Non-Fiction

World English Rights for DAILY SISU Sold to Penguin Random House, TarcherPerigee!

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We are absolutely thrilled to announce that World English rights for DAILY SISU by Helsinki-based journalist and author of The Finnish Way, Katja Pantzar, have been sold to Penguin Random House, TarcherPerigee. Congratulations Katja: your sisu will uplift the world!

The deal was negotiated in collaboration with co-agent, Rhea Lyons at HG Literary on behalf of Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Rights have been previously sold in Japan to Hojosha.

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

Marian Lizzi, Editor in Chief at TarcherPerigee.

Click here to request reading materials!

Established in 2015 with the merger of two Penguin Random House imprints, Tarcher Books and Perigee, TarcherPerigee publishes award-winning books aimed at helping readers Learn, Create, and Grow. Read more

What can Daily Sisu do for you?
Truly a book for our times. Inspired by sisu, the uniquely Finnish form of resilience and courage in the face of adversity, journalist and writer Katja Pantzar embarks on a journey to uncover practical sisu-inspired ways of coping with all kinds of tough times. From wellbeing and health concerns to relationship and work-career dilemmas—and even bigger-picture societal and sustainability issues—Daily Sisu offers actionable inspiration, hope, and motivation. Pantzar’s thorough research and reporting shines through the captivating stories of regular people and experts alike in the small Nordic country of Finland, who show how their Daily Sisu gives strength even when feeling tired, weak or hopeless.

It was with delight that I chanced upon The Finnish Way, a self-help book promoting the joy and restorative power of sisu.

Vogue, USA on The Finnish Way

What is it with Finland and sisu?
The small Nordic nation routinely leads international quality of life indexes such as the UN’s World Happiness Report, nabbing the top spot three years running, 2018-2020. How? International media have touted Finland’s simple and sensible Nordic lifestyle, and the cultural focus on health and wellbeing, nature and sustainability, equality and education, entrepreneurship and innovations…. all of which is fueled by sisu.

Click here to request reading materials!

Katja’s first book (cover pictured), The Finnish Way:
Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu (Tarcher Perigee/Penguin US 2018), was published in 22 territories.

Rights Sold:
Daily Sisu

WORLD ENGLISH:
Penguin Random House, TarcherPerigree (orig.)
JAPAN:
Hojosha

About author


Katja Pantzar

Katja Pantzar –  Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way (Penguin Random House/2018), a bestselling non-fiction book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming and sisu (resilience) that has been translated into 24 languages. Her second book on sisu, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life (Penguin Random House/2022) explores through expert interviews and research-based information how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet. Everyday Sisu has also been published in Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. Pantzar’s work has been widely covered around the world in media ranging from Le Figaro, Le Monde, and El Paísto Vogue the Washington Post and the New York Review of Books. . She is also the author of three mini-guides to the Finnish capital, including 100 things to do in Helsinki (Siltala/2024).

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2025, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Helsinki by Sauna

Katja Pantzar


2024, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

The Power of Hot and Cold. From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life

Katja Pantzar


2022, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

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

Katja Pantzar


2018, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Finnish Way

Katja Pantzar

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

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Mia Kankamaki The Women I think About At Night US

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

Request full English manuscript of the title by clicking here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rights Sold

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

About author


Mia Kankimäki

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

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

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

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

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2018, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

The Women I Think About At Night

Mia Kankimäki


2013, General Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction

Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster

Mia Kankimäki

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Now 25 territories for A WONDERFUL LIFE and 2 territories for AINO & ALVAR AALTO!

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We are very happy to announce that we just closed the 25th translation deal for Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE – the new lucky publisher is Sefsafa from Egypt!

The bestselling non-fiction title is still available in Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, China etc.

Ask for the full English pdf by clicking here

We are also very excited to announce that following an auction, Estonian publisher Postimees has acquired the rights for
AINO & ALVAR AALTO: MIRROR LIKE AN OCEAN REFLECTING YOUR SMILE

This unique book about the life and work of the world-famous architect couple Aino and Alvar Aalto is also their love story and will be published in both Finland and Estonia in 2021.
You can ask for the Finnish draft manuscript by clicking here.
The English materials for this very special title will be ready in this November and the final Finnish manuscript in early 2021.

