UK publisher Hodder & Stoughton have acquired Japanese author Shintaro Kobayashi’s Love Letters from Tokyo, a collection of reflections on love, letters and human connection inspired by over a decade of working as a ghostwriter of love letters. Commissioning Editor Lucy Buxton bought World English language rights in a significant pre-empt, with US rights subsequently pre-empted by Little, Brown, for publication in November 2027. Rights have also been sold at auction by Johnson & Alcock, ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair, in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, and pre-empted in Brazil.
Kobayashi said: “I feel all of this is a gift for having spent more than a decade as a letter ghostwriter, and nearly half a century as a human being.”
Buxton said: “I am so happy to have acquired this charming book. Through his letters, Shintaro has developed a unique insight into how we love, and how we communicate our love, making this book one of a kind. It is the perfect gift for loved ones, and also for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Japanese culture.”