Novelist Kim Geum-hee's second essay collection, 'Plant-like Optimism,' has signed a rights export contract worth over 100 million won with a British publisher.
According to the publisher Munhakdongne on the 25th, Scribner UK, the British imprint (subsidiary publishing brand) of the American publisher Simon & Schuster, recently secured the rights to 'Plant-like Optimism' after competing with six other British publishers. The translated edition is scheduled for release in spring 2027.
The exact contract amount has not been disclosed, but the advance payment is known to be at least 100 million won.
Discussions for publication are also underway in countries outside the United States. Munhakdongne explained, "Contracts are being made consecutively under favorable conditions with other European publishers in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and more."
'Plant-like Optimism,' published in 2023, is a prose collection that deals with the reflections and realizations the author experienced while nurturing delicate yet resilient plants, as well as stories about kind people she met through plants.
Joanna Lee, senior editor at Scribner UK, described the book as "an enchanting invitation that follows the rhythm of the year, offering more wonder to our lives through the growth and resilience naturally shown by the plants around us."
Author Kim said, "The year 2025 will be a time when the wisdom of each member of the community is even more necessary," adding, "I hope the stories of plants that comply with the order of growth and unfold their condensed wisdom will make readers a little more optimistic."
Kim began her literary career in earnest in 2009 after winning the Korea Daily New Year's Literary Contest with her short story 'Your Document.' She has published novels such as 'The Heart of Kyung-ae,' 'To Bok-ja,' and short story collections including 'Only One Person's Possession' and 'A Love in the Midday Sun.' She has received awards such as the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award, Hyundai Literary Award, Woo Hyun Art Award, and the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award Grand Prize.
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