News

For many years, France and the French world were considered to be a rather difficult market for translated titles to break in. Well, it is no more: in fact, in the last couple of years the French world has become a leading market for HLA’s books, acquiring the majority of adult titles on our current list, some of them in auction or pre-empt.

One of the biggest deals recently made remains Pirkko Saisio’s autofictional trilogy, that was sold in pre-empt to Robert Laffont last autumn. The French translation of the first book in the trilogy, The Lowest Common Multiple (1998), is expected to be launched next year.

The French are not shying away from more challenging and longer in volume titles either: Marisha Rasi-Koskinen’s Lynchian masterpiece REC was acquired by Payot & Rivages, and Niillas Holmerg‘s novel Halla Helle, focusing on indigenous Sámi people, was acquired by Éditions du Seuil.

Probably the most experimental title on HLA’s list, 101 Ways to Kill Your Husband by the author duo Laura Lindstedt and Sinikka Vuola was also sold to France recently: the publisher will be Gallimard.

Finland also seems to be the country for the “golden middle” of publishing known as upmarket literary fiction: titles that are of high literary value, but also accessible for wide audiences and having the potential of becoming bestsellers.

A great example of such title is Matara, the lauded and awarded new novel by Matias Riikonen, which was acquired in auction by one of the most prestigious literary publishing houses in France, Éditions Bourgois.

Another upmarket literary title, the eclectic and stunning debut full of dark humour To My Brother by author E. L. Karhu, will be soon published in the French language world by the beautiful La Peuplade.

A year ago, Anni Kytömäki’s three novels – Goldheart (2014); The Stone Weaver (2017); and the Finlandia winner Margarita (2020) – also found a beautiful home in France: all three books will be published by Rue de l’échiquier.

The interest in commercial titles from Finland is also growing speedily and once again, the French language market is the proof of that: Ann-Christin Antell, who only at the beginning of the summer joined HLA’s list with her historical romance trilogy Cotton Mill, was immediately noticed by Marabout, the imprint of Hachette, the biggest publisher in France and the third biggest publishing group in the world. The stunning deal for all three books in the trilogy was closed in July.

Finally, children’s titles are travelling a bit slower; in the last couple of years, only Anja Portin’s Finlandia Junior winner Radio Popov found a home in France: the children’s novel was acquired by Éditions Milan. Foreign rights for this title have been sold to 25 territories, so perhaps the children’s publishers in France just don’t like to take any risks?

All these fantastic deals wouldn’t have been possible without amazing partners in crime: Anna Lindblom from the Nordik Agency and all of the wonderful translators, who keep spreading the word about our books. Thank you!

If you are interested in seeing the materials for any of our titles, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Urtė (urte@helsinkiagency.fi).

Some lovely news from Denmark on the last days of summer: Danish rights for Karin Erlandsson’s touching adult novel Home has now been sold to Straarup & Co.

Home is a novel about longing, perseverance, and ordinary lives that swell and dovetail into a meaningful history; it’s a story of the islanders who stayed.

The novel consists of stories told by different women of different generations, however, all connected by realities of being a part of a small island community. Centuries of Åland archipelago, salty sea, as well as the fate of yearning, fearing, and waiting for those whom the sea gives back are woven into a moving whole that leaves no heart untouched.

“Erlandsson certainly knows how to write. (…) The history of the Åland Islands is unique, and the island realm is a saga in and of itself. Between land and sea, between severed connections and endless routes arise archetypal struggles that bring our most essential feelings to the surface. (…) In the sea’s presence, the impossible, inhuman conditions of survival come to vivid life in Erlandsson’s hands. (…) Behind self-sufficiency there is loneliness, fragility, and vulnerability.”
– Åbo Underrättelser newspaper

Straarup & Co. is a beautiful house that publishes books for both children and adults. They have previously acquired the Danish rights of Erlandsson’s children’s novel Night Express and Eva Frantz’s spooky novel for the middle-grade readers Mystery of Helmersbruk Manor.

