New York and London (September 2, 2015) - The Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. children’s divisions of Penguin Random House have jointly acquired The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, the current runaway #1 international bestseller self-published by Swedish author Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin. The acquisition was announced today by Barbara Marcus, President & Publisher of Random House Children’s Books (U.S.), and Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Random House Children’s U.K., who obtained World English rights from Julia Angelin of the Stockholm-based Salomonsson Agency.
The new print editions share a fresh cover design newly updated from that of the self-published edition; and will go on sale in October at all good bookstores nationwide.
Two additional stand-alone books written by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin also have been acquired by the publishers. Information about them will be presented at a later date.
The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep has soared to the top of bestseller lists at numerous retailers internationally, including in the U.S. and the U.K., after receiving widespread media attention for its reported success in lulling children to sleep in minutes, by employing positive-reinforcement techniques to promote relaxation and induce sleep. Online parent testimonials affirm and rave about the speed and ease with which Ehrlin’s book has helped their children fall asleep.
Ehrlin’s bedtime story was originally published in Swedish in 2011. In 2014, an English translation was released, and it is now available in seven languages.
“We’re thrilled to be publishing The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep - a phenomenon that’s grabbing people’s attention all around the world,” says Dow. “We are excited now to be bringing this book to an even bigger audience here in the UK and internationally. As a publisher we want to publish books that speak to people and have the power to support them. This book is very clearly doing that.”
Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin was born in Huskvarna, a small town in Sweden. He is a behavioral scientist with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and teaches communications at a Swedish university. He is also a life coach and leadership trainer. He has published three books with themes of personal development and psychology. The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep is his first for parents and children.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kim Peters
Children’s Marketer | Penguin Random House South Africa
011 327-3550 / kpeters@penguinrandomhouse.co.za