The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair took place from 2-7 March 2010 to bring together over 823 exhibitors from more than 63 countries from across the world. Besides the publishing business going on, the fair organised a cultural programme with more than 150 workshops and readings with international authors and a professional programme including very interesting pannels and matchmaking sessions.
 
“Agents: how do they operate, how to cooperate” was the title of the pannel in which Anna Soler-Pont was invited to participate at. She was able to explain to a large audience her experiences and how do the Pontas Agency work internationally as a bridge between cultures, authors and publishers, books and films.
Kalima, the translation initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) announced the launch of a new mechanism called “Bridges” to establish an interactive platform between Arab and international publishers participating at the fair. This initiative is intended to promote intellectual property rights through encouraging access to rights to translate works and publishing them in Arabic in accordance with international standards.
 
From left to right: Musab Ibrahim and Saoud Al Shehhi from the Kalima team; Haissam Fadel (publisher of the Arab Cultural Center in Morocco, who just launched Stephanie Meyer’ s four novels in Arabic and will publish the first Millennium title by Stieg Larsson in a few weeks) with Benita Edzard (foreign rights director at Robert Laffont in France).
British publisher Christopher MacLehose storytelling to Turkish literary agent Nermin Mollaoglu from the Kalem Agency and Anna Soler-Pont.
 
During the evenings of the fair two ceremonies took place: the Arabic Booker Prize (first picture) and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (second picture, from left to right: Anna Soler-Pont at the Emirates Palace with Geoffrey Kloske, publisher of Riverhead in New York, and Ira Silverberg, literary agent at Sterling Lord Literistic also in New York.
And with Qais Sedki, winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for the first Arabic language manga, at the official photo call.
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At the beginning of this year 2010, Pontas became the international agency for Swedish author Jonas Jonasson and his first novel: The Centenarian Who Climbed Out Through The Window and Vanished.
 
When we started working for Jonas Jonasson, the novel was already selling very well in Sweden and had been the third most selling title last Christmas, without any critics or publicity, only by recommendations through the readers and the bookshops.
We truly believed in the story and we are happy to announce that within these past two weeks we have concluded several very good translation rights sales. Auctions are always a nightmare for everyone in the publishing business. But sometimes is the only solution! What do we have to do, we, the agents, when in one same country up to ten different enthousiastic publishers want to buy the rights?
At the moment, translation rights have been sold to:
C. Bertelsmann/Random House (Germany); Bompiani/RCS Libri (Italy); Salamandra (Spain); Signatuur/Bruna (The Netherlands); Presses de la Cité/Editis (France); WSOY (Finland); Piratförlaget (Norway) and Modtryk (Denmark).
Submissions have already been sent to USA, UK and Australian publishers and we expect to close a deal by the end of March!
Jonas Jonasson’s novel has an enormous potential for a film adaptation and we have already started approaching film producers… at the same time that we have been also approached by some producers directly! The film would become The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher) meeting Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis); and La Vita è Bella (Roberto Benigni) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Terry Gilliam) with touches of The Straight Story (David Lynch).
So, what´s the book about? Here you have the synopsis:
HUNDRAÅRINGEN SOM KLEV UT GENOM FÖNSTRET OCH FÖRSVANN, by Jonas Jonasson; first published by Piratförlaget in Sweden in 2009, 392 pages.
Allan is turning 100 years old and escapes through the window at the old people’s home, minutes before the big celebration starts, leaving the Mayor and the media behind! From this moment on we are invited on a road trip through life and memorable adventures and historical moments from the 20th century with Allan as a most special companion and guide. The language is precise and very funny, it contains traces of World History, intelligent satyr, and the feel good level is very high… The main character is a wonderful and down to earth old man with the whole life and century on his back, but at the same time a man who show no fear of death, or crime!, and praise the lasts moments of life in an adventure that he organizes in a sometimes chaotic way, following the destiny and where opportunity takes him.
It is about life and for all ages!
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Despite the wintery weather, the European Film Market (EFM) 2010 hit new records in industry attendees and visitors. The European Film Market runs for nine days as part of one of the most important film festivals in the world, the Berlinale. As the first major film event of the year, it is a magnet for international industry professionals, and is seen as a barometer for the upcoming year in film.
 
