Rights meetings and discussion on the BIEF French collective stand at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2024. Image: BCBF
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also: Rights Edition: Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s Evolving Rights Hubs
At Random House Childrens Books: Barbara Marcus Steps Down
In case you didn’t see our recent Rights Roundup article on the evolution of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (March 31 to April 3)—which has caused this huge trade fair to now offer rights trading not only in young readers’ books, but also in adult fare, thanks to the brand extensions: Bologna Book Plus and Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids.
Because the show no longer is limited to children’s literature, our Rights Roundup this time will feature both titles for children and for adults. If you’ll look in to this story in coming days, you’ll also see us adding some titles, as our contributing rights directors and agents have done such a fine job that we have more material to share with you.
As in each roundup, we use some of the sales copy supplied to us by agents and rights directors, editing that copy to give you an idea about a book’s nature and tone, but limiting the promotional elements. If you’d like to submit a deal to Publishing Perspectives, see the instructions at the end of this article.
Dear Sausage: I Must Become Famous
By Anna Berg Gjendem
- Publisher: Cappelen Damm, Oslo
- Rights contact: Ingvild Haugland Blatt, Cappelen Damm Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Sweden: Berghs Förlag
- Denmark: Straarup & Company
Anna Berg Gjendem
“Iris is a dreamer who believes in herself. Her diary, “Sausage,” is stuffed with crazy ideas and mischief. But maybe most importantly of all, it contains her plan to win the heart of the cutest boy in her class.
“Through her diary we get to know her embarrassing parents, her sneaky big sister and her best friend Sofia.
“The imaginative 9-year-old often ends up in awkward situations, but even when everything goes wrong, one thing’s for sure: Iris never gives up.”
This book is the first in an illustrated diary series for girls aged 9 to 12.
Last and Found
By Maija Hurme
- Publisher: Etana Editions, Helsinki
- Rights contact: Hanna Pajunen-Walsh, Rights & Brands
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Italian: Mondadori Libri Spa
- World English: Enchanted Lion Books
- Hungarian,: Reston Kft—Kisgombos Könyvek
- World French: Éditions Rude du Monde
- Korean: BIR Publishing
- Russian: Polyandria
- Simplified Chinese: Shenzhen Publishing House
Maija Hurme
“There is a last that can be found at any time—the last bit of chocolate, the last day of winter, the last moment in the womb, the missing last piece of a puzzle.
“A last can be a possibility, a beginning, a shortcoming, a fear, a sorrow, or a change. Some lasts are happy, some are just plain sad. This book is a collection of treasures inviting open conversations about each and everyone’s lasts.
“This picture book is a gathering of special moments in life collected with a sensitive eye by author-illustrator Maija Hurme.”
Dante N. Ferno Is Not a Loser
By Brian Gordon
- Macmillan’s Children’s Books, London
- Rights contact: Lauren Robertson, Macmillan Children’s Books
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Hungarian: Maxim Konyvkiado
- German: S. Fischer
- Italian: Edizioni EL
- English (USA): Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Farrar Straus Giroux
Brian Gordon
“Meet Dante, (who is definitely not a loser) in this comedic, illustrated book for children aged 7 and older. Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Loki. Ever since his trousers fell down in front of the whole school, Dante has struggled to shake off his seriously uncool reputation. Luckily, he has a foolproof plan to become the most popular kid at his new school:
1. “Completely reinvent himself. 2. Make a ton of friends and accept his nomination as their leader. 3. Become good at sports stuff and win all the game things. 4. Rub his newfound popularity in the face of all the haters he grew up with.
“Sounds easy, right? Well think again. Purg School is attended by infamous creatures from myths and legends and they’re not going to let him shake off his loser status overnight. Dante is going to have his work cut out to beat the bullies and show the world that he is not a loser.”
Just One More Day
(Sólo un día más)
By Susana Fortes
- Publisher: Planeta / Espasa, Barcelona
- Rights contact: Anna Soler-Pont, Pontas Literary & Film Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
Susana Fortes
“In a wintry Spain, a writer experiencing a creative slump feels blocked until she reads the letters between philosopher Albert Camus and actress María Casares.
“As she follows this 20th century legendary love story, something ignites within her.
“This research makes her recall her own tumultuous relationship with a Bosnian writer, W.
“Enigmatic, contradictory, and seductive, their affair sparks a fiery passion, and yet she senses that W is hiding something, never fully revealing the truth of his past.”
Fortes is the author of several books, including Waiting for Robert Capa, Quattrocento, and The Albanian Lover. Her work has been translated into many languages. She currently teaches at a secondary school in Valencia.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing
By Hu AnYan
- Publisher: Astra House, New York City
- Rights contact: Marleen Seegers / 2 Seas Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – World Portuguese: VidaSelf
- English (UK & British Commonwealth, excluding Canada): Penguin Press UK (preempt)
- The Netherlands: Arbeiderspers (preempt)
- Germany: Suhrkamp (preempt)
- Spanish (Spain): Alfaguara (preempt)
- Italy: Laterza (auction)
- Romania: Editura Publica
- Brazil: Record (auction)
- South Korea: Willbooks (auction)
- Finland: Gummerus (preempt)
- France: Autrement / Flammarion (auction)
- Canada / French: XYZ
- Czech Republic: Host (preempt)
- Poland: Insignis (auction)
- Russia: Eksmo
- Arabic: Jarir
Hu AnYan
“In this story of a worker doing odd jobs in various anonymous cities, his tales hit a nerve with a generation of young Chinese who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.
“The essay which went viral is the first in this collection: Hu AnYan recounts working night shifts in a huge logistics center in the South of China. Even at night, it is so hot that he never needed a toilet break despite drinking three liters of water. The work is brutal, and there is no real sense of future in sight. Both he and his coworkers make choices informed by the number of coins in their pockets: alcohol or air-con, early morning karaoke before going home, or washing clothes.
“Hu AnYan goes from one odd job to another, one anonymous megalopolis to another, and candidly shares his story. How every yuan counts when choosing which room to rent or which noodles to eat, but also how he discovers literature, music, and writing as ways to escape a bleak reality. With a deadpan sense of humor carrying him through, he depicts a generation that might choose not to join the rat race of career and status, and invites us to take a close at the ‘small people’ constituting the fundamental fabric of our societies.”
Hu AnYan was unemployed during the COVID-19 years and started posting some of his writing online.”
Guilty: Burn for Love
By Rokia
- Publisher: GeMS / Magazzini Salani, Firenze
- Rights contact: Viviana Vuscovich, GeMS
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- World Spanish: Magazzini Salani Spain
- Poland: Grupa Wydawnicza Foksal
- Russia: Eksmo
Rokia
“In the conclusion to her bestselling romantasy series, evil threatens the kingdom, and the enemy is the very man who swore to protect it: Prince Arthur.
“Consumed by guilt over Lavinia’s death, Arthur no longer has any reason to contain the fire setting his veins alight.
“Nothing can stop him: his revenge will devour the world. However, Lavinia is alive but has lost her memory.
“Will fate reunite them, or will Arthur’s thirst for revenge destroy everything, including their love?”
Submitting Rights Deals to Publishing Perspectives
Do you have rights deals to report? Agents and publishing-house rights directors can use our rights deal submission form to send us the information we need. If you have questions, please send them to Porter@PublishingPerspectives.com We look forward to hearing from you.
More of Publishing Perspectives‘ rights roundups are here, and more from us on international rights trading is here.
About the Author
