ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY by Tiina Raevaara sold to Mozaïek in the Netherlands!

We are happy to announce another deal for ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY:  A History of Coexistence Between Species by Tiina RaevaaraUitgeverij Mozaïek acquired the Dutch rights for this compelling narrative non-fiction title! The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Mozaïek is a boutique publishing house for both literary fiction and non-fiction. They are part of  the VBK Publishing Group, the biggest publishing group in the Netherlands, which also sells into the Belgian Flemish market. Their authors include amongst others Arthur Japin, Emi Yagi, Annika Norlin, and Sofia Samatar. They are planning to publish ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY in fall 2024:

This is such a charming eye-opener! I love the unique combination of personal story and big ideas.” – Julia Foldenyi, Commissioning Editor at Uitgeverij Mozaïek

ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY is the Finnish answer to Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman and combines a personal story of exhaustion with a fascinating and accessible deep-dive into humanity and its relationship with nature. Knesebeck will publish the title in Germany in spring 2024.

Would you like to find out more about this title? We have a nearly 100-page English sample for you to read!

Rights are available in the UK, US, Nordics, Poland, Czechia, France, Italy, Asian territories…

Download the English materials for ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY here!

MINÄ, KOIRA JA IHMISKUNTA
Lajien välisen yhteiselon historia
Otava/Like, February 2022, 317 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Like (orig.)
GERMANY: Knesebeck
NETHERLANDS: Mozaïek

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis

About author


Tiina Raevaara

Tiina Raevaara (b. 1979) is a writer, science journalist, and biologist who received a PhD for her work in genetics. She received the State Award for Public Information and the Pro Scientia Prize from the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She has published eight novels, three non-fiction books, and a novella collection which was awarded the Runeberg Prize. Her suspense novel Double Helix (2020), the opening chapter of a new thriller series, received the Laurin Kirja audio book award, and the second installment in the series, Polar Vortex (2021), has been widely praised.

Raevaara’s books combine grand perspectives of natural science with compelling literary expression. She draws inspiration from Nordic nature, the major questions of science, and the complexities of humanity.

Raevaara lives in Kerava, a small town in Southern Finland, and goes on daily walks in the forest with her two black dogs.

Bibliography


2022, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

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

Tiina Raevaara

SOLAR FILMS acquires Film & TV Rights to MILO by Glass Key Award winner and NYT bestselling author Max Seeck!

The auction for Film & TV rights of MILO, the forthcoming crime novel by NYT bestselling author Max Seeck, has been closed and the winner is SOLAR FILMS Inc. Oy.  Solar Films will adapt MILO to an international TV-series for global distribution, with development starting in 2024 for a planned release in 2025.The deal was negotiated by Elina Ahlbäck at the Ahlback Agency.
Max Seeck and Ahlback Agency are absolutely thrilled about this collaboration!

Rights to MILO have been sold pre-publication to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, to Aschehoug in Norway and to Mera Éditions in France – with more offers expected! In Finland, MILO (orig. title Merkitty) will be published in July 2024 by Tammi Publishers. Congratulations, Max and Solar Films, and all Max Seeck publishers!

Join the global success of MILO now!

Download the materials for MILO here!

Solar Films CEO Jukka Helle said:
”The development and writing process for the series begins in 2024 with the real production starting in 2025 the earliest. The timing will naturally become clearer as the project progresses. We at Solar are very happy to continue our cooperation with Max.”

Our CEO & Founder Elina Ahlbäck said:
Max Seeck has created a totally unique and universal world, ready to the silver screen, and I can only admire his wild, visual imagination and exceptional talent! Milo, a criminal profiler and art gallery owner who struggles with sexual frustration, tries to form a clear picture of the killer. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess, with more chess moves and bodies on the way. Milo needs to understand the game of chess better in order to catch the killer.”

 

Milo (working title)

Max Seeck

New independent crime novel by the New York Times Bestselling and Spiegel Bestselling Author Max Seeck, winner of the Glass Key Award 2023!

MILO is a psychological suspense novel with surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess. It’s also a story of complex human relationships, sex and issues people are facing when they approach the middle-age. The novel also covers a lot of art and other cultural references, maintaining the erotic vibe that stems from Milo’s and Ronja’s sexual adventures.

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: dxe5. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way. Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Orig. publication
Merkitty
Tammi, July 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera Éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV rights: Solar Films

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in Spring 2024

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

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

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Hungarian rights sold for 36 URNS: A History of Being Wrong by Sirpa Kähkönen!

We are thrilled to let you know that the Hungarian rights for Sirpa Kähkönen’s latest novel 36 URNS: A History of Being Wrong have been acquired by Polar! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Polar are a Hungarian publishing house that specializes in publishing works from Nordic authors. Their authors include, e.g., Jon Fosse, Mika Waltari, Karen Blixen, August Strindberg, Asta Olivia Nordenhof, Pirkko Saisio, Leena Krohn, Dag Solstad, and Vigdis Hjorth.

The novel 36 URNS is completely enchanting. It rarely happens that when we start a book with high expectations, we are not disappointed, but in this case, disappointment is out of the question, the story and the language are also brilliant. The narrator is visited in her small apartment by her recently deceased mother accompanied by the daughter of Tuonela, a mythical figure from the Kalevala. Speaking to her mother, sorting out her mother’s legacy, the writer unravels and analyzes her complicated and tragic relationship with her mother with the help of 36 selected objects and concepts. This clarification could not happen during the mother’s lifetime for several reasons. Of course, her mother did not live in a vacuum, she was determined by the history of her parents and grandparents – which is also the Finnish history of the 20th century. All of this is written in the novel with unbelievable humanity, empathy, accuracy and uncompromising honesty, resulting from historical research. [—] Her language is versatile, precise, and emotional, rich, seasoned with many dialect words. The book is both a family chronicle and a philosophical essay – a writer analyzing herself from the outside and the inside and coming to the realization that the omniscient narrator does not exist. Only a truly mature writer can create this.”
– Zsófia Dériné Stark, publisher, Polar; Olga Huotari, translator

Last week, Sirpa Kähkönen’s masterful novel was nominated for the Finlandia Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Finland! The title has received universal acclaim from the critics and the readers as the crowning achievement of the author’s career so far!

Kähkönen’s language is in constant movement, it spins from the past to the present without effort, beautifully like a dancer on stage, illuminated by a spotlight. The book is beautiful and without shame. It does not ask the reader to walk along, but forces one to look: this happened.”
– Mari Paalosalo-Jussinmäki in Eeva magazine

Not only is the narrative structure [of the novel], structured around the wake [of the author’s mother] and the 36 urns and objects symbolic, metaphorical and intertextually charged, the language also is poetic and rich in associations. In a superb way, Kähkönen brings together influences from historical prose, biographical storytelling, diary quotes, memories, myth, and folk poetry into a melodic fabric of language that moves seamlessly between the different levels of the story. In this way, Kähkönen connects her work to a variety of literary traditions and shows how myths and stories have always been a way for people to explain and make sense of the world and their own place in it, along with the risk that the story we tell is wrong or deficient.”
– Kaneli Kabrell in Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper

Although Kähkönen is still extremely meticulous about the truthfulness of the time and characters that she deals with, 36 URNS is, in my opinion, more poetic and mythical than its predecessors. It is impossible to fit it into any specific genre. It breaks the narrow definitions and moves effortlessly from genre to genre. [—] I’ve always admired Kähkönen’s smooth use of words and infallible sense of rhythm. This time, my attention was especially drawn to her skill in using, e.g., the parallelism familiar from runic songs in her style. [—] When [her] language is at its most fervent, it reminds one of enchanting. When it calms down and lingers, it approached meditation. [—], I willingly admit that, when reading 36 URNS, tears were brought to my eyes more than once.”
– Raija Hakala on Kirjareppu book blog

With the latest sale to Hungary, 36 URNS has now been sold to 3 territories!

Rights are available in France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Poland, US, UK, etc.!

Download the materials for 36 URNS here!

36 Urns: A History of Being Wrong

Sirpa Kähkönen

A celebrated author’s masterful and poetic confession of love to her mother

Nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2023! 

Author Sirpa Kähkönen’s mother Riitta (b. 1941) died in March 2022 after a long illness. In life, she struggled to accept love. “I do not grieve your death, I grieve your life,” Sirpa Kähkönen writes, knowing fully well that her mother wouldn’t like the phrase. Her mother rejected love, despite longing for it the most. Riitta was athletic, beautiful, and gifted. A traffic accident at the age of 16 changed the course of her life for ever.

Drawing on her mother’s diaries, Kähkönen depicts the life of a 1950s girl and the dramatic change that followed the accident. The novel talks about community dance halls, a broken mind, flowing hems, a 1960s mother, anxiety, anger and hate, addiction, and moments of psychosis. It talks about how wars and other crises become corporeal, how violence is inherited, and how the culture of discouragement and submission is passed down through the generations in sayings and attitudes, with the author clearly seeing herself as part of the tradition of anger and violence.

The novel is permeated by a fiery love, as if an ancient Finnish spell that, with the power of words, is capable of bringing loved ones back from the dead.

36 URNS: A HISTORY OF BEING WRONG
36 UURNAA. VÄÄRÄSSÄ OLEMISEN HISTORIA
Siltala, 2023, 267 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Siltala (orig.)
ESTONIA: Koolibri
HUNGARY: Polar

About author


Sirpa Kähkönen

Sirpa Kähkönen was born to a family that had been harshly treated by the history of the 1900s. World War II and the Civil War preceding it, had wounded her family members and marked them with heavy silence and unspoken words.

Mapping out that silence became Sirpa’s work. The first questions that arose were related to her closest circle: what had happened to her beloved grandparents? From her personal sphere the intellectual curiosity widened to touch upon the history of Finland and then the history of Europe, and finally, researching the fate of an individual during times of crisis.

Sirpa Kähkönen lives and works in Helsinki. She constructs her works upon research, using a wide array of archives, newspaper clippings, research material, and contemporary literature. Inspired by microhistorical research tradition, Sirpa writes about how mentalities are formed, and how the immaterial inheritance runs in family lines and in societies.

Sirpa Kähkönen’s historical novel begins where source information ends. It opens the gates to experiencing the past in a sensory way; the characters live out the story as physical, sensual beings.

Sirpa Kähkönen has published thirteen novels of which four have been nominated for the prestigious Finlandia prize and one for the Nordic Council Literature Prize. She has also published three non-fiction titles, one of which was nominated for the Tieto-Finlandia prize for non-fiction literature. In 2022, Kähkönen received the Finnish Cultural Foundation's Grand Prize for significant achievements in culture.

Awards and nominations:

Kirjallisuuden valtionpalkinto 1992 - The State Literary Prize 1992

Savonia-palkinto 1999 - Savonia Prize 1999

Kuopion taiteilijaseuran kirjallisuuden tunnustuspalkinto 2003 - The Kuopio Artist Society's Literary Award 2003

Kiitos kirjasta -mitali 2008 - Thank You for the book medallion 2008

Savon Sanomien Savonmuan Hilima -titteli 2010

Otavan kirjasäätiön Veijo Meri -palkinto 2012 - Otava Literary Fund Veijo Meri Prize 2012

Pro-Finlandia -mitali 2015 - Pro Finlandia Medallion 2015

Suomi-palkinto 2016 - Suomi-Finland Prize 2016 from the Ministry of Education and Culture

Savonia-palkinto 2021 - Savonia Prize 2021

Suomen Kulttuurirahaston suurpalkinto - The Finnish Cultural Foundation's Grand Prize 2021

Nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2023

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

36 Urns: A History of Being Wrong

Sirpa Kähkönen


2021, Literary Fiction

The Green Chamber

Sirpa Kähkönen

4th pre-publication deal for PUTIN’S WORLD WAR by Jessikka Aro!

We are excited to announce the 4th pre-publication deal for Jessikka Aro‘s upcoming title, PUTIN’S WORLD WAR: Russia’s Covert Operations to Destroy the West.The Swedish rights have been acquired by Sensor Förlag in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Rights for this timely non-fiction title have already previously been sold to Germany (Goldmann), Hungary (Corvina Books), and Czechia (N media). In Finland, Johnny Kniga will publish PUTIN’S WORLD WAR  in spring 2024.

PUTIN’S WORLD WAR is a highly topical book featuring horrifying true stories about the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services. Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award and her previous book, Putin’s Trolls, was sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series!

The rights are still available for World English, France, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, etc – get in touch with us to receive the English materials for this this eye-opening book!

Download the English materials for PUTIN’S WORLD WAR here!

Putinin maailmansota – Venäjän salaiset operaatiot Lännen tuhoamiseksi
Johnny Kniga, Spring 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
CZECHIA: N media a.s.
GERMANY: Goldmann
HUNGARY: Corvina Books
SWEDEN: Sensor

Reading materials:
English info sheet & book proposal

About author


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.

Bibliography


2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Putin's Trolls

Jessikka Aro

Two new deals for MILO by Glass Key Award winner and NYT bestselling author Max Seeck!

We are thrilled to announce two new pre-publication deals for MILO, the new standalone crime novel by star author Max Seeck! The French rights have been acquired by Mera éditions in a deal closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency. And the Norwegian rights have been acquired by Aschehoug in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Mera éditions was founded at the beginning of 2022 and is dedicated to introducing international thrillers to a French audience. They publish internationally bestselling authors like Antonio Lanzetta, Andrea Mara. and Vish Dhamija.

Aschehoug, founded in 1872, is one of Norway’s leading publishing house and home to bestselling crime authors like Jo Nesbø, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt, and of course, Max Seeck!

Max Seeck won the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his crime novel THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021), which is part of the Jessica Niemi crime series that has sold into 40 territories and Hollywood: an international TV-show is in developement. Over 400,000 copies of his books have been sold in Finland alone.

About the book: 

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: dxe5. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

MILO will be published in Finland by Tammi in September 2024. The German rights have previously been sold to Bastei Lübbe. There is also strong film & TV interest for MILO – watch this space for more on this soon!

The rights are still available for UK, Spain, Italy, Poland, etc.. Get in touch with us and acquire your next bestseller!

Download the materials for MILO here!

MILO
Tammi, September 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in December 2023

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

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

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

ARGO acquires the Czech rights for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT by Katja Kettu!

We are thrilled to let you know that the Czech rights for Katja Kettu’s latest novel THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT have been acquired in pre-empt by ARGO! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Every new work by Katja Kettu is expected eagerly. In THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT the long-time fans will find some of the familiar motifs, and themes, such as the untold women’s history on the backdrop of major events in the official history of Finland, strong female characters, and also mystery, all that delivered in vivid, imaginative language. However, what seems to be new is the omnipresent theme of intimity, made even more visible when pitched against the cool, detached observation of the cat who „knows a lot and cares about little”.
– Hana Zahradníková, editor, ARGO

Originally published in Finland on September 27th, THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT was one of the highlights of last week’s Helsinki Book Fair and the novel continues to receive outstanding reviews in the Finnish media:

Kettu has managed to create an illusion of two timelines coexisting. Despite the years written down, Mahte, Eeva, and the Author all give off an impression of living in different places at the same time – so strong are the echoes of the past throughout the novel even before the connection between their stories is revealed. [–] Kettu’s novel feels like a tornado that pulls one in, leaving one full with wonder on what they just experienced.”
– Outi Hytönen in Suomen Kuvalehti magazine

Katja Kettu’s language is fine, strong, and rich, and it carries power with the magical realism. [–] The Author’s great-grandparents Eeva and Mahte’s warm and beautiful love story is the connective thread throughout the book. [–] With some books, you get sad about it ending already before the last page. THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT is like that.
– Leena Reikko in Kulttuuritoimitus.fi

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT has been previously pre-empted to Lindhardt og Ringhof in Denmark, Humanitas Fiction in Romania, Albert Bonniers in Sweden, Pax Forlag in Norway and Mondadori in Italy.

Rights are still available for France, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Spain, US, UK, etc!

Download materials for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT here!

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu’s stunning novel spins through ages whilst surrendering to the wilderness of nature and the deep yearning for offspring. 

Can one find solace and meaning in life from the past once the future no longer exists?

An Author has a miscarriage and loses their ability to speak and write. From the Investigative Bureau of Heavens, a Detective is sent to the scene, but something goes awry. Soon, in the corner of the room, there appears Cat who starts examining a mysterious diary that once belonged to the Author’s Great Grandmother.

When a new life has been lost, the Author turns their gaze to the past and to the age-old words of creation in the old Finnish outskirts. The one who knows them, Great Grandmother, has the power of healers. The Great Grandmother’s diary sheds light on birth and death, love towards children, and the strength of heritage in one’s blood.

Combining autofiction and elements of magical realism, Katja Kettu’s latest novel also sheds light on the history of the Finnish frontiers.

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT
ERÄÄN KISSAN TUTKIMUKSIA
Otava, 2023, 380 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CZECHIA: ARGO
DENMARK: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ITALY: Mondadori
NORWAY: Pax Forlag
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, toimittanut yhdessä Aki Salmelan kanssa, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

Mondadori pre-empts the Italian rights for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT by Katja Kettu! Fifth pre-empt!

