. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on five continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, Fox News, and Monocle Observer among others. He is Assistant Professor at Aalto University in Finland.

Outside of work, Frank is a father to three lovely children, 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.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2025, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Stop Chasing Happiness: Counterintuitive Life Advice From the World’s Happiest Country

Frank Martela


2023, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

The Meaning Manifesto: Why Work Needs to Have a Purpose

Frank Martela


2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

A Wonderful Life: Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence

Frank Martela

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MINI SCIENCE series sold to China!

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We are thrilled to announce that Chinese rights for our MINI SCIENCE series have been sold to 神秘岛 Mysterium, the children’s imprint of Guangxi Normal University Press in China! The deal was closed by Julia Bogen at Ahlback Agency in collaboration with Clare Chi at The Grayhawk Agency.

The MINI SCIENCE series is by author-illustrator duo Laura Ertimo and Sanna Pelliccioni who have each won multiple awards for their spectacular work.

Start the adventure with your little ones in MINI SCIENCE 1: WHERE ARE YOU?, in which we follow Plop, a little creature who guides us through space to the Earth and from there to the human DNA and finally to the world of atoms.

Who says you have to be “left-brained” or “right-brained”? MINI SCIENCE unabashedly combines creativity and imagination while bravely diving deep into the world of science.

For curious minds, we have the full English PDFs for books 1-3!

Download materials for the MINI SCIENCE series here.

 

ABOUT THE SERIES…

Mini Science series tackles big science questions with lovely illustrations and encourages kids to wonder and ask questions. It feeds curiosity and is designed to start conversations about different topics that children might not think about on their own.

Book 1: WHERE ARE YOU?
In Where Are You?, we follow Plop, a little creature who guides us through space to Earth and from there into human DNA and, finally, to the world of atoms. Zooming in all the way from the enormities of space to the minisculness of atoms, we learn a great deal in between.

Book 2: INVISIBLE WORLD
In this second title of the Mini Science series, the adorable character Plop will discover things one cannot see – electricity, a garden in the fog, darkness, microorganisms and other well-hidden things. When Plop gets sick, he learns about bacteria and viruses and how to avoid them. Vaccinations can seem scary, but they keep us healthy. Sometimes it’s better to stay home, even if it makes you bored, so that soon you can go off to discover the Dark Side of the Moon.

Book 3: THE TRAVELLING PLANTS
In The Travelling Plants our adventurer Plop ponders a tricky question: if rooted to the ground, how can one travel? Plants are the foundation of the Earth’s living network. But they are not here just for animals and humans – plants have their own mysterious life, which, in the end, is not so different from ours. They grow, reproduce and send off their offspring, and indeed, even travel around the world. The Travelling Plants shows how all of us are interconnected and need each other throughout life.

 

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Minerva (orig.); ARABIC: Sefsafa Publishing; CHINA: Guangxi Normal University Press/Mysterium; ESTONIA: Avita; GREECE: Klidarithmos; TURKEY: Yapi Kredi

About author


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. Her children's title WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO, illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu, was nominated for the 2021 Finlandia Award and has also won the Tieto-Lauri award!

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About author


Sanna Pelliccioni

Sanna Pelliccioni is a Finnish illustrator, graphic designer and children’s author living in Helsinki with her Finnish-Italian family. An awarded illustrator, Pelliccioni has been e.g. honoured with being the only Finn named on the IBBY honour list 2022. Pelliccioni utilizes many different techniques in her illustrations, some of her favourites are collage and mixed techniques. She studied Arts and Illustration in Bologna and Macerata, Italy, and Graphic Design at the Pekka Halonen Institute in Finland.

She loves illustrating picture books and poems and making graphic design for book covers and her own books. She also writes for children and young people and concerning the themes of books she’s especially interested in equality, indigenous people, myths and taboos, forest and nature. Pelliccioni is mostly known for her Onni-poika picture book series which started in 2007 and contains 15 books so far.

​Pelliccioni collaborates with authors writing for children and young people and works with many Finnish editors. Some of her books have been translated to Chinese, Korean, Arabic, English and Swedish, Turkish and Estonian.

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The Ahlback Agency NON-FICTION Spring 2024 Rights Guide!

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We are thrilled to present our Non-Fiction Catalogue for Spring 2024!

Would you like to know the myriad ways the Kremlin wages its information and hybrid war against the West? How could the wisdom of NASA astronauts, university professors, and Finnish leaders help you encounter difficult emotions and demanding interactions?

From our new catalogue, we’ve picked some of the hottest titles for you – take a look at them below!

View the Spring 2024 Non-Fiction Catalogue here!

Putin’s World War: Russia’s Covert Operations to Destroy the West

Jessikka Aro

A highly topical book featuring horrifying true stories about the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services

  • Sold to 5 territories pre-publication!
  • Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award and her previous book, Putin’s Trolls, has been sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series!

Russia is threatening the West with World War III, even though it has been waging it for years. As its weapons, the Kremlin uses agents of chaos, a covert operation, fake priests spreading hate speech, hackers recruited from prison, and the gullibility of people.

Jessikka Aro’s new non-fiction book about the Kremlin’s world war presents the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services in detail.

The book takes the reader on a breath-taking journey from the lobby of the Helsinki Courts of Appeal to the controversial Bronze Soldier statue in Tallinn, from the media center run by the Russian military intelligence from Berlin to the Russian troll factory that operated in Ghana in West Africa.

Read if you dare.

Emotional Courage: How to Speak Directly and Meet Resistance

Helena Åhman

How to succeed in demanding interactions? This book will help you discover the secret of meeting emotions and resistance without hesitation!

In this book, Finland’s leading business writer Helena Åhman, PhD, shares her fascinating journey and discovery of a crucial ingredient to succeed in challenging interactions. She describes her encounters with NASA’s astronauts and Ivy League professors as well as with captivating Finnish leaders from the dark north who have succeeded from New York City to Dubai’s deserts and around the world. The stories span from Virgin Atlantic’s executive team to Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s wisdom and from excelling in the world-renowned Finnish school system to heading the Finnish Air Force.

All the stories share the same themes – emotional courage, ability to encounter emotions and speak directly, also when met with opposition.

Take all this wisdom and intriguing personal stories, including the author’s own, combined with latest research and you’ll get answers to three questions that define emotional courage:

  • What kind of counterintuitive thinking is useful when you meet resistance and opposing views, and how to overcome the worst mistakes?
  • Why is it useful to speak boldly, and most importantly, how? It might not be what you think.
  • How do you get rid of disturbing emotions, and when should you absolutely not let them go?

This book will guide you through the sandstorms of emotion – yours or others’ – to talk about anything you need to. The book will help you to use its knowledge in your daily life, whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, and is served with the addition of Finnish rock lyrics on emotional courage.

PUTIN’S WORLD WAR: RUSSIA’S COVERT OPERATIONS TO DESTROY THE WEST
PUTININ MAAILMANSOTA
Johnny Kniga, 2024, 350 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample chapters and contents plan
Finnish manuscript in March 2024

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC: N Media
GERMANY: Goldmann Verlag
HUNGARY: Corvina
SWEDEN: Sensor

 

EMOTIONAL COURAGE: HOW TO SPEAK DIRECTLY AND MEET RESISTANCE
TUNNEROHKEUS: SUORAAN PUHUMISEN JA VASTARINNAN KOHTAAMISEN TAITO
Otava, 2024, 250 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample in March 2024
Finnish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)