Estonian publisher’s praise:

”When we think about great minds, we tend to see more of the result of their work than the people behind it. Aino and Alvar Aalto’s work in the field of design and architecture has had a great impact worldwide, representing beauty, harmony, and comfort. There are books and studies which can tell us many things about it, but I believe that none of them can ever be as personal and intimate as their own love story – written by their grandson. One can only imagine how much their creativity was nourished by their personal relationship. It will be extremely exciting to read their story and to get to know both of them almost as close as they knew each other. The fact that their creations have proven to be timeless since the day they were born is proof in itself of extraordinary, unbreakable love.”

– Piret Veigel, senior editor at Postimees Publishing House

 

MORE ABOUT THE TITLES:

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

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

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

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

 

AINO & ALVAR AALTO: MIRROR LIKE AN OCEAN REFLECTING YOUR SMILE
by Heikki Aalto-Alanen

This is the love story of the world-famous, pioneering design couple Aino and Alvar Aalto.
Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino are internationally celebrated for their architecture, furniture, glassware and other interior design, but their personal lives have been relatively unknown – until now. This book, written by the Aaltos’ grandson, contains photos, sketches, and personal letters between Aino and Alvar beautifully illustrating how inseparable this couple was both in work and love.

“Countless books have been written about Alvar Aalto’s architecture and other works. Recently, Aino Marsio-Aalto has also received the recognition she deserves in her own right as well as in her role in the rise of Alvar Aalto as one of the leading architects of the 20th century,” says Heikki Aalto-Alanen, grandson of the Aaltos’.
“The voice in this book is personal. I want to tell the story of Aino and Alvar’s unique partnership, relationship, and their joint life work from the perspective of a family member. I also want their own voices to be heard.”

In addition to the photographs from the family archive, the book is illustrated with Aino and Alvar’s drawings of each other and of their children, as well as landscape drawings made while traveling, along with other architectural drawings and photographs.

English-language material to be available in November 2020.

A WONDERFUL LIFE,
HarperCollins/Harper Design March 2020

Rights sold:

WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)

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

 

AINO & ALVAR AALTO: MIRROR LIKE AN OCEAN REFLECTING YOUR SMILE
Otava, September 2021

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava
ESTONIA: Postimees

About author


Frank Martela

Professor Frank Martela, PhD, is a philosopher and researcher of psychology specializing in the question of meaning in life. His articles have appeared in Scientific American Mind, Harvard Business Review, Salon, CNBC and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Academy of Management Review. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on five continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, Fox News,and Monocle Observer among others. He is Assistant Professor at Aalto University in Finland. Outside of work, Frank is a father to three lovely children, an amateur-level soccer player, with an occasional skiing trip in the winters. He is made in Green Bay, so Packers holds a special place in his heart.

Read more Author's page

About author


Heikki Aalto-Alanen

Heikki Aalto-Alanen is the grandson of architects Aino and Alvar Aalto, who has previously served as vice chairman of the Alvar Aalto Foundation, been a member of Artek’s Board of Directors, member of the Alvar Aalto Academy Board, and held other positions maintaining Aino and Alvar Aalto’s artistic work and heritage. Today he is serving as the chairman of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, established in 2020 to preserve Aino and Alvar Aalto's early masterpiece. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Alvar and Aino Aalto Estate Ltd. Heikki Aalto-Alanen is a lawyer by profession and has worked in the Nordic financial market.

His book tells the story of Aino and Alvar Aalto, depicted through their previously unpublished correspondence from 1921-1949, photographs and drawings.

Read more

THE MARIMEKKO STORY sold to Japan: The Greatest of All is Love.

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Wonderful news! Japanese rights of THE GREATEST OF ALL IS LOVE. THE MARIMEKKO STORY have been acquired by Shodensha. This no.1 bestselling non-fiction title was published in Finland in April, with over 30,000 copies sold, and feature film in development by Aurora Studios. Rights were previously sold in Estonia.

The editor at Shodensha is excited: ”We saw that this title could shed light to the problems which Japan is facing today. Not only is it a business book, but also it will become a book to give inspiration to and encourage the readers here to give the gender gap serious thought. Finland ranks very high on the Gender Gap Index, and is a country where the social norm is for women to be active. Japan needs to know about the Finnish social environment, and the energy, lifestyle and story of Ms. Kirsti Paakkanen. As a general publisher, we are confident that we are flexible and promote this title which carries the author’s thoughts to fit perfectly in the Japanese society.”
Shodensha, established in 1970, is general trade publisher of magazines (women’s fashion, lifestyle, etc.), novels, nonfiction (business, how-to), paperbacks, and manga of all genres.

