Stockholm-based Salomonsson Agency has signed The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, a self-published title by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, which claims to lull children to sleep in minutes. Agent Julia Angelin will be shopping world English rights for the title, a sudden international phenomenon that skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists across the globe in a matter of days.
The book hit #1 in print sales at Amazon in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, according to David Symonds, general manager of Amazon's CreateSpace, the platform on which the book was first published.
“As a parent who has struggled at bedtime with my own children, I know how valuable this book is," said Symonds. "We wish Carl-Johan much success as he continues to engage parents and children around the globe to improve the nightly bedtime ritual."
The Telegraph reported that this is the first time a book by an independent author has held the #1 spot on Amazon U.K.'s print bestseller list. The paper quoted Alison Forrestal, director of books and entertainment media at Amazon U.K., as calling the book a "word of mouth phenomenon."
According to the Telegraph, the book uses "psychological and positive reinforcement techniques to help children relax, focus and eventually drift off."
In addition to its sales achievement in North America and the U.K., Amazon reported that the book has also jumped to #2 in France, #3 in Germany, #12 in Spain, and #26 in Italy.
Angelin said that the Swedish author marketed the title, originally published in April 2014, in the U.K. before it hit big, but wasn't able to provide specifics on its meteoric rise. The agency has just begun its outreach to publishers and is now going out with a "huge submission."
Additional reporting by Rachel Deahl.
