Fall Rights Guide 2024
Fall Rights Guide 2024
Non-Fiction
Featured titles this season
Personal Growth & Lifestyle
The Power of Hot & Cold
From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life
The Women I Think About at Night
New in General Non-Fiction
SANNA MARIN. POIKKEUKSELLINEN PÄÄMINISTERI
WSOY, November 2024, 300 pp.
Reading material:
English sample, table of contents
Finnish manuscript
Sanna Marin: Finland’s Young Prime Minister
Sanna Marin through the eyes of her inner circle
✓ The first book about Sanna Marin, to be published in Finland by WSOY in November 2024!
✓ This new book, written by the award-winning Finnish journalist Salla Vuorikoski, reveals what kind of leader Sanna Marin truly was!
In December 2019, a dramatic government crisis catapulted Sanna Marin to become the youngest Prime Minister in the world. Soon she was to lead a country whose inner and outer security would be threatened by a serious pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The outspoken Prime Minister garnered both admiration and spite. For some, Marin’s unconventional stance towards the ministerial institution was too much to bear. At the end of her term, the young social democrat from Tampere had grown to become an international superstar for whom Finland was too small and stifling.
This biography details how Marin became a liberal symbol, an opponent of right-wing populism, and a role model for the world’s young women. Readers learn in-depth about her passionate support of Ukraine, along with a dive into the history of Finland’s former prime minister who joined a group of former leading politicians turned global consultants and speakers as part of an international network of leadership.
Salla Vuorikoski, a team lead of the investigative journalism unit at Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, has amassed an extensive amount of information and interviewed dozens of political insiders and individuals close to Marin.
This book tells the story of what happened behind closed doors. What kind of leader was Sanna Marin? How did she change during her tumultuous ministerial years, and how did she become an international superstar?
New in Narrative Non-Fiction
IKUISEN ELÄMÄN LYHYT HISTORIA
Kuinka taistelemme kuolemaa ja vanhuutta vastaan
Otava/Like, August 2024, 318 pp.
Reading material:
Finnish edition
English sample + synopsis
A Short History of Eternal Life
The secret to longevity – why do we seek it?
✓ A narrative non-fiction title by the award-winning popular science author
✓ Author of Me, My Dog and Humanity, sold to Germany and the Netherlands!
✓ For readers Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman
Science is developing at an even faster pace, and people are living longer and longer. With what methods has humanity over time fought against aging and death, and what methods will be used in the future?
Tiina Raevaara’s book weaves together the beginnings of scientific history, vampire stories, as well as the discoveries of stem cell treatment and gene editing. It dives into the cryotank and asks whether the vision of a lengthy life is still worth pursuing. If humanity accepted that they are part of all things organic – both living and dead – could we finally get rid of all the exhaustion, anxiety and need to rush?
Venäjän salaiset operaatiot Lännen tuhoamiseksi
Johnny Kniga, 2024, 352 pp.
Reading material:
Finnish edition
German edition
English sample
Putin’s World War
Russia’s Covert Operations to Destroy the West
A highly topical book featuring horrifying true stories about the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services
✓ Sold to 6 territories pre-publication!
✓ Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award and her previous book, Putin’s Trolls, has been sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series!
Russia is threatening the West with World War III, even though it has been waging it for years. As its weapons, the Kremlin uses agents of chaos, covert ops, fake priests spreading hate speech, hackers recruited from prison, and people’s gullibility.
Jessikka Aro’s new non-fiction about the Kremlin’s world war presents the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services in detail.
The book takes the reader on a breathtaking journey from the lobby of the Helsinki Courts of Appeal to the controversial Bronze Soldier statue in Tallinn, from the media center run by the Russian military intelligence in Berlin to the Russian troll factory that operated in Ghana.
Read if you dare.
The book is meritorious and important. It gives a voice to those who have been silenced for a long time and strongly defends the freedom of expression that is concretely threatened by Russia’s actions. The topic of the book is that certainty is hard to come by, the facts are often disputed, and there is a huge amount of uncertainty. The fact that Aro has managed to have built her work as solid as this is a hard feat.”
– Pasi Huttunen in Savon Sanomat newspaper
We are immensely proud to announce the forthcoming Polish publication of Putin’s World War by Jessikka Aro, a groundbreaking exploration of Russia’s operations against the West. Jessikka Aro’s global recognition as a foremost expert on this subject has profoundly influenced our decision to bring her insights to a Polish audience. Publishing Jessikka’s book is not only a significant milestone for Transatlantic Foundation Sp. z o.o. but also marks our commitment to introducing influential international narratives to our readers. We are honored to have this seminal work as our first international publication in Poland.
– Patryk Wachnik, Board member, at Transatlantic Foundation
MORE INFO
DOWNLOAD ENGLISH MATERIALS
Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY/Johnny Kniga (orig.)
GERMANY: Goldmann Verlag
CZECHIA: N Media
HUNGARY: Corvina
POLAND: Transatlantic Foundation
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
New in Personal Growth & Lifestyle
THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD
From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life
Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton, November 2024, approx. 35,000 words
Reading material:
English edition
The Power of Hot and Cold
From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life
Katja Pantzar and Carita Harju
Find out how hot and cold contrast therapy can change your outlook, your wellbeing and your life!
✓ The secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them!