The Greatest of All is Love. The Marimekko Story.

The breath-taking rags-to-riches story of Marimekko’s former owner and CEO Kirsti Paakkanen, who took over the Finnish design house and turned Marimekko into a successful worldwide brand name.

Author bio:
Ulla-Maija Paavilainen, award-winning journalist, is the author of several well-received novels and non-fiction books. She has worked as the editor-in-chief at several top Finnish magazines over the past 25 years.

Suurin niistä on rakkaus
Otava, April 2020, 346 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Helios
JAPAN: Shodensha

Reading materials:
English sample, Finnish edition

About author


Ulla-Maija Paavilainen

Ulla-Maija Paavilainen, award-winning journalist, is the author of several well-received novels and non-fiction books. She has worked as the editor-in-chief at several top Finnish magazines over the past 25 years. One of her specific areas of interest is the role of women in working life and analysing the power structure and what is required for women to have successful careers.

Paavilainen’s most recent work is the moving biography of the legendary entrepreneur Kirsti Paakkanen, who took over Marimekko, one of Finland’s most famous design brands. Kirsti Paakkanen: Greatest of All is Love is the story of Marimekko, an authentic rags-to riches tale of how a poor girl from the countryside first founded the world’s first all-women’s advertising agency, Womena. Selling Womena when she was 62, Paakkanen bought Marimekko, a global design company that was on the verge of bankruptcy and turned it around into an international iconic fashion house.

Read more

Bibliography


2020, Memories & Biographies

The Greatest of All Is Love. The Marimekko Story

Ulla-Maija Paavilainen

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The life and work of world-famous pioneering architect couple AINO AND ALVAR AALTO to be published by Otava and represented worldwide by the Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

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We are thrilled to announce the first deal for a unique book about the life and work of the world-famous architect couple Aino and Alvar Aalto. Otava Publishing will publish Aino and Alvar Aalto in Finnish in September 2021. The book is based on previously unpublished correspondence between the couple from 1921-1949 and compiled and written by Heikki Aalto-Alanen, a grandson of the Aaltos.

“It is a great pride and joy to have the opportunity to work with Heikki Aalto-Alanen on publishing this intimate and powerful story of Aino and Alvar Aalto, the world-famous masters of Finnish architecture and design. This will be the first time readers receive an inside look into their partnership in life, love and work. This is a story that truly deserves to be told to readers — Aalto-scholars, enthusiasts and just about everybody — around the world”, says Minna Castrén, Literary Director, Otava Publishing Company Ltd.

 

Aino & Alvar Aalto: Mirror Like an Ocean Reflecting Your Smile
by Heikki Aalto-Alanen

This is the love story of the world-famous, pioneering design couple Aino and Alvar Aalto.
Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino are internationally celebrated for their architecture, furniture, glassware and other interior design, but their personal lives have been relatively unknown – until now. This book, written by the Aaltos’ grandson, contains photos, sketches, and personal letters between Aino and Alvar beautifully illustrating how inseparable this couple was both in work and love.

“Countless books have been written about Alvar Aalto’s architecture and other works. Recently, Aino Marsio-Aalto has also received the recognition she deserves in her own right as well as in her role in the rise of Alvar Aalto as one of the leading architects of the 20th century,” says Heikki Aalto-Alanen. “The voice in this book is personal. I want to tell the story of Aino and Alvar’s unique partnership, relationship, and their joint life work from the perspective of a family member. I also want their own voices to be heard.”

In addition to the photographs from the family archive, the book is illustrated with Aino and Alvar’s drawings of each other and of their children, as well as landscape drawings made while traveling, along with other architectural drawings and photographs.

English-language material to be available in November 2020

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Otava

About author


Heikki Aalto-Alanen

Heikki Aalto-Alanen is the grandson of architects Aino and Alvar Aalto, who has previously served as vice chairman of the Alvar Aalto Foundation, been a member of Artek’s Board of Directors, member of the Alvar Aalto Academy Board, and held other positions maintaining Aino and Alvar Aalto’s artistic work and heritage. Today he is serving as the chairman of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, established in 2020 to preserve Aino and Alvar Aalto's early masterpiece. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Alvar and Aino Aalto Estate Ltd. Heikki Aalto-Alanen is a lawyer by profession and has worked in the Nordic financial market.

