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Aschehoug pre-empts Norwegian rights of Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a two-book-deal!

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Max Seeck is conquering the world at a fast pace! We are very excited to announce more sales for FAITHFUL READER: In two weeks the book has sold to 7 territories!

In Norway, Aschehoug – the original publisher of Jo Nesbø –  acquired rights to FAITHFUL READER and its sequel, both standalone murder mysteries with detective Jessica Niemi as the main protagonist. This is the first two-book-deal for Max Seeck!

In Italy, the auction for the Italian rights of the thriller continues!

 

Praise from the Norwegian publisher:

“It’s time to look to Finland and Helsinki, and this brilliant first book in the series of Jessica Niemi – a character I am looking forward to follow. Seeck manages to make the well established Nordic Noir feel fresh, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it very well.” 
– Vidar Strøm Fallrø, Development Editor Fiction, Aschehoug, Norway

Aschehoug, the publisher of Jo Nesbø,has a strong list of translated crime with authors such as Jussi Adler-Olsen, Stefan Ahnhem, HjorthRosenfeldt, Anders de la Motte, Pierre Lemaitre, Bernard Minier, and  Elisabeth Norebäck.

In Italy, auction continues for the Italian rights of FAITHFUL READER, and there is tons of new interest and pre-Frankfurt buzz around this next big Nordic Noir title!

Book description:
A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun!

Author bio:
Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic Noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2019 and Toisinkoinen Literature Prize Nominee. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, being fluent in English and German.

* * *

We look forward to hearing from you very soon! FAITHFUL READER is creating buzz also in Hollywood and becoming the big book of the season.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: auction ongoing
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug (two-book-deal)

Reading material:
Full English pdf

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.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. 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 Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

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.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

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

Related news

Little Mouse Series sold to Russia’s Lenizdat

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AUS cover Little Mouse's Christmas

Russian publisher Lenizdat purchased the rights for all 6 books in the Little Mouse series.

Little Mouse is a toddler and doesn’t always behave exactly as Mummy Mouse would wish. Sweet and delightfully relatable stories are complemented by detailed, classic illustrations.

Riikka Jäntti, a 2003 graduate of Helsinki’s School of Art and Design, 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.

This series is a good example of excellent children literature, entertaining and rather enlightening at the same time. And of course, we were charmed by these funny and touching illustrations. These are basically the books we always choose for our children and grandchildren.
– Christina Dobrovolskaya, Lenizdat Publishing House, Russia

Request the reading materials for Little Mouse series here!

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 over 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.

Read more

Bibliography


2026, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Goes Flying

Riikka Jäntti


2025, Chapter Books (3-6 Years)

Little Mouse's Hilarious Halloween

Riikka Jäntti


2025, Chapter Books (3-6 Years)

Welcome, Christmas! 24 Little Mouse Stories

Riikka Jäntti


2025, Chapter Books (3-6 Years)

Little Mouse and the Amazing Universe

Riikka Jäntti


2024, Chapter Books (3-6 Years)

Little Mouse's School Picture Day

Riikka Jäntti


2024, Picture Books (0-3 Years)

Little Mouse Goes on a Cruise

Riikka Jäntti


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

Related news

The Little Shop of Nightmares continues to conquer the world!

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Russian publisher Teenbooks Publishing / Kompas Guide purchased rights for the 2nd part of The Little Shop of Nightmares series – The Little Shop of Nightmares: The Lost Teeth.

The Little Shop of Nightmares by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani is a new early readers’ series about a strange little shop and its employees – who are even stranger.

Both books of the series have now been sold to 9 territories in 2 months!

Request the reading materials for the Little Shop of Nightmares series here!

Rights sold (Little Shop of Nightmares series):
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Euromedia
DENMARK: Vild Maskine
ESTONIA: Postimees Publishing
GERMANY: Egmont Schneiderbuch
NETHERLANDS: De Vier Windstreken
NORWAY: Fontini
RUSSIA: Teenbooks Publishing / Kompas Guide
SWEDEN: Hegas
TURKEY: Epsilon

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 Finlandia Prize for children's and YA literature and the Finnish Literary Export Prize, and being nominated  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.

Read more Author's page

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.

Read more Author's page

Russian rights sold for Agnes and the Garden of Dreams!

