Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. children's divisions acquire self-published #1 international bestseller, The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep

New Print Editions' Simultaneous Publication Date is Friday, October 2, with the eBook editions available on September 8  

NEW YORK and LONDON, Sept. 2, 2015 /CNW/ - The Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. children's divisions of Penguin Random House have jointly acquired THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP, the current runaway #1 international bestseller self-published by Swedish author Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin. The acquisition was announced today by Barbara Marcus, President & Publisher of Random House Children's Books (U.S.), and Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Random House Children's U.K., who obtained World English rights from Julia Angelin of the Stockholm-based Salomonsson Agency.

The new Penguin Random House print editions will go on sale Friday, October 2, with the ebook edition available on September 8, and will be available at physical and online retailers nationwide across the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa.

The Penguin Random House editions share a fresh cover design newly updated from that of the self-published edition.

Two additional stand-alone books written by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin also have been acquired by the publishers. Information about them will be presented at a later date.

THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP has soared to the top of bestseller lists at numerous retailers internationally, including in the U.S. and the U.K., after receiving widespread media attention for its reported success in lulling children to sleep in minutes, by employing positive-reinforcement techniques to promote relaxation and induce sleep. Online parent testimonials affirm and rave about the speed and ease with which Ehrlin's book has helped their children fall asleep.

Ehrlin's bedtime story was originally published in Swedish in 2011. In 2014, an English translation was released, and it is now available in seven languages.

In the U.S., the Listening Library imprint of Penguin Random House Audio will simultaneously publish an audiobook edition on October 2.  It will be available as a digital download in two separate editions, one with a male narrator and one with a female narrator, giving parents the option to choose which voice to listen to. A CD edition including both narrations will be available on November 3.  Penguin Random House Children's U.K. will also simultaneously publish a U.K.-originated audiobook digital download, with both male and female narrations, available on October 2.

"We are so pleased to expand the availability and potential readership of Ehrlin's captivating book in North America, and in the UK., together with our colleagues," says Marcus. "We know there is a vast audience of eager parents that will both respond to and benefit from, The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep."

"We're thrilled to be publishing The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep—a phenomenon that's grabbing people's attention all around the world," says Dow. "We are excited now to be bringing this book to an even bigger audience here in the UK and internationally. As a publisher we want to publish books that speak to people and have the power to support them. This book is very clearly doing that."

Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial and Verlasgruppe Random House will publish Spanish- and German-language editions. 

Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin was born in Huskvarna, a small town in Sweden. He is a behavioral scientist with a bachelor's degree in psychology and teaches communications at a Swedish university. He is also a life coach and leadership trainer. He has published three books with themes of personal development and psychology. THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP is his first for parents and children.

SOURCE Penguin Random House Canada Limited

MEDIA CONTACTS: Dominique Cimina, Director, Publicity & Corporate Communications, Random House Children's Books US, 212-782-9314 / [email protected]; Lucy Mann, Senior Publicity Manager, Penguin Random House Children's UK, [phone] / [email protected]; Pamela Osti, Publicity and Marketing Manager, Penguin Random House Canada, 647-788-3980 / [email protected]; Camilla Ray, Head of International Publicity & Marketing, Penguin Random House Children's - other territories, [phone] / [email protected]