His book tells the story of Aino and Alvar Aalto, depicted through their previously unpublished correspondence from 1921-1949, photographs and drawings.

Read more

Bibliography


2021, General Nonfiction, Memories & Biographies

The Story of Aino and Alvar Aalto

Heikki Aalto-Alanen

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LITTLE BOOK OF BAD MOODS sold to Georgia!

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We are very happy to announce that LITTLE BOOK OF BAD MOODS will also be published in Georgian! The happy publisher that just acquired the rights is Sula Kauri.
The rights for the series have now been sold to 31 countries, but are still available in: Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Korea, Albania, Macedonia, Indonesia, Arabic, Bosnia, Vietnam etc.

“I haven’t laughed this hard for a long time. Reading the activities, one easily realizes the scale and pointlessness of one’s bad mood. These feelings will quickly pass. Especially quickly when one starts listing the dark corners of one’s mind. This book is the funniest way to spend time this summer!”
– Ilta Sanomat newspaper, Finland

Ask for English materials by clicking here

LITTLE BOOK OF BAD MOODS
by Lotta Sonninen and Piia Aho

 

Fed up with being positive? Try the opposite – an activity book in style of Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal. Rights sold to 32 territories!

Are you done and over with positivity and wellbeing? Here’s an adults’ activity book of negativity and ill-being! List your enemies, vent the rage and hide the book from your spouse, children and colleagues.

The Little Book of Bad Moods parodies the positivity trend and adults’ activity books in a hilarious way and is suitable for everyone who has ever held a grudge and looked for a safe way to let it out. The book includes activities like the blame game (what’s wrong with your life – and whose fault it is), getting frank (the things you should have said then and there) and crying over spilled milk (no need to forget and forgive). Let’s get cranky!

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (Orig. publisher)
BRAZIL: Globo Livros
CHINA: Citic Press
CROATIA: Stilus knjiga
CZECH: Euromedia
DENMARK: Modtryk
ESTONIA: Eesti Raamat
FRANCE: Le Livre de Poche
GEORGIA: Sula Kauri
GERMANY: Droemer Knaur
HUNGARY: Partvonal
ICELAND: Forlagid
INDONESIA: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
ISRAEL: Kinneret-Zmora
ITALY: DeA Planeta Libri
JAPAN: President Sha
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Baltos Lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Vigmostad & Bjorke
POLAND: Zysk i S-ka
PORTUGAL: Planeta
RUSSIA: Bombora (Eksmo)
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Ikar
SPAIN: Plaza & Janés/PRH
SWEDEN: HarperCollins Nordic
TAIWAN: China Times
TURKEY: Pegasus
UKRAINE: Vivat Publishing
UK & COMMONWEALTH: Bloomsbury
UNITED STATES: Gallery Books/S&S

About author


Lotta Sonninen

Lotta Sonninen works as an executive editor of nonfiction. She has also taught creative writing and translated many books into Finnish. She got the idea for The Little Book of Bad Moods when working on yet another book on positivity. She secretly thinks that bad moods are good for you.

Read more

About author


Piia Aho

Piia Aho is a Helsinki-based AD and graphic designer with a great love for book design. She always makes an effort to find the perfect visual tone for each book – whether it is toned down or crazy wild or anything in between. The little books of bad mood are her getaway from serious stuff.

Read more

Introducing EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN OF HISTORY – first sale to Estonia!

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We have a brand new bestselling non-fiction title to introduce to you! It’s called EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN OF HISTORY, written by journalist Maria Pettersson, and today we are extremely happy to announce the first foreign sale to Estonia.

Äripäev in Estonia pre-empted this exciting title that has sold out already three prints in two weeks in Finland!

 

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN OF HISTORY:
Pirates, Psychics, Priestesses and Princess Spies

by Maria Pettersson

Women whose stories your history teacher never told you. 

  • The captain who ruled the biggest pirate fleet in history.
  • The scientist who changed our understanding of physics, while taking the most famous geniuses of her time as her lovers, and getting in trouble for gambling.
  • The con-artist who could fool any jeweler in Europe.
  • The baseball star who played wearing a fake beard.
  • Teenagers recruited by the Resistance because of their innocent looks, who learned to blow up railways and shoot Nazis from their bicycles.
  • The master of Jujutsu who taught the Suffragettes to fight back.
  • The cult leader who made her followers undergo cosmetic surgery to look more like her.
  • The kidnapped girl who ended up ruling the biggest empire that had ever existed, with her female lover as her queen.