✓ World English rights sold to Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton for UK publication in 2024 and US publication in 2025!
✓ The world’s first international title on Finnish contrast therapy written from an inclusive perspective!
✓ Inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy, wherever you are in the world.
✓ Unique collaboration by Carita Harju, Finnish sauna experience expert, and Katja Pantzar, author of The Finnish Way, sold to 24 languages!
Step into the world of hot and cold, where contrast therapy – pairing a good steam in a sauna with an icy dip in a lake or the sea – is an essential part of life in Finland. More than a trending pastime, the traditional Finnish practice of alternating hot and cold has a range of health benefits that boost mental and physical wellbeing, which greatly contribute to happiness. It’s also a large part of the reason Finland has been named the World’s Happiest Country for the seventh year in a row.
The sauna, the first Finnish element on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, was recently ranked as the No. 1 global wellness trend by the Global Wellness Summit. Cold-water swimming is also gaining popularity around the world and has been proposed as a cure for everything from improving mental health to boosting immunity. But why is being hot good for you, and why is submerging into icy water good for you? And what about alternating between the two? What exactly is contrast therapy and why is it so vital for physical and mental health?
This definitive guide by two experts takes readers on a journey into the transformative powers of hot and cold by pairing the sauna, that quintessential hot Finnish steam bath, with a cold-water dip. Along the way, it serves up the inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy wherever you are in the world.
The Finnish hot and cold method boosts happiness by increasing wellbeing and encouraging connection with nature. It’s the secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them. Now you too can learn their secrets.
I have been so struck by the growing interest in cold-water swimming and saunas and the powerful health impact of contrast bathing to help promote happy hormones, soothe away stress, build resilience and enhance wellbeing and encourage good mental health. When I started to explore this area more, what became clear was that the Finns have had the right idea all along! Alternating between hot and cold environments is a way of life in Finland and in THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD Katja Pantzar and Carita Harju will explain the science, give insights into their own experiences, and offer readers practical guidance so that they too can reap the benefits and improve their health. I am really excited about this acquisition and about helping Yellow Kite readers build some Finnish fortitude into their own lives to help them thrive.
– Liz Gough, Executive Publisher, Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton
This book is an essential companion for anyone embracing sauna and cold-water swimming as a method of self-care. A simple recipe for a happier life.
– Emma O’Kelly, journalist and author of SAUNA – the Power of Deep Heat
MORE INFO
DOWNLOAD ENGLISH MATERIALS
Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton (orig.)
STOP CHASING HAPPINESS
Counterintuitive Life Advice From the World’s Happiest Country
Approx. 35,000 words
Reading material:
English manuscript available in Sept 2024
English chapters & summary
Stop Chasing Happiness
Counterintuitive Life Advice From the World’s Happiest Country
A guide to finding happiness by Finland’s leading happiness expert
✓ World English rights sold to Allen & Unwin, German rights to Knesebeck, and Finnish rights at auction to Gummerus!
✓ Full English manuscript available in September 2024!
✓ Frank Martela, PhD, is Finland’s #1 internationally bestselling non-fiction author – his previous title, A Wonderful Life, has been sold to 30 countries!
✓ A unique blend of personal stories and quirky anecdotes combined with deep understanding of the latest psychological research on well-being
✓ Finland has been ranked the happiest country 7 times in a row and Frank Martela has explained the secret to Finnish happiness for Fox News, New York Times, Scientific American and New Scientist.
Want to be happier? Stop searching for happiness. Obsessing about happiness is, paradoxically, one of the key obstacles for a happier life. For seven years in a row, Finland has been the world’s happiest country and the wisdom emerging from this land of darkness and heavy metal teaches you to stop caring about happiness, about what others think, and about what happens next. This liberates you to take life as it is.
In this book, Finland’s leading happiness expert offers straight-talking life advice on why finding happiness is not about learning new things – it is more about unlearning patterns of thinking holding you back. Combining ancient wisdom with latest research and mixing it all together with quirky stories and Frank’s encounters with peculiar Finnish characters met in the forest, in rock festivals, and during his hitchhiking and other travels around the country, the book guides you to build a way of living where you are content and serene, yet actively engaged and energized to pursue your self-chosen purposes in life.
As a Finn living in the UK, one of the questions I’m most often asked is “why are Finnish people so happy?” – and now I have an answer to give in the form of Frank’s wonderful book! I’m beyond excited to be bringing Frank’s wit and insight on happiness and life satisfaction to an English-speaking audience, and for Frank to have found the perfect home at Allen & Unwin.
– Erika Koljonen, Non-Fiction Editor, Allen & Unwin, UK
FINLAND: Gummerus
GERMANY: Knesebeck
WORLD ENGLISH: Allen & Unwin
TUNNEROHKEUS
Suoraan puhumisen ja vastarinnan kohtaamisen taito
Otava, April 2024, 250 pp.
Reading material:
English sample + synopsis
Finnish edition
Emotional Courage
How to Speak Directly and Meet Resistance
How to succeed in demanding interactions? This book will help you discover the secret of meeting emotions and resistance without hesitation!
✓ Latest title from the acclaimed public speaker and non-fiction author!
✓ Åhman is a professor of practice focusing on conversational intelligence – demanding discussions, negotiations, and conflicts, and understanding the human mind!