Excellent news for our Frankfurt book of the fair: the “Cat Book” travels to Italy! We are thrilled to announce an Italian pre-empt for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT by Katja Kettu.  The rights were acquired by Mondadori, who will publish Kettu on their list of strong literary voices, with authors such as  Zadie Smith, Monica Ali, Celeste Ng, Pierre Lemaitre etc. The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Mondadori’s editor Chiara Scaglioni fell in love with the CAT:

“I found myself totally hooked by this enticing and unusual magical story rooted in Finland’s history and natural surroundings. It’s an unforgettable and clever novel with a magical realism setting, “a sea of fermented souls”, where spirits drift. A burgeoning love story, a miscarriage, a deep meditation on womanhood and maternity, told with a great voice by a very talented author.”
– Chiara Scaglioni, foreign fiction editor, Mondadori

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT has previously sold in pre-empts to Lindhardt og Ringhof in Denmark, Humanitas Fiction in Romania, Albert Bonniers in Sweden and Pax Forlag in Norway.

Rights are still available for France, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Spain, US, UK, etc! 
Download the English materials from below.

Download the materials for INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT here!

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT was published in Finland on September 27th to great praise from media:

Katja Kettu has written a wonderful novel in which the power of words brings justice to the world. It isn’t harmless or beautiful, but the novel approaches words as a form of magic. [–] And what about the cat and its investigations? “Let the Cat come, let it take over my novel. I’m the one who’s weak here. Cats know a lot and care about little.” The Cat takes over the novel and is turned into a novel, and now it sticks out, funny and teasing, and difficult in so many ways.”  – Maaria Ylikangas in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

The attractiveness of Kettu’s novels smoulders in its multipaced idioms, the rhythm of its words, the mythological material [used in the novels] and historiography… [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT succeeds in being an impressive depiction of the building blocks of being human and intergenerational experiences that shape selfhoods even after long journeys.”  – Sanna Jääskeläinen in Savon Sanomat newspaper

Katja Kettu superbly commands the verbalization of emotional charges with strong expression. [—] The power of many of Kettu’s works is born from combining historically dramatic and traumatic events with fictional imagination and storytelling. The same is with THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT [—]. THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT alluringly combines different traditions of storytelling, as if underlining how borders and categories can be broken and pierced. The novel doesn’t stay neatly and cutely in a specific box but wanders and sprawls. Its story carries, its sensations change from one extreme to the other and its language oscillates through its wordforms and rhythms. And, amidst everything, the peculiar Cat brings delight.”  – Kaisa Kurikka in Turun Sanomat newspaper

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT draws you in, with its varying structure, its [—] bustling language, intriguing characters, and the swish and mood of history as its trump cards. [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT is a novel about writing a book, about fragility and strength, and about the spectrum of life. From brutal experiences, a serious, yet playful and moving whole is born.” – Tuijata. Kulttuuripohdintoja blog

Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Otava, 380 pp.

Rights sold: 
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ITALY: Mondadori
NORWAY: Pax Forlag
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, toimittanut yhdessä Aki Salmelan kanssa, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT pre-empted in Romania!

Happy Frankfurt week! We are thrilled to have started the fair with one more pre-empt for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT by Katja Kettu. Humanitas Fiction have pre-empted the Romanian rights just yesterday! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT has previously sold to Albert Bonnier in Sweden and Pax Forlag in Norway:

Katja Kettu has a unique linguistic power. It’s as if she’s writing with her womb — raw and sensual.. We are looking forward to publishing her newest novel in Norwegian!
 A. Audhild Solberg, Editor at Pax Forlag, Norway

Rights are still available for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, US, UK, etc! 
Download the materials from below – or swing by our table 10L & 10K and 9L & 9K in the Literary Agents Centre for a chat!

Download the materials for INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT here!

 

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT was published in Finland on September 27th to great praise from media:

Katja Kettu has written a wonderful novel in which the power of words brings justice to the world. It isn’t harmless or beautiful, but the novel approaches words as a form of magic. [–] And what about the cat and its investigations? “Let the Cat come, let it take over my novel. I’m the one who’s weak here. Cats know a lot and care about little.” The Cat takes over the novel and is turned into a novel, and now it sticks out, funny and teasing, and difficult in so many ways.”  – Maaria Ylikangas in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

The attractiveness of Kettu’s novels smoulders in its multipaced idioms, the rhythm of its words, the mythological material [used in the novels] and historiography… [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT succeeds in being an impressive depiction of the building blocks of being human and intergenerational experiences that shape selfhoods even after long journeys.”  – Sanna Jääskeläinen in Savon Sanomat newspaper

Katja Kettu superbly commands the verbalization of emotional charges with strong expression. [—] The power of many of Kettu’s works is born from combining historically dramatic and traumatic events with fictional imagination and storytelling. The same is with THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT [—]. THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT alluringly combines different traditions of storytelling, as if underlining how borders and categories can be broken and pierced. The novel doesn’t stay neatly and cutely in a specific box but wanders and sprawls. Its story carries, its sensations change from one extreme to the other and its language oscillates through its wordforms and rhythms. And, amidst everything, the peculiar Cat brings delight.”  – Kaisa Kurikka in Turun Sanomat newspaper

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT draws you in, with its varying structure, its [—] bustling language, intriguing characters, and the swish and mood of history as its trump cards. [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT is a novel about writing a book, about fragility and strength, and about the spectrum of life. From brutal experiences, a serious, yet playful and moving whole is born.” – Tuijata. Kulttuuripohdintoja blog

Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Otava, 380 pp.

Rights sold: 
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
NORWAY: Pax Forlag
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, toimittanut yhdessä Aki Salmelan kanssa, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the TV & Film rights to Martta Kaukonen’s THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW TO BUTTERFLY!

German series production company Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the rights to Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling, exceptional thriller debut THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and will develop it into a German language series.  

We are very excited to start working on THERAPIERT by Martta Kaukonen, which is one of the most thrilling debuts of this year. With its strong female characters and surprising twists, it is perfect for a series adaption”, says Isabel Hund, CEO of Legendary Tobis.

The offers have been coming in from abroad since FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in 2021. Now, a production company  Legendary Tobis that understands my novel the way I intended, even between the lines, has been found. I feel as if my protagonist, the 20-year-old serial killer Ida, has finally found her way home.
– Martta Kaukonen, Author

Legendary Tobis TV is a Joint Venture between leading German producer-distributor Tobis and the Los Angeles based Legendary Entertainment. The Munich based company was founded in 2022 and focuses on high-end scripted series and mini-series driven by local stories and talent.

Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERLY has been sold to 15 territories and is creating buzz wherever published, recently in Germany, Poland, Greece, Denmark etc. Heyne Verlag in Germany published THERAPIERT in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list, has sold more than 24,000 copies, and has received multiple starred reviews! UK & US publisher Pushkin Press will launch FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY in March 2024. Book 2: RETURN OF THE BUTTERLY will be published in Finland in December 2023 by WSOY.

Rights to this unique international bestseller are still available e.g. in France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc.

English and German editions are available!

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, March 2021, 471 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV

Reading materials: English edition, German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Martta’s debut novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an Instagram sensation in Finland, and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper released a highly-praising review of it. During the first two months, the audiobook was listened to an awe-inspiring 2000 times and over. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY  has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s novel ‘Gone Girl’. Martta dreams of her book being adapted into a movie – and such a great one that her colleagues would grant it a five-star review.

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

Return of the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT sold to Sweden!

With Frankfurt just around the corner, we are thrilled to announce the second pre-empt deal for our hottest literary title of the year THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT by Katja Kettu. Albert Bonniers Förlag acquired the Swedish rights to this outstanding fiction title, that has previously already been sold to Norway! The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT was published in Finland on September 27th to great praise from publishers and media:

Katja Kettu has written a wonderful novel in which the power of words brings justice to the world. It isn’t harmless or beautiful, but the novel approaches words as a form of magic. [–] And what about the cat and its investigations? “Let the Cat come, let it take over my novel. I’m the one who’s weak here. Cats know a lot and care about little.” The Cat takes over the novel and is turned into a novel, and now it sticks out, funny and teasing, and difficult in so many ways.”  – Maaria Ylikangas in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

The attractiveness of Kettu’s novels smoulders in its multipaced idioms, the rhythm of its words, the mythological material [used in the novels] and historiography… [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT succeeds in being an impressive depiction of the building blocks of being human and intergenerational experiences that shape selfhoods even after long journeys.”  – Sanna Jääskeläinen in Savon Sanomat newspaper

Katja Kettu superbly commands the verbalization of emotional charges with strong expression. [—] The power of many of Kettu’s works is born from combining historically dramatic and traumatic events with fictional imagination and storytelling. The same is with THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT [—]. THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT alluringly combines different traditions of storytelling, as if underlining how borders and categories can be broken and pierced. The novel doesn’t stay neatly and cutely in a specific box but wanders and sprawls. Its story carries, its sensations change from one extreme to the other and its language oscillates through its wordforms and rhythms. And, amidst everything, the peculiar Cat brings delight.”  – Kaisa Kurikka in Turun Sanomat newspaper

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT draws you in, with its varying structure, its [—] bustling language, intriguing characters, and the swish and mood of history as its trump cards. [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT is a novel about writing a book, about fragility and strength, and about the spectrum of life. From brutal experiences, a serious, yet playful and moving whole is born.” – Tuijata. Kulttuuripohdintoja blog

Katja Kettu has a unique linguistic power. It’s as if she’s writing with her womb — raw and sensual.. We are looking forward to publishing her newest novel in Norwegian!
 A. Audhild Solberg, Editor at Pax Forlag, Norway

Rights are still available for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, US, UK, etc! 

Download the materials for INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT here!

Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Otava, 380 pp.

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
NORWAY: Pax
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers

 

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, toimittanut yhdessä Aki Salmelan kanssa, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

Latvian sale for THE ENCHANTMENT by Riikka Pulkkinen!

Great news! The Latvian rights for the Botnia award-nominated THE ENCHANTMENT by Riikka Pulkkinen have been acquired by Jana Rozes Apgads, one of the oldest publishers in Latvia. They are also the publishers of e.g. Paulo Coelho, Alex Schulman, and Fredrick Backman. The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

THE ENCHANTMENT has previously sold to Scribe UK for the English rights – the right are still available in e.g. Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Estonia, The Netherlands…

Download the materials for THE ENCHANTMENT here!

 

The Enchantment

Riikka Pulkkinen

This shiningly beautiful novel is an autopsy of girlhood and power

Philippa Laakso, aged seventeen, is found dead in her yard at home. Nothing suggests a crime, and everyone who knew her is certain she wasn’t suicidal. On the other hand, all who knew her seem to hold a differing view of her. The investigation sees them being interviewed, but behind every view and story is Philippa’s influence. She still has the people around her in a sharp grip: her friend, ex-boyfriend, teacher, neighbors.

Riikka Pulkkinen’s anticipated novel examines the power and comfort of make-believe and the thin line between love and play. Every character in the novel sees Philippa in his or her own way, as a mirror for fantasizing, anger, aspirations, comfort, and freedom, and uses their perceived image of Philippa to their own ends.

Lumo
Otava, August 2022, 383pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
LATVIA: Jana Rozes Apgads
WORLD ENGLISH: Scribe

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis, Finnish edition

About author


Riikka Pulkkinen

Riikka Pulkkinen (b. 1980) is one of the top names in Finnish literature. Her debut novel The Limit (2006) gained wide attention, was a bestseller, and was adapted into a play and a TV series in Finland. Her international breakthrough came with her second novel, True (2010), which was the one novel everyone was talking about that year at the Frankfurt book fair. The novel has been published in 17 countries to date.

Pulkkinen’s novels are characterized by the precision with which she describes the psychology of the characters, and the philosophical themes that reflect from the characters into the refined structure of the novels and culminate on the level of the plot. The main questions she explores in her novels concern power, responsibility, and justice.

Pulkkinen has an M.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Helsinki, and she lives in Helsinki with her husband and her two children. She enjoys dancing and running in the forest or by the seaside. If she weren’t a writer, she would be a psychologist or a baker.

For her works, Riikka Pulkkinen has received the Kaarle award in 2007, the Laila Hirvisaari Fund stipend in 2007, the Veijo Meri Award in 2019, and her novel True was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 2010.

Bibliography


2022, Literary Fiction

The Enchantment

Riikka Pulkkinen


2010, Literary Fiction

True

Riikka Pulkkinen


2006, Literary Fiction

The Limit

Riikka Pulkkinen

Chinese sale for INHERITED LAND – now 23 territories!

We’re thrilled to announce the Simplified Chinese rights for INHERITED LAND (Arvejord) by internationally bestselling and award-winning author Maria Turtschaninoff have been acquired by Rentian Ulus! Rentian Ulus are also publishers of e.g. Soseki Natsume, Amos Oz, Ninni Holmqvist, and Claire Lombardo. The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in association with the Grayhawk Agency.

This is the 23rd deal for the award-winning title – rights are still available in e.g. Spain, Japan, Lithuania, Korea, Greece, Latvia, Serbia…

Download the materials for INHERITED LAND here!

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff

Inherited Land is an episodic work of literary fiction depicting human relationships with nature across generations, following in the tradition of family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

 

The roots of man and forest are intertwined in the depths of the earth.

  • Winner of the Svenska YLE Literature Prize 2022 and and Thank You for the Book Award 2023!

Inherited Land tells multiple enchanting stories about short human lives on a small farmstead in the north of Finland with its golden cloudberries and the mythical woodland animals. The hub of the narrative is a marsh close to the farmstead, and nature is the constant while humans are like dragonflies: here one day, gone the next. Across four centuries, the people face wars, epidemics, and heartbreaks, but from the woods they find shelter and a place to be themselves

Inherited Land is a novel about the climate crisis without ever mentioning it by name. Instead, the novel explores what people have thought about their environment, how they have used it and why. The novel is a reminder of where we have come from, and what a relationship between humans and nature could look like in the future.

The book is beautiful like a piece of jewelry and rich like a forest.
– Freja Rudels, Åbo Underrättelser newspaper

Arvejord
Förlaget, August 2022, 371 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Tammi (Finnish)
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Izida
CHINA: Rentian Ulus
CROATIA: HENA COM
CZECH REPUBLIC: ARGO
DENMARK: Alpha Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Éditions Paulsen
GERMANY: Rowohlt
HUNGARY: L’Harmattan
ISRAEL: Hakibbutz Hameuchad – Sifriat Poalim
ITALY: Bompiani
NETHERLANDS: Atlas Contact
NORWAY: Bonnier Norsk Forlag
POLAND: Poznańskie
ROMANIA: Editura Univers
SWEDEN: Förlaget
TURKEY: Timas Yayinlari
UKRAINE: Old Lion Publishing House
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES & CANADA: Pushkin Press
WORLD ALBANIAN: Shkupi Publishing House

Reading materials:
Swedish edition
English manuscript

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. 

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 21 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

Bibliography


2024, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Manticore

Maria Turtschaninoff


2022, Literary Fiction

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff


2018, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi: Red Mantle

Maria Turtschaninoff


2016, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Naondel

Maria Turtschaninoff


2014, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi

Maria Turtschaninoff

3 pre-empts for Jessikka Aro’s PUTIN’S WORLD WAR!

We are thrilled to announce 3 pre-empts for Jessikka Aro’s upcoming title, PUTIN’S WORLD WAR: Russia’s Covert Operations to Destroy the West! The German publisher Goldmann acquired the German rights in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency, Corvina Books bought the Hungarian rights and N media acquired the Czech rights! The Czech and Hungarian deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlbäck Agency. In Finland, Johnny Kniga will publish Putin’s World War in Spring 2024.

PUTIN’S WORLD WAR is a highly topical book featuring horrifying true stories about the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services. Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award and her previous book, Putin’s Trolls,  was sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series!

This is one of our non-fiction highlights for Frankfurt bookfair – now is the time to acquire the rights ahead of everyone else!

Download the English materials for PUTIN’S WORLD WAR here!

Putinin maailmansota – Venäjän salaiset operaatiot Lännen tuhoamiseksi
Johnny Kniga, Spring 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
CZECH: N media a.s.
GERMANY: Goldmann
HUNGARY: Corvina Books

Reading materials:
Info sheet

 

 

About author


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.

Bibliography


2019, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, History & Politics

Putin's Trolls

Jessikka Aro

THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ONE CAT sold to Norway!

We are thrilled to announce that the Norwegian rights to Katja Kettu’s THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ONE CAT have been acquired by Pax Forlag. The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Pax Forlag have already published some of Katja Kettu’s previous works and are excited to add her newest novel to their list:

Katja Kettu has a unique linguistic power. It’s as if she’s writing with her womb — raw and sensual.. We are looking forward to publishing her newest novel in Norwegian!
 A. Audhild Solberg, Editor at Pax Forlag, Norway

Published on September 27th, THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ONE CAT received strong praise in Finnish media:

Katja Kettu has written a wonderful novel in which the power of words brings justice to the world. It isn’t harmless or beautiful, but the novel approaches words as a form of magic. [–]And what about the cat and its investigations? “Let the Cat come, let it take over my novel. I’m the one who’s weak here. Cats know a lot and care about little.” The Cat takes over the novel and is turned into a novel, and now it sticks out, funny and teasing, and difficult in so many ways.
Maaria Ylikangas in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Katja Kettu superbly commands the verbalization of emotional charges with strong expression. [—]  THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ONE CAT alluringly combines different traditions of storytelling, as if underlining how borders and categories can be broken and pierced. The novel doesn’t stay neatly and cutely in a specific box but wanders and sprawls. Its story carries, its sensations change from one extreme to the other and its language oscillates through its wordforms and rhythms. And, amidst everything, the peculiar Cat brings delight.
Kaisa Kurikka in Turun Sanomat newspaper

The attractiveness of Kettu’s novels smoulders in its multipaced idioms, the rhythm of its words, the mythological material [used in the novels] and historiography… [—] THE INVESTIGATIONS OF ONE CAT succeeds in being an impressive depiction of the building blocks of being human and intergenerational experiences that shape selfhoods even after long journeys.
Sanna Jääskeläinen in Savon Sanomat newspaper

The novel is one of our literary highlights for Frankfurt bookfair. Get ahead of everyone else and acquire the rights now! Rights are still available for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, US, UK, etc! 

Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Otava, 380 pp.

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis available on October 13, 2023
Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
NORWAY: Pax Forlag

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, toimittanut yhdessä Aki Salmelan kanssa, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

The Investigations of a Certain Cat

Katja Kettu

THE VOLE AND THE MOON by Mila Teräs and Nora Surojegin sold to Estonia!

We are thrilled to announce that the Estonian rights for THE VOLE AND THE MOON, a children’s picture book written by Mila Teräs and illustrated by Nora Surojegin, have been acquired by Hea Lugu! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Publishing house Hea Lugu is a subsidiary of Ekspress Grupp, a media group that publishes three primary newspapers in Estonia. As a book publisher, Hea Lugu have been in the market for over 25 years. Their authors include Stephen King, Anne Cathrine Bomann, Umberto Eco, Serhiy Zhadan, Liane Moriarty, Samantha Young, Tove Jansson, etc.

Estonian praise for THE VOLE AND THE MOON:

Very beautifully illustrated book celebrating life and nature. It is important to stop hurry of everyday life sometimes and look at the Moon.”
– Maire Kasemaa, editor/project manager, Hea Lugu, Estonia

THE VOLE AND THE MOON has also received high praise in Finland:

THE VOLE AND THE MOON is the sweetest story about the wonderfully beautiful moments, which we find only by stopping and letting ourselves to go with the story…
– Leena Lumi, book blogger

Mila Teräs has the skill to write lyrically, whether it is in a picture book, a children’s novel or a very realistic YA title. In the story of Milli the Vole and the full moon one can also see some of the wisdom of ancient fables. [–] Surojegin has the magical ability to create panoramic and meditative views that slow down one’s heartbeat.
– Päivi Heikkilä-Huutunen, researcher and critic of children’s and YA literature

Surojegin’s beautifully soft illustrations of the night-time forest paint a beautiful and enchanting atmosphere. The trees with their shadows and the grass stems invite one to take part in the adventure in the woods. The animals are friendly and soft fairytale creatures. The book helps the reader to realise the importance of pausing!
– Lukuriemua on instagram

Download the materials for THE VOLE AND THE MOON here!

The Vole and the Moon

Mila Teräs, illustrated by Nora Surojegin

A charmingly sweet picture book about the beauty of living in the moment. Mila Teräs’ enchanting prose is accompanied by Nora Surojegin’s gentle illustrations.

Millie the vole has a strange feeling. She is preparing for the upcoming winter well in advance. However, she feels like she has forgotten something. She is so busy planning and doing things that there is no time to go to watch the Moon and celebrate with other animals. When Millie decides to look up to the sky, she has to stop and stare.

The book tells of how important it is to stop: instead of the constant hurry and overachieving, it is important to pause and just exist without feeling guilty. At the same time, the book highlights what a wonder and secret life really is.

THE VOLE AND THE MOON
MYYRÄ JOKA KATSOI KUUTA
Karisto, 2023, 32 pp.

READING MATERIALS
Full English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Karisto (orig.)
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu

About author


Mila Teräs

Mila Teräs has been awarded the prestigious Kaarina Helakisa Prize for her works for children's and YA literature, and her works have been nominated for e.g. the Finlandia and Topelius Prizes. She writes for children, young adults and adults, and often incorporates fantasy and historical elements into her realistic work.

About author


Nora Surojegin

Nora Surojegin is an illustrator, children’s author and a graphic designer. She lives in Kirkkonummi, between the sea and the forest, where she creates worlds with images and words, gets inspired by the forest trolls and potters around in her secret garden. In her work she wants to mix the strange with the incredible and create art that makes you stop. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS by Elina Backman sold to Slovakia!

We are happy to announce that the Slovak rights for BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS (Ennen kuin tulee pimeää), the third title in the Saana Havas series by Elina Backman, have been acquired by Arkus! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Elina Backman’s Saana Havas series has achieved success both in Finland and internationally: the rights for the series have been sold in 17 territories, while the series has sold more than 90,000 copies sold in Finland! Her books have been nominated twice for the Best Translated Crime Novel by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy, and for the Best Crime Novel of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society. And to top it off, an international TV series based on the novels is in development by Aurora Studios!

The eagerly awaited fourth book in the series will be published in Finland in spring 2024.

The rights for the series are still available in USA, UK, Korea, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Taiwan

Download the materials for BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS here!

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman

The past and the present intertwine in this arresting novel with unforgettable characters – Book 3 in internationally bestselling and award-winning crime series by Elina Backman, sold to 17 territories!

A woman working for a law firm approaches Saana Havas to help with the mystery of her sister’s death. Her sister was found dead in a swamp near the Angeli village in Northern Lapland in 1998, and the murderer has never been caught. The police have given up on the case, no witnesses were ever found in the area of Lapland that covers hundreds of kilometers.

Saana promises to help her and receives all the material the client has collected. Part of this is a manuscript the woman wrote when investigating the case herself years ago. Saana travels to the North and investigates as the winter and polar night keeps creeping closer.

Though part of the Saana Havas series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous installments in the series.

 

Still Waters Run Deep

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

Elina Backman

Beginning of a new detective series – already an international hit! A fresh new voice in Scandinavian crime in the vein of Jø Nesbo, Camilla Läckberg, and Tana French!

Saana Havas is a strong female character who is a journalist in Finland solving crime cases, setting up true crime podcasts and more. 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 named 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 is just the beginning…

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

BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS
ENNEN KUIN TULEE PIMEÄÄ
Otava, 2022, 416 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: Gyldendal
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

 

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
KUN JÄLJET KATOAVAT
Otava, 2021, 428 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis, media portfolio
German edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann Ivanov Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

 

ALL THE KING’S MEN
KUN KUNINGAS KUOLEE
Otava, 2020, 495 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis, media portfolio
German edition
Italian edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
RUSSIA: Mann Ivanov Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

About author


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 and an international TV series is in development. Elina's books have sold over 70 000 copies in Finland.

Together with Heidi Holmavuo, Elina has also narrated the true crime podcast Ratkaisematon (Unsolved), which turned into a full-length audio book as the two crime writers started investigating the murder of a young girl in 1967. They were able to uncover new evidence and their research led the police to reopen the investigation. This story is narrated in the book Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo.

Bibliography


2022, Crime & Suspense

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman


2022, Crime & Suspense

Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo

Elina Backman


2021, Crime & Suspense

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman


2020, Crime & Suspense

All the King's Men

Elina Backman

ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY by Tiina Raevaara sold to Knesebeck in Germany!

We are thrilled to announce that the German rights for ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY:  A History of Coexistence Between Species have been acquired by Knesebeck in Germany! The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Knesebeck is a renowned publisher for narrative and illustrated non-fiction and children’s books and part of the international Média-Participations Group.

ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY is the Finnish answer to Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman and combines a personal story of exhaustion with a fascinating and accessible deep-dive into humanity and its relationship with nature.

Curious to find out more? We have a nearly 100-page English sample for you to read!

Rights are available in the UK, US, Nordics, Netherlands, Poland, Czechia, France, Italy, Asian territories…

Download the English materials for ME, MY DOG, AND HUMANITY here!

MINÄ, KOIRA JA IHMISKUNTA
Lajien välisen yhteiselon historia
Otava/Like, February 2022, 317 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Like (orig.)
GERMANY: Knesebeck

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis

About author


Tiina Raevaara

Tiina Raevaara (b. 1979) is a writer, science journalist, and biologist who received a PhD for her work in genetics. She received the State Award for Public Information and the Pro Scientia Prize from the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She has published eight novels, three non-fiction books, and a novella collection which was awarded the Runeberg Prize. Her suspense novel Double Helix (2020), the opening chapter of a new thriller series, received the Laurin Kirja audio book award, and the second installment in the series, Polar Vortex (2021), has been widely praised.

Raevaara’s books combine grand perspectives of natural science with compelling literary expression. She draws inspiration from Nordic nature, the major questions of science, and the complexities of humanity.

Raevaara lives in Kerava, a small town in Southern Finland, and goes on daily walks in the forest with her two black dogs.

Bibliography


2022, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

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

Tiina Raevaara

Two new Children’s deals!

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

Estonian publisher Elust Enesest has acquired the rights to TRAVELS IN TIME: HOW THE TELEPHONE BECAME SMART, a children’s non-fiction title by Pinja Meretoja, and to ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE AMAZING AMUSEMENT PARK, a children’s chapter book by Hannele Lampela and Ninka Reittu! Both deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Praise for TRAVELS IN TIME:

Through the book, children can be introduced to the development of various technologies over the years, and it offers an excellent text and visual combination to provide (grand)parents with the opportunity to share their childhood memories with the new generation.”
– Lauri Juursoo, CEO, Elust Enesest, Estonia

Praise for ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE AMAZING AMUSEMENT PARK:

Heartwarming tale of friendship, resourcefulness, and adventures, where a little Itty Bitty Princess decides to spend the night at her friend’s house. Truly cool reading for several evenings.”
– Lauri Juursoo, CEO, Elust Enesest, Estonia

This is the first foreign sale for TRAVELS IN TIME, while the ITTY BITTY PRINCESS series has so far been sold to 6 territories!

Download the materials for TRAVELS IN TIME here!

Download the materials for ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE AMAZING AMUSEMENT PARK here!

Travels in Time: How the Telephone Became Smart

Pinja Meretoja

How did one machine come to feature thousands of years of technology? 

The smartphone includes a huge amount of functions that are the result of hundreds and thousands of years of progress. How did all these discoveries end up in a child’s pocket? Travels in Time delves into this mystery in a fun but precise way.

Lucy visits a second-hand store with her aunt. When Lucy doesn’t recognize all of the objects there, she comes up with imaginative ideas as to what their use might have been. A generation that has access to all sorts of tools in one device might not know about the past importance of all the appliances.

Travels in Time is a visual and easily approachable non-fiction title that presents to children the history of different inventions, such as writing, the camera, the radio, the computer, and many others. It also invites adults to have discussions with younger generations about their experiences growing up – how one had to wait for their turn on the phone when a sibling was chatting with friends, how the modem used to be slow or what songs one used to record on a cassette tape. Sounds familiar? Delve into the past and discover something new!

 

Itty Bitty Princess and the Amazing Amusement Park

Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Ninka Reittu

Get ready for a sleepover adventure like no other with Itty Bitty Princess!

✓ Itty Bitty Princess live-action film in development (Aurora Studios & Helsinki-filmi)

✓ Rights for the bestselling standalone picture books featuring Itty Bitty Princess have been sold to 6 territories

Itty Bitty Princess has a sleepover at her friend’s place. How exciting! What should she pack? And what should the princesses play?

The sleepover itself feels exciting, but it gets even more fun when imagination takes flight and they end up visiting an amusement park at nighttime! Are there ghosts lurking about? And if there are, could they be kind?

TRAVELS IN TIME: HOW THE TELEPHONE BECAME SMART
AIKAMATKA – MITEN TELEFOONISTA TULI ÄLYKÄS
Tammi, 2023, 56 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample
Spanish sample
Finnish edition

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

 

ITTY BITTY PRINCESS AND THE AMAZING AMUSEMENT PARK
PRINSESSA PIKKIRIIKKI JA HURMAAVA HUVIPUISTO
Otava, 2023, 40 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English synopsis
Finnish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Elust Enesest

About author


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.

About author


Ninka Reittu

Ninka Reittu 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 Hannele Lampela (The Itty-Bitty Princess) and Kreetta Onkelin.

About author


Pinja Meretoja

Pinja Meretoja is a Finnish children's picturebook author and an illustrator, living and working in Helsinki.  She draws inspiration from themes of environment, cultural history and equality. Meretoja graduated from Universidad de Palermo (Buenos Aires, Argentina) with a degree in Illustration Designer, and since that she has been working on a field of illustration.

Pinja Meretoja has published two children’s picture books at Tammi (2021and 2022) and is now working on her third book – a graphic novel for adults. Her new book Travels in Time was longlisted for the most Beautiful Books of the Year Award 2022. She loves music, cats, 80’s He-man characters and comics.

Two new children’s deals: DAD MAN and BENJAMIN BATEMAN sold to Denmark!

We are thrilled to announce two new deals for our children’s authors! The Danish publishing house Bogoo acquired the Danish rights for DAD MAN AND THE EXPLODING POOP, the first title in the bestselling DAD MAN middle grade series by Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio. This series is a huge bestseller in Finland, with 100,000 copies sold! The German rights have been sold in a two-book deal to Mixtvision.

Bogoo also acquired the Danish rights to BENJAMIN BATEMAN AND THE CURSE OF THE MIND-POPPING PRANKS, the second volume in the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series by Hannele Lampela and Pasi Pitkänen. Book 1 published in Denmark at the end of June.

Both deals were closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

If you are looking for hilarious middle-grade titles for reluctant readers, look no further! Rights are still available for France, Germany, Spain, Italy, World English language, etc! 

Download materials for the DAD MAN series here!

Download materials for the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series here!

The Dad Man series:

#1 Dad Man and the Exploding Poop
#2 Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother
#3 Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis
#4 Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp

Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

The quirkiest cop in town! The Dad Man Series offers fast-paced adventures and humour for all ages – especially lower middle grade.

  German rights sold! (Books 1-2)

  For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

  A perfect “Gateway series to literature” for reluctant readers

  Books in the series have been nominated for the Storytel awards 2020, 2021, and 2022 (Best children’s audiobook), Best Newcomer of the Year 2020, and the Runeberg Prize 2023!

  Bold and fresh 4-colour comic-book style artwork that add visual jokes to the narration

  100,000 copies sold in Finland!

  4 books available and more to come, with 5th book coming in 2024 – work as standalones and can be read in any order!

Dad Man is a dad, and a policeman – but he also has a superpower! Too bad his superpower is one shared by almost all dads – an unwavering belief in himself and his own abilities. Dad Man truly believes he knows everything and can do anything, but as it goes with most dads, the reality is quite different. And it follows that Dad Man’s nine-year-old daughter Oona needs to solve all of the issues herself.

The Benjamin Bateman series:

#1 Benjamin Bateman – Super Embarrassed Superhero
#2 Benjamin Bateman and The Curse of the Mind-popping Pranks

Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

What if your superhero costume looked like a butterfly and your only superpowers would be having a good heart and a lively imagination? Welcome to the embarrassing life of Benjamin Bateman!

  First joint 3-book series for award-winning and bestselling writer-illustrator super team Hannele Lampela and Pasi Pitkänen!

  Film in development!

  Nominee for the Arvid Lydecken Award 2023

  Rights sold to Denmark!

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 – having a good heart and great imagination! But when Benjamin must battle the terrifying Mortem, his imagination will come in handy.

About author


Arttu Unkari

Arttu Unkari is a teacher from Helsinki and a Master of Education (University of Helsinki, 2015) who majored in ethics and philosophy.  He combines his educational background and experience as a teacher in his books – his stories are anarchist and zany, but at the same time the humour often revolves around profound and intriguing concepts such as honesty, obedience, and morality in ways that speak to children in their own language. His books are enjoyed by adults as well because they contain layers that open up differently to readers of all ages. This is one of the reasons Dad Man is such a great series for the whole family.

As an author Unkari is a Runeberg prize nominee 2023 for the third instalment of the Dadman series: Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis (Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi, Otava 2022). The Runeberg Prize is a literary prize awarded by the newspaper Uusimaa, the City of Porvoo, the Finnish Writers' Union, the Finnish Critics' Association and the Finland’s-Swedish Writer’s Association. The prize was established in 1986 and it is awarded annually in Porvoo on 5th February, the day when Finland celebrates their national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Three of his books (Dad Man and the Exploding poop, Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother, and Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis) have been nominated for best children’s audiobook in the 2020, 2021, and 2023 Finnish Storytel awards. He’s also participated in making a Finnish language schoolbook (Loikka 3, Otava 2022).

Unkari is a sought after inspirational speaker in his home country. He’s visited schools all over Finland advocating for the importance of reading.

About author


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.

About author


Kai Vaalio

Kai Vaalio (b. 1986) is an illustrator, comic artist, and a bit of a cosmopolitan as well. He’s written and illustrated underground comic books for adults about his travels in South-East Asia and Latin America — the latter even won Mondo magazine’s Travel book of the year award back in 2014. Recently he’s ventured into the world of illustrating children’s books mainly with Arttu Unkari’s Dad Man Series. Together they’ve made four books about this goofy detective and his clever little posse. The Dadman Series has received Storytel Awards and Runeberg Junior 2023 award nominations. Vaalio’s been on and off in the graphic industry since 2005 when he graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. In 2018 he got his bachelor’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

About author


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.

INHERITED LAND by Maria Turtschaninoff sold to Turkey! Now 22 territories!

