HC Buys Spanish Rights for Backman Books; Forms Spanish Acquisitions Board

In a number of moves to broaden its Spanish-language publishing program, HarperCollins has acquired world Spanish rights to seven books by Swedish international bestselling author Fredrik Backman, and has also formed an International Spanish Acquisitions Board which will work to expand the reach of HC’s Spanish-language titles.

The Backman books were acquired by Judith Curr, who joined HC as president and publisher of HarperOne in April after resigning as president and publisher of the Atria Publishing Group where she published a number of Backman titles. Curr acquired the rights, which includes audio, from Tor Jonasson of the Salomonsson Agency in Stockholm.

The titles that are part of the deal are: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and essay collection Things My Son Needs to Know about the World, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime. According to HC, the deal marks the first time these titles will be published in Spanish.

Curr also picked up a nonfiction title for HC’s Spanish program, acquiring world Spanish rights for Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. (The book was released in September in the U.S. by HC’s Dey Street imprint.)

The titles will be published by HC throughout the Spanish-speaking world through its Global Publishing Program. In territories where HC doesn’t have a publishing division, it will distribute the Spanish-language books, Curr said. No timetable for releasing the books has been set yet.

“Spanish-language publishing represents one of the largest growth opportunities for HarperCollins, and is a core strategic focus for our company as we continue to invest in our global publishing program and capabilities.” said Brian Murray, HC’s CEO.

HC’s global investment includes the creation of the International Spanish Acquisitions Boar. The new unit has representatives from HarperCollins Español, HarperCollins Mexico, and HarperCollins Iberica, and HC said, “will seek to publish books that have broad appeal around the globe, and will work to coordinate publishing and share best practices across divisions.”

“Spanish is one language in many countries, and our global platform will allow us to create a center of excellence, acquiring works that have broad appeal, both in the U.S. and throughout the Spanish-speaking world,” said Curr.