✓ Åhman is the only three-time prize winner for best business book in Finland and has been recognized as one of Finland’s best speakers four times!
In this book, Finland’s leading business writer Helena Åhman, PhD, shares her fascinating journey and discovery of a crucial ingredient to succeed in challenging interactions. From New York City to Dubai’s deserts and around the world, she describes her encounters with NASA’s astronauts and Ivy League professors as well as with captivating Finnish leaders from the dark north who have succeeded. The stories span from Virgin Atlantic’s executive team to Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s wisdom, and from excelling in the world-renowned Finnish school system to heading the Finnish Air Force.
Each story shares the same themes – emotional courage, the ability to encounter emotions and speak directly even when met with opposition.
Combine this wellspring of wisdom with striking anecdotes – including the author’s own – and the latest research, and you’ll get answers to three questions that define emotional courage:
- What kind of counterintuitive thinking is useful when you meet resistance and opposing views, and how to overcome the worst mistakes?
- Why is it useful to speak boldly, and most importantly, how? It might not be what you think.
- How do you get rid of disturbing emotions, and when should you absolutely not let them go?
This book will guide you through the sandstorms of emotion – yours or others’- to talk about anything you need to. The book will help you to use its knowledge in your daily life, whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, and is served with the addition of Finnish rock lyrics on emotional courage.
Dr. Helena Åhman has done it again! She has written a thought-provoking, inspiring and practical book for today’s polarized world, workplace and personal relations. Her new book is based on sound research and she offers excellent advice for our everyday work and personal challenges. The book reads like a captivating novel with a rich tapestry of characters, situations, lyrics, visualizations, and the hope that good guys will win at the end. Dr. Åhman is introducing a creative vocabulary that by itself makes you curious – what is the meaning of “emotional courage,” “sandstorm competence,” “guessing energy,” and how to master the art of the “straight talk”?
– Jukka Laitamäki, Professor, New York University
– Alf Rehn, Professor of Innovation, Design, and Management, University of Southern Denmark
RITUAALIKIRJA – ETSIJÄN OPAS
SKS Kirjat, August 2023, 348 pp.
Reading material:
Full English manuscript
Finnish edition
Timeless Nordic Rituals
Bringing Purpose and Joy to Modern Life
Rediscover your lost connection to nature by applying Nordic rituals in your own everyday life.
✓ Full English manuscript available! German rights sold!
✓ Ancient and modern Nordic rituals as medicine for our hectic, disconnected, and urban lives
✓A guide connecting with yourself, nature, and ancient roots
✓ What can we learn from the ancestors of the “happiest people on Earth”?
Can people who live their lives in cities, often more connected to technology than the world around us, benefit from ancient rituals and discover a life in rhythm with nature? What can we learn from the ancestors of the “happiest people on Earth”, the Finns?
Timeless Nordic Rituals is a book that invites us to take inspiration from long-forgotten and living traditions of the Finno-Ugric people, and to create rituals that strengthen our connection with nature, the cycle of life, and with our inner selves.
Rituals create a connection with the past, the present moment, and the future. Ancient cultures and indigenous peoples created songs, poems, rituals, and celebrations to bring presence and deeper meaning to life. In Finland we lived in harmony with the rhythm of nature, and offerings and chores were planned according to the seasons and cycles. With our urbanized and secular lifestyle, we have forgotten or abandoned many of the rituals and customs that have traditionally helped people transition from one season and life stage to the next.
Reetta Ranta’s work is rooted in research and study of Finno-Ugric mythologies, mostly unpublished in English. Her writing style is practical, playful, and the book serves as a joyful invitation for international audiences to learn, explore, and practise a little bit of ancient wisdom and ritual from the North.
I have been longing for books that would deal with [esoterism and new age] with a neutral matter-of-factness. [–] Timeless Nordic Rituals embarks on the challenge with a minimal, fresh take. The book is built on different phases marking human life, such as the turns of the moon, days of the week, months, seasons, and different ages. [–] Timeless Nordic Rituals does not offer easy solutions, but rather a pondering on the character of rituals and humans’ longing for them, written in a light tone.
– Noora Niittymäki on Nörttitytöt/Geekgirls.fi
FINLAND: SKS Kirjat (orig.)
GERMANY: Goldmann
Backlist – Personal Growth & Lifestyle
Otava, 2017, 226 pp.
CupOfTherapy – TUNTI TUNNILTA TUNTIEN
Gummerus, 2020, 223 pp.
CupOfTherapy – YKSI NÄISTÄ HETKISTÄ
Gummerus, 2021, 223 pp.
Reading material:
English editions
CupOfTherapy series
Antti Ervasti and Matti Pikkujämsä
Internationally bestselling and easily approachable and comforting selfcare with a visual approach – created by an experienced Finnish psychotherapist and an award-winning illustrator
✓ Relatable and comforting illustrations of the human experience with all its struggles and wonders!
✓ Selfcare for the Instagram generation, with expert advice from a psychotherapist on how to deal with common struggles and experiences
✓ More than 75,000 copies sold! Rights sold to 20+ countries! Bestseller in the MUJI stores in Japan!