We are happy to announce that the Turkish rights for INHERITED LAND (Arvejord) by internationally bestselling and award-winning author Maria Turtschaninoff have been acquired by Timas Yayinlari! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Timas has a history of over forty years, focusing on innovative and valuable writing in all genres. They are also the publishers of e.g. Olga Tokarczuk, Jokha Alharthi, Young-ha Kim, Alex Schulman, and Yan Ge. Of INHERITED LAND, they said:

“To be able to tell such a big story (we’re talking about centuries) so well in fragments is an amazing achievement. It is enough to tip our hats to Maria Turtschaninoff for being referred to ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE with her first adult title, and not only that, but that the novel has been recognized by the best publishers in their countries in such a short time. Also the INHERITED LAND has the sister elements with PRIMEVAL AND OTHER TIMES by Olga Tokarczuk, which makes it irresistible to fell into. What a marvelous gem!”
– Ayse Tuba Ayman, editor-in-chief, Timas Yayinlari

INHERITED LAND continues topping the bestseller lists in Finland: Currently the paperback edition is #1 at the Academic Bookstore and the hardback edition #10! The title has now sold to 22 languages, but rights are still available in Spain, Greece, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Iceland, Portugal…

Download the materials for INHERITED LAND here!

 

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff

Inherited Land is an episodic work of literary fiction depicting human relationships with nature across generations, following in the tradition of family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

The roots of man and forest are intertwined in the depths of the earth.

  • Winner of the Svenska YLE Literature Prize 2022 and and Thank You for the Book Award 2023!

Inherited Land tells multiple enchanting stories about short human lives on a small farmstead in the north of Finland with its golden cloudberries and the mythical woodland animals. The hub of the narrative is a marsh close to the farmstead, and nature is the constant while humans are like dragonflies: here one day, gone the next. Across four centuries, the people face wars, epidemics, and heartbreaks, but from the woods they find shelter and a place to be themselves

Inherited Land is a novel about the climate crisis without ever mentioning it by name. Instead, the novel explores what people have thought about their environment, how they have used it and why. The novel is a reminder of where we have come from, and what a relationship between humans and nature could look like in the future.

The book is beautiful like a piece of jewelry and rich like a forest.
– Freja Rudels, Åbo Underrättelser newspaper

Arvejord
Förlaget, August 2022, 371 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Tammi (Finnish)
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Izida
CROATIA: HENA COM
CZECH REPUBLIC: ARGO
DENMARK: Alpha Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Éditions Paulsen
GERMANY: Rowohlt
HUNGARY: L’Harmattan
ISRAEL: Hakibbutz Hameuchad – Sifriat Poalim
ITALY: Bompiani
NETHERLANDS: Atlas Contact
NORWAY: Bonnier Norsk Forlag
POLAND: Poznańskie
ROMANIA: Editura Univers
SWEDEN: Förlaget
TURKEY: Timas Yayinlari
UKRAINE: Old Lion Publishing House
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES & CANADA: Pushkin Press
WORLD ALBANIAN: Shkupi Publishing House

Reading materials:
Swedish edition
English manuscript

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. 

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 21 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

Bibliography


2024, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Manticore

Maria Turtschaninoff


2022, Literary Fiction

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff


2018, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi: Red Mantle

Maria Turtschaninoff


2016, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Naondel

Maria Turtschaninoff


2014, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi

Maria Turtschaninoff

GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck sold to Hungary!

We are happy to announce that the Hungarian rights for GHOST ISLAND (Loukko), the fourth title in the Jessica Niemi series by The New York Times bestselling author and Glass Key Award winner Max Seeck, have been acquired by Animus! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

We are very happy to acquire the 4th book by the fantastic Max Seeck, whose talent deserves the amazing Glass Key award! More precise storytelling, more thrilling books, a more professional author book by book. We will be ready for the next ones!”
László Marosi, Senior Publishing Editor, Animus, Hungary

GHOST ISLAND is the fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Jessica Niemi series which has been sold to 40 territories and Hollywood  an international TV-show is in development. Max Seeck’s books have sold more than 400,000 copies in Finland alone, THE LAST GRUDGE (Jessica Niemi #3) won the Glass Key Award of 2023 two weeks ago, and Max Seeck is currently writing a new, independent crime novel, MILO, which has already been sold to Germany and will be published in Finland in September 2024.

Download the materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

The Archipelago

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

 

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck

The third title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series! Winner of the Glass Key Award of 2023!

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg 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 Zetterborg 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…

 

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck

Standalone sequel to The New York Times bestseller, 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.

 

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck

The New York Times bestseller!

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

GHOST ISLAND
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE LAST GRUDGE
KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE ICE COVEN
PAHAN VERKKO
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE WITCH HUNTER
USKOLLINEN LUKIJA
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/Steimatzky
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: 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
UK: Welbeck
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

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

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani sold to Azerbaijan! Now 29 territories!

We are thrilled to announce that the Azerbaijani rights for the LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES series, written by Magdalena Hai and illustrated by Teemu Juhani, have been acquired by Alatoran! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

With the latest sale to Azerbaijan, the LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES has now been sold to 29 territories!
Rights to the bestselling series are still available in UK, US, France, China, Iceland, Israel…

 

Download the materials for LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES series here!

 

The Little Shop of Nightmares series

Magdalena Hai, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

Nina is a clever, 9-year-old girl who goes to work in the Little Shop of Nightmares – a small shop where accidents and mysteries keep happening!
The Little Shop of Nightmares is a series full of fascinating and fun characters that make young readers both wonder and laugh!

#1 The Terrible Tickling Powder
When Nina, a 9-year-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 any 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 The 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 the vampire, Lucas, 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
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 thwarting their every effort to stop it from 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!

Painajaispuoti ja kamala kutituspulveri
WSOY, 2018, 60 pp.

Painajaispuoti: Hampaat hukassa
WSOY, 2019, 60 pp.

Painajaispuoti: Hirmuinen Jumimies
WSOY, 2021, 60 pp.

Painajaispuoti: Kristallikallon tapaus
WSOY, 2023, 48 pp.

Rights sold: LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES SERIES
FINLAND: WSOY(orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Emas
CATALAN: La Galera
CZECH REPUBLIC: Euromedia
DENMARK: VILD MASKINE
ESTONIA: Postimees Kirjastus
GERMANY: HarperCollins Schneiderbuch
GREECE: Dioptra
HUNGARY: Cerkabella Konyvkiado
ITALY: Cart’ Armata Edizioni
JAPAN: Holp Publishing
KOREA: Gilbutschool
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NETHERLANDS: De Vier Windstreken
NORWAY: Fontini
POLAND: Znak
PORTUGAL: PRH Portugal
ROMANIA: Univers Publishing House
RUSSIA: Kompass Guide
SERBIA:Odiseja
SLOVAKIA: Ikar
SWEDEN: Hegas
TAIWAN: Morning Star
TURKEY: Epsilon
UKRAINE: The Old Lion Publishing House
WORLD SPANISH: La Galera
Reading materials:
English PDFs for books #1-#3
English text for book #4

About author


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 30 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.

About author


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.

GENTLE POWER by Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti sold to Kadokawa in Japan!

We are thrilled to announce that the Japanese rights for GENTLE POWER: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu by Emilia Elisabet Lahti, PhD, have been acquired by Kadokawa! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in collaboration with Tuttle-Mori Agency, Japan.

Kadokawa is one of the largest publishers in Japan. They publish works in a wide range of categories including business books, education books, lifestyle-related publications, literature, light novels, comics, children’s books and others.

This is the fifth territory for this revolutionary title on self-compassion, originally published in the US in January by Sounds True. Previously the rights have been acquired in China by Cheers Publishing, in Thailand by Amarin, and in Latvia by Zvaigzne ABC.

Rights to GENTLE POWER are still available in e.g. Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Taiwan, Korea etc. The world needs new ways to look at power to create change. Get to know our wonderful, awarded author Emilia Elisabet Lahti, founder of Sisu Lab and Gentle Power Academy in this lovely video: Gentle Power Author video. 

Download the English PDF for GENTLE POWER here!

GENTLE POWER has garnered excellent reviews by critics and experts and generated a lot of media interest in both Lahti and her book:

“The book prompts readers to consider how they might develop their own compassionate power, urging them to be curious about what’s actually happening in a given conflict and to approach interactions with others without preconceived ideas. When we embody our sisu, Lahti says, we “open our eyes wide to whatever is at hand … with curiosity and courage that are soft around the edges.” – Spirituality & Health Magazine

“In this beautiful book, Elisabet shows us how strength and toughness are not the same thing. A much-needed antidote to the myth of mind over matter, and a touching, honest story of one woman’s journey to discover the true origins of grit and fulfillment.” Angela Duckworth, PhD, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Gentle Power is a brilliant and refreshing idea. Lahti is a rare combination of real-life adventurer and scientist. With the warmth and authenticity typical to her writing, she outlines an inviting path toward our highest expression through the power of everyday relationships.” Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD

 

GENTLE POWER: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu
Sounds True, January 2023, 194 pp.

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: Sounds True (orig.)
CHINA: Cheers Publishing Company
LATVIA: Zvaigzne ABC
JAPAN: Kadokawa
THAILAND: Amarin Printing and Publishing

Reading materials:
English edition

About author


Emilia Elisabet Lahti

Emilia Elisabet Lahti (PhD, MSc, MAPP), who goes by Elisabet, is an awarded educator, applied psychology researcher, and founder of Sisu Lab that helps create communities and work cultures based on everyday leadership as an expression of courage and compassion. Elisabet holds a master’s degree in social psychology from the University of Tampere in Finland and a master’s in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under Professors Martian Seligman and Angela Duckworth. Since initiating the research on the Finnish construct of sisu in 2012, Elisabet’s doctoral work has involved exploring the limits of her own sisu through ultra-endurance running and Eastern martial arts. Her work on sisu has been featured by The New Yorker, Business Insider, BBC, Forbes, and more. Born and raised in Finland, she has lived and taught internationally and given talks at Fortune 500 companies, TEDx, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley.

Bibliography

Excellent praise for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way by Asko Känsälä!

We are thrilled to share with you excellent new endorsements and praises for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way (orig. Johtajasta mestariksi) by Asko Känsälä! We have a full English manuscript for you!

This unique book on Finnish perspective of leadership combining art and craftsmanship, like the great Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto, has resonated with many entrepreneurs, researchers and business authors:

“’LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way’ by Asko Känsälä is a refreshing take on corporate culture and strategy. The text contains lessons from a lifelong pursuit of excellence in leadership. It sheds light on many dysfunctions that have been normalized in corporate life. The idea that companies undertaking major change efforts is in fact a sign of prior failure to adapt and learn in real time. The insight that busyness is a signal that one has failed to find their focus and prioritize what is important. The connection between art, beauty, and leadership and pursuit of a beautiful company. This book will make you pause and rethink everything you’re doing.
Giorgio Paizanis, Partner, BCG X, The tech build and design unit of Boston Consulting Group, Redondo Beach, CA, USA

LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY by Asko Känsälä brings to life the pivotal role of leadership in motivating individuals to perform their best. Känsälä successfully draws an analogy between a leader and a carpenter, emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship, precision, and vision in leadership roles. Like a carpenter who meticulously shapes wood into valuable creations, Känsälä argues that a leader must similarly shape their teams, inspiring every member to unlock their fullest potential. LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY convincingly demonstrates that effective leadership isn’t about giving orders but rather nurturing, mentoring, and enabling the individuals within the team to unleash their full potential. A must-read for anyone seeking to refine their leadership skills and inspire their teams to exceptional heights. And an important contribution to leadership in a time where responsible leadership is needed more than ever.
– Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman, Siemens AG and Northvolt AB, Germany

There is much to learn from the Finns (can you say “sisu”?), but this is the first book I’ve seen that nails the Finnish way of leadership. Through his vivid stories, personal reflections, and compelling thinking, let Asko Känsälä be your guide in understanding how to lead in today’s world. Apply the concepts in LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY and you will have the mark of a master.”
– B. Joseph Pine II, co-author of The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money

“Leadership is often thought of as a quality of the individual, but in this LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY we learn it is more of an art form to be mastered.  We develop to be an exceptional leader through cycles of practice and reflection, just like the mastery of any other complex skill.”
– Jeffrey K. Liker, PhD, author of international bestseller The Toyota Way

This is an insightful and important book for leaders at all levels. The central theme is that leadership mastery is an intentional lifelong learning process that starts with leadership of self and then advances step-wise to the ultimate goal – helping others become their best selves. Asko uses the concept of “mental models” to describe this journey and offers compelling examples of how craftsmen in any field achieve mastery in the same way. The book is not only deeply thoughtful; it also offers a practical guide to translate these ideas into action.
William G. Pietersen, Professor, The Practice of Management, Columbia Business School, New York

Full English translation is available – join the success of the Finnish Way of Leadership!

Download the full English manuscript for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY here!

Leadership as Mastery: The Finnish Way

Asko Känsälä

Lead like a Finn! The Finnish way of leadership combines art and craftsmanship, like the great Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto.

What does craftsmanship have to do with leadership? What makes a company beautiful? And what can the Japanese culture contribute to a good working life and good leadership?

Asko Känsälä spent his career building successful businesses and coaching new leaders. He has refined his leadership experience of more than 20 years into a vision of leadership as a craft. Growing up as a leader is like a craftsman’s lifelong path from apprentice to professional. Leadership is a way of thinking, and good leadership is good thinking. LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way presents the thinking patterns, tools of the leader-craftsman that good leadership requires.

Inspiring and humane, this book offers a new perspective on leadership, success in the business world, and a better working life.

“ [—] Six words about the book – “Beautiful is something that ages beautifully” (Alvar Aalto).” – Mikko Mattinen, Director of the Finnish Digital Agency

LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: THE FINNISH WAY
JOHTAJASTA MESTARIKSI
Tammi, 2023, 174 pp.

READING MATERIALS
Full English manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Ühinenud Ajakirjad

About author


Asko Känsälä

Asko Känsälä (b. 1957) is a Finnish business builder and leader with a successful career as deputy CEO in the Finnish market leading telecommunication and digital services company Elisa; coach, investor, and grandfather to 10 grandchildren. He is passionate about inspirational leadership and has worked in manufacturing industry, public administration, banking, and ICT, as well as for four years in Japan.

Bibliography


2023, General Nonfiction

Leadership as Mastery: The Finnish Way

Asko Känsälä

DAD MAN Series by Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio pre-empted in Germany by Mixtvision!

We are thrilled to announce the first international sale for the bestselling DAD MAN series written by Arttu Unkari and illustrated by Kai Vaalio: the German rights have been pre-empted, in a two-book deal, by the prize-winning publisher MixtvisionThe deal was closed by Anna Kappauf and Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Publishing Director Lena Frenzel at Mixtvision loves the Dad Man Series:
“ A real firework of humour and absurdities! Our readers will love the Dad Man series, no doubt about that!”

DAD MAN is a hilarious series for the reluctant readers and for fans of Captain Underpants and David Walliams – with the comic-style illustrations and priceless plot lines, one just has to keep on turning pages. The series has sold over 100 000 copies in Finland and has been nominated for the Runeberg Prize and for Storytel Awards! 

A funny and engaging series [–] The series has such delightful characters, carefree school anarchy, and flight of imagination, and one is looking forward to the continuation.”
–Ilkka Valpasvuo on Kulttuuritoimitus magazine

“The duo smartly combines the narrative styles of comics and prose. Vaalio’s illustrations offer many visual jokes and almost accidentally urges one to read Unkari’s story.”
– Savon Sanomat newspaper

Download materials for the DAD MAN series here!

 

 

Dad Man and the Exploding Poop

Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

Adults who think they know everything and children who are forced to clean up the messes – the Dad Man series offers hilarious adventures!

  • Nominated for Storytel awards 2020 (Best children’s audiobook) and Best Newcomer of the Year 2020
  • For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

A horrific poop explosion flies the minister of education to the Moon in the middle of a regular evening. And even worse is yet to come: it turns out there’s a mad inventor behind it all, who is threatening more explosions if no one solves his twisted riddle.

The pride and role model of the police force, the heroic Dad Man, is not one to flinch and immediately sets out to solve the case. However, his nine-year-old daughter Oona knows that Dad Man’s investigations lead to nothing but disarray. Oona has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

 

Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother

Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

Little siblings are always up to no good – sometimes they even get tangled in thefts!

  • Nominated for Storytel awards 2021 (Best children’s audiobook)
  • For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

Something odd is going on, because adults have started to behave stranger than usual – they are telling the truth!

At the same time, there’s a wave of mysterious gold thefts in the city – even goldfish go missing! Oona is sure that her cute little brother Veikka knows more than he lets on. But how to prove it? As usual, the totally incompetent policeman Dad Man is mishandling his robbery investigations, and Oona must rush to the rescue. But the evil little brother is always one step ahead.

 

Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis

Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

If students act well-behaved and don’t cause trouble, something’s seriously wrong.

  • Nominated for Storytel awards 2022 and for the Runeberg Prize 2023!
  • For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

When Oona and Eeli’s class gets a substitute teacher, strange things start to happen at school: the students become obedient, and at the same time get all excited about playing the recorder. Meanwhile, a strange series of factory fires keep policeman Dad Man busy, who, as usual, is vigorously chasing a false lead.

The appearance of the new teacher at the crime scenes makes Oona suspicious. Even the adults start to become obedient as the weird flute playing trend is spreading like wildfire and this time Eeli is of no help to Oona. Will Oona succeed on her own in stopping the substitute teacher from taking over the world?

 

Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp

Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

The quirkiest cop in town! The Dad Man Series offers fast-paced adventures and humour for all ages – especially lower middle grade.

  • Series sold over 100 000 copies in Finland!
  • For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

Oona and her friends find out that Dad Man would never have gotten into police school without help – from them! How is that possible? The friends have no choice but to jump into a time machine and go back to Dad Man’s police academy years to find out.

