Loukko by About us
Agency Ahlbäck Oy, originally founded in 2009 as the Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency, is one of the leading literary agencies in the Nordic countries and Finland’s #1 literary agency representing award-winning and bestselling Finnish and Nordic authors’ and illustrators’ book, film & TV rights in international markets. Elina Ahlbäck, who has enjoyed a successful career in publishing and bookselling since 1982, is the founder of the agency. Ahlbäck Agency’s head office is located in the heart of Helsinki. In 2020, the Agency was shortlisted for The 2020 International Excellence Awards as one of the TOP3 Literary Agencies in the World at the London Book Fair. The fastest growing business area is selling stories and media rights to the Hollywood entertainment industry and international production companies in film, TV and streaming industries. The Agency also represents Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and their authors exclusively in the Scandinavian markets.
Ahlbäck Agency sells book, film and TV rights in fiction, children’s books and non-fiction to publishers and producers all around the world and negotiates the best possible contract, including a marketing plan, for its clients. The Agency is a regular participant at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Gothenburg Book Fair and has representation at international film & TV festivals.
Meet the team
Elina is the founder of the Agency, and has enjoyed a successful career in publishing and bookselling since 1982. She has built an extensive personal network in the international publishing community, and holds a Master of Science degree in international economics. She loves Shakespeare and Jane Austen – and enjoys Agatha Christie. In 2020, the Agency was shortlisted for The 2020 International Excellence Awards as one of the TOP3 Literary Agencies in the World at the London Book Fair. In 2019, Elina received the Agent of the Year Award at the 10th Anniversary Gala of the Association of Agents and Managers in Creative Industries (AGMA).
Martti Berner
CEO & Agent
- Germany, Netherlands
- UK & Commonwealth, US
- Film & TV Rights
- Growth strategy and team leading
Martti Berner works at the agency as a CEO and agent. He brings valuable experience from the film industry, having previously worked as a marketing manager at the film distribution company Cinemanse, a subsidiary of Aurora Studios. Prior to that, Martti held various roles in the marketing and sales teams at Finnkino. He has a passion for storytelling across all mediums – whether it’s on the big screen, the small screen, or the written page.
Satu Sallantaus
Literary Agent & Contracts Coordinator
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
- Poland, Ukraine
- Greece, Türkiye
- Central and Eastern European territories in collaboration with our co-agent Corto Literary
- Contracts, invoicing and royalties
- Coordinating social media & communications
- Supporting the Agency’s Sales team
Satu is a master’s degree literature student at the University of Helsinki. She is currently finishing her thesis on Finnish horror literature. Before joining our agency, she worked as an editorial intern at WSOY Publishing House and before that in the film industry for over 6 years. She is passionate about horror fiction in both literature and film.
Noora Al-Ani
Literary Agent
- Nordic Countries, Italy, France and the Arab world
- Spain, Portugal & Asian territories in collaboration with co-agents
- Scandinavian Subrights: Macmillan US Children’s
Noora Al-Ani (MBA) is an accomplished sales leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the book industry. She led the digital publishing and sales operations at Otava Publishing Company overseeing e-book and audiobook catalogue and production in a cross-functional role bringing together all aspects of digital publishing. She also succesfully managed the key accounts such as Bookbeat and Storytel. Prior to Otava she worked in the biggest bookstore chain in Finland, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa. Outside of work, she loves memes, candy, responsible fashion, stories, human rights, perfectly fitting jeans and lists.
Our Co-Agents
Simona Kaleva
Literary Agent, CORTO LITERARY / CHILDREN & YA / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
Antonija Radić
Literary Agent, CORTO LITERARY / FICTION & NON-FICTION / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
Anna Ascolies
Literary Agent, IMC LITERARY AGENCY / Spain, Latin America, Portugal, Brazil
Danny Hong Agency
KOREA
The Grayhawk Agency SEA
THAILAND, INDONESIA & VIETNAM: Literary Agent Yichan Peng
The Grayhawk Agency
CHINA AND TAIWAN
Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc.
JAPAN: Children, Literary Agents Solan Natsume and Ritsuko Hamamoto
Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc.
JAPAN: Commercial Fiction, Literary Agents Ken Mori and Misa Morikawa
Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc.
JAPAN: Adult Non-Fiction, Literary Agents Manami Tamaoki and Fumika Ogihara
Simona Kaleva
Literary Agent, CORTO LITERARY / CHILDREN & YA / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Macedonia
- Montenegro
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
Antonija Radić
Literary Agent, CORTO LITERARY / FICTION & NON-FICTION / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Macedonia
- Montenegro
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
Anna Ascolies
Literary Agent, IMC LITERARY AGENCY / Spain, Latin America, Portugal, Brazil
- Spain, Latin America, Portugal, Brazil
The Grayhawk Agency SEA
THAILAND, INDONESIA & VIETNAM: Literary Agent Yichan Peng
Thailand, Indonesia & Vietnam
Contact us
Our story
The story of the Elina Ahlback Literary Agency began in Manhattan, New York, on the Brooklyn Banks, in February 2009. While Elina’s son was skating in this skate park under the Brooklyn Bridge, the courageous decision to establish the agency was made — with its mission to build bridges between authors and publishers worldwide and with its passion to internationalize Finnish literature.