The CupOfTherapy books are the results of Antti’s and Matti’s cooperation combining psychotherapeutic expertise and the artist’s talent to capture human experience and put it on paper. They discuss daily events, topical phenomena and their own experiences together and Matti sketches animal figures simultaneously. The topics and the reflection of their discussions are interactively and lovingly refined into CupOfTherapy illustrations.
Book #1: CupOfTherapy
Encouragement, comfort and humor as suitable bites for different moments of life. A small big book from the creators of the hugely popular Finnish phenomenon CupOfTherapy.
Book #2: Self-Care Everyday (Together Through the Hours)
CupOfTherapy – Self-Care Everyday addresses a current and important matter: work–life balance. The book is like a strong bear hug with a great message: It is normal to face obstacles and problems, and we are important the way we are, with all our fur and everything . The book offers fiercely sweet encouragement amid all the challenges in our everyday life and work.
Book #3: Moments by Myself
Moments by Myself is an emphatically written and illustrated book from the creators of the internationally renowned brand CupOfTherapy, tackling a touching and important topic: loneliness and being alone. It makes visible a phenomenon that easily goes unnoticed but at the same time is something all of us experience at some point through our lives. This book is the perfect friend to have at hand when feeling lonely and also inspires us to reach out to the people around us and invites us to think about how we could reduce the stigma often associated with loneliness.
Upcoming books in the CupOfTherapy series:
Book #4: Earn, Lose & Learn
”Even a small reflection on our financial habits helps tackle the feeling of being lost”
Money has an impact on our lives, whether we wish it or not. Our relationship to money is individual, it is linked with our past, present and future. This book looks like its creators and tackles a touching and important topic: the relationship with money and mental well-being. It makes visible a phenomenon that easily goes unnoticed, and inspires us all to think about how we could reduce the stigma and how to face challenging feelings often associated with money and finances. Earn, Lose & Learn is an aptly written and illustrated, warm compassion book from the creators of the internationally renowned brand CupOfTherapy.
Moments by Myself – 100 Thoughts On Loneliness And Solitude is a touching collection of insightful reflections and heartfelt illustrations, executed in the familiar, disarming CupOfTherapy way. This work manages to reach something deeply human we all share: the pain of being left alone and feeling lonely. At the same time, it boldly examines different aspects of loneliness as a phenomenon. Not only does it encourage reflection, but it also encourages action by providing practical tools for reducing loneliness. I have returned to many pictures and text again and again, in tears, because I found myself in them. This book is touching and revitalising.
– Katarina Meskanen, clinical psychologist & non-fiction writer
MORE INFO
AUTHOR VIDEO
DOWNLOAD ENGLISH MATERIALS
Rights sold:
#1 CupOfTherapy:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CHINA: Feel Tianjin
GERMANY: Kunstmann
GREECE: Dioptra
JAPAN: Muji
KOREA: Haksan
NETHERLANDS: Balans
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora
TAIWAN & HONG KONG: Popular
# 2 Self-Care Everyday
FINLAND: Gummerus (orig.)
CROATIA: Mozaik
CZECHIA: Euromedia
JAPAN: Shokakukan
KOREA: Haksan
LATVIA: Zvaigne
POLAND: Znak
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora
TAIWAN & HONG KONG: Popular
UK & AUSTRALIA & NEW NEALAND: Quercus (Hachette Group)
#3: Moments by Myself:
FINLAND: Gummerus (orig.)
CZECHIA: Euromedia
GERMANY: Kunstmann
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora
TAIWAN & HONG KONG: Popular
A WONDERFUL LIFE
Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence
HarperCollins, March 2020, 200 pp.
Reading material:
English edition
A Wonderful Life
Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence
Is happiness a worthy goal? What is the foundation for meaning in a secular society? Is life an existential void?
✓ An international bestseller with the rights sold to 30 countries and counting!
✓ The book to address our turbulent times, by the eminent Finnish happiness researcher Frank Martela, from the happiest country in the world!
In a relaxed, conversational tone, Frank Martela answers these questions and more with a wry sense of humor, placing some of life’s greatest philosophical quandaries into a modern-day context. Martela quickly and concisely gets to the heart of the matter – your place in the world and how to find meaning in life – yet the emphasis here is on what we do with the life we have and how we can make it more meaningful.
The search for life’s meaning is perhaps the most important quest we can undertake. And for any quest, it’s essential to have a guide. Philosophically probing yet eminently readable, A Wonderful Life is a book you can refer to again and again on your journey toward purpose.
A brilliant and charming book that tackles the grandest questions of life in plain terms, with humor and insight…full of anecdotes, history, thoughtfulness, perspective, and entertaining discourse. If you have any curiosity about the meaning of life—and who doesn’t?—this book is a refreshing and important resource.
– Roy F. Baumeister, author of New York Times bestseller Willpower, The Power of Bad, and Meanings of Life
MORE INFO
AUTHOR VIDEO
360° VIEW
DOWNLOAD ENGLISH MATERIALS
Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins/Harper Design (orig.)
ALBANIA: Botime Koliqi
ARABIC: Sefsafa
BULGARIA: Prozoretz
CROATIA: Planetopija
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FINLAND: Gummerus
FRANCE: Editions Leduc.s
GERMANY: Blessing Verlag
GREECE: Klidarithmos
HUNGARY: Corvina
INDONESIA: Gramedia
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
THAILAND: Biblio Co.