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN OF HISTORY  introduces over a hundred exceptional women from different periods of history and from all corners of the world. It is a veritable treasury of captivating stories and unsung ballads about the exciting women in history.
Outrageous, amazing, terrible, heroic, thrilling and above all extraordinary; their life stories make the reader gasp and ask: “Why haven’t I heard of them before?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As a child, Maria Pettersson’s dream job was to be an international adventurer. Instead, she became an award-winning journalist, the editor-in-chief of several magazines and a serious history geek.

She has worked for the biggest newspapers, radio stations and TV channels in Finland. She has travelled in over 70 countries, got married in Vegas and spent her honeymoon in North Korea.

Her hobbies include games and roleplaying, observing big machines, studying small Slavic languages and visiting dead dictators. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Atena (orig.)
ESTONIA: Äripäev

About author


Maria Pettersson

As a child, Maria Pettersson’s dream job was to be an international adventurer. Instead, she became an award-winning journalist, the editor-in-chief of several magazines and a serious history geek. She has worked for the biggest newspapers, radio stations and TV channels in Finland. She has travelled in over 70 countries, got married in Vegas and spent her honeymoon in North Korea. Her hobbies include games and roleplaying, observing big machines, studying small Slavic languages and visiting dead dictators. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland.
Read more

Bibliography


2020, Memories & Biographies, History & Politics

Extraordinary Women of History: Pirates, Psychics, Priestesses and Princess Spies

Maria Pettersson

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Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE sold to Portugal – 23 territories conquered!

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Frank Martela’s non-fiction bestseller A WONDERFUL LIFE: Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence is now sold to 23 territories – Portuguese rights were acquired by Editora 2020. The deal was negotiated in collaboration with MB Agencia

Editora 2020 is the Portuguese publisher of Yuval Noah Harari and two Nobel Prize winning authors: Olga Tokarczuk and Svetlana Alexievich.

Published in the US in March by HarperCollins, Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE is becoming an international bestseller around the world, but the rights are still available in Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Slovenia,  Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, China etc.

“Frank Martela has written an essential primer for making sense of the absurdities of modern life. Philosophically probing yet eminently readable, A Wonderful Life is a book you can refer to again and again on your journey towards purpose.” – Daniel H. Pink, author of the New York Times bestsellers When, Drive, and To Sell is Human.

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

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

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

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

Frank Martela, PhD., is essentially the only contemporary academic researcher who has published several articles on the topic of the meaning of life with a unique perspective on the science of happiness.

He has collaborated with key experts of the topic and presented his research in numerous academic conferences as well as invited lectures at universities such as Stanford University, University of Edinburgh, and Simon Fraser University. He is a popular lecturer and author of three well-received and bestselling non-fiction books.

Currently a post-doctoral researcher at Aalto University, Finland, he has been a visiting scholar at University of Rochester, NY. and Australian Catholic University.

Rights sold:

WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)

CROATIA:
Planetopija
ESTONIA:
Rahva Raamat
FINLAND:
Gummerus
FRANCE:
Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY:
Blessing Verlag
GREECE:
Klidarithmos
ITALY:
Edizioni Lindau
JAPAN:
HarperCollins Japan
KOREA:
Across Publishing
LATIN AMERICA:
Ediciones Urano
LATVIA:
Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA:
Obuolys
NETHERLANDS:
Ambo Anthos
NORWAY:
Gursli Berg Forlag
POLAND:
Czarna Owca
PORTUGAL:
Editora 2020
ROMANIA:
Editura Humanitas
RUSSIA:
Bombora
SERBIA:
Odiseja
SPAIN:
Ediciones Urano (World Spanish)
TAIWAN:
Crown
TURKEY:
Orman Kitap

About author


Frank Martela

Professor Frank Martela, PhD, is a philosopher and researcher of psychology specializing in the question of meaning in life. His articles have appeared in Scientific American Mind, Harvard Business Review, Salon, CNBC and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Academy of Management Review. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on five continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, Fox News,and Monocle Observer among others. He is Assistant Professor at Aalto University in Finland. Outside of work, Frank is a father to three lovely children, an amateur-level soccer player, with an occasional skiing trip in the winters. He is made in Green Bay, so Packers holds a special place in his heart.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2025, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Stop Chasing Happiness: A Pessimist’s Guide to a Good Life