The EFM is the business centre of the festival, taking place in the magnificent renaissance exhibition hall of the Martin-Gropius-Bau, and in the official second location at the EFM Marriott Offices and Stands in the deluxe modern Marriott Hotel, both just minutes away from the festival headquarters at Potsdamer Platz in the heart of contemporary Berlin. A mix of old and new, innovative and historical - it is a city full of contradictions, whose highly charged atmosphere is reflected in the energy of the Market.
The successful EFM 2010 closed its doors on Friday, February 19th and within this market it took place the Berlinale Co-Production Market: a two-and-a-half-day event for about 450 international producers, sales agents, distributors as well as broadcasting and funding representatives active in the field of co-production. This year, Anna Soler-Pont was invited as “special guest” and she had the opportunity to present the Pontas activity in the film industry: as a literary agency selling film rights of books with adaptation possibilities, as production company developing and packaging projects and as international film sales agency.
In addition to the intensive one-on-one meetings, participants at the Berlinale Co-Production Market could find the latest hands-on information and make new contacts through the many networking opportunities during the market. Case Studies on Berlinale films elaborated on current trends in co-production and financing opportunities and in Theme Talks participants could exchange experiences with experts and colleagues on selected topics. During a Speed Matching session, participating producers made new contacts during successive, informal 10-minute meetings.
First launched in 2006, Books at Berlinale is the world’s first market for literary adaptations linked to an A film festival, and, once again, Pontas was able to be there. On the third day of the Berlinale Co-Production Market, representatives of the book publishing industry meet with registered producers interested in pre-selected literary material at a joint breakfast. At “Breakfast & Books”, representatives of publishing houses and literary agents presented new, selected works especially well suited for screen adaptation. After the project pitchings, interested producers could talk directly to the film rights holders.
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Marc de Gouvenain, on behalf of Pontas, attended the 7th edition of the FIFO (Oceania International Film Festival) 2010 in Papeete (25th-31st january), where he could meet a number of producers and film directors from all over Oceania. The FIFO focuses on documentaries and could present this year films coming from the Pacific, from Hawaï to Papua New Guinea, from Australia to French Polynesia, with numerous interesting subjects such as the climate refugees (Te Henua e Noho), the life of a homeless aborigene of Australia (Bastardy), resistance to ongoing destruction of sacred sites (Noho Hewa), forgiveness after the tragical events of 1980 in New Caledonia (Returns to Canala), the difficult days of the photographer of Lake Eyre (Salt) and many others…
The Jury of the FIFO from left to right : Elise Huffer, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, François Guilbeau, Viri Taimana, Florence Aubenas (president), Unutea Hirshon, Emmanuel Kasarherou, Joy-Marie Scott, Darren Dale, Dong-Ho Kim.
Marc de Gouvenain and Khadidja Benouataf (journalist at Les Nouvelles de Tahiti and script writer (Vahine, des bisous, pas des coups, L’encre et le geste).
Zoe McIntosh dancing polynesian style (photo ©SVY).
A contract of international representation by Pontas has been signed for Zoe McIntosh’s film Lost in Wonderland. You can watch the trailer here. And read an interview with the film makers here.
This film ravels the puzzle of a man who has been a lifelong battler for truth, justice, and the right to wear pretty frocks. In 2006, in New Zealand, lawyer Rob Moodie was charged with contempt after publicly releasing a court-suppressed report implicating the Army. He turned up to the High Court dressed as Alice in Wonderland. Moodie is a straight bloke who likes to wear dresses. To some, he seems and eccentric oddball, to others he’s a hero. He is an enigma to most. Until now.
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The Pontas team is working (on behalf of the Nordin Agency) in the sales of more translation rights of Swedish author Ann Rosman, considered in her country the new Camilla Läckberg!!
 