TURKEY: Orman Kitap
VIETNAM: Bookland
EVERYDAY SISU
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
Penguin Random House/TarcherPerigee, March 2022, 250 pp.
Reading material:
English edition
Everyday Sisu
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
Discover how the happiest people on earth survive—and thrive—through tough times!
✓ Explores simple practices that makes Finnish life healthy for body and mind
✓ Published in Japanese, Thai and Indonesian!
✓ By the bestselling author of The Finnish Way, sold in 24 territories!
Sisu is a powerful mindset that makes Finland one of the happiest countries in the world, despite long winters, social isolation, and a history of challenging times.
In Everyday Sisu, journalist Katja Pantzar explores the simple practices that make Finnish life so stable, sustainable, and healthy for body and mind, even when life doesn’t go as planned. You’ll discover ways to boost your mental and physical resilience to face life’s challenges head-on, including:
- connecting with nature
- strengthening community
- using what you have
- reframing what you can’t control
- adopting a solutions mindset
- finding strength in the struggle
- dealing with stress, anxiety, depression and burnout
Featuring insights from Finnish experts in mental health, wellness, sustainability, social justice, and more, this practical and empowering guide presents a roadmap for overcoming what you thought you couldn’t — and finding hope and tools to create a brighter way forward.
– Marian Lizzi, Editor in Chief at TarcherPerigee, Penguin Random House, US
MORE INFO
DOWNLOAD ENGLISH MATERIALS
Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: TarcherPerigee/Penguin Random House (orig.)
INDONESIA: Gramedia
JAPAN: Hojosha
THAILAND: Flying Bear Co.
SAISINKO HUOMIOSI?
Kirja joka jokaisen somenkäyttäjän pitäisi lukea
Otava, December 2023, 200 pp.
Reading material:
English sample
German sample
Finnish edition
TULEVAISUUDEN LUKUJÄRJESTYS
Otava, 2020, 192 pp.
Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition
The Digital Spell
The Hidden Power of Persuasive Technology
&
Future Skills
The book that every social media user should read! The third book by popular speaker and sales success Perttu Pölönen!
✓ Perttu Pölönen has studied future technologies at Singularity University think tank, based at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, co-founded an edtech company in Myanmar and won EU’s biggest science competition for youth. In 2018, MIT Tech Review honored him among the 35 Innovators Under 35 in Europe.
✓ Rights to Perttu Pölönen’s books have been sold in 8 territories!
More about The Digital Spell:
The book that every social media user should read! The third book by popular speaker and sales success Perttu Pölönen!
Only a few dozen social media executives ultimately decide where the attention of billions of people will be directed. At the same time, a large part of the population is unable to explain how the internet works, even at a basic level. We have embarked on a massive human experiment with an alarmingly inadequate understanding.
In his latest book, Perttu Pölönen asks what kind of technology we wish to use, who we want to develop it, whose interests it should serve, and what we use technology for. In the era of ChatGPT and generative AI, discussing design, values and ethics has become more crucial than ever. Billions of people are already “plugged into the system”—now we need to find answers to how that system should ideally work.
More about Future Skills:
The future is no longer awaited, it is feared. Development is not driven by enthusiasm, but by worry. We talk about challenges, not dreams. How can fears, worries, and challenges be turned into anticipation, enthusiasm, and dreams?
Future Skills challenges assumptions about the future and provides insightful and thought-provoking observations. It has become an instant bestseller in Finland, reportedly inspiring readers to change their career paths, and helped them find meaning in their current jobs. Pölönen is a bright young mind whose personal experiences make the book lively and engaging.
– Marko Suomi on Goodreads
– Esther Wojcicki, educator and best-selling author of How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results
The Digital Spell:
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Future Skills:
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Jakup Ceraja
HUNGARY: Anna Inkeri Pap
INDONESIA: Alvabet
PORTUGAL: Bertrand
SOUTH KOREA: BP Publishers
TURKEY: Büyükada
UNITED STATES: Recorded Publishing (audio)
UNITED STATES: Start Publishing (print & e-book)
Backlist – General Non-Fiction
Otava/Nemo, May 2023, 428 pp.
Reading material:
English sample
Finnish edition
The 50 Most Dangerous Families in the World
They prefer to stay in the shadows. Who are the families with the most influence in the world?
✓ Rights sold to Scolar in Hungary!
✓ A bestseller in Finland with close to 8,000 copies sold!
✓ The newest title by the co-author of The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World, sold to 8 territories!
✓ English sample available, featuring 5 of the dangerous families: Rotenberg, Musk, Guriev, Grimaldi, Wallenberg
✓ Updates slated for 2024!
Very few of us know the Lees, the al-Nahyans, the Quandts, the Safras or the Wertheimers. We all know, however, their companies Samsung, Manchester City, BMW, Chiquita, and Chanel. Many of the world’s most influential companies are still family businesses, and many of these families go back many generations, some even to the 18th Century. Many of them operate around the world, and some are worth tens of billions of dollars. Still, we know astonishingly little about these families.
The stories of the families in this book contain larger-than-life characters, unbelievable plots, and numerous conflicts, tragedies, and successes. This non-fiction book by the experienced business journalist Hannu Sokala offers a comprehensive and surprising perspective on the world’s most important – and dangerous families.