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The largest children’s books publisher in Russia – Rosman – bought the rights for Tuutikki Tolonen’s Agnes and the Garden of Dreams.

Moving to a new city is frightening enough for 11-year-old Agnes. But when she makes an exciting discovery at the local cemetery the summer isn’t the same anymore!

Tuutikki Tolonen is the award-winning author of Monster Nanny trilogy that is sold to 20+ countries worldwide.  Agnes and the Garden of Dreams also includes beautiful illustrations by Kati Vuorento.

Agnes is a character who is very natural to sympathize with. She is curious, vivid and sincere. Her friendship with Bun is very much likable and heartwarming. To follow these two on their investigation was a great pleasure due to the incredible imagination and excellent writing skill of Tuutikki Tolonen. We believe Tuutikki has a really bright future in such kind of books.
– Polina Vlastovskaya, Head of children’s fiction books department, ROSMAN Publishing house

Request the reading materials for Agnes here!

Rights sold (Agnes):

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
RUSSIA: Rosman

About author


Kati Vuorento

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

She is the illustrator of middle-grade Agnes Series by Tuutikki Tolonen that in 2021 was nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award!


Read more Author's page

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 a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

Tuutikki is nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2026.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

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Mondadori buys Italian rights to WEIRD WEATHER!

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The world-wide interest about climate change is at an all-time high! Politicians fight over what steps could be taken, climate strikes take place and Greta Thunberg stunned everyone with her performance in the UN.

After all of this, there are millions of children at homes asking – what is climate change and what to do to stop it?

To help, we now have a great children’s non-fiction book by Laura Ertimo and Mari Ahokoivu called WEIRD WEATHER! that could help children (and adults) understand the changing climate and the concrete steps to fight it.

WEIRD WEATHER! has been sold to Mondadori/Edizioni Piemme in Italy, and was published this week in Finland by Into Kustannus, and sold previously in Estonia to Eesti Raamat, in Sweden to Rabén & Sjögren.

Alessandro Gelso at Mondadori is excited:

We are so thrilled to have acquired the Italian rights for Weird Weather! Telling the children about what is happening to our planet and the way we could still make it right is a moral duty for us, the generation who has messed it up. Laura Ertimo and Mari Ahokoivu make it funny and entertaining, which is the best key to get the children engaged to such a relevant topic. – Alessandro Gelso, Publisher, Edizioni Il Battello a Vapore – Piemme/Mondadori Children’s Books

 

Edizioni Piemme is the leader publisher of children’s books in Italy, and part of Mondadori Children’s Books. The children’s list include both Italian and foreign authors, among others Louis Sachar, Chistine Nöstlinger, Liz Kessler and bestsellers series as The Magic Tree House, Captain Underpants and Wings of Fire.

About the Book:
WEIRD WEATHER! Why Does Climate Change? is accurate but hopeful children’s non-fiction book that explains how humans are responsible for climate change and what we can do to ensure a brighter future. It also gives tips on how everyone can make better choices and practice climate skills every day.

About the Author & Illustrator:
Laura Ertimo is a geographer and author of several non-fiction titles who specializes in the interaction between phenomena, people and nature
Mari Ahokoivu is an illustrator and a comics artist. She’s been drawing professionally for over 10 years, mainly graphic novels and comics for children. She lives and works in Copenhagen.

Rights sold:

FINLAND:
Into Kustannus (orig.)
ESTONIA:
Eesti Raamat
ITALY:
Mondadori/Edizioni Piemme
SWEDEN:
Rabén & Sjögren

 

Reading materials:

English sample,full English text, Finnish pdf

About author


Laura Ertimo

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

In 2020, she received the prestigious Tietopöllö Award for her work as a Non-Fiction writer. Her children's title WHERE DID THE ANIMALS GO, illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu, was nominated for the 2021 Finlandia Award and has also won the Tieto-Lauri award!

Read more

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?!