Italian rights of Swedish author Ann Rosman have been acquired in a pre-empt in a two-book deal by Bompiani, from the RCS Libri group. Bompiani has bought the two first titles of the series: The Lighthousekeeper’s Daughter and The Soul Coffin.
And we are waiting for offers from Spain, France, Portugal and Brazil in the next weeks!
Rights of both novels have already been acquired in Germany (Aufbau), Italy (Bompiani/RCS), Denmark (Bazar), Norway (Bazar) and Finland (Bazar).
The Lighthousekeeper’s Daughter is the first instalment of the Marstrand series with policewoman Karin Adler as the protagonist, who is in charge of solving the mysteries of the Marstrand Island, in the Northern Göteborg in the Swedish west coast. This is an idyllic paradise in summer, with his wooden houses, his castle and his paving stone streets. The archipelago is full of small isles with lighthouses, and even one of them, the Pater Noster, is one of the protagonists of the mystery…
The new tourist- and conference centre on the small island of Hamneskär outside of Marstrand is under construction, and the old lighthouse Pater Noster (from 1868) is being restored in its original location. As two Polish bricklayers begin repairing the inner wall of the lighthouse-keeper’s food cellar, they suddenly receive a horrific surprise when the wall come tumbling in, revealing the remains of a man. Even though the body appears to have been hidden away for some time, it still turns out to be reasonably well preserved. Karin Adler from the Gothenburg police department begins her investigations with not many leads apart from a list of missing persons and a wedding ring. To add to her misery, neither her personal nor professional life seem to be very harmonious. Her relationship is on the verge of breaking down and her dealings with colleague Folke are threatening to erupt into a full-blown conflict, all while the plot concerning the dead man thickens. Who is he and why was he left inside the wall?
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Last January 28th, Maite Carranza won the Edebé Award for Young Adults Fiction with Poisoned Words (Palabras envenenadas). The novel will be launched within a few weeks in the four Spain’s official languages: Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician. Written originally in Catalan, Maite Carranza’s new novel is the story of a fifteen years old girl who disappears mysteriously. This is the story of an action-packed day through the point of view of three people close to the girl: her best girfriend, her mother and a policeman who investigates the case. And this is also a story of denunciation of sexual abuse against girls in Western societies.
At the press conference of the award, the author admited that the case of Austrian girl Natascha Kampusch was one of the keys that helped her to start writing the novel.
Film rights of Poisoned Words are represented by the Pontas Agency.
 
Maite Carranza studied Anthropology and worked as a teacher. In 1992, she began to write full time. She has received several awards and has written more than 40 books for young readers. She writes fiction for children and young adults as well as television scripts, while also teaching Scriptwriting at the university.
 
War of the Witches is her international highly successful trilogy, including: The She-Wolf Clan, The desert of ice and The hate curse. The first title published in English took the general title War of the Witches and it was published by Bloomsbury in the USA and UK in 2008. With more than 100,000 copies sold in Spain, it is a great success in other territories too (being already published in German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Polish, Hongarian, Finnish, Chinese, Korean…).
This could be certainly a successful film adaptation and the Pontas team is working on selling the film rights!
This magical fantasy delves deeply into the unspoken ties between mothers and daughters and the mysteries of growing up.
What’s the story about?
Anaíd is short for her age, too smart to be popular and, like every other teen, often annoyed by her beautiful and eccentric mother. When her mother suddenly disappears without a trace, Anaíd is baffled. And then she discovers what makes her different: she is a witch. And not just any witch, but the daughter of the chosen one -her mother was prophesied to end a violent war between the Omar witch clan and the bloodthirsty Odish. Now, with the prophecy’s time upon them, Anaíd must rise to take her place among her clan. But as she sets out on a journey to find her mother, Anaíd will discover her true powers and fulfill her own unusual destiny –even if it’s not what she or the clan expected.
Why should this book be made into a film?
There is a lack of international fantasy films for children and teenagers with strong female characters. Anaíd could become one!
What film references do we have in mind for the adaptation of this book?
Narnia (Andrew Adamsson) meets Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Chris Columbus); and Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson) meets The never ending story (Wolfgang Petersen).
“Anaíd’s story, thick with legend and epic struggles, finds real strength in her experiences and distinctively modern voice. Teens will love watching the mousy outsider grow into an immensely powerful witch. The twists in this circuitous story keep readers guessing, wondering who’s an ally and who’s an enemy. Feminist issues (sisterhood, power, independence) surface, nudging young women to value their gender. All young adults will relate to Anaíd’s unabated yearning for friendship. Rich, sophisticated language leaves readers spellbound; a relentless plot will have them panting during Anaíd’s first tremulous steps into The Dark World.” –Kirkus Reviews
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Following the success in selling translation rights of The Auschwitz Violin (to eleven languages so far!), we are glad to announce the recent sale of film rights!!
 