– The Finnish National Broadcasting Company YLE
Otava/Nemo, February 2021, 528 pp.
Reading material:
English sample and summary
Finnish edition
The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World
Juha-Pekka Raeste and Hannu Sokala
How could a few dozen business giants challenge the foundations of democracy, destabilize institutions, and determine the state of the environment?
✓ A Spiegel bestseller in Germany!
✓ Rights sold to 8 territories!
✓ Now a fresh, updated manuscript available with more updates slated for 2024!
Large multinational corporations influence how we think, what we eat, who we meet, how we spend our time, and even who we vote for. As those businesses grow, their influence and power over people and governments also grow. To make sure the future is not dictated by people rather than corporations we need to know more about them.
This exciting nonfiction title by expert financial journalists Hannu Sokala and Juha-Pekka Raeste covers 50 companies that comprise a large part of global market forces. They determine what kind of world we all live in. Some of the companies in the book are relatively unknown (The China National Tobacco Corporation and BlackRock), some are predictable (Google, Amazon), some may seem surprising (Ikea and Disney), and some are inevitable (Gazprom and Chevron).
Some of the companies benefit from our everyday needs (Cargill, Coca-Cola), some from our vanity (ByteDance, Facebook), and some from our greed (Goldman Sachs, Berkshire Hathaway). This is non-fiction that reads like a thriller. It offers a comprehensive and often startling perspective on the most important – and dangerous – companies in the world.
– Fiona_Hein on lovelybooks.de
A SPIEGEL BESTSELLER IN GERMANY!
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Nemo (orig.)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
GERMANY: Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH
HUNGARY: Scolar
ITALY: Newton Compton
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
SWEDEN: Lind & Co.
TAIWAN: Heliopolis
JOHTAJASTA MESTARIKSI
Tammi, January 2023, 174 pp.
Reading material:
Full English manuscript
Finnish edition
Leadership as Mastery
The Finnish Way
Lead like a Finn! The Finnish way of leadership combines art and craftsmanship, like the great Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto.
✓ Discover a new, Nordic kind of leadership! Find out what makes a company beautiful!
✓ Growing as a leader is like a craftsman’s path from apprentice to professional
✓ Full English text available!
✓ Over 6,000 copies sold in Finland! Rights sold to Estonia!
What does craftsmanship have to do with leadership? What makes a company beautiful? 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.
– William G. Pietersen, Professor, The Practice of Management, Columbia Business School, New York
– Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman Siemens AG and Northvolt AB
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Ühinenud Ajakirjad
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.
Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition
Putin’s Trolls
A journalistic nonfiction book that reads like a real-life spy thriller and reveals the methods of the Kremlin’s modern information warfare
✓ Rights sold to 16 territories!
✓ Published in Spring 2022 in the US by Ig Publishing and Blackstone (audio) to excellent reviews! Followed by publication in Germany by Goldmann and Norway by Mangshou!
✓ An international TV Series is being developed as an European co-production, inspired by Jessikka Aro’s international bestseller Putin’s Trolls. Producers are Kathrin Lohmann (Germany), Gudny Hummelvoll (Norway) and Tanja Rusi (Finland).
✓ Jessikka Aro won the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award for her investigation!
Putin’s Trolls is a first-hand memoir/reportage account by award-winning Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro who was bullied out of her country by Putin’s internet trolls, revealing the true face of an invisible threat that is only growing in power. Russia wages war against civilians online. Every critical voice is an enemy.
Putin’s Trolls presents the criminal smearing campaign, launched and approved by the Kremlin against private individuals around Western countries. It is a chilling account of Russia’s modern tools of information warfare, shedding light on the individuals and organizations behind the Kremlin’s coordinated, military-style social media psy-ops.
By exposing Putin’s institutionalized trolling operations, Jessikka Aro has gone where no one has had the courage to go before and has done so at great peril. Ms. Aro has done the world a huge service by showing us how these tactics work so we can better defend ourselves going forward.
– Bill Browder, New York Times bestselling author of Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Johnny Kniga (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: Ciela Norma
CZECHIA: N Media
ESTONIA: Menu Meedia
GEORGIA: Media Development Foundation
GERMANY (print and e-book): Goldmann
GERMANY (audio): Sound Neverrest
HUNGARY: Corvina Books Ltd
LATVIA: Pētergailis
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NORWAY: Mangschou Forlag
POLAND: Wydawnictwo SQN
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
SWEDEN: Sensor Förlag
WORLD ENGLISH: IG Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Blackstone Audio
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Onerva Pictures
STALIN JA SUOMEN KOHTALO
Otava, October 2016, 240 pp.
Cover: Yale University Press, New Haven and London
Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition
How Finland Survived Stalin
From Winter War to Cold War, 1939-1950
A meticulously-researched insight into critical points in the history of relations between Finland and the Soviet Union
✓ Winner of the Lauri Jäntti Prize for non-fiction literature!
✓ A title with huge resonance at the present time, with Finland joining NATO and the parallels between the Winter War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
✓ Updated English edition available, published by Yale University Press in November 2023!
✓ Rights sold to 6 territories!
Professor Kimmo Rentola explores Stalin’s invasion of Finland in the Winter War, and the decade of fraught Soviet-Finnish relations that followed, including Finland’s exit from World War Two and a possible coup in 1948. This is a dramatic reconstruction of the Nordic republic’s unlikely survival, at a time when its very existence was at stake.
