Three more translations

It's always mail that writers love to read: those in which the rights manager of your publishing company tells us that there will be another foreign edition of one of your books.
At the end of December illustrator Anton Van Hertbruggen and me heard that there will be a Slovenian edition of our book The dog that Nino didn't have (Het hondje dat Nino niet had, originally issued by De Eenhoorn). It will be published by Sodobnost. Thanks so much, we're happy!

The book that Marije Tolman and me made, Little Fox, found several publishers in Germany (4) and France (3) interested. After the book already was being sold to Russia, we are now happy to announce that the French edition will be published by Albin Michel and the German by Gerstenberg. We are so looking forward to seeing these new editions, thanks, publishers, and thanks Luciënne van der Leije, Querido's foreign rights manager, for this cheerful news!

NEW BOOK IN GERMANY

This month a new youth book of mine came out in German. Publishing house Carlsen Verlag issued KREBSMEISTERSCHAFT FÜR ANFÄNGER, the German thranslation (by the great translator Rolf Erdorf), which is based on the true life story of Roy Looman (now 21, in the story he is fifteen years old). The original title, published by Querido in Amsterdam is HET KANKERKAMPIOENSCHAP VOOR JUNIOREN.

Roy told me his life story in over fourty sessions. He got cancer when he was 15 years old, at a time where he was mainly playing soccer with his friends, working in a supermarket, going to school, having fun, trying to kiss as many girls as he could. The impact it had on his life and on his mind is in the book - and the story is told in a very direct, strong way. It moves from heartfelt to extremely funny (Roy has a great sense of humour), from the start of the disease to the end, and even after that - and we get to know everything, including pretty private episodes. It's amazing what Roy dared to tell, but it's part of his mission: make people aware of what cancer can do to a young mind, in a negative ánd in a positive way. I'm very proud that Roy let me use his voice for this swinging, fast-paced, but yet elaborate novel. It's certainly not a sad book, and this is proven by the first line: 'This must be the sickest game I have ever played. But I can't stand losing, so let me tell you upfront: I'm not going to die.'
 
This book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.

GERMAN BLUEGRASS ON STAGE

All authors google themselves, everyone knows thát! So did I, this morning, and I found out that there have been some amateur stagings of a play after my book THE DAYS OF BLUEGRASSLOVE. In Germany, in the city of Pfaffenhofen.
The play was an adaptation by Sven. J. Ohlsson, the German edition of my book was published by Carlsen, translated by the great translator Rolf Erdorf.
I hope the audience enjoyed these nights!
More here.

AUDIOBOOK NEWS

Soon my first audiobook in Dutch will be out. It's TOEN KWAM SAM (THEN THERE WAS SAM), and I narrated the book myself.
In the meantime my first audiobook in German (LENA UND DAS GEHEIMNIS DER BLAUEN HIRSCHE) is nominated for the German Audiobook-award - the BEO, Deutscher Kinderhörbuchpreis. Yesterday it was announced that the book, read by Anne Moll, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Rolf Erdorf and published by Gerstenberg (book) and Audiolino (audiobook), is on the shortlist.
More about the award and the shortlist: here.

THE CHEER-UP BIRD IS FLYING ON

OPVROLIJKVOGELTJE (THE CHEER-UP BIRD) is the first picture book I got to make with the famous duo Ingrid & Dieter Schubert. It was published by Lemniscaat. The book was already sold to the United States (Lemniscaat USA) and Italy (Il Castello), and now the German rights are sold as well. To the publishing house of Fischer Sauerländer. Great!

THE CANCERCHAMPIONSHIP FOR JUNIORS GOES TO GERMANY

The book is not even out yet, but already publishing house Carlsen bought the German rights of THE CANCERCHAMPIONSHIP FOR JUNIORS (HET KANKERKAMPIOENSCHAP VOOR JUNIOREN), the book that is based on all the interviews I did with Roy Looman (20), about his lifestory: getting cancer at an early age, and at the same time having friends, kissing girls, working at the supermarket, caring about your little brothers.

The book, with its direct, uninhibited tone will be out in april this year in Holland, and one year later in German, translated by Rolf Erdorf.
Both me and Roy are very pleased!

GERMANY AND CHINA: NEW BOOKS

The year took off with some new translations of my books.
It's three new ones in China! Petrel Publishing House issued THE DOVE THAT COULDN'T DIVE (DE DUIF DIE NIET KON DUIKEN), my book with Alain Verster, ONE MILLION BUTTERFLIES (EEN MILJOEN VLINDERS), with Carll Cneut, and GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY (WELTERUSTEN IEDEREEN), with Sebastiaan Van Doninck.
All three books were originally published by De Eenhoorn, in Belgium, and now translated by Sun Yuan.

ONE MILLION BUTTERFLIES was previously released in Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Georgia, Taiwan and South-Africa.
THE DOVE THAT COULDN'T DIVE in Germany, Norway, Denmark, Taiwan and rights were bought for Italian.
GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY was also published in Taiwan.

In Germany DER HUND, DEN NINO NICHT HATTE came out. It's Rolf Erdorfs translation for Bohem Press of HET HONDJE DAT NINO NIET HAD (THE DOG THAT NINO DIDN'T HAVE), which is already available in French and Danish, and will be published in China and the United States as well.
I got to make this book with Anton Van Hertbruggen, and also this one was originally published by De Eenhoorn.