Maria Àngels Anglada (1930-1999) is one of the most important literary voices of the Catalan twentieth century and one of its most prestigious and widely read authors. She won many awards and honours. The Pontas Agency became the manager of her rights two years after her death at her daughters’ request and since 2001 the whole team has believed in her work. The results of our efforts started to see the light in 2008.
Published in Catalan in 1994, today The Auschwitz Violin has sold more than 100,000 copies in the original language. Several translation have already been published recently: in Spanish (Destino), in German (Luchterhand/Random House), in French (Éditions Stock, with more than 15,000 copies sold in six months and a pocket edition ready to be launched!), in Italian (Rizzoli), in Greek (Konidaris) and in Portuguese for Brazil (Globo). During this year 2010 the novel will be published in English (Bantam Dell/Random House), Dutch (De Geus), Polish (Muza), Serbian (Dereta) and Romanian (Meteor).
   
We expect to sell more translation rights in other languages and territories, and especially in Scandinavia and Asia very soon!!
The producer who has acquired the film rights is Sharon von Wietersheim at Rich and Famous Overnight Film Produktions, a North-American producer based in Munich (Germany). They intend to produce a film following the production’s basis of The Pianist by Roman Polanski: totally European production with a European script but shot in English language with Hollywood film stars. Actually Sharon von Wietersheim is writing the script at the moment.
The media are covering such news and several articles have already been published.
 
What´s The Auschwitz Violin about? Imprisoned at the notorious camp, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories of the young woman he loved and the prayers that once lingered on his lips become hazier with each passing day. Then a visit from a mysterious stranger changes everything, as Daniel’s former identity as a crafter of fine violins is revealed to all. The camp’s two most dangerous men use this information to make cruel wager. If Daniel can build a successful violin within a certain number of days, the Kommandant wins a case of the finest burgundy. If not, the camp doctor, a torturer, gets hold of Daniel. And so, battling exhaustion, Daniel tries to recapture his lost art, knowing all too well the likely cost of failure.
Written with lyrical simplicity, haunting beauty, and interspersed with chilling, actual Nazi documentation, The Auschwitz Violin is more than just a novel—it is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of beauty, art, and hope to triumph over the darkest adversity. The Auschwitz Violin is a short masterpiece, a touching story that, like the international best-seller book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, talks about dignity and one person’s resistance in the face of the most terrible adversity.
“A simple and moving book, with crystalline simplicity, intense passion, lively, stirring humanity.” —La Republicca
“A distressing and thrilling fight to survive thanks to art, music, and the ability of hands and the heart.” —Il Giorno
“Readers [will] discover one of the great figures of Catalan literature.” —Livres Hebdo
“A masterwork of delicacy.” —ELLE Magazine
  
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The Pontas team is back to daily life and wishes you a wonderful new 2010.
We have recently sold Spanish rights of The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre, on behalf of Random House Canada, to Ediciones Urano. This is a brave novel about a sensitive topic: the sexual abuses perpetrated by Catholic priests on the innocent children in their care. The Bishop’s Man was the winner of the Giller Prize 2009, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Canada. Shortly after being published by Random House Canada it was sold to Jonathan Cape/Random House in the UK.
And we are happy to announce another nice deal for our Brazilian author Tatiana Salem Levy, since we have recently sold Italian rights of her novel The Key of Smyrna (whose original title was A Chave de Casa) to the independent publishing house Cavallo di Ferro. According to the Brazilian critics, Tatiana Salem Levy is outlined as one of the most promising voices of the Portuguese language contemporary literature and she was winner of the São Paulo Prize of Literature 2008 for the best debut novel. We have also sold Spanish rights to El Aleph and French rights to Buchet Chastel, as well as film rights to Circular o Desejo Filmes in Brazil.
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Marc de Gouvenain attended the 9th edition of the Polynesian Book Fair in Papeete, Tahiti’s capital, on behalf of Pontas and was invited to participate in several events of the programme “Lire en Polynésie 2009” from November 26th-29th. This book fair was launched in 2001 as an initiative of the Association of Publishers from Tahiti and the Islands and the support from public and private partners. The main goal was to get together everyone involved in the promotion of books in Polynesia. Given the great success of the audience, the event has been growing year after year and today it’s a fair that wants to be an “intra-Pacific networking platform” for writers, agents, publishers and readers.
This year the fair took place in the gardens of the Maison de la Culture – Te Fare Tauhiti Nui in Papeete and the number and quality of authors participating in the programme was very important. Besides Polynesian literary voices such as Chantal Spitz and Moetai Brotherson (represented internationally by the Pontas Agency on behalf of Éditions Au Vent des îles), also included voices from New Caledonia, New Zealand, Samoa and Australia. In the pictures below, from left to right: Chantal Spitz (from Polynesia); Chantal Spitz and Marc de Gouvenain; J. Louis Barbançon, Nicolas Kurtovitch, Christophe Augias and Frédéric Ohlen (the four from New Caledonia).
  