Congratulations to the author!

Ann-Christin Antell and her bestselling Cotton Mill trilogy is on fire! Just before the end of the summer, another fantastic deal was made, as Storytel acquired the Swedish and Icelandic rights for all three books.

This is the third (or, third and fourth) foreign rights deal for the trilogy: earlier in the summer, the Danish rights were sold to People’s Press and the French rights were acquired by Hachette’s imprint Marabout.

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Meanwhile, the books continue to sweep the hearts of the Finnish readers: the total number of the copies sold for the books #1 and #2 has already reached 70,000. At the moment, Antell’s fans are eagerly waiting for book #3, due to be published in 2023.

Dubbed as Bridgerton meets L. M. Montgomery, the trilogy began with The Shadow of the Cotton Mill, in 2021, depicting the life of an independent woman in an era when industrialists make up the new elite, women demand equality, and Finland’s status as a nation is undergoing a transformation. 

The second instalment of the trilogy, Heir to the Cotton Mill (2022), picks up the story in the early 20th century, when Finland’s cultural elite, with their strong sense of nationhood, find themselves at odds with Russia’s increasingly oppressive policies.

Congratulations to the author!

Fantastic foreign rights news continue: we are absolutely thrilled to announce that the Oulipo-esque murder mystery 101 Ways to Kill Your Husband by Laura Lindstedt & Sinikka Vuola was sold to Gallimard in France!

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A publisher that hardly requires any introduction, Gallimard is among the best-known and most respected names in the publishing industry in the world. Since its founding in 1911, Gallimard has been known for publishing some of the most acclaimed voices of French and translated literature.

101 Ways to Kill Your Husband shook the Finnish literary scene in the beginning of 2022. In it, the author duo twists and turns a real-life murder into 101 wild and meticulous poses. The writers break the dismal convention of crime stories that begin with the discovery of the body of a young woman. This time, it is the violent husband who dies – 101 times over. The variations of Lindstedt and Vuola dazzle the reader whilst they unravel a tragic story of domestic abuse that ended up in the tabloids.

“Laura Lindstedt and Sinikka Vuola’s book 101 Ways to Kill Your Husband shows us how literature that is mindful of its form can be sociopolitical as well as entertaining. […] It succeeds in stretching its source material to all directions. The pages convey a joy in writing. […] The text shows a rare prism of gendered violence.”
– Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

This is the first foreign rights sale for this title.

Congratulations to both authors!

The hottest series this season continues to conquer the world: French rights of Ann-Christin Antell’s bestselling Cotton Mill trilogy have been acquired by Marabout, an imprint of Hachette, the largest publisher in France and the third largest publishing group in the world.

This is the second foreign rights sale for the trilogy; a few weeks ago, Danish rights were sold to People’s Press. The French deal was made with the help of our wonderful partner in France, Anna Lindblom from the Nordik Agency.

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Founded in 1949, Marabout joined Hachette Group in 1983. With ca. 500 new titles published every year and numerous collections on its list, Marabout’s primary focus is “to give pleasure to their readers”.

Dubbed as Bridgerton meets L. M. Montgomery, the trilogy began with The Shadow of the Cotton Mill, in 2021, depicting the life of an independent woman in an era when industrialists make up the new elite, women demand equality, and Finland’s status as a nation is undergoing a transformation. The book immediately swept the hearts of the Finnish readers: speedily climbing to bestsellers’ lists, the novel sold close to 40,000 copies in Finland altogether. 

The second instalment of the trilogy, Heir to the Cotton Mill (2022), picks up the story in the early 20th century, when Finland’s cultural elite, with their strong sense of nationhood, find themselves at odds with Russia’s increasingly oppressive policies. The book has already sold 20,000 copies in Finland.

The third book, A Rival for the Cotton Mill, is due to be published in 2023.

Congratulations to the author!