Bruno Blog

As many of you know, my sister Berta has been working with me for many years. Even though we have our ups and downs, I am very lucky to have her by my side, as without her this agency would not have made it this far. Besides, she has something I’ve never had: the publisher’s instinct. Berta believed in many novels that have ended up having a strong international impact. As an editor, she launched several titles written by Dolores Redondo, Sílvia Soler, Care Santos or Rafael Nadal for the Catalan market. For that reason, when she told me that we had to represent Jordi Solé, I didn’t hesitate for a second. 

When Jordi Solé first told me about the Pink Panthers I knew practically nothing about this gang of thieves. It surprised me that they were capable of robbing luxury establishments all over the world in just 60 seconds. So I investigated. The Pink Panthers’ shenanigans inspired a TV series, The Last Panthers, starring Samantha Morton and John Hurt. There are also several documentaries for film and TV, such as Smash & Grab, the Story of the Pink Panthers, directed by Havana Marking, or Pink Panthers: les braqueurs du siècle by the French journalist Vanina Kanban. And even a comic book from the series Gangs, with a script by Jean Claude Bartoll and a drawing by Kerac. But amongst all these audio-visual productions, there’s still not a novel about them… This is how EL TIGRE Y LA DUQUESA (“The Tiger And The Dutchess”) was born, defined by its Spanish-language publishers as an urban, addictive and thrilling novel, and yes, although it sounds very cliché, it is. 

I have blind faith in Berta’s judgment. I think publishers should look at this novel. Harper didn’t think twice about it, since Elena García Aranda, another Spanish publisher with this “gift”, saw it very clearly from minute zero. I think that this novel already deserves a reading space for all those who like adventure, mystery, crime fiction, and well-written thrillers. I leave you with a summary of this novel so that it does not go unnoticed by anyone:

The body of a young woman who died with a smile on her lips appears in a square in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona. Agent Elsa Giralt, questioned since her partner was quadriplegic in a gunfight, will have to solve it if she doesn’t want her career, and perhaps her life, to go down the drain. But what appears to be another crime will become something much more important and convoluted when Dragan Jelusic, the most wanted member of the most audacious jewellery-thieving gang on the planet, the Pink Panthers, enters the scene.

EL TIGRE Y LA DUQUESA (“The Tiger And The Dutchess”) is an exceptional piece of work, of which you enter and no longer leave. As Susana Hernández has said: One of those novels that you can’t read in the subway because you’re sure to miss your stop.

Now that Christmas is over, the rush to get to everything and the feeling that the hands of the clock are moving faster against me have returned. I feel that I would need a 48-hour day and, even so, I do not know if I would be able to reach everything.

I know I’m not doing well with this lifestyle, and Cristina Benito has once again made me think seriously about it with her new book TIME MINDFULNESS. It is not the first time that this economist has helped me to improve some aspects of my day-to-day life, because with her previous work, MONEY MINDFULNESS, I learned how to manage money properly. This time Cristina has taught me with her new title a method to control my time, something that I consider more valuable than money, because without time you cannot enjoy anything.

We all know that bad time management generates a permanent state of stress that causes many diseases and prevents us from enjoying life. When the lack of time becomes chronic, we run from urgency to urgency, renouncing what is important to us, endlessly postponing our priorities.

Cristina Benito teaches in TIME MINDFULNESS a revolutionary method to manage our time and live in a more prosperous, serene and creative way. Don’t you go to sleep with the feeling that another day has passed, and you haven’t enjoyed it enough? If that’s the case, we have a failure in time management, and we are “surviving” and not living. Our goal should be to try to live as much as possible in a peaceful, serene and safe way.

Thank you, Cristina, for a new book essential to start this 2020 well and teach us this method that will help us to be a little more aware of the things we can do and how much we can enjoy them.

On December 31st, THE BOOK OF ICHIGO ICHIE, by Francesc Miralles and Héctor García (Kirai) was published in the United States. This title has already been translated into 27 languages and the authors’ previous work, IKIGAI, is still a bestseller with more than one and a half million copies sold worldwide. I don’t think that two Spanish authors have ever achieved so much success with a single book, and even less so in a country like the United States.

The last day of the year is special for everyone, many of us have desires and illusions for the coming year. It’s irremediable to want things to go a little better for us. For that reason, we always make some resolutions to improve some small things in our lives. The literal translation of the Japanese proverb of ICHIGO ICHIE would be “once, an encounter”, however, the authors propose another even more complete meaning: “every moment is unique in our lives”. The saying reminds us how important it’s not to let ourselves be carried away by the past or the future, because sometimes, in the rush of everyday life, we really forget to live. ICHIGO ICHIE is a reminder that every moment is precious and unique, and that we should enjoy it.

