“‘You Can Call Me Jan’ is a masterfully written thriller that draws you deeper and deeper into the heroine’s dark world,” says Claudia Winkler, senior fiction editor at Jo Nesbø’s German publishing house, Ullstein Verlag.
The book is published in Norway today, and has already been sold to Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands. The first reviewer is as enthusiastic as the international publishers: “A lot of thriller literature is published, but books that are genuinely different are few and far between. But here is one”, writes Adresseavisa’s reviewer about Anne Elvedal’s thriller debut today.
Anne Elvedal will debut as an adult author this fall, and her new psychological thriller is generating great excitement abroad, even before its launch. Jo Nesbø’s German publisher Ullstein chose to acquire the rights in a significant pre-empt and will launch the book as one of their main titles in the fall of 2025. The renowned Dutch publisher Prometheus won a heated auction, and the Danish publisher Straarup also acquired the rights shortly after the book was introduced to the international market.
“The hospital with disappearing patients is a perfectly chosen setting that plays on our fears. The tension increases with every page; I simply couldn’t stop reading. The author is incredibly skilled; she knows exactly which word has what effect. And she has written one of the best plot twists I have ever read. We will publish this thriller as a main title on our list in the fall of 2025,” says an enthusiastic Claudia Winkler.
The enthusiasm is no less in the Netherlands. The renowned editor Job Lisman is generous with his praise for the book:
“I am incredibly proud and grateful to be Anne Elvedal’s Dutch publisher. It is a true miracle that this is a debut novel, as it feels in every way like a mature masterpiece, written by someone who has studied the human soul and human behavior for a long time. I strongly believe that this book should be read by both a crime audience and a literary audience. The thrilling elements in this book will remind people of the works of Jussi Adler-Olsen, while Anne’s masterful depiction of guilt, innocence, and despair will remind other readers of the works of Margaret Atwood.”
“It’s rare to receive such overwhelming responses and secure such good deals with renowned publishers, as we have achieved in a short time with Anne Elvedal’s ‘You Can Call Me Jan’. It is also a unique thriller,” asserts Astrid Dalaker from Northern Stories, who handles international rights sales.
Anne Elvedal has written scripts for several Amanda-nominated feature films and critically acclaimed TV series such as Twin, Livstid, and Wisting. She is also a trained nurse and has worked for several years in psychiatry. In recent years, she has written books for children and young adults to positive reviews. The psychological thriller You Can Call Me Jan is her debut as a fiction author for adults. She herself is overwhelmed by the feedback:
“It has been amazing to receive such incredibly good responses from foreign editors. They are obviously very captivated and fascinated by the book, and being compared to major international authors is almost hard to comprehend. Now, I’m very excited to reach an even broader audience,” says Anne Elvedal.
You Can Call Me Jan will be released here in Norway by Cappelen Damm on August 16:
“Anne Elvedal has so far been one of our most important authors in the YA segment. With the new thriller You Can Call Me Jan, she is also one of our biggest investments in the crime and thriller field. The existential questions around ‘Who am I, really?’ run enigmatically and terrifyingly throughout the story and reach a remarkable crescendo. We are looking forward to launching the book and are so proud to be Elvedal’s publisher for her entire body of work. Readers have a lot to look forward to,” says Tine Kjær, director of fiction at the publishing house.
Norway’s largest independent literary agency, Northern Stories, has been named a Gazelle Company by Dagens Næringsliv for the second consecutive year. In 2024, the agency grew its turnover from NOK 10.2 to 15.8 million – an increase of more than 50 percent, marking yet another record year.
We’re delighted to share that Agnes Ravatn has been nominated for the Booksellers’ Award 2025 for her brilliant new novel Doggerland. Her novel is also already sold to Poland, and in World English.
We’re proud to announce that Frode Helland has been nominated for this year’s Brage Prize for Nonfiction, Norway’s most prestigious literary award, for his extraordinary book Holocaust – A history told by the victims. This is a deeply moving and illuminating contribution to our understanding of one of history’s darkest chapters.
Northern Stories has hired Dilani Vamapahan as a literary agent. She was chosen from a pool of 175 applicants.
“A great honour,” says Kristofer Hivju about playing police investigator Ole Vik in the crime series Sogn Murders. The TV2 series is based on Jørgen Jæger’s bestselling books, and filming started this week in Sogn.