The four friends find themselves at the centre of a mysterious series of art theft. The case is being investigated by the police academy’s quirkiest cadets, including, of course, Dad Man. Luckily, Oona and friends have a clue of their own. There is a criminal in the police school who they have already caught once.

Isämies ja räjähtävä kakka
Otava, 2020, 176 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
GERMANY: Mixtvision
Reading materials:
English synopsis, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

 

Isämies ja paha pikkuveli 
Otava, 2021, 176 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
GERMANY: Mixtvision
Reading materials:
English synopsis, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

 

Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi
Otava, 2022, 192 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English synopsis, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

 

Isämies ja mahdoton aikasolmu
Otava, 2023, 174 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English sample & synopsis, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

About author


Arttu Unkari

Arttu Unkari is a teacher from Helsinki and a Master of Education (University of Helsinki, 2015) who majored in ethics and philosophy.  He combines his educational background and experience as a teacher in his books – his stories are anarchist and zany, but at the same time the humour often revolves around profound and intriguing concepts such as honesty, obedience, and morality in ways that speak to children in their own language. His books are enjoyed by adults as well because they contain layers that open up differently to readers of all ages. This is one of the reasons Dad Man is such a great series for the whole family.

As an author Unkari is a Runeberg prize nominee 2023 for the third instalment of the Dadman series: Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis (Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi, Otava 2022). The Runeberg Prize is a literary prize awarded by the newspaper Uusimaa, the City of Porvoo, the Finnish Writers' Union, the Finnish Critics' Association and the Finland’s-Swedish Writer’s Association. The prize was established in 1986 and it is awarded annually in Porvoo on 5th February, the day when Finland celebrates their national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Three of his books (Dad Man and the Exploding poop, Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother, and Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis) have been nominated for best children’s audiobook in the 2020, 2021, and 2023 Finnish Storytel awards. He’s also participated in making a Finnish language schoolbook (Loikka 3, Otava 2022).

Unkari is a sought after inspirational speaker in his home country. He’s visited schools all over Finland advocating for the importance of reading.

About author


Kai Vaalio

Kai Vaalio (b. 1986) is an illustrator, comic artist, and a bit of a cosmopolitan as well. He’s written and illustrated underground comic books for adults about his travels in South-East Asia and Latin America — the latter even won Mondo magazine’s Travel book of the year award back in 2014. Recently he’s ventured into the world of illustrating children’s books mainly with Arttu Unkari’s Dad Man Series. Together they’ve made four books about this goofy detective and his clever little posse. The Dadman Series has received Storytel Awards and Runeberg Junior 2023 award nominations. Vaalio’s been on and off in the graphic industry since 2005 when he graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. In 2018 he got his bachelor’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Sciences.

Breaking news: SCRIBE acquires World English rights to THE ENCHANTMENT!

We are very happy to announce a wonderful World English sale for our award-winning author Riikka Pulkkinen and her highly acclaimed new novel THE ENCHANTMENT (orig. Lumo, Otava, August 2022).  SCRIBE,  a multi-award-winning independent publisher founded by publisher Henry Rosenbloom in 1976, with offices in London, and Melbourne, Australia has acquired World English rights to Riikka Pulkkinen’s novel The Enchantment for publication in 2025. Scribe has also published Riikka Pulkkinen’s debut novel The Limit in 2013. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Riikka Pulkkinen is a shining star in Finnish literature, an award-winning and bestselling author with international publishers in 19 territories, nominated for the Finlandia Prize (True).

The Publisher Molly Slight at Scribe UK says:  “‘Enchantment is a deeply thought-out, psychological novel about the ways that we present ourselves, what we let others see and what we hide away. What seems at first like it could be a simple mystery about the unexpected death of a teenage girl becomes a fascinating dismantling of a well-worn trope, in which the ensemble cast reveal their own deepest fears and failings through their projections onto the central character of Philippa, who we never quite come to know in her own right.”

Finnish praise:  “One can read Riikka Pulkkinen’s novel The Enchantment as a report of why Philippa died. The book naturally tells of her as a character who existed. But she can be read also as a description of girlhood and femininity. [–] Riikka Pulkkinen is skilled at writing about friendship, love, the caring of others, and of yearning. She manages again to charm the reader, to make them think of their own youth and how events in childhood have influenced adulthood.”    Kirjallisuustoimittaja book blog, Seppo Puttonen, former literary editor at YLE

“Riikka Pulkkinen triumphs with a metafictional novel.  A novel dealing with girlhood prompts readers to ponder the power of narrative.” – Helsingin Sanomat, Starred review

“Riikka Pulkkinen is a … Finnish Joyce Carol Oates.” – Livres Hebdo, France

Download materials for THE ENCHANTMENT here

 

THE ENCHANTMENT

By Riikka Pulkkinen

This shiningly beautiful novel is an autopsy of girlhood and power

✓  Riikka Pulkkinen is a shining star in Finnish literature, an award-winning and bestselling author with international publishers in 19 territories!

Philippa Laakso, aged seventeen, is found dead in her yard at home. Nothing suggests a crime, and everyone who knew her is certain she wasn’t suicidal. On the other hand, all who knew her seem to hold a differing view of her. The investigation sees them being interviewed, but behind every view and story is Philippa’s influence. She still has the people around her in a sharp grip: her friend, ex-boyfriend, teacher, neighbors.

Riikka Pulkkinen’s anticipated novel examines the power and comfort of make-believe and the thin line between love and play. Every character in the novel sees Philippa in his or her own way, as a mirror for fantasizing, anger, aspirations, comfort, and freedom, and uses their perceived image of Philippa to their own ends.

Lumo
Otava, August 2022, 383 pp

Rights sold: 
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

UNITED KINGDOM: Scribe
WORLD ENGLISH: Scribe

Reading materials:

English sample & synopsis
German sample
Media coverage
Finnish edition

About author


Riikka Pulkkinen

Riikka Pulkkinen (b. 1980) is one of the top names in Finnish literature. Her debut novel The Limit (2006) gained wide attention, was a bestseller, and was adapted into a play and a TV series in Finland. Her international breakthrough came with her second novel, True (2010), which was the one novel everyone was talking about that year at the Frankfurt book fair. The novel has been published in 17 countries to date.

Pulkkinen’s novels are characterized by the precision with which she describes the psychology of the characters, and the philosophical themes that reflect from the characters into the refined structure of the novels and culminate on the level of the plot. The main questions she explores in her novels concern power, responsibility, and justice.

Pulkkinen has an M.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Helsinki, and she lives in Helsinki with her husband and her two children. She enjoys dancing and running in the forest or by the seaside. If she weren’t a writer, she would be a psychologist or a baker.

For her works, Riikka Pulkkinen has received the Kaarle award in 2007, the Laila Hirvisaari Fund stipend in 2007, the Veijo Meri Award in 2019, and her novel True was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 2010.

Bibliography


2022, Literary Fiction

The Enchantment

Riikka Pulkkinen


2010, Literary Fiction

True

Riikka Pulkkinen


2006, Literary Fiction

The Limit

Riikka Pulkkinen

FUTURE SKILLS by Perttu Pölönen sold to Albania! Now 8 territories!

We are thrilled to announce that the Albanian rights for FUTURE SKILLS by Perttu Pölönen have been acquired by Publishing House “Jakup Ceraja”! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Publishing house “Jakup Ceraja” was established in 2018 and they publish poetry and novels from both Albanian and international writers. Their international authors include William Carlos Williams, Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg, Ezra Pound, Mark Twain, H.P. Lovecraft, Yasmina Khadra, Slavenka Drakulic, Ivana Bodrozic, Knut Hamsun, Mikaela Sundstrom, Leo Freundlich, Jacob Gould Schurman, etc.

With the latest sale to Albania, FUTURE SKILLS has now been sold to 8 territories!
Rights are available in Germany, Poland, Italy, France, Netherlands, Spain, etc.

Download the full English PDF here!

Pölönen’s book on the essential skills that can help you adapt to, live well, and succeed in a future world dominated by machines, robots, and artificial intelligence has received excellent reviews both in Finland and abroad:

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

Each of the twelve skill duos all are treated with warmth and in a multifaceted way, often with a sense of humour. Pölönen’s own experiences are included together with real life stories. What’s most delightful is that all the future abilities can be adopted by anyone. In order to learn these skills, there’s no need for degrees but ultimately require an open heart and mind. The book is appropriate for anyone who’s looking to broaden one’s mind and to become a better human being.“
– Marja Kasanen, Kollega.fi

You can read more about Perttu Pölönen here: Perttu Pölönen | Keynote Speaker, Author, Futurist (perttupolonen.com)

Future Skills

Perttu Pölönen

What are the 12+1 essential skills that will help you defeat the fear of the future?

The next revolution is a human revolution, says Perttu Pölönen, a futurist, inventor and inspirational speaker. We should develop courage, adaptability, compassion, storytelling, patience and curiosity, to name a few, in order to succeed in the era of machines, robots and artificial intelligence such as the ChatGPT. Pölönen explains how.

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.

FUTURE SKILLS
TULEVAISUUDEN LUKUJÄRJESTYS
Otava, 2020, 192 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Publishing House “Jakup Ceraja”
HUNGARY: Anna Inkeri Pap
INDONESIA: PT Pustaka Alvabet
PORTUGAL: Bertrand
SOUTH KOREA: BP Publishers
TURKEY: Büyükada
UNITED STATES (audio): Recorded Publishing
UNITED STATES: Start Publishing

About author


Perttu Pölönen

Perttu Pölönen is a futurist, inventor and an inspirational speaker. In the Finnish media, Perttu has been called a gentle highbrow and fearless inventor. Future Skills has been an instant bestseller in Finland – where Perttu has become one of the most sought-after speakers inspiring thousands of people in his lectures.

Bibliography


2024, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Do You Follow? How to Have a Less Toxic Relationship with Social Media

Perttu Pölönen


2021, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Future Identities

Perttu Pölönen


2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Future Skills

Perttu Pölönen

STELLA by Ted Forsström and Åsa Lucander sold to North Macedonia! Now 7 territories!

We are thrilled to announce that the Macedonian rights for STELLA (Snälla Stella, sluta skälla!) written by Ted Forsström and illustrated by Åsa Lucander have been acquired by Ars Lamina! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Ars Lamina is a North Macedonian publisher with a mission to create and disseminate knowledge by connecting readers to adult and children’s high-quality fiction and nonfiction works. Their authors include Colleen Hoover, Eva Lindström, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Mark Manson, Stephen King, Nancy Springer, Maggie O’Farrell, etc.

STELLA is a charming bedtime storybook – the key to a successful, quiet night!
Rights are now sold to 7 languages – could yours be next?

We have a full English translation for you to read – be quick to add this gem to your list!

Download the full English PDF of STELLA here!

Stella

Ted Forsström, illustrated by Åsa Lucander

An interactive and playful bedtime story for toddlers featuring a very loud dog with a big imagination!

“OFF! VOFF! GRR-VOFF!”

A father tries to put his child to bed, but keeps getting interrupted by Stella the dog, who starts barking hysterically. Something unexpected always happens, and the reader is treated to Stella’s lively imaginations: it may be a door opening or a car driving by, but Stella is strongly convinced it’s Grandma coming to give her food, or that squirrels have built a nest in the toaster.

Anyone who has ever tried to bring a child to bed knows how cozy yet fragile the situation is. It requires the right amount of patience and determination. The right bedtime story can be the key to a successful, quiet night.

There is a warm feeling, playful rhymes and an unusual mix of familiar ordinariness and fantastic antics. Clear recognition for anyone trying to combine cozy moments with a pet!

Stella is a book you can read again and again, night after night.

STELLA
SNÄLLA STELLA, SLUTA SKÄLLA!
Förlaget, 2023, 44 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF
Finland-Swedish PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Etana Editions (Finnish)
DENMARK: Gads Forlag
ESTONIA: Tammerraamat
GERMANY: Mixtvision
HUNGARY: Cerkabella
NORTH MACEDONIA: Ars Lamina
SWEDEN: Förlaget

About author


Åsa Lucander

Åsa Lucander is a director and designer, working in illustration and animation both in the UK as well as Scandinavia.

Originally from Finland, she moved to London in 2001 where she was introduced to animation while studying illustration. After graduating she joined the animation studio 12foot6 where she stayed until 2014.

In 2015 she joined Aardman Animations in Bristol, where she is now based.

With multi-faceted strengths in storytelling, design and animation she loves exploring various creative styles, be it in 2d, stop motion or CGI. Åsa has a passion for hand rendered drawings and explores many different textures and mediums in all areas of her work. She loves mixing humour with melancholy and thrills in bringing characters of every shape and form to life with compelling scripts and inventive visions. She nimbly blends music, authentic dialogue, film segments, hand drawn characters and dolls in innovative ways.

Åsa has directed multiple shorts, including her award-winning film Lost Property, as well as many heart-warming commercial films for clients including Blue Peter, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Project Every- one and Childline, and a VR documentary film for BBC. Most recently she directed the music video for Coldplay’s track Daddy that has won numerous awards.

About author


Ted Forsström

Ted Forsström is a Finnish-Swedish media personality living in Ostrobothnia. He has worked as a comedian, actor, radio host and author, often as part of the duo Ted & Kaj. Today he works with children's programs on Svenska Yle and talks once a week in Finland’s biggest Swedish podcast, Ted & Kaj, together with Kaj Korkea-aho.

World English rights to Gordon F. Sander’s book THE NOTE CRISIS: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War sold to Cornell University Press!

We are very happy to announce that the prestigious publisher Cornell University Press in Ithaca has acquired World English Rights to Gordon F. Sander’s acclaimed and unique work THE NOTE CRISIS: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War for publication in October/November 2024 in the US and UK. Originally published in Finland by WSOY in August 2021 as “Kansalainen Kekkonen”, the book has received excellent praise, and sold to Varrak in Estonia. Cornell has published two of his previous works, Serling and The Frank Family That Survived. There will be a new introduction and some revisions to the original Finnish edition as the English edition is targeted for the US (and UK) audiences. The acquiring editor is Sarah Grossman and the deal was concluded by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

In this timely book, Gordon Sander brings into focus the significance of Finland in the Cold War through a lively study of its vital President, Urho Kekkonen. An engaging and important book for readers interested in the history and politics of the Cold War.” – Sarah Grossman, Acquisitions Editor, Cornell University Press

Cornell University Press, established in 1869 as the first American university press, shortly after the founding of Cornell, embodies and advances the university’s core values by disseminating fundamental and practical knowledge, while commanding its own distinct editorial profile. The press is also dedicated to transforming research into publications that reach and benefit the wider public.

Praise for THE NOTE CRISIS: 

“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 NOTE CRISIS: 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 NOTE CRISIS 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 NOTE CRISIS, 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 NOTE CRISIS 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

Interested to read more? We have a full English manuscript available!

Request the English materials for THE NOTE CRISIS here!

Kansalainen Kekkonen
WSOY, 2021, 507 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak
WORLD ENGLISH: Cornell University Press

Reading materials:
English manuscript

About author


Gordon F. Sander

Gordon F. Sander is a journalist and historian who has been visiting and writing about Finland and the Nordic region since 1977.  His articles and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, New York Review of Books, and many other general interest and scholarly publications. One of the best known and respected authorities on Nordic affairs and history in the English-speaking world, he is the author of eight books, including three about Finland: The Hundred Day Winter War, his best-selling history of the 1939-40 Fenno-Soviet Winter War, Off the Map: A Personal History of Finland, and most recently, The Note Crisis: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War, his historical biography of Urho Kekkonen, the long-time president of Finland and his role in the pivotal 1961 Note Crisis, the culmination of six years of research in both Finland and the United States.

In 2017 Sander was knighted by President Sauli Niinistö for his services to Finland and international journalism, the first American writer to be so honored since World War II.  He is also a Pulitzer Prize nominee. In addition to Finnish, Sander's works have also been translated into Dutch, Estonian and Portuguese.

Bibliography


2021, History & Politics

The Note Crisis: Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War

Gordon F. Sander

Great first reviews for Kaisu Tuokko’s new crime series THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS!

We are thrilled to see that REVENGE, the first instalment in the Kaisu Tuokko’s brandnew 6-book crime series THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS, has been well received in Finnish media and with readers and fellow authors!

Here are just some of the praises and endorsements that have been pouring in:

Revenge starts with a wicked crime with a distressing motive [but] text has been written delicately. Fantastic work.
–  Satu Rämö, author (Hildur series)

Will Kaisu Tuokko’s Kristinestad be Finland’s equivalent to Camilla Läckberg’s Fjällbacka or Mari Jungstedt’s Visby?  (…) Tuokko has taken a model from another classic author, namely Agatha Christie. The reader has no real chance to identify the killer, although clearly the most important question is ”who dunnit”. (…) The key thing is that Tuokko succeeds in creating excitement and suspense by bringing up current social phenomena against an idyllic setting.”
– Taika Dahlbom in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Tuokko’s narration is effortless. The life of youth with its crises also appears natural. The plot of Revenge [Book 1] keeps one in its grip, even surprising the reader. The crime is the size of one book, but the story of Eevi and Mats is left open by the author.
– Sari Toivakka in Keskisuomalainen newspaper

An incredibly good reading experience, I’m already looking forward to the continuation!
–Laura Karlsson, director of the booksellers’ association of Finland

”I recommend Revenge to many kinds of readers. I believe it will entertain both detective fiction fans, small town fans, journalism fans, interpersonal drama fans as well as the reader who appreciates the social angle in crime fiction. In my opinion, Revenge is a very promising first novel, based on which we can expect a lot from the sequels as well.” KIRSIN BOOK CLUB (Finnish Blog)

You can also check out the author’s website for more reviews!