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 answer lies in the relations between Finland and Russia which remain highly timely to this day.
Joseph Stalin has been one of the individuals with the most influence on the history of independent Finland. There are few who have made so many far-reaching decisions as Stalin: he decreed the beginning and the end of the Winter War, the Moscow Armistice of 1944 that ended the Continuation War was signed with his authorization, and when, in 1948, it was time to decide whether Finland would become a ‘people’s republic’ or not, he initially pushed forward but eventually backed down. All of these decisions can be seen as pivotal to the fate of Finland, its society, its independence, the life and death of the Finnish people.
– Norman M. Naimark, author of Stalin and the Fate of Europe
– Ronald Grigor Suny, author of Stalin: Passage to Revolution
– Geoffrey Roberts, author of Stalin’s Library
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Äripäev
GREECE: Papadopoulos Publishers
POLAND: REBIS
UKRAINE: Laboratoria
WORLD ENGLISH: Yale University Press
Suuri suunnitelma
WSOY, August 2021, 507 pp.
Reading material:
English manuscript
The Note Crisis
Kekkonen, Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Cold War
With the fate of his country and relations between superpowers in the balance, what is the President of Finland to do?
✓ A gripping and lucid account of one of the lesser-known crises of the Cold War
✓ The latest title from the Pulitzer Prize-nominated reporter, historian, author and Nordic specialist
✓ World English rights sold to Cornell University Press!
In the fall of 1961, Soviet and American tanks faced off at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin in an explosive confrontation known as the Berlin Crisis, which many feared might lead to World War III. At the same time, 1500 kilometers to the northeast, in Finland, the USSR and the US were squaring off for another potentially explosive confrontation over the Kremlin’s desire to maintain its sphere of influence over that country. This has become known as the Note Crisis.
The Note Crisis, the events leading up to it, and the three figures who were at the center of it—Urho Kekkonen, the Machiavellian president of Finland, fighting for his political life; Nikita Khrushchev, the feisty Soviet premier and Kekkonen’s sponsor; and John F. Kennedy, the US president, who sent a top secret message of support to Kekkonen—comprise the climax of Gordon Sander’s groundbreaking book.
Sander’s biography is based on three years of research and includes exclusive interviews with Khrushchev’s late son Sergey, and the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.
The Note Crisis is intended for general audiences and scholarly ones. It would be of interest to anyone who:
–is interested in reading and learning about one of the great “forgotten” crises of the Cold War
–is interested in Russian/Soviet history and/or Nikita Khrushchev
–is interested in the Kennedy administration
– Sarah Grossman, Acquisitions Editor, Cornell University Press
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak
WORLD ENGLISH: Cornell University Press
Backlist – Narrative Non-Fiction
MINÄ, KOIRA JA IHMISKUNTA
Lajien välisen yhteiselon historia
Otava/Like, February 2022, 317 pp.
Reading material:
Long English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition
Me, My Dog, and Humanity
A History of Coexistence Between Species
Has humanity become so powerful through its own merits alone? Or do other species deserve a thanks as well?
✓ An entertaining and narrative deep dive into the shared history of humans and animals
✓ The Finnish answer to Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman!
✓ Rights sold to Germany and the Netherlands!
In the Autumn of 2018, biologist and award-winning author Tiina Raevaara found herself exhausted and anguished, with her mind dark like a Finland November. She did, however, find comfort in the company of her dog, Igor. She started pondering the reasons for her exhaustion and, simultaneously, the evolution of the human species and its relation to other animals.
The current ascendancy of mankind is, according to Raevaara, not a result of humanity’s innate superiority, but, in fact, a result of its connections and relationships to other species. Ours is not a story of a purpose-driven humankind achieving its predominance in grand solitude, but of a humanity which has striven for connections with other animals.
In her book Me, My Dog and Humanity, Raevaara compellingly describes the coexistence between humans and animals, both personally and from the perspective of humankind, and seeks answers to a number of questions:
- Why does an exhausted person prefer to spend time with their dog than other people?
- Why do animals arouse such strong empathy in us?
- What does the human-animal connection mean from the perspective of evolution and humanity?
The domesticated dog is a much older creation of humankind than agriculture, religion or even writing. Mapping out the mutual journey between humans and dogs, Raevaara sheds light on the most fundamental essences of humanity and its relationship with nature.
Raevaara’s book is an interestingly-constructed book where the narrative alternates between the author’s own story of exhaustion and [human] evolution. [—] The writer reminds us that humans haven’t built this world alone at all, but with other animal species. For example, the dog, who has walked beside man for far longer than writing, agriculture, or Christianity, has been an important companion for a good reason. The book talks about our crucial animal connection.
– Heli Mustonen, Kulttuuritoimitus magazine
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava/Like (orig.)
GERMANY: Knesebeck
NETHERLANDS: Mozaïek
Otava, November 2018, 448 pp.
Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition
French edition
German edition
The Women I Think About at Night
What can a 40-something childless woman do with her life? Hop on a plane and follow the footsteps of the historical female heroes of their time!
✓ Over 60,000 copies sold in Finland and over 28,000 copies sold in Sweden!
