HQ signs ‘therapist in your pocket’ guide to happiness

HQ has snapped up the follow up to self-help bestseller Ten to Zen (Bluebird) by psychotherapist Owen O’Kane, which promises to be a “therapist in your pocket”.

Executive publisher Lisa Milton and editorial director Rachel Kenny acquired world all language rights to Ten Times Happier: How to Let Go of What’s Holding You Back from Bev James at Bev James Limited. The guide will be published in May 2020 in print, e-book and audiobook.

Former NHS mental health lead O’Kane draws on his 25 years’ experience to identify the ten most common areas which hold people back from achieving happiness.

According to the publisher: “Owen is the therapist in your pocket we need in today’s troubling times, showing us – in his trademark down-to-earth, no-jargon style – how to choose new, healthier perspectives and ditch harmful patterns when it comes to: the past, our minds, people, worry, our behaviours, the future.

Milton said: “Everyone needs a little help from time to time. Focusing on our mental and emotional well-being is ever more vital. Therapy is expensive, which means it’s not easily accessible, and with Owen’s brilliant book, we hope to help many people let go of what’s holding them back and find their happy.

O’Kane added: “I am honoured HQ will be publishing my second book, Ten Times Happier. I’m really excited to write it and work with this amazing team. The book isn’t a magical approach to happiness, it is about how to let go of what gets in the way of a happier life. This can genuinely be life changing and empowering beyond words.”

Ten to Zen was published in December 2018, selling 14,462 copies for £122,224 through BookScan. It has been translated into 12 languages and rights have been sold in 13 international territories. O’Kane is a former palliative care nurse and Mental Health Clinical Lead for the NHS and has treated patients using techniques including CBT, mindfulness and interpersonal therapy.