HarperFiction pre-empts Korean hit The Memory Bookshop as rights tumble globally

HarperFiction has pre-empted The Memory Bookshop, an "unforgettable" cosy fantasy debut by South Korean writer Song Yu-jeong.

Charlotte Brabbin, HarperFiction publishing director, pre-empted world English rights from Bruno Onuki Reynell at New River Literary on behalf of the Danny Hong Agency and Song’s Korean publisher, Dasan Books. The title has been sold into a further 10 territories in the run-up to FBF 2024, including pre-empts in Germany, Italy and Portugal.

The novel centres on Jiwon, who is grieving her mother’s death. One day she is caught in a downpour and stumbles across a mysterious bookshop. Jiwon is wary of the shop’s manager and the way that her memories seem to be stored within the pages of its books—but then she is offered a chance to travel back in time to three key moments of her life. "As she cracks the spines of the books in The Memory Bookshop, revisiting long-forgotten chapters in her own story, she embarks on a journey that changes everything."

Yu-jeong said: "As a reader of British literature since childhood, I’m honoured to have my story on UK bookshelves. I hope that The Memory Bookshop brings as much happiness to British readers as the excitement I’m feeling right now."

Brabbin added: "We’re delighted to be growing our list of translated fiction, and we couldn’t have a more perfect offering than Song Yu-jeong’s The Memory Bookshop. There’s a gorgeous sense of magic and mystery within its pages, while the message about living life to its fullest is so universal. We’re still seeing wonderful reader appetite for life-affirming, healing fiction and The Memory Bookshop fulfils this in a beautifully unique way."

The Memory Bookshop is scheduled for an August 2025 UK release.