✓ An international hit sold to 21 territories! Film & TV rights sold!
✓ A TV series based on the book in development by napafilms!
✓ Charlotte Casiraghi has chosen The Women I Think About at Night for Chanel’s “Summer Readings with Charlotte Casiraghi” campaign! Access the video here!
Have you heard about Artemisia Gentileschi, Lavinia Fontana or Nellie Bly? What about Karen Blixen? The Women I Think About at Night follows in the footsteps of 10 historical women, who did what was impossible for women to do in their own times: travel the world or create a career as an artist. And these women were quite successful – some of them actually became celebrities of their own time! So why have they been forgotten by the history books?
Finnish writer Mia Kankimäki sold her house, packed her suitcase and traveled the world to find out. Part biography, part travelogue, this book takes you from Karen Blixen’s farm in Kenya to Renaissance artists’ Florence and modern-day Japan.
Warning: May cause strong case of wanderlust!
A publishing sensation in Finland with over tens of thousands of 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 received positive reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Travel & Leisure, and Kirkus Reviews, along with Fortune magazine.
Complicated and engaging … Through each chapter, you’ll learn about women who went against the grain and set out on personal adventures to unapologetically live their lives with passion and fervor. You’ll read about a woman who ran a coffee plantation in Kenya; a travel writer who suffered from depression until she took the advice of a doctor to explore the high seas; a Buddhist nun who became the first white woman to enter Lhasa, a forbidden city in the mid 1920’s; an inventor who traveled around the world with just a handbag; and many more.
– Forbes
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
CHINA: Winshare Publishing
CZECHIA: Albatros Media/Motto
DENMARK: Bilgrav Publishing
ESTONIA: Varrak
FRANCE: Editions Leduc.s
FRANCE: (paperback): Folio/Gallimard
GERMANY: btb Verlag/RandomHouse
HUNGARY: Kossuth
ITALY: Neri Pozza
JAPAN: Shosisha
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Gelmes Publishing
NETHERLANDS: Uitgeverij Orlando
NORWAY: Gursli Berg Forlag
POLAND: Poznańskie
RUSSIA: Eksmo Publishing
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Wahlström & Widstrand
UNITED KINGDOM: Simon & Schuster
UNITED STATES: Simon & Schuster
TV & FILM: napafilms
Otava, November 2013, 380 pp.
Reading material:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition
German edition
Italian edition
Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster
A nonfiction narrative about a Finnish writer’s trip to Japan to look for her soulmate – who lived more than 1000 years ago
✓ More than 47,000 copies sold in Finland!
✓ Rights sold to 6 territories!
Mia Kankimäki quits her job and embarks on an adventure. She travels to Kyoto to research Sei Shonagon, a Japanese writer and lady-in-waiting who wrote about her life in the court of Heian era Japan. Mia doesn’t speak a word of Japanese, and isn’t quite accustomed to scientific research, but her endeavor produces the most wonderful book about Japan, Sei Shonagon, and a middle-aged woman’s solo travels.
Despite her struggles and initial culture shock, Mia finds herself mesmerized by temples, cherry blossoms, kabuki theater, Zen meditation and tearooms. She reads ‘The Pillow Book‘ of Sei Shonagon and finds a soul sister – a modern woman who loves making lists of all things charming, annoying, elegant and things that make one’s heart beat faster.
– Alexander Huber, Redaktion Müllheim, Badische Zeitung
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak
CZECHIA: Albatros Media/Motto
GERMANY: btb Verlag/Random House
JAPAN: Soshisha
NETHERLANDS: Orlando
Aino ja Alvar Aallon tarina
Otava, September 2021, 450 pp.
Approx. 50-80 photographs & drawings
Reading material:
English & French editions
Italian edition
The Story of Aino and Alvar Aalto
The love story of the world-famous, pioneering design couple Aino and Alvar Aalto, written by the Aaltos’ grandson
✓ Published in English and French by Phaidon Press, world’s most prestigious art publisher!
✓ Rights sold to 7 territories!
✓ Based on Aino and Alvar Aalto’s previously unpublished correspondence, photography, and drawings from 1921 to 1949
Alvar and Aino Aalto 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, stands apart from countless other works on the Aalto’s lives and careers. It contains photos, sketches, and personal letters between Aino and Alvar, beautifully illustrating how inseparable this couple was both in work and love, and bringing a deeply human element to their story.
“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 as the partner of Alvar Aalto in his rise 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’s 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’s and Alvar’s drawings of each other and of their children, along with architectural drawings and photographs.
This characteristically elegant Phaidon publication, lush with images, is remarkably personal … A beautiful and important contribution to architecture and design history.
– Booklist, Starred Review
A love story, enriched not just by personal photographs and images of their modernist designs, but by the couple’s letters to each other.
– NPR.org
Unique … Such an intimate level of access is possible thanks to the fact that the author is a grandson and has done much to preserve the designers’ legacy.
– Interior Design
A poignant glimpse into [Aino and Alvar’s] deep bond.
– Metropolis
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Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ESTONIA: Postimees
FRANCE: Phaidon Press
HUNGARY: Európa Könyvkiadó
ITALY: Adriano Salani Editore
JAPAN: Soshisha
WORLD ENGLISH: Phaidon Press
FILM & TV: Solar Films
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