The summery setting makes this the perfect July read for fans of Viveca StenCamilla Läckberg, Mari Jungstedt, and Åsa Larsson! Be the first to snap up the rights this new crime series highlight!

Download the materials for THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS here!

THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS: Book 1: Revenge by Kaisu Tuokko (Otava)

THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS: Book 1: Revenge by Kaisu Tuokko (Otava)

Published in Finland on May 19th, 2023, REVENGE, book 1 in THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS (orig. Kosto, Otava), is a perfect mix of Nordic crime, love triangle drama, and the beautiful surroundings of the  old coastal town of Kristinestad, Western Finland. Author Kaisu Tuokko is a publishing professional from Finland – if you love Viveca Sten’s The Sandham Murders, Camilla Läckberg, and Åsa Larsson, this is the new addictive crime series for you!

REVENGE opens with the scenery of the old coastal town of Kristinestad, where the idyll is broken when a young man’s body is found in the sea. Criminal investigator Mats Bergholm is called to work in Kristinestad, and journalist Eevi Manner is also interested in the case. The local newspaper sends Eevi to the crime scene. In order to solve the case, Eevi and Mats, who grew up in the same town, have to put aside their shared past of first love.
When Eevi is contacted by a local youth, the overall picture of the events that led to the death begins to take shape. However, the dark secrets of the locals sit tight, and at first glance it is not at all clear who is the victim and who is the culprit.

MAIN CHARACTERS AND SETTING

Eevi Manner, 39, from Kristinestad, has lived in Helsinki for about 15 years and returned to her old hometown to work as a journalist for the local newspaper. Mirek, a photographer, is her partner.

Mats Bergholm, police. He comes from Kristinestad and now lives in Vaasa with his family, has a cottage in Kristinestad, Eevi’s first and great love, which ended unhappily. The One That Got Away.

Kristinestad is unique in its environment, a beautiful coastal old town in Western Finland with idyllic treehouses and dark secrets, a kind of Twin Peaks in Finland. Kristinestad has a long history, founded in 1649 by Peter Brahe and named for Queen Christina of Sweden.  Today, Kristinestad is a small idyllic coastal town, filled with tourists in the summer and dead quiet (pun intended) in the winter. A cute little town with fast-paced municipal politics and lots of dark secrets. The rest of Ostrobothnia will also be part of the series’ environment.

Kaisu Tuokko’s THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS crime series follows very strongly in the Nordic female crime authors’ footsteps.

The Kristinestad Murders : Revenge (Kosto, Otava, May 2023, 298pp)
Crime Fiction

Reading material: English sample book 1 + English synopsis books 1-3, English series presentation

Rights sold: FINLAND (orig.): Otava

About author


Kaisu Tuokko

Kaisu Tuokko’s aim is to create a series where interpersonal relationships and the idyll of a small town are mixed with cruel events – using psychological tension to build stories about how badly we know the families or friends of our neighbors, of our loved ones. Everyone has secrets, but some of them are more dangerous than others.

Tuokko loves the stories of strangers, secrets of small towns, rainy autumn evenings, and the Swedish language. She lives in Helsinki, and has named her main character after her grandparents.

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS #1: Revenge

Kaisu Tuokko

INHERITED LAND by Maria Turtschaninoff sold to Ukraine! Now 21 territories!

We are happy to announce that the Ukrainian rights for INHERITED LAND (Arvejord) by internationally bestselling and award-winning author Maria Turtschaninoff have been acquired by Old Lion Publishing House!
The deal was the result of a visit of Ukrainian publishers to Helsinki, organised by FILI Finnish Literature Exchange. Author Maria Turtschaninoff is honored and very proud that her book will be published in Ukraine. And so are we: Congratulations Maria and The Old Lion Publishing House Team! INHERITED LAND will be translated by Natalia Ivanychyk, a very professional and well-known translator in Ukraine. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.The Old Lion Publishing House was founded in Lviv, Ukraine as a traditional publisher of children’s literature. Now The Old Lion stands for a wide range of books aimed at readers aged 0 to adults.  It publishes nearly 130 titles per year and almost 70% are translations. This year The Old Lion Publishing House received Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publisher of the Year at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Old Lion also owns a network of bookstores and cafés in Ukraine.Praise for INHERITED LAND:

The book is beautiful like a piece of jewelry and rich like a forest.”  – Åbo Underrättelser

It is an extremely powerful novel. I was absolutely captivated by the writing and, whenever I was reading it, I just felt completely drawn into the story.“  – Olha Besarab, Manager of Grants & Projects, The Old Lion Publishing House, Ukraine

INHERITED LAND is now sold to 21 languages! Rights are still available in Greece, Spain, Japan, China, Portugal, Latvia, Iceland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Turkey…

Download the materials for INHERITED LAND here! 

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff

Inherited Land is an episodic work of literary fiction depicting human relationships with nature across generations, following in the tradition of family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

The roots of man and forest are intertwined in the depths of the earth.

  • Winner of the Svenska YLE Literature Prize!

Inherited Land tells multiple enchanting stories about short human lives on a small farmstead in the north of Finland with its golden cloudberries and the mythical woodland animals. The hub of the narrative is a marsh close to the farmstead, and nature is the constant while humans are like dragonflies: here one day, gone the next. Across four centuries, the people face wars, epidemics, and heartbreaks, but from the woods they find shelter and a place to be themselves

Inherited Land is a novel about the climate crisis without ever mentioning it by name. Instead, the novel explores what people have thought about their environment, how they have used it and why. The novel is a reminder of where we have come from, and what a relationship between humans and nature could look like in the future.

 

 

Arvejord
Förlaget, August 2022, 371 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Tammi (Finnish)
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Izida
CROATIA: HENA COM
CZECH REPUBLIC: ARGO
DENMARK: Alpha Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Éditions Paulsen
GERMANY: Rowohlt
HUNGARY: L’Harmattan
ISRAEL: Hakibbutz Hameuchad – Sifriat Poalim
ITALY: Bompiani
NETHERLANDS: Atlas Contact
NORWAY: Bonnier Norsk Forlag
POLAND: Poznańskie
ROMANIA: Editura Univers
SWEDEN: Förlaget
UKRAINE: Old Lion Publishing House
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES & CANADA: Pushkin Press
WORLD ALBANIAN: Shkupi Publishing House

Reading materials:
Swedish edition
English sample and synopsis

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. 

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 21 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

Bibliography


2024, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Manticore

Maria Turtschaninoff


2022, Literary Fiction

Inherited Land

Maria Turtschaninoff


2018, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi: Red Mantle

Maria Turtschaninoff


2016, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Naondel

Maria Turtschaninoff


2014, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Maresi

Maria Turtschaninoff

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen World Arabic rights sold!

We are happy to announce the World Arabic rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY have sold to Al Arabi Publishing. The deal was closed by Mimi Matinpalo at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.  FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has now sold in 15 territories! Full English MS is available! 

Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing, established in 1975, is specializing in publishing translated literature, such as Finnish author Leena Lehtolainen’s novels.  The Arabic publisher Sherif Bakr said:

“The Arab readers are quite thrilled waiting for the most remarkable psychological thriller by Martta Kaukonen Follow the Butterfly ” – Al Arabi

Congratulations Al Arabi Publishing and Martta Kaukonen!

The long-awaited sequel to FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY will be released in December 2023.

Want to join this international success story? Rights are still available in France, Italy, World Spanish, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal, China, Thailand etc. 

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

Praise from foreign publishers and media of FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

“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

“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

“One of the most suspenseful thrillers I have ever read [–] incredibly captivating [–] well-thought-out and well-written [–] really magnificent”.
– Nicole List in ORF TV programme Studio 2, Austria

“The most suspenseful and surprising book in a long time. Only a few sentences in I realised: I am the fly in the spider net.”
– Ulla Müller, Bayern 1 radio (24. March 2023), Germany

 

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, March 2021, 471 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

Reading materials: Full English manuscript

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Martta’s debut novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an Instagram sensation in Finland, and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper released a highly-praising review of it. During the first two months, the audiobook was listened to an awe-inspiring 2000 times and over. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY  has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s novel ‘Gone Girl’. Martta dreams of her book being adapted into a movie – and such a great one that her colleagues would grant it a five-star review.

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

Return of the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Swedish rights for Riikka Sandberg’s debut Ørja pre-empted by Norstedts!

We are thrilled to share that one of Sweden’s largest and oldest publishers, Norstedts, have acquired the Swedish rights to Riikka Sandberg’s critically acclaimed debut novel Ørja in a pre-empt. The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Norstedts is celebrating its 200-year anniversary this year, looking back on many successes such as publishing 30 Nobel Literature Laureates and other bestselling authors including Stieg Larsson, J.R.R Tolkien, Elena Ferrante, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, Dolly Alderton, Marian Keyes, Fríða Ísberg, Kate Atkinson, Leila Mottley, and Jenny Colgan.

Ørja was published in Finland in January 2023 by Otava to great media praise:

In her debut novel, Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) has crafted a miniature world with a tight atmosphere. [–] The net of the relationships is woven to a tighter shape page by page. [–] Sandberg’s debut is a detailed and carefully finished piece of work in which no clue is unimportant and evert scene builds on the lifelike miniature world of the novel. Ørja is a gripping debut.
-Outi Hytönen in Suomen Kuvalehti magazine

The novel is filled with fantastic nature descriptions. The author has written it with such detail, that the reader can sense the rippling of waves on the pier and the stormy swelling of the sea against the harsh rocks. [–] The colourful nature descriptions accompany the bleak human destinies which the reader follows with excitement until the end.
-Jari Olavi Hiltunen in Satakunnan kansa newspaper

Riikka Sandberg paints in her debut a lavish and exciting plot around the lives of the people living on a barren island. [–] For a debut, Ørja is surprisingly mature. Even when reaching to many differing directions, Riikka Sandberg manages to keep hold of everything.
-Marjatta Hietaniemi in Ilkka-Pohjalainen newspaper

Riikka Sandberg’s debut is perfect for fans of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme (Svøm med dem som drukner) by Lars Mytting, A Land of Snow and Ashes by Petra Rautiainen, My Brother (Jag for ner till bror) by Karin Smirnoff, and Black Water (Händelser vid vatten) by Kerstin Ekman.

Be the next to snap up the rights to this powerful upmarket novel!

Download the materials for Ørja here!

 

Ørja
Otava, January 2023, 395 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
SWEDEN: Norstedts

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis

About author


Riikka Sandberg

Riikka Sandberg (b. 1989) is a Finnish author who grew up in the midst of boatsheds and the sea breeze. She studied Finnish and Creative Writing at the University of Turku and currently teaches at the University of Helsinki. Sandberg’s debut book Ørja was published in February 2023 and has been described as a thoughtfully constructed novel in which the fjords and the churning sea set a grand stage.

Sandberg is inspired by the Nordic languages, history and nature, and the fictional isles in her debut novel Ørja were inspired by a small and rugged Norwegian island to where she retreated alone to write. Eventually she carried out research for her novel in Norway, the Faroe Islands and the Finnish Lapland and archipelago. Sandberg considers it important to write about women who are, for one reason or another, cast out or have themselves left the society or their community, and about those who have forgotten to live their own truth.

Bibliography


2023, Literary Fiction

Ørja

Riikka Sandberg

Japanese 3-book deal for the LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES!

We are thrilled to announce that the Japanese rights for THE LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES series by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani have been acquired by Holp Shuppan in Japan in a 3-book deal! Founded in 1969, Holp Shuppan is known as one of the leading children’s pu blishers in Japan, publishing picture books, non-fiction, and middle grade novels.

This is the 27th territory for the LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in association with Tuttle-Mori Agency.

The rights to the bestselling series are still available in UK, US, France, Israel…

Download the materials for THE LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES here!

The Little Shop of Nightmares

Magdalena Hai, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

Nina is a clever, 9-year-old girl who goes to work in the Little Shop of Nightmares – a small shop where accidents and mysteries keep happening!
The Little Shop of Nightmares is a series full of fascinating and fun characters that make young readers both wonder and laugh!

#1 The Terrible Tickling Powder
When Nina, a 9-year-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 any 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 The 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 the vampire, Lucas, 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
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 thwarting their every effort to stop it from 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!

 

Painajaispuoti-sarja
WSOY, 2018- 60 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY(orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Emas
CATALAN: La Galera
CZECH REPUBLIC: Euromedia
DENMARK: VILD MASKINE
ESTONIA: Postimees Kirjastus
GERMANY: HarperCollins Schneiderbuch
GREECE: Dioptra
HUNGARY: Cerkabella Konyvkiado
ITALY: Cart’ Armata Edizioni
JAPAN: Holp Publishing
KOREA: Gilbutschool
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NETHERLANDS: De Vier Windstreken
NORWAY: Fontini
POLAND: Znak
PORTUGAL: PRH Portugal
ROMANIA: Univers Publishing House
RUSSIA: Kompass Guide
SERBIA:Odiseja
SLOVAKIA: Ikar
SWEDEN: Hegas
TAIWAN: Morning Star
TURKEY: Epsilon
WORLD SPANISH: La Galera

Reading materials:
English PDFs for Books 1-3
English text for Book 4

About author


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 30 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.

About author


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.

Find your next megaseller for film, tv, books by diving into Ahlback Agency’s Storyfinder! A new and groundbreaking digital tool!

Be innovative, be bold, start finding your next big hit from Ahlback Agency’s catalogue! 
Whether you are a book publisher, film or television producer, studio, or other entertainment executive or scout looking for the next big megaseller and the right intellectual property for your company, we invite you to use our new innovative digital Storyfinder tool to help you find the perfect match!

We recommend checking out more tips and tricks on how to use the tool here!
For optimal experience, we currently recommend using Storyfinder in desktop view.

Dive into Storyfinder here!

 

Finland’s #1 literary agency, and one of the leading agencies in the Nordics, Ahlback Agency, has created and launched a brand new and ground-breaking digital tool for film & tv executives, producers and studios as well as book publishers! Dive into Storyfinder and find your next big hit from Ahlback Agency’s catalogue – wherever you are whenever you wish!

From Cannes Film Festival we hear that there is a hunger for new voices, for distinct and unique content and concepts that attract attention. Where to find the next megahits, where to go between the festivals and trade fairs? A sustainable digital tool is the answer.

You might be looking for a book with female protagonist, set in Lapland, solving a murder mystery or… Discover the possibilities!

We are thrilled to unveil Ahlback Agency’s latest groundbreaking digital tool – Storyfinder!

Through Storyfinder, it is possible to search for available Media and Publishing Rights for our exciting titles in a new and groundbreaking way by selecting themes, location, time period and characters.

Ahlback Agency gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Business Finland in the creation of the Storyfinder digital tool!

 

We would love to hear your feedback! Contact us at info@ahlbackagency.com


Milo (working title), the brand new novel by Max Seeck is sold to Germany pre-publication!

We are very excited to announce that New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck is working on a new independent crime novel, MILO (working title)! And the good news don’t stop there, we are also thrilled to share that Bastei Lübbe have just acquired the German rights to Max Seeck’s new novel! The deal was negotiated by Anna Kappauf and Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Warmest Congratulations, Max Seeck and Bastei Lübbe!

MILO will be published by Tammi in Finland in September 2024. Rights for Max Seeck’s previous Jessica Niemi crime series have been sold into 40 territories and Hollywood: an international TV-show is in developementOver 350,000 copies of his books have been sold in Finland alone. Book 3 in the series, THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021), is nominated for the Glass Key Award 2023 – the winner will be announced this summer.

Here is what Max Seeck said about writing MILO:

I’m so very excited and grateful for the confidence and commitment by both Bastei Lübbe and the Ahlback Agency. This gives me a great boost to finish the novel and make it as good as I can.

We believe MILO has all the potential to outdo Max Seeck’s already very impressive sales records – get in touch with us if you would like to receive first materials and acquire the rights!

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

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

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE. 

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER sold to Sweden!

We are happy to announce that the Swedish rights for the non-fiction title I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER by Tero Mielonen and Mari Ahokoivu have been acquired by Swedish publisher Epix! The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Previously sold to Bulgaria and Latvia, I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER shows children how they can turn their interests into careers in science and research, proofing that everyone can be a scientist!

Praise for I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER:

I’ll Become a Researcher tells you the basics of every discipline with accuracy and precision. Even If a preschooler will not understand all words, the excellent illustrations can help bring the research equipment and objects of investigation to life.  The presentation was also approved by my 12-year-old son, who is a little older than the target group. The comic in the end of the book gets a special commendation. Clear demonstration, I liked it!
– Elina Lindfors, Tähdet ja Avaruus -magazine, Finland

We have a full English pdf for you to read and the rights are still available in UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Korea etc!

Download the full English pdf for I’LL BECOME A RESEARCHER here!

 

Maailman tutkijat
Ursa, 2021, 53pp

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Ursa (orig.)
BULGARIA: Enthusiast
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
SWEDEN: Epix

Reading materials:
Full English pdf

About author


Mari Ahokoivu

Mari Ahokoivu 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. 

Mari Ahokoivu won the Puupäähattu Comic Book Award 2023, and together with Laura Ertimo, they won the Tieto-Lauri Award 2022 and were nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2021 for WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO?!

