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

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.

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.

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

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 WhenDrive, 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.

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

Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE sold to Italy and Latvia, now 22 rights sold in total!

Frank Martela’s non-fiction bestseller A WONDERFUL LIFE is becoming the hottest book of the summer – we have now closed three deals for it this week!

Edizioni Lindau acquired the Italian rights, and Zvaigzne pre-empted the Latvian rights for the inspiring title, that was also sold to Serbian Odiseja earlier this week.

Published in the US in March by HarperCollins, Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE has sold already to 22 territories around the world but the rights are still available in Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Slovenia,  Portugal, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, China etc

Ask for the full English pdf by clicking here

LATVIAN PRAISE:

Four sources of meaning. Easy and understandable. The quickest path to a meaningful life is through ”A WONDERFUL LIFE”.

–  Meldra Abolina, Foreign Rights Project Manager, Zvaigzne, Latvia

ABOUT THE BOOK

Have you ever wondered what makes one’s life meaningful?
Finnish academic and columnist Frank Martela offers 4 simple and well-researched answers to this in his recent non-fiction title A WONDERFUL LIFE:

  1. Connect with yourself by pursuing activities and goals meaningful to you;
  2. Seek places to grow and utilize your areas of mastery;
  3. Connect with others by cultivating intimate relationships;
  4. Do something good for others.

These four sources of meaning are the cornerstones of meaningful existence.

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.

Rights sold for
A WONDERFUL LIFE:

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
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.

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

Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE now already sold to 20 territories! Estonian rights sold for WILLPOWER, DETERMINATION, SELF-ESTEEM.

Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE now already sold to 20 territories!

Estonian rights sold for WILLPOWER, DETERMINATION, SELF-ESTEEM.


NOW 20 RIGHTS SOLD FOR A WONDERFUL LIFE!

Serbian publisher Odiseja has pre-empted the rights for Frank Martela’s bestselling A WONDERFUL LIFE, making it the 20th territory where this inspiring title will be published!

Published in the US in March by HarperCollins, Frank Martela’s A WONDERFUL LIFE has sold already to 20 territories around the world but the rights are still available in Italy, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Denmark, China etc

Ask for the full English pdf by clicking here

ABOUT THE BOOK

Have you ever wondered what makes one’s life meaningful?
Finnish academic and columnist Frank Martela offers 4 simple and well-researched answers to this in his recent non-fiction title A WONDERFUL LIFE:

  1. Connect with yourself by pursuing activities and goals meaningful to you;
  2. Seek places to grow and utilize your areas of mastery;
  3. Connect with others by cultivating intimate relationships;
  4. Do something good for others.

These four sources of meaning are the cornerstones of meaningful existence.


Estonian rights sold for Raisa Cacciatore & Erja Korteniemi-Poikela’s WILLPOWER, DETERMINATION, SELF-ESTEEM  – FINNISH PARENTING WITH SISU

How do you turn attitude, strong will, and anger into independence and self-esteem? How to empower your child to manage challenging emotions? Aggression can be a positive driving force: all emotions are great resources if one learns to use them right. This is the Finnish “sisu” that is needed to change the world. Learn more about it in WILLPOWER, DETERMINATION, SELF-ESTEEM.

Ask for the English sample and synopsis by clicking here

We are very happy to announce that the second rights sold for this important parenting title. The future Estonian publisher for the book is Varrak.

Congratulations to the authors and the publishers!

Rights sold for WILLPOWER, DETERMINATION, SELF-ESTEEM 

FINLAND: Minerva (orig.)

ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Droemer Knaur

 

Rights sold for A WONDERFUL LIFE:

UNITED STATES: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)

CROATIA:
Planetopija
ESTONIA:
Rahva Raamat
FINLAND:
Gummerus
FRANCE:
Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY:
Blessing Verlag
GREECE:
Klidarithmos
JAPAN:
HarperCollins Japan
KOREA:
Across Publishing
LATIN AMERICA:
Ediciones Urano
LITHUANIA:
Obuolys
NETHERLANDS:
Ambo Anthos
NORWAY:
Gursli Berg Forlag
POLAND:
Czarna Owca
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.