Japanese Novel Continues Its Run Abroad
Peter Blackstock at Grove Atlantic just acquired world English rights to Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. The English Agency Japan, based in Tokyo, is handling rights for Japanese publisher, Bungeishunju; deals have, to date, been closed with Portobello Books (U.K.) and Aufbau (Germany), among others. The novel was published in Japan last year and has sold over 650,000 copies there. It's about an alienated 36-year-old woman who works in a convenience store, but wants more from life. When a young man, who also feels alienated, comes to work at the store, the woman's life is upended. Grove Atlantic is planning to release the title in the U.S. in June 2018.

Italian Diet Book Goes Global
The Longevity Diet by Professor Valter Longo, which to date has been acquired by publishers in over 15 countries, just sold to Alma Littera in Lithuania. The book was released last November, and is a bestseller in Italy where it has sold 350,000 copies to date; it was published there by Vallardi/ Gruppo Editorial Mauri Spagnol. Longo is an Italian scientist who lives in Los Angeles, and the diet is based on a low protein and fish-based plan which includes periodic fasting for short periods of time (the author developed this in his laboratory, and it helps to reduce the risks of full on fasting).

Norwegian Thriller Moves to Germany
Oslo Literary Agency controls rights to Trude Teige's The Patient, which has recently sold in Germany to Aufbau. Aschehoug Forlag will publish the book in Sweden this fall. It follows a journalist as she investigates a Norwegian mental institute where the staff are suspected of killing the patients.

Spanish Mountaineer's Book Continuing to Pick Up Sales
Kilian Jornet's Summits of My Life has now sold to Corbaccio in Italy, and Fri Flyt in Norway. (We previously reported on the book selling in France, to Arthaud, which is part of Flammarion.) Jornet is a noted Spanish climber who currently holds the fastest ascent and descent times for mountains like Matterhorn and Denali. The Ella Sher Agency controls rights to the book on behalf of Ara Llibres, which is publishing the title in Spanish and Catalan in October.