About author


Tero Mielonen

Tero Mielonen (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 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. A graphic novel written by Mielonen, The Ozone Diary, was shortlisted for Comic/Graphic Novel at the British Fantasy Awards 2020. Mielonen lives in Kuopio and is partial to cycling everywhere.

Ahlback Agency visits Korea!

Earlier this month we got the opportunity to travel to Korea!🇰🇷
Massive thanks to FILI for the support and help and for The Embassy of Finland in Korea for organising the greatest networking event! The time in Korea was spent visiting the International Children’s Literature Festival on Nami Island  where Finland was the guest of honour.
Book celebration on Nami Island
We also networked with publishers and book professionals in Korea and had great meetings with people who share our passion for books – massive thanks to our excellent co-agency Danny Hong Agency for their enthusiasm and help.
And of course, there was wandering around the city of Seoul and exploring local bookstores and libraries, including the famous COEX Starfield library.
Starfield Library in COEX Mall
We are so grateful for FILI and the Finnish Embassy for this trip and look forward to sharing more results of the trip with you! Korea is already an important market for us, with books such as the Monster Nanny series and Little Shop of Nightmares having made their way to Korea – and more to come!
Korean editions of MONSTER NANNY, published by Seosawon
Korean LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES, published by Gilbut School

Breaking news! Chinese rights sold for Johanna Sinisalo’s “Finnish Weird” novel THE CORE OF THE SUN!

We are thrilled to announce a Chinese sale for Johanna Sinisalo’s classic novel of Finnish Weird, THE CORE OF THE SUNCitic Press has acquired Chinese simplified rights to this international bestseller, published originally in 2013 in Finland, and in 2016 in the US by Grove Atlantic, and also in Germany by Klett-Cotta, in Spain by Roca,  in Denmark by Jensen & Dalgaard, in Hungary by Metropolis Media, in Turkey by Ithaki Yayinlari, and Latvia by Petergailis. Join the success! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The Chinese publisher Citic Press loves the book:

“Such a clever and imaginative work! When a society lost its freedom, eating spicy food became a form of resistance. The seemingly trivial things in real life have become the best expression of people’s resistance under high pressure. Chili worship, smuggling, gratitude, and the superpower given by chili…… Great creativity has shown by the delicate structure.” — Citic Press, China

From the queen of “Finnish weird,” a captivating and witty speculative satire of a Handmaid’s Tale-esque welfare state where women are either breeders or outcasts, addicts chase the elusive high of super-hot chili peppers, and one woman is searching for her missing sister. The Core of the Sun has received excellent praise around the world:

“Hailed for being “Finnish weird,” this read from Finnish speculative fiction superstar Johanna Sinisalo will especially delight fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.”  – Bustle.com, USA

“An intoxicating book, sizzling to look at and as spicy as a hot pepper.” —Weltexpress, Germany

“One can read this with joy and docility as an exotic thriller. But it can also be seen as a call to resistance” – Anne-Françoise Hivert, Libération, France

“Written with wit and grace—Sinisalo describes depression as “a smooth-walled cavity, an open, echoing cave with a darkness living in it deeper than the space between the stars”—the novel maintains an impressive grasp on plot and suspense, easily luring the reader into taking its characters, politics, and striking story to heart.” – Kirkus Starred Review, USA

Download the English PDF fo THE CORE OF THE SUN here!

 

The Core of the Sun

Johanna Sinisalo

Set in an alternative historical present, in a “eusistocracy”—an extreme welfare state—that holds public health and social stability above all else, The Core of the Sun follows a young woman whose growing addiction to illegal chili peppers leads her on an adventure into a world where love, sex, and free will are all controlled by the state.

The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has bred a new human sub-species of receptive, submissive women, called eloi, for sex and procreation, while intelligent, independent women are relegated to menial labor and sterilized. How did Finland turn into the North Korea of Europe? Johanna Sinisalo’s tautly told story of fight and flight is also a feisty, between-the-lines social polemic—a witty, inventive, and fiendishly engaging read.

Auringon ydin
Teos, November 2013, 340 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ARABIC: Al Arabi
CHINA: Citic Press
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard
GERMANY: Klett-Cotta
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group Kft.
LATVIA: Izdevnieciba Petergailis SIA
SPAIN: Roca Editorial
TURKEY: Ithaki Yayinlari
UNITED STATES: Grove Atlantic USA

Reading materials: English edition

About author


Johanna Sinisalo

Johanna Sinisalo (b. 1958) is a Finlandia-Prize winning superstar of Finnish speculative fiction. In addition to her nine 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.

In 2022, Johanna Sinisalo was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal for services to Finnish literature! Founded in 1943, the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland is a distinction awarded by the President of Finland to artists and writers in recognition of their long meritorious work and exceptional services to Finnish art, drama, literature and music.

Bibliography


2021, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Storm Flute

Johanna Sinisalo


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Strangers Inside

Johanna Sinisalo


2018, Fantasy & Science Fiction

IRON SKY: RENATE'S STORY

Johanna Sinisalo


2013, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Core of The Sun

Johanna Sinisalo


2011, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Blood of Angels

Johanna Sinisalo


2010, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Möbius Twist

Johanna Sinisalo


2008, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Birdbrain

Johanna Sinisalo


2000, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Troll

Johanna Sinisalo

PIPER acquired German rights for Elina Backman’s BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS!

We are excited to tell you that Piper have acquired the German rights to BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS by Elina Backman. Piper had previously already acquired the rights for the first two books in the Saana Havas crime series, and have now decided to buy the 3rd book as well – before the German edition of book 2 hits the market (scheduled for summer 2023)! The deal was closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The Saana Havas series is a success in Finland and internationally, with rights sold in 17 territories and 90,000 copies sold in Finland, making her Finland’s no. 4 bestselling fiction author! An international TV-series is in development by Aurora Studios! Her books have been nominated twice for the Best Translated Crime Novel by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy, and for the Best Crime Novel of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society.

The eagerly awaited fourth book in the series will be published in Finland in spring 2024.

The rights for the series are still available in USA, UK, Spain, Iceland, Thailand, Israel, Japan, Taiwan

Download the materials for the Saana Havas series here!

 

 

Ennen kuin tulee pimeää, Otava (orig.), September 2022, 380 pp.

Reading materials for Saana Havas series:
book 1: 200pp English sample + synopsis, German and Italian editions
book 2: 100pp English sample + synopsis
book 3: 50pp English sample + synopsis
book 4: short English synosis

Rights sold in Saana Havas series:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
FRANCE/ World French: HarperCollins France
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov, Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

 

About author


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 and an international TV series is in development. Elina's books have sold over 70 000 copies in Finland.

Together with Heidi Holmavuo, Elina has also narrated the true crime podcast Ratkaisematon (Unsolved), which turned into a full-length audio book as the two crime writers started investigating the murder of a young girl in 1967. They were able to uncover new evidence and their research led the police to reopen the investigation. This story is narrated in the book Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo.

Bibliography


2022, Crime & Suspense

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman


2022, Crime & Suspense

Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo

Elina Backman


2021, Crime & Suspense

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman


2020, Crime & Suspense

All the King's Men

Elina Backman

MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE MINIATURE PIRATES by Noora Kunnas and Teemu Juhani sold to Bulgaria! 9 territories!

We are thrilled to announce that the Bulgarian rights for MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE MINIATURE PIRATES by Noora Kunnas and Teemu Juhani have been acquired by Enthusiast! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Enthusiast in an imprint of Alto Communications and Publishing Ltd. and their children’s authors include Tim Collins, Roald Dahl, Marcella Ward, Sam McBratney, and Quentin Blake.

In April, the German edition of MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE MINIATURE PIRATES won the Prix Chronos literature prize in Switzerland:
Two children, two elderly people, a rooster and a horde of mini pirates: A colorful bouquet of different people and animals plays into this story and makes the book a unique and humorous reading pleasure.”
– Prix Chronos 2023 jury

Written by Noora Kunnas and illustrated by Teemu Juhani, the wonderful MABEL MERRYWEATHER series has now been sold to 9 territories!
Rights are available in US, UK, France, Spain, Korea, Portugal, Turkey…

Download materials for the MABEL MERRYWEATHER series here!

Mabel Merryweather and the Miniature Pirates

Noora Kunnas, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

A fast and funny middle grade mystery series by a Finnish children’s book author who loves Roald Dahl and crazy stories!

  • Series sold to 9 territories!
  • Winner of the Prix Chronos 2023 in Switzerland!

Supergranny, a singing rooster, and mischievous mini pirates – a new series begins!

Nick and Lilly’s visit to their rule-loving, child-hating uncle turns into an adventure as the children get to know their exciting, eccentric neighbor: Mabel Merryweather. Mabel and her friends are preparing for a flower arranging competition, when the town is hit by a jewel thief. Nick, Lilly, and Mabel have their own problems as Mabel’s decorative miniature pirates have come to life and are rummaging through backyards. And what happened to the main judge of the competition – a pop singer Monika who disappeared that same day? Something must be done to bring peace and order back to the town of Dalton.

Mabel Merryweather and the King of Thieves

Noora Kunnas, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

The wild gang is back! Nick, Lilly, Supergranny Mabel and her speaking rooster face a new enemy: an art hustler. Second book of a new middle grade mystery series!

The town of Dalton is celebrating a local children’s poet’s 140th anniversary, and everyone is dressed up as a character from a poem. But amongst the happy people there’s also a gentleman thief who has terrorized art museums all spring. Through many mistakes and misunderstandings Nick and Lilly help the police to catch a thief – and to teach a lesson to a grumpy literary critic.

Mabel Merryweather and the Cheesy Mystery

Noora Kunnas, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

The streets of Dalton have turned holey like Emmental cheese!

Mabel Merryweather’s friend Bruno and his goats have arrived from Switzerland to perform at the Dalton cheese festival. This fragrant event has attracted a lot of people to the venue, but to the horror of the townspeople, mysterious holes have started to appear on streets and courtyards at night. Who digs them – and why? The rumor spreads that the town is infested by aliens, but Lilly, Nick, and the mighty Mabel Merryweather don’t believe the gossip. With the help of yodeling goats, they dig up the truth.

Mabel Merryweather and the Crowbar Gala

Noora Kunnas, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

A fast and funny middle grade mystery series by a Finnish children’s book author who loves Roald Dahl and crazy stories!

A bandit gathering at an awards gala causes havoc in town! The fourth title in this cracking detective series for middle-grade readers.

Nick and Lilly go camping and birdwatching on an island. Visiting Mabel’s inventor-friend Helga turns out to be anything but quiet when Pedro the Rooster vanishes. To boot, the news reports say that a bunch of bandits have escaped from prison.

Soon, they find out that the old factory building on the opposite shore is not being used for filming the newest season of a popular game show, but instead for organizing the Crowbar Gala, in which awards for the most successful bandits are given out. Without the wits of Nick, Lilly, and the mighty Mabel Merryweather, these goons would be able to continue with their mischief.

MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE MINIATURE PIRATES
SALMANTERIN TERTTU JA MINIMERIROSVOT
Otava, 2019, 140 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
BULGARIA: Enthusiast
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
GERMANY: Mixtvision
HUNGARY: Pagony
ITALY: Terre di Mezzo
NETHERLANDS: Veltman Uitgevers
POLAND: Znak
RUSSIA: Eksmo

 

MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE KING OF THIEVES
SALMANTERIN TERTTU JA HUIJAREIDEN KUNINGAS
Otava, 2020, 140 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: ABC Forlag
GERMANY: Mixtvision
POLAND: Znak
RUSSIA: Eksmo

 

MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE CHEESY MYSTERY
SALMANTERIN TERTTU JA JUUSTOINEN MYSTEERI
Otava, 2021, 144 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
POLAND: Znak
RUSSIA: Eksmo

 

MABEL MERRYWEATHER AND THE CROWBAR GALA
SALMANTERIN TERTTU JA SORKKARAUTAGAALA
Otava, 2022, 144 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

About author


Noora Kunnas

Noora Kunnas is a children’s author from Helsinki, Finland. She has the knack for making both children and grownups laugh while they’re immersed in her zany books. She loves animals and British humor – she grew up watching Jeeves and Wooster and eating ice cream straight from the container. Kunnas draws her inspiration from the world of Roald Dahl. The trademark of her books is a nutty humor, spiced with quirky characters, as well as the titillating mood of various settings, where anything – and we mean anything – is possible.

Noora Kunnas has published eight children’s books at Otava (2015 – 2022),  and her works have been nominated for the prestigious Tiiliskivi and Lukuvarkaus literary prizes in Finland. She graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts with a degree in film, and she worked in television since.

About author


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.

GENTLE POWER is conquering the world: Rights sold in Latvia, US, China and Thailand!

We are thrilled to announce that the Latvian rights for GENTLE POWER: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu by Emilia Elisabet Lahti, PhD, have been acquired by Zvaigzne ABC! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Originally published in the US in January 2023 by Sounds True, the title has also been sold to China to Cheers Publishing, and Thailand to Amarin.

Life is an ultramarathon. The best path is to access your sisu and keep your heart open. Author, and founder of Sisu Lab and Gentle Power Academy, Emilia Elisabet Lahti, PhD, describes GENTLE POWER:
Love is our base element of life and love has always been there waiting for us to remove the veils that conceal it. Power is our base element too, and together with love it lays the blueprint for how we express our energy and potential in life. I call their harmonious expression gentle power.  This book is the result of my lifelong struggle to learn about love and power through trial and error. Every failure I meet reveals itself as a lesson in love and power.”

GENTLE POWER has garnered excellent reviews by critics and experts and generated a lot of media interest in both Lahti and her book:

“The book prompts readers to consider how they might develop their own compassionate power, urging them to be curious about what’s actually happening in a given conflict and to approach interactions with others without preconceived ideas. When we embody our sisu, Lahti says, we “open our eyes wide to whatever is at hand … with curiosity and courage that are soft around the edges.” – Spirituality & Health Magazine

Read Emilia Elisabet Lahti’s cover feature and 7-page interview for Spirituality & Health here: https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/running-on-gentle-power
Listen to Forging Mettle Podcast: The yin and yang of gentleness and power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Sv5GJjUAI

“In this beautiful book, Elisabet shows us how strength and toughness are not the same thing. A much-needed antidote to the myth of mind over matter, and a touching, honest story of one woman’s journey to discover the true origins of grit and fulfillment.” Angela Duckworth, PhD, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Gentle Power is a brilliant and refreshing idea. Lahti is a rare combination of real-life adventurer and scientist. With the warmth and authenticity typical to her writing, she outlines an inviting path toward our highest expression through the power of everyday relationships.” Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD

Download the English PDF for GENTLE POWER here!

GENTLE POWER: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu

Emilia Elisabet Lahti

The Finnish philosophy of sisu shows us a new way to look at power—not as force and domination but as the harmonious expression of human character in everyday actions. With Gentle Power, Finnish-born Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti shares an illuminating guide to an emerging shift in the way we define true strength—an approach that balances resolve with reason, grit with compassion, and personal success with service to the collective good. Lahti explores sisu, world traditions, and modern research to provide a new way to approach leadership, resilience, and our power to create change.

Power is fundamental in our lives—we express it in every conversation, relationship, and choice we make. All too often, we equate force and domination with power, while gentleness and compassion are considered “soft” or “weak.” The destructive nature of this skewed perspective has never been more obvious, yet there is reason to hope.

GENTLE POWER: A REVOLUTION IN HOW WE THINK, LEAD, AND SUCCEED USING THE FINNISH ART OF SISU
Sounds True, 2023, 194 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
WORLD ENGLISH: Sounds True (orig.)
CHINA: Cheers Publishing Company
LATVIA: Zvaigzne ABC
THAILAND: Amarin Printing and Publishing

About author


Emilia Elisabet Lahti

Emilia Elisabet Lahti (PhD, MSc, MAPP), who goes by Elisabet, is an awarded educator, applied psychology researcher, and founder of Sisu Lab that helps create communities and work cultures based on everyday leadership as an expression of courage and compassion. Elisabet holds a master’s degree in social psychology from the University of Tampere in Finland and a master’s in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under Professors Martian Seligman and Angela Duckworth. Since initiating the research on the Finnish construct of sisu in 2012, Elisabet’s doctoral work has involved exploring the limits of her own sisu through ultra-endurance running and Eastern martial arts. Her work on sisu has been featured by The New Yorker, Business Insider, BBC, Forbes, and more. Born and raised in Finland, she has lived and taught internationally and given talks at Fortune 500 companies, TEDx, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley.

Bibliography

Polish rights sold for HOW FINLAND SURVIVED STALIN by Prof. Kimmo Rentola!

We are thrilled to announce that the Polish rights for HOW FINLAND SURVIVED STALIN: From Winter War to Cold War, 1939-1950 by Professor Kimmo Rentola (orig. Stalin ja Suomen kohtalo, Otava) have been acquired by REBIS! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Previously, the World English rights were sold to Yale University Press for publication in November 2023 and the Greek rights to Papadopoulos Publishers. Full English manuscript is available!