Read more

German rights to Laura Lindstedt’s MY FRIEND NATALIA sold to dtv

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One of the biggest German trade publishers, dtv, has acquired in a pre-empt the German rights to Laura Lindstedt’s sensational novel MY FRIEND NATALIA – now sold in 12 territories and counting. The acquiring editor at dtv is thrilled:

“My Friend Natalia is a daring feminist tour de force, dealing with sexuality, gender and power dynamics in highly original and intelligent ways. Laura Lindstedt is a literary voice to be reckoned with and we are overjoyed to bring her brilliant novel to a German readership!” – Lucy Harries, Editor,  dtv Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Germany

Congratulations, Laura Lindstedt! Congratulations, dtv!

dtv is a Munich-based independent publisher and they publish books in literary fiction & commercial fiction, children‘s books, YA as well as non-fiction. Their catalogue include authors such as John Williams, James Baldwin, Celeste Ng, Graham Swift and Min Jin Lee.

* * *

My Friend Natalia  (Teos 2019, 240 pp.) is a thrilling exploration of gender, sexuality, and power following an ambitious therapist and a patient with a unique psychological obsession who become entangled in a complicated, explosive relationship.

The narrator of My Friend Natalia is a therapist whose gender is deliberately left undisclosed. The story begins when Natalia arrives at her therapist’s surgery. Natalia is having problems in her sexual life. Her thoughts obsessively swirl around the subject of sex, but during the act itself, her mind drifts elsewhere. Natalia has had a vast number of sexual partners, but these relationships never last long. Why are fantasy and reality so far removed in Natalia’s life? Is Natalia’s hypersexuality a symptom of a deeper problem? Running through the novel is the question of power. Who is ultimately guiding the course of these sessions – the therapist or Natalia? And which of them is the true narrator of the novel?

About the author:

Laura Lindstedt is a Finlandia-winner and one of the most celebrated young Finnish authors of recent years: her novels verge on the postmodern and experiment with form and language in an accessible style. The Finlandia winning novel Oneiron has been sold in 14 territories, and over 50,000 copies sold in Finland. Her works have been translated into 18 languages so far. Laura Lindstedt is currently revising her PhD on French author Nathalie Sarraute and touring the world to promote her works

Rights sold:

FINLAND:
Teos (orig.)
BELGIUM:
De Bezige Bij
ESTONIA:
Rahva Raamat
FRANCE:
Gallimard
GERMANY:
dtv
HUNGARY:
Scolar Kiado
ITALY:
Elliot Edizioni
NETHERLANDS:
De Bezige Bij
NORWAY:
Oktober
ROMANIA:
Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN:
Norstedts
UNITED STATES:
W. W. Norton/Liveright

About author


Laura Lindstedt

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015), a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death, earned her the coveted Finlandia Prize of 2015 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2017. Lindstedt’s success has continued with My Friend Natalia (Teos 2019) which has earned critical acclaim and has been sold to 12 territories. Together with author Sinikka Vuola, she has authored 101 tapaa tappaa aviomies (101 Ways to Kill Your Husband, Siltala 2022) which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize of 2024.

She is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2019, Literary Fiction

My Friend Natalia

Laura Lindstedt


2015, Literary Fiction

Oneiron

Laura Lindstedt


2007, Literary Fiction

Scissors

Laura Lindstedt

Related news

Apply for Finnish translation and printing grants now!

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Do you need financial help with publishing and promoting your next Finnish bestseller?

Finnish Literature Exchange grants can help!
FILI’s grant programme is funded by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture and it provides foreign publishers with various grants:

Translation grants
Up to 70% of translation costs from Finnish or Finland-Swedish can be covered by a FILI translation grant. There are 3 application periods in a year and the autumn application period has already started and it ends on 01.11.2019

Printing grants
If you are publishing translations of Finnish picture books or comics, you can apply for up to 1000€ printing cost grant. There are 3 application periods in a year and the autumn application period has already started and it ends on 01.11.2019

Promotional grants
If you would like to bring a Finnish author to your country to promote a translation of his/her works, you can apply for a grant that can be used for airfare and accommodation costs of the author. The grant must be applied for a minimum of 2 months before the event is happening.

What if you haven’t bought a Finnish title yet and would like to look into one?

Reader’s report grants
If you need a native speaker to give you a report of a Finnish manuscript, you can apply for a reader’s report grant (for up to 5 reports a year, max 100€ per report).

Sample translation grants
If you need a sample translation of the work which you are considering.

Now go pick out your next Finnish bestseller from our new Fall Catalogue and apply for the FILI grants already this month!

See the full conditions and apply for all the FILI grants here: https://www.finlit.fi/fili/en/grants/