Italy’s Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino runs May 15 to 19, and you can see our preview of the high points here. Image: SILT
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Romance, Geo-Politics, and More
With the year’s first big siege of major international book-industry trade shows behind us—and the promise that in 2026, London Book Fair (March 10 to 12) and Bologna Children’s Book Fair / Bologna Book Plus (April 13 to 16) will be mercifully farther apart—the trading floors are cooling now in at least two big markets.
Related articles: Estonia was guest of honor at Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Bologna Book Plus early this month. See coverage from the show (with more to come) here. The show drew 33,318 trade visitors. Image: BCBF
It’s a time when we tend to see some interesting jumps in books’ rights sales, often deals that may have, in fact, started on stands and in rights trading centers in Italy and the United Kingdom during the unseasonably cold start to this year’s spring in those markets.
Our Rights Roundup today comprises a fairly mature set of literature originating in Germany (and the United States by way of German translation in one instance); India; and France. And we’re moving toward more events of the year, of course. There’s news, for example, of the upcoming Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino (May 15 to 19) plan for this year’s rights center there—and the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is looking to top its 2024 attendance of 231,168 in its 2025 iteration, running April 26 to May 5.
Our thanks, as always, to rights directors and agents sharing deal news with us for this Rights Roundup, and see you soon at one of the many (many) events ahead this year.
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.
For Polina
By Takis Würger
- Publisher: Diogenes Verlag AG, Zurich
- Rights contact: Susanne Bauknecht, Diogenes Verlag AG
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – French | Calmann-Levy
- Albanian: Botart
- Catalan: Les Hores
- Dutch: Meulenhoff
- Estonian: Tänapäev
- Italian: Neri Pozza
- Russian: Azbooka
Takis Würger
“At the age of fourteen, Hannes Prager falls in love with a girl named Polina.
“To demonstrate his love, the exceptionally gifted boy composes a melody that encapsulates Polinaʼs essence and desires.
“A short while later, Hannesʼ mother dies in an accident. His music dies with her, and Polina disappears from his life. After years in which he feels nothing but emptiness, Hannes realizes he has to find Polina again.
“But the only way he can reach her is with her melody.”
Hot Water
By Bhavika Govil
- Publisher: HarperCollins India / Fourth Estate
- Rights contact: Anna Soler-Pont, Pontas Literary & Film Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – French: Éditions de La Martinière (pre-empt, two-book deal)
- Country: Publisher
Bhavika Govil
“In Hot Water, Mira, her brother Ashu, and Ma share a tight bond—but secrets simmer beneath elements of their close-knit world. As a scorching summer unfolds, buried truths surface, threatening their fragile unity.
“This moving novel traces the ways in which the love we feel for one another can both make and wreck us.”
Bhavika Govil is a native of New Delhi and Hot Water is her debut publication. After living in Edinburgh, London and Doha over the past few years, she is now based in India.
Her stories have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies internationally such as Wasafiri, Extra Teeth, Gutter, Vogue, Outlook Traveller and A Case of Indian Marvels: Dazzling Stories by the Country’s Finest New Writers, edited by David Davidar.
She has performed her work at literature festivals including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Paisley Book Fair, and Push the Boat Out Festival.
If Russia Wins: A Scenario
(Wenn russland gewinnt: Ein)
By Carlo Masala
- Publisher: C.H. Beck, Munich
- Rights contact: Andrea Vogel, Gaeb & Eggers Literary Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – World English: Atlantic
- The Netherlands: Prometheus, pre-empt
- Finland: Siltala, pre-empt
- France: Grasset, pre-empt
- Sweden: Daidalos
- Lithuania: Briedis
- Italy: Rizzoli, at auction
- Japan: Hayakawa, at auction
“This is only a hypothetical future scenario that political scientist and military expert Carlo Masala presents in his new book, but it shows in a particularly dramatic way what’s at stake today.
“March 2028: Russian troops capture the small Estonian town of Narva and the island of Hiiumaa in the Baltic Sea. The attack on the Baltic states has begun. Europe is paying the price for not rearming after the end of the war in Ukraine and for lacking important capabilities. Does NATO’s Article Five apply? How will the alliance decide? Is it risking nuclear war? We’ve become accustomed to everything turning out well in the end. But what if it doesn’t? What if Russia wins?”
A Short Philosophy of Napping
By Sébastien Spitzer
- Publisher: Éditions de la Martinière Littérature, Paris
- Rights contact: Marleen Seegers, 2 Seas Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Italy: Ponte Alle Grazie, at auction
- World Spanish: Blackie Books, at auction
- South Korea: The Korea Economic Daily & Business Publications, at auction
“What could be better than a nap to slow the frantic course of our pressure-filled lives, dominated by the cult of performance and the need to constantly outdo ourselves?
Sébastien Spitzer
“What could be better, in our anxiety-inducing world, than cocooning yourself by falling discreetly asleep on the couch or in a hammock?
“‘One ought not attempt to “force” nature,’ Epicurus said long ago. So let’s not challenge the philosophers, let’s learn to suspend time instead.”
“This book is the third volume in a collection that reminds us to listen to the life lessons dispensed by nature. This new volume invites us to slow the maddening tempo of our lives. Napping is a lifestyle, one that respects our natural rhythm and nurtures the best of what we have to offer.”
“Previous titles in the series sold well: Petite philosophie des oiseaux (2018) sold 15,000 copies in France and rights were sold in 20 countries, and Petite philosophie de la mer (2022) sold 20,000 copies in France, more than 80,000 copies in Korea, and rights were sold in 10 countries.”
The Heart of Auschwitz
By Darcy Lee
Translation to German by Elsbeth Ranke
- Publisher: Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe
- Rights contact: Gesche Wendebourg, Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Czech Republic: Dobrovsky
- Slovakia: Motyl
- Italy: Giunti
- Russia: Eksmo
- Spain: Penguin Random House Grupo / Plaza y Janés
Darcy Lee
“Originally published in Elsbeth Ranke’s German translation, Darcy Lee tells the story of her grandparents, Genie and Feliks, whose love survived the Holocaust.
“While playing hide and seek as a child, Lee discovered a box with photographs and a leather heart that reveals her family’s connection to the Holocaust.
“As she explored the contents, she uncovered her family’s Jewish heritage and the traumatic history of her grandparents, including their experiences during World War II and the loss of family members.”
Lee is from the state of Georgia in the southeastern United States. She is keen on advancing women’s and children’s rights, and worked with displaced people in various countries.
Le cercle des derniers libraires
Sylvie Baron
- Publisher: De Borée, Paris (Book 1, 2018) and J’ai Lu, Groupe Flammarion, Paris (Book 2, 2025)
- Rights contact: Gregory Messina, Linwood Messina Literary Agency
- Book info: Read more here
Reported rights sales:
- Newest – Germany: Insel, in a two-book deal
- Italy: Newton Compton, in a two-book deal
- Spain: Lumen, in a two-book deal
Sylvie Baron
“In Saint-Flour, Emma is a dynamic bookseller and founder of an association in defense of independent book retailers, “The Last of the Real Booksellers Society.”
“Adrien Darcy is a journalist investigating mysterious murders of booksellers: three members of the Society have recently been killed but the police have acted as if the murders were not connected.
“Who holds a grudge against its members to the point of eliminating them? This is what Darcy intends to find out with Emma’s help.”
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.
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