The Polish publisher REBIS praised the book for being a timely and highly informative title:

A brilliant and original analysis of the political side of Finnish-Soviet relations under Stalin’s rule, based on excellent knowledge of diplomatic and intelligence sources. Important and alarmingly timely in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the revolutionary decision of the Finns to join NATO.”
– Tomasz Szponder, co-founder and president of the board, REBIS, Poland

Praise by Yale University Press:

‘I am thrilled to be publishing Kimmo Rentola’s important work on Finland and Stalin. As the leading scholar on Soviet-Finnish relations, his intimate understanding of the intelligence history during this crucial period makes for a uniquely fascinating and revelatory read. And of course this story has huge resonance at the present time, with Finland joining NATO and the parallels between the Winter War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yale University Press will be proud to publish Kimmo’s book in English in November 2023.’ 
 Julian Loose, Editorial Director Trade & Academic, Yale University Press London

Download the full English manuscript for HOW FINLAND SURVIVED STALIN here!

How Finland Survived Stalin: From Winter War to Cold War, 1939-1950

Kimmo Rentola

A dramatic and timely account of Stalin’s failed invasion of Finland in 1939, and the decade of wars and fraught relations that followed.

  Winner of the Lauri Jäntti Prize for non-fiction literature! 
  Full English manuscript with updated introduction available!

How did Finland evade Joseph Stalin’s crosshairs three times? Did Stalin have a special relationship with Finland and the Finns? Why didn’t he continue the Soviet onslaught on Finland during the Winter War in 1940? Why did the dictator back down from his aspirations and demands towards Finland during the peace negotiations in 1944? Why did 1948 remain the year of an unfulfilled coup in Finland?

The answers lie in the relations between Finland and Russia. Joseph Stalin has been one of the individuals with the most influence on the history of independent Finland. The book focuses on the decisions of Stalin in which the entire existence or, at the very least, the essential nature of that existence, of Finland was at stake.

HOW FINLAND SURVIVED STALIN: FROM WINTER WAR TO COLD WAR, 1939-1950
STALIN JA SUOMEN KOHTALO
Otava, 2016, 240 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Äripäev
GREECE: Papadopoulos Publishers
POLAND: REBIS
WORLD ENGLISH: Yale University Press

About author


Kimmo Rentola

Kimmo Rentola (b. 1953), PhD, is a historian and professor emeritus of political history, at the University of Turku from 2006 to 2014 and at the University of Helsinki since 2014. In his research, Rentola has specialized in the history of the Cold War, the relationships between Finland and the Soviet Union, and both Finnish and Nordic communism. His other research areas are the youth movements of the 1960s and the history of intelligence agencies.

His latest title, HOW FINLAND SURVIVED STALIN, won the Lauri Jäntti Award for non-fiction literature in 2017, while his previous book Vallankumouksen aave (‘The Ghost of the Revolution’) won the Scholarly Book of the Year Award in Finland in 2007.

Bibliography

SANG sold to Germany!

We are thrilled to announce that the German rights for SANG by Elina Pitkäkangas have been snapped up by cbj Verlag (Penguin Random House) in Germany! Previously, the rights have already been sold to Denmark and Turkey.

Cbj is the home of many bestselling international and German YA and crossover authors like Angie Thomas, Karen M McManus, Holly Black, Monika Feth, Naomi Novik and many more. They are part of Germany’s biggest book publisher, the Penguin Random House Group. We can’t wait to see their German edition of SANG which is scheduled for spring 2025!

SANG, the first part in a LGBTQIA+ friendly YA fantasy / romantasy duology with cross-over potential, has now been sold to four languages – and we are sure there are more to come soon, so watch this space! It is the winner of the Topelius award and City of Tampere Literature Prize. The sequel, NARAKA, will be published in Finland this fall.

Rights are still available for France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, UK, etc – now is the time to secure this fantasy highlight for your list!

Download the materials for SANG here! 

 

Sang
WSOY, September 2022, 496pp

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig. 2-book deal)
DENMARK: Straarup (2-book-deal)
TURKEY: Indigo Kitap
GERMANY: cbj

About author


Elina Pitkäkangas

Elina Pitkäkangas is an author from Nokia, Finland, and an active advocate of YA literature. She has studied creative writing and did her master's degree in the University of Helsinki majoring in literature. Her works seamlessly combine elements of fantasy, social criticism and moral questions. Pitkäkangas has written five novels and produces book-related videos to TikTok and Instagram on her channel @elinapitkakangas.

Bibliography


2023, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Naraka

Elina Pitkäkangas


2022, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Sang

Elina Pitkäkangas

First foreign sale for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way by Asko Känsälä!

We are thrilled to announce that the Estonian rights for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way by Asko Känsälä (orig. Johtajasta mestariksi) have been acquired by Ühinenud Ajakirjad! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

This is the first foreign sale for this unique book on Finnish perspective of leadership combining art and craftsmanship, like the great Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto. Full English translation is available – join the success of the Finnish Way of Leadership!

Ühinenud Ajakirjad are aiming to publish LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY in Estonian in January 2024. They praised the book for its personal and unique approach to leadership:

Decades-long career in leadership has made Asko Känsälä understand leadership as a handicraft skill that you can improve upon, up until mastery. [This book is a] human and inspiring personal experience that reveals leadership as a profession from a wholly new perspective and shows that it is possible to become a good leader through learning, learning, and learning. And in order to become a good leader, one has to learn how to lead oneself.
 Tiina Lebane, Head of Book Department, Ühinenud Ajakirjad, Estonia

Download the full English manuscript for LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY here!

 

Endorsement:

“Leadership is often thought of as a quality of the individual, but in this LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY we learn it is more of an art form to be mastered.  We develop to be an exceptional leader through cycles of practice and reflection, just like the mastery of any other complex skill.”
– Jeffrey K. Liker, PhD, author of international bestseller The Toyota Way

 

LEADERSHIP AS MASTERY: The Finnish Way

Asko Känsälä

The Finnish way of leadership combines art and craftsmanship, like the great Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto.

  • Discover a new, Nordic perspective of leadership!
  • Find out what makes a company beautiful?
  • Growing up as a leader: craftsman’s path from apprentice to professional

What does craftsmanship have to do with leadership? What makes a company beautiful? And what can the Japanese culture contribute to a good working life and good leadership? Asko Känsälä spent his career building successful businesses and coaching new leaders. He has refined his leadership experience of more than 20 years into a vision of leadership as a craft. Leadership as Mastery: The Finnish Way presents the thinking patterns, tools of the leader-craftsman that good leadership requires.

Johtajasta mestariksi
Tammi, January 2023, 174 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Ühinenud Ajakirjad
Reading materials:
Full English manuscript

About author


Asko Känsälä

Asko Känsälä (b. 1957) is a Finnish business builder and leader with a successful career as deputy CEO in the Finnish market leading telecommunication and digital services company Elisa; coach, investor, and grandfather to 10 grandchildren. He is passionate about inspirational leadership and has worked in manufacturing industry, public administration, banking, and ICT, as well as for four years in Japan.

Bibliography


2023, General Nonfiction

Leadership as Mastery: The Finnish Way

Asko Känsälä

Three more LITTLE MOUSE titles sold to Poland!

We are thrilled to announce that the Polish publisher FILIA has acquired the rights to three more LITTLE MOUSE titles by Riikka Jäntti: LITTLE MOUSE’S HOLIDAY, LITTLE MOUSE’S SUMMER and LITTLE MOUSE WELCOMES SPRING! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The LITTLE MOUSE series has so far been sold to 21 territories, but the rights are still available in the US, Norway, Israel, Netherlands, Czechia, Hungary, Thailand, Greece, World Arabic etc.

Download the English PDFs for the LITTLE MOUSE series here!

Little Mouse’s Holiday

Riikka Jäntti

Little Mouse series – Book 4

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 Summer

Riikka Jäntti

Little Mouse series – Book 6

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 Welcomes Spring

Riikka Jäntti

Spring is here and Little Mouse has a lot to wonder about!

The ninth Little Mouse-title tells about the miracles of spring.

It’s so light in the evenings that Little Mouse cannot sleep. It’s spring. In the park and walking in the forest Little Mouse observes all kinds of things: the first butterfly of spring and a lizard. The ants that live in the cracks of stairs prove to be the most interesting, though.

There are some little worries with spring too as Grandpa Mouse has to go to the hospital. Little Mouse and Mummy Mouse visit him and Little Mouse thinks it’s a bit scary. Will Grandpa be okay?

Easter gets closer and the Easter Bunny brings Little Mouse a chocolate egg which is great fun to hunt after Mummy hides it. Will Little Mouse find the egg?

LITTLE MOUSE’S HOLIDAY
PIKKU HIIREN PUOLUKKAMATKA
Tammi, 2018, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
AUSTRALIA: Scribe Publications
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat AS
FRANCE: Cambourakis
GERMANY: Cross Cult
NEPAL: Kathalaya Inc.
POLAND: FILIA
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45
RUSSIA: Strecoza
SWEDEN: Epix Bokförlag

 

LITTLE MOUSE’S SUMMER
PIKKU HIIREN HELLEKESÄ
Tammi, 2020, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat AS
FRANCE: Cambourakis
GERMANY: Cross Cult
POLAND: FILIA
ROMANIA: Editura Paralela 45
RUSSIA: Strecoza

 

LITTLE MOUSE WELCOMES SPRING
PIKKU HIIRI JA HIIRENKORVAT
Tammi, 2023, 48 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Cambourakis
POLAND: FILIA

About author


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 20 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.

Bibliography


2023, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Welcomes Spring

Riikka Jäntti


2023, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Goes to the Museum

Riikka Jäntti


2022, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse's Fables

Riikka Jäntti


2022, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse and the Birthday Present

Riikka Jäntti


2021, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Goes Camping

Riikka Jäntti


2020, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse's Summer

Riikka Jäntti


2019, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse's Winter

Riikka Jäntti


2018, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse's Holiday

Riikka Jäntti


2017, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse's Christmas

Riikka Jäntti


2016, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Helps Out

Riikka Jäntti


2015, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse

Riikka Jäntti

Hungarian rights sold for STELLA by Ted Forsström and Åsa Lucander! Now 6 territories!

We are thrilled to announce that the Hungarian rights for STELLA (Snälla Stella, sluta skälla!) written by Ted Forsström and illustrated by Åsa Lucander have been acquired by Cerkabella! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Cerkabella is a member of the Móra Publishing Group and aims to publish children’s and YA books with high quality content, illustrated at an artistic level, and, if possible, to get little-known works and authors into the public consciousness.
They are intending to publish STELLA in spring 2024.

With the latest sale to Hungary, STELLA has now been sold to 6 territories!

Download the full English PDF of STELLA here!

Stella

Ted Forsström, illustrated by Åsa Lucander

An interactive and playful bedtime story for toddlers featuring a very loud dog with a big imagination!

“OFF! VOFF! GRR-VOFF!”

A father tries to put his child to bed, but keeps getting interrupted by Stella the dog, who starts barking hysterically. Something unexpected always happens, and the reader is treated to Stella’s lively imaginations: it may be a door opening or a car driving by, but Stella is strongly convinced it’s Grandma coming to give her food, or that squirrels have built a nest in the toaster.

Anyone who has ever tried to bring a child to bed knows how cozy yet fragile the situation is. It requires the right amount of patience and determination. The right bedtime story can be the key to a successful, quiet night.

There is a warm feeling, playful rhymes and an unusual mix of familiar ordinariness and fantastic antics. Clear recognition for anyone trying to combine cozy moments with a pet!

Stella is a book you can read again and again, night after night.

STELLA
SNÄLLA STELLA, SLUTA SKÄLLA!
Förlaget, 2023, 44 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English PDF
Finland-Swedish PDF

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Etana Editions (Finnish)
DENMARK: Gads Forlag
ESTONIA: Tammerraamat
GERMANY: Mixtvision
HUNGARY: Cerkabella
SWEDEN: Förlaget

About author


Åsa Lucander

Åsa Lucander is a director and designer, working in illustration and animation both in the UK as well as Scandinavia.

Originally from Finland, she moved to London in 2001 where she was introduced to animation while studying illustration. After graduating she joined the animation studio 12foot6 where she stayed until 2014.

In 2015 she joined Aardman Animations in Bristol, where she is now based.

With multi-faceted strengths in storytelling, design and animation she loves exploring various creative styles, be it in 2d, stop motion or CGI. Åsa has a passion for hand rendered drawings and explores many different textures and mediums in all areas of her work. She loves mixing humour with melancholy and thrills in bringing characters of every shape and form to life with compelling scripts and inventive visions. She nimbly blends music, authentic dialogue, film segments, hand drawn characters and dolls in innovative ways.

Åsa has directed multiple shorts, including her award-winning film Lost Property, as well as many heart-warming commercial films for clients including Blue Peter, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Project Every- one and Childline, and a VR documentary film for BBC. Most recently she directed the music video for Coldplay’s track Daddy that has won numerous awards.

About author


Ted Forsström

Ted Forsström is a Finnish-Swedish media personality living in Ostrobothnia. He has worked as a comedian, actor, radio host and author, often as part of the duo Ted & Kaj. Today he works with children's programs on Svenska Yle and talks once a week in Finland’s biggest Swedish podcast, Ted & Kaj, together with Kaj Korkea-aho.

Japanese rights to MONSTER NANNY TRILOGY sold at auction! 37th territory!

We are thrilled to announce the 37th territory for the internationally bestselling MONSTER NANNY trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen: the Japanese rights were sold in an auction to Sekaibunka! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in association with Japan Uni Agency.

With Japan, the award-winning MONSTER NANNY trilogy has now been sold to 37 territories and a feature film, co-produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, is in development! 

The rights for the series are still available in Taiwan, Iceland, Thailand, Israel, Indonesia…

Download the materials for MONSTER NANNY here!

Monster Nanny

Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

The Hellman children must make do with a nanny while their mother is away at a spa. The only problem? Their nanny is a monster.

Grah is hairy, dusty, and doesn’t talk. When the siblings discover that other neighborhood kids have been left with similar creatures, they start to wonder where the monsters came from. With the parents away, the kids work together (between bickering) to figure out the mystery of the monsters.

Tolonen seamlessly intertwines contemporary life with a world full of strange creatures. Monster Nanny is at once a refreshing change of pace and a return to timeless adventure.

Monster Route

Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

Mimi, 6 years old, has snuck into the monsters’ underground world after her monster friend Grah. She travels in their tunnels, led by the odd Gatekeeper. Back at home, Koby and Halley put their heads together and manage to get in touch with Mimi. But who is the mysterious and frightening ruler of the monster world?

Monster Message

Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

Hellman kids face new troubles. Mom and Dad want to move into a bigger home on the other side of the city. Mimi’s talking bathrobe feels strangely shrunk, and drops hints of leaving. Monstrologist Runar Kalli is starting to act his age without his rejuvenating root potion – and he’s 122. Something must be done.

When Mimi finds crumpled leaves with strange markings in her room, they look like messages from underground, but who’s delivering them and why? And why does the Gatekeeper of the underground world appear in their bathroom?

MONSTER NANNY
MÖRKÖVAHTI
Tammi, 2015, 303 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition
German edition
French edition
Swedish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Westprint
AUSTRALIA: Allen & Unwin
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Sahinpasic
BRAZIL: DarkSide Books
BULGARIA: Robertino
CATALAN: La Galera
CHINA: Beijing Children and Juvenile Publishing House
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC: Portál, s. r. o.
DENMARK: Turbine forlaget
ESTONIA: Tiritamm
FRANCE: Robert Laffont
GERMANY: Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & CO. KG.
GREECE: Patakis Publishers
HUNGARY: Tessloff Babilon
ITALY: Salani
JAPAN: Sekaibunka
KOREA: Seosawon Co., Ltd.
LATVIA: Zvaigzne ABC Publishers
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto / Publishing House Nothing Serious
NETHERLANDS: Luitingh-Sijthoff
NEW ZEALAND: Allen & Unwin
NORWAY: Gyldendal
POLAND: Vesper
PORTUGAL: ASA Editions
ROMANIA: Editura Univers SRL
RUSSIA: Rosman
SERBIA: Laguna
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SLOVENIA: Mladinska Knjiga Zalozba
SPAIN: La Galera
SWEDEN: Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY: SEV Publishing / Redhouse Kidz
UKRAINE: School Publishing House
UNITED STATES: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
VIETNAM: Nha Nam Publishing

 

MONSTER ROUTE
MÖRKÖREITTI
Tammi, 2016, 300 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample & synopsis
German edition
French edition
Swedish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Westprint
BRAZIL: DarkSide Books
BULGARIA: Robertino
CHINA: Beijing Publishing Group Co., Ltd.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Portál, s. r. o.
ESTONIA: Tiritamm
FRANCE: Robert Laffont
GERMANY: Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & CO. KG.
GREECE: Patakis Publishers
HUNGARY: Tessloff Babilon
JAPAN: Sekaibunka
KOREA: Seosawon Co., Ltd.
LITHUANIA: Nieko rimto
NETHERLANDS: Luitingh-Sijthof
NORWAY: Gyldendal
POLAND: Vesper
ROMANIA: Editura Univers SRL
RUSSIA: Rosman
SLOVENIA: Mladinska Knjiga Zalozba
SWEDEN: RABÉN & SJÖGREN
UKRAINE: School Publishing House

 

MONSTER MESSAGE
MÖRKÖVIESTI
Tammi, 2020, 300 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample & synopsis
German edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Westprint
BULGARIA: Robertino
CHINA: Beijing Publishing Group Co., Ltd.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Portál, s. r. o.
GERMANY: Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & CO. KG.
JAPAN: Sekaibunka
KOREA: Seosawon Co., Ltd.
ROMANIA: Editura Univers SRL
RUSSIA: Rosman
UKRAINE: School Publishing House

About author


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.

About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  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.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write  book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."