I am sure that many of you have already read THE BOOK OF ICHIGO ICHIE, but for those who have not yet been able to do so, I can tell you that it’s a great book to start the year, as it will help you to be able to appreciate the little things of everyday life. ICHIGO ICHIE is an inspirational work that will show us how to:
 
– Free ourselves from the past and the future to make each moment something unique. 

– Bring into our lives the Zen that Steve Jobs learned from a Japanese master, and which proved to be the key to his success. 

– Turn coincidences into a tool for conscious magic. 

– Create unforgettable moments in professional and personal circles.

– Improve our relationships with a new type of Mindfulness. 

–  Open the floodgates to the flow of creativity whenever we need it.

Without a doubt, the Miralles / Kirai tandem is one of the most authentic in “self-help” literature. Reading them helps you to believe in yourself and to be convinced that if you want to, you can. We just need to be more attentive to what we do and not think so much about what we will do. Sometimes we forget that each moment is unique and unrepeatable, and THE BOOK OF ICHIGO ICHIE teaches us to give importance to all those moments. Happy New Year, happy start of the decade and happy “encounters”, I hope this book will be an inspiration for this month of January to be the beginning of many things.  

Christmas is already here. We hope that these days we can share good times, smiles and, especially, enjoy some great readings that fill us with what we lack and make us see what we have left over.

From all the team at Sandra Bruna, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The end of 2019 is approaching and with it the beginning of a new year. I always feel butterflies in my stomach when I think of all that’s to come. We must indeed live the present and don’t think about tomorrow, but I’m excited about the new things we have prepared for 2020. They’re powerful projects that feature different genres and new voices. I love being able to help novice authors take their first steps in the publishing world and continue to support the affluent with their new works. My job is full of sensations and emotions and when those butterflies disappear from my stomach, it’ll mean that I’ll have to dedicate myself to something else. Today, however, I still feel those positive nerves at the thought of all those manuscripts that I have to find an editor for. That’s one of the most exciting parts of this work, and it’s the one that helps me keep wanting to fight for every author in the house.

This 2020 we will have a new project by Sílvia Tarragó, LA DOCTORA (The Doctor), a book for lovers of good women’s fiction. Roca Editorial will also bring us Roberto Lapid’s new novel, which tells us the real fictional story of Hedy Lamarr, a brilliant woman who invented Wi-Fi as we know it. EL TIGRE Y LA DUQUESA (The Tiger and the Duchess) by Jordi Soler, is a thriller that is prepared for the first months of next year and that showcases the story of the Pink Panthers, one of the most persecuted thief bands in Europe. This will be published by Columna in Catalan and Harper Collins in Spanish.

The first semester of the year will be marked by LA MAESTRA DE SÓCRATES (The Teacher of Socrates), a historical novel published by Espasa with which we will discover Laura Mas, a feminine voice who is here to stay and who will teach us that behind the philosophy of Socrates hides a woman. We will also have, in time for Sant Jordi, a new young adult written by two-star authors: Javier Ruescas and Francesc Miralles. Penguin Random House and Fanbooks are the publishing houses that will bring us their new book LOS CINCO CONTINENTES DEL AMOR (The Five Continents of Love), an original book that will catch the young and adult public. Also, throughout the year, we will receive a very special novel signed by Andrés Martín Asuero, a book about a mindfulness retirement: UNA LUZ DENTRO DE TI (A Light Inside You).

Many non-fiction books will also make a strong entrance, such as NOS ROBARON LA JUVENTUD (They Stole our Youth), by Víctor Amela, who will present us several testimonies of “la quinta del Biberón”. Also, written by Miriam Tirado, we will receive RABIETAS (Tantrums). Xenia Oliva, one of the most recognized instagramers, will present a book in which she will give us several very useful tips to be lucky: HAPPY GO LUCKY. After Cristina Benito’s success with MONEY MINDFULNESS, she repeats this year with TIME MINDFULNESS. Also, Francesc Miralles and Àlex Rovira are back; after selling more than 20,000 copies with CUENTOS PARA QUERERTE MEJOR (Stories to Love Yourself More) they return with a spiritual sequel: CUENTOS PARA NIÑAS Y NIÑOS FELICES (Stories for Happy Children).

I still have some surprises in store, because in the world of books you have to work with the time and be cautious and orderly. However, imagination has no limits and stories always appear when you least expect them. The magical part of this world is that you live in the chaos, but those of us who are hooked learn to embrace it and accept that there is no cure. So I wish that this “disease” through books could be easily transmitted to all the potential readers on the other side being constantly bombarded with massive stimuli of all kinds. Let’s go for a 2020 where books remain an essential part of our lives.