Transworld signs French bestseller

Transworld has acquired a French bestseller, Your Second Life Begins When You Realise You Only Have One, pitched as "The Happiness Project meets The Alchemist".

Originally published in September 2015 by Eyrolles Editions, the debut novel from Raphaëlle Giordano stayed at the top of the French charts for over a year, where it has now sold over 600,000 copies. It has been translated into 22 languages and a film deal is underway. 

Senior commissioning editor at Transworld, Francesca Best, bought UK and Commonwealth (excluding Australia and New Zealand) rights in the book from Kerry Glencorse at Susanna Lea Associates. It will be published in hardback in July 2018. Putnam in the US and Penguin Random House Australia will also publish in summer 2018.

Its story follows a woman in her late thirties, Camille, who has everything she needs to be happy, or so it seems. She can’t help feeling as if joy and fulfilment have slipped through her fingers. When Claude, a "routinologist", offers his unique advice to get her there, Camille seizes the opportunity with both hands, and through a series of surprising, creative and richly meaningful lessons, she learns how to change her outlook and realise her dreams.

Best said: "I am delighted to have acquired this charming and feel-good novel. I love how self-help and mindfulness – which are so popular in non-fiction at the moment – have been woven into a commercial and relatable piece of women’s fiction. The French say this novel has made a million readers happy, and I hope it does the same in the UK."