Frank Martela


2023, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

The Meaning Manifesto: Why Work Needs to Have a Purpose

Frank Martela


2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

A Wonderful Life: Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence

Frank Martela

Related news

World English rights sold to FUTURE SKILLS by Perttu Pölönen

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Perttu Pölönen and his bestselling non-fiction book FUTURE SKILLS are conquering the US and the English-speaking world! Today we sold World English rights of FUTURE SKILLS to Start Publishing/Viva Edtitions in the US for publication in Fall 2021. Start Publishing belongs to Start Media company, and their books are distributed by Simon & Schuster in the US. We are thrilled! Moreover, the audio rights of Future Skills were sold to to Recorded Books also in the US for simultaneous publication in fall 2021. The deals were brokered in collaboration with Rhea Lyons/HG Literary. Warmest Congratulations to futurist Perttu Pölönen and his US publishers!

”Future Skills is an important book for our times. Its mission to support the cultivation of ”soft” skills like compassion, creativity, and teamwork–so often overlooked in today’s workplace–is vital as we move into this unpredictable decade. I’m also excited to work with Perttu Pölönen, whose impressive work as an inventor, composer, and futurist make him perfectly positioned to assess future trends with a hopeful outlook.”
– Hannah Bennett, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Start Publishing, US
Take a look at the video where Perttu introduces himself and his book.
FUTURE SKILLS by Perttu Pölönen
In Finland, the book has sold over 10,000 copies, and is in its 5th print run! The author is 25-years old, selected as one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review. Just last week Perttu Pölönen was given “Changemaker of the Year 2020 in Finland Award”. Perttu is a composer, public speaker, futurist, and innovator and fluent in English: www.perttupolonen.com

“We must believe that educating our hearts will bring results, success, and happiness. It’s hard to know what you may want to do in the future, but it’s even more difficult to say what you can do today to bring that about. This book will help with both.”  – Author Perttu Pölönen

RIGHTS SOLD:

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

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.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2023, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

The Digital Spell: The Hidden Power of Persuasive Technology

Perttu Pölönen


2021, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Future Identities

Perttu Pölönen


2020, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Future Skills

Perttu Pölönen

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Introducing GENTLE POWER by Emilia Lahti

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We invite you to the world of GENTLE POWER:  The creator, author Emilia Lahti, is an international keynote speaker, activist, and PhD candidate whose graduate thesis, advised by Angela Duckworth, is the basis of the book. It’s all about how ”gentle power,” and not ”hard power” or “win at all costs”,  is the key to leading the way through the uncertain and change-filled era we have ahead of us.

Watch a video that the author Emilia Lahti recorded introducing the book, GENTLE POWER, which will change the world:

 

GENTLE POWER: Accessing the Ancient Wisdom Within to Face a New Era
by Emilia Lahti

Based on the author’s pioneering study on sisu, GENTLE POWER shows how this centuries-old Finnish concept of integrity-fueled fortitude is the key to confidently striding into, and conquering, our uncertain future.

Lahti’s work and personal experience shows us that true success can’t be measured by simply keeping score, and it can’t be nurtured by powering through to the finish line at all costs: instead, it is deeply rooted in developing a mighty heart and fighting a fair fight. What’s more, Lahti argues that sisu is a source of hidden energy that is innate within everyone — and it simply needs to be embraced and nurtured in order to access its transformative power.

The world is in dire need of gentle leadership, and through the grounding, self-reflective practice of sisu, we can pursue a higher level of excellence in our professional lives, as members of a family unit, or as part of a greater community.  At once inspirational and informative, GENTLE POWER has the polish and investigative curiosity of Angela Duckworth’s GRIT, but also strongly evokes Brené Brown’s DARING GREATLY, as Lahti frequently pulls from her own personal journey towards her discoveries and doesn’t shy away from her pitfalls and challenges along the way.

Emilia Lahti is an international keynote speaker, human rights activist, ultra-runner and world’s first academic researcher on the Finnish concept of sisu. She has spoken at dozens of companies and campuses, including Facebook and UC Berkeley, and her work has been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and Scientific American, among other places. More info at: https://www.emilialahti.com/.