Finnish Thriller Sold in Italy
After an Italian auction, Piemme has acquired The Guardian Angel by Einar Hansen. Elina Ahlback Literary controls all rights for the Finnish title, which will be released in Finland by WSOY in March 2018. The novel is based on a double murder committed in Copenhagen in the 1950s. The case drew attention because some thought the perpetrator acted under hypnosis, and that the person who orchestrated the crime was never caught. The book was written alongside a feature film of the same name, which will be released internationally in 2018 and stars Josh Lucas. (The screenplay was written by the film's director Arto Halonen, while the novel was written under a pen name; the book's authors are connected to the movie production and did research for it.) Piemme plans to release The Guardian Angel in fall 2018, as a lead title.
Italian Book on Motorcross Sells in Germany
Originally published this month by Ponte alle Grazie in Italy, the nonfiction book The Great Jump by Vanni Oddera has sold at auction to Heyne in Germany. The Laura Ceccacci Agency is representing the title, about a motorcross champion who helps disabled children to ride motorcycles, and let them feel the adrenaline and emotions that they were seemingly destined never to experience. The 2 Seas Agency is handling rights for France, World English, Portuguese and the Nordic Countries.
Norwegian Novel Draws Flurry of Interest
Northern Stories, a new Norwegian literary agency, is representing Jomsviking by Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen, which has just sold in the Netherlands (Meulenhoff) and Germany (Penguin), among other territories. The novel, which is the first in a series, was originally published by Nidhogg Forlag in April. It opens in the year 993, and follows a 12-year-old named Torstein as he goes from slave to warrior for the brotherhood of Jomsvikings, who were mercenaries with a strict code of conduct.
Spanish Thriller Sells in Poland
The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson has sold to Sonia Draga in Poland, in a preempt. Rights are controlled by Pontas Literary and Film, and previous sales were made to Actes Sud (France) and Planeta (for Portuguese and Spanish). The novel, a whodunit set during the Tour de France, will be published by Actes Sud in June 2018.
Dalai Lama Book Sells in German Auction
A Call For Revolution by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Sofia Stril-Rever has sold in an eight-way auction to German publisher Benevento Books, while Brazilian Portuguese rights just sold to Alaude. (The book has also sold, in previous deals, to publishers in the U.K. and Italy.) The 2 Seas Agency is handling rights, excluding France, on behalf of Massot Editions in France, which published the book this month. Revolution delivers a message of hope aimed at millennials. Stril-Rever, the book's co-author, is an interpreter for the Dalai Lama.