Terri Janke (a leading authority on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights; her Sydney based law firm is specialised in providing solutions for Indigenous art, music, film, literature, media, entertainment and business) and Christian Robert (director of Éditions Au Vent des îles); Albert Wendt (from Samoa), Witi Ihimaera (from New Zealand) and Marc de Gouvenain.
 
The event was largely covered by the local media. You can read an article published at La Dépêche de Tahiti and interwiews with several authors here.
Writing in the South Pacific, be it in English or French, means often a struggle for identity, a claim for traditional cultures, be they Ma’ohi, Maori, Kanak or Aboriginal, but also the cultural heritage of descendants of settlers (willing or unwilling) and immigrants. Writing (and other cultural activities) is also a way to find a new balance between local and colonial cultures, a way to build an understanding. Oceania, therefore, has to be considered as a promising land of culture, where diversity is a guarantee of progress, following Jean-Marie Tjibaou’s moto : « Our identity is ahead of us, not behind ».
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Just a few days before finishing the year, the activity selling translation rights at the Pontas Agency continues!
Fiona Capp (Melbourne, 1963) is one of the most awarded Australian authors. Her second novel, Last of the Sane Days, was shortlisted for the Age Fiction Book of the Year and was nominated in Australia for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Musk & Byrn is her most recent title, a tumultuous and enthralling novel set in the 19th century Victorian goldfields, featuring passions, obsession and a headstrong heroine determined on a creative life. On behalf of Jacinta di Mase Management, we have concluded the sale of German rights with Blanvalet/Limes (Random House) and we are in final negotiations for Dutch rights with De Fontein. The novel has already been published in English by Allen & Unwin and in French by Actes Sud.
  
Kajsa Ingemarsson (Stockholm, 1965) is one of Sweden’s best selling novelists. She writes easy-to-read stories where the characters experience things from which they learn and grow. By doing this, her style resembles the writing of Swedish Marianne Fredriksson and French Anna Gavalda. On behalf of the Grand Agency, we have sold translation rights of her novel Yesterday’s News to Mondadori (Italian) and of Simply Water also to Mondadori (Italian) and RBA (Spanish).
Yesterday’s News has sold half a million copies in Sweden. It has already been sold in China (Beijing Hongwenguan Publishing ), Denmark (People’s Press), Finland (Otava), Germany (Fisher Verlag), Holland (De Kern), Norway (Gyldendal), Poland (Slowo Obraz), Russia (Fluid) and Slovenia (Orbis).
  
Gunnar Staalesen (Bergen, 1947) is the acclaimed Norwegian author of the Varg Veum series, successful crime fiction following the adventures of a private eye. Varg Veum maked his debut in 1977 and today the series counts 14 volumes. Staalesen’s idea of using Philip Marlowe as a role model and adding his own social criticism set in the historical Norwegian city of Bergen, under the Nordic light, worked well. On behalf of Gyldendal Agency in Norway, we have sold Spanish rights of Consorts of Death to Alba Editorial. This novel has already been published in English (Arcadia), Danish (Vindrose), Russian (Inostranska) and Polish (Slowo Obraz).
 
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