Non-Fiction List - Frankfurt 2023

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Non-Fiction Frankfurt 2023

The New World Book of Happiness

Leo Bormans

Fully revised edition of the worldwide bestseller Science-based practices and life-affirming insights to navigate today's reality 100 scientists from 50 countries summarise their most recent findings

New edition of an international bestseller

The virus, the war, the climate, inflation, poverty and loneliness make people feel insecure. In these troubled times, there is more interest than ever for what is truly important in life: happiness, hope and love.

What does science teach us today? Are we still allowed to strive towards happiness? And how do we do that? Leo Bormans asked the same question over and over again to a hundred professors all over the world: established names and young up-and-comers. Every scientist briefly summarises their recent research after which they formulate their insights in one single sentence: the essence. To this they link at least three concrete pieces of advice: for our own lives, for our friends and for society.

195 x 250 mm | 320 pages | ca. 125,000 words full colour illustrations | flexibound all rights available, German and French rights in option | English and French manuscript available

With contributions from the most prominent experts in positive psychology, such as: Prof. Martin Seligman (University of Pennsylvania), author of more than 20 international bestsellers and the founding father of positive psychology; Prof. Sir Richard Layard (The London School of Economics), one of the most influential voices in the global study of happiness and well-being; and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (Oxford University), editor of The World Report on Happiness (UN).

www.thenewworldbookofhappiness.com

Leo Bormans travels around the world as an ‘Ambassador of Happiness & Quality of Life’. He is a researcher, keynote speaker, author and editor-in-chief of The World Book of Happiness (first published in 2010) and The World Book of Hope (2015). He is a Distinguished Lecturer of Happiness Research at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.

The World Box of Happiness

The

Treasure Chest of Happiness

Leo Bormans

With a new manual about the 10 pillars of happiness

104 golden tips to create a happier mindset

A valuable present for yourself and for everyone you love

More than 100,000 people around the world have already fulfilled the tasks from The World Box of Happiness. For many, it resulted in concrete changes in their lives, but mainly in a different mindset. They started looking at life in a different way and in doing so found happiness in the small and big things. What’s the secret to this success?

The treasure chest does not offer psychological advice. The tasks have a different specific goal: to support and foster the sense of happiness of a large group of people in order to make the world a better place for yourself and others. The results of scientific research into this subject can be summarized in ten large domains for which tasks were designed and studied.

60 x 90 x 177 mm | box with 52 cards full colour illustrations | all rights available

The 10 pillars of The World Box of Happiness:

• See the positive things in your life and be grateful for them

• Develop optimism

• Take care of your relationships

• Foster a joie de vivre

• Pay attention to spirituality

• Behave kindly

Leo Bormans travels around the world as an ‘Ambassador of Happiness & Quality of Life’. He is a researcher, keynote speaker, author and editor-in-chief of The World Book of Happiness (first published in 2010) and The World Book of Hope (2015). He is a Distinguished Lecturer of Happiness Research at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.

• Pursue your goals

• Look for a flow

• Compare and worry less

• Make room for something challenging

Post Mortem

Atlas of the autopsy

Babette Van Rafelghem & Werner Jacobs

More than 100 detailed drawings by a forensic pathologist, depicting the step-by-step approach of an autopsy

Fictionalized case studies break down medical findings that can lead to a breakthrough in murder cases or suspicious deaths

A crash course in human anatomy for true-crime fanatics, amateur detectives and anyone who enjoys a good mystery

Let’s be honest, what most of us know about autopsies stems from TV crime shows. We immediately think of a lone forensic pathologist examining a pristine-looking body and determining the cause of death by the tiniest clue, all in record-time. The reality, of course, is starkly different.

185 x 245 mm | 216 pages | ca. 17,500 words

full colour illustrations | hardcover all rights available

In Post Mortem, we step inside a real-world mortuary. We stand alongside a forensic pathologist while she performs an autopsy, and we keep a meticulous record of our observations. Where was the body found? In what position? Are there any visible wounds, bruises, injection marks? What is the body’s temperature and what can that tell us? What can we deduce from the stomach’s contents, or the brain tissue, or the neck muscles? When, how and why did this person die?

Post mortem is a fascinating visual guide into the world of forensics. With her stunning illustrations, the author is on a mission to demystify her profession, while questioning the modern day taboo that still surrounds death.

Babette Van Rafelghem is an artist who also happens to have a medical degree. Fascinated by the weird and wonderful human body, she is building a career as a forensic pathologist. Werner Jacobs is a professor in Forensic Medicine and Pathology at the University of Antwerp and a published author. He has been an expert witness in hundreds of high-profile criminal cases in Belgium.

Babette Van Rafelghem met uitleg door Werner Jacobs

Atlas van de autopsie

The Atlas of the Brain

A visual journey

Lara Wierenga & Dirma Janse

The most recent fascinating insights about the brain, written in plain language and beautifully illustrated

Unique collaboration between a neuroscientist (University of Leiden) and an information designer (TU Delft)

Lara Wierenga is the winner of the FLUX Young Investigator Award

Neuroscientist Lara Wierenga and graphic designer Dirma Janse join forces for this unique book project. Their goal: acquaint the public with the wondrous machine that is our brain.

Through 26 interesting questions (e.g. "How does the brain learn things?") and hundreds of fascinating illustrations and infographics they take you along for a visual exploration of the human brain. Thanks to the original layout and countless interesting facts, they provide insight into complex brain science.

10,000 copies sold

Lara Wierenga is a neuroscientist and lecturer at the University of Leiden. She specializes in the brain development of children. Among other things, she researches why boys have ADHD more often than girls, what music classes teach us about the growth of the brain and what our first love tells us about the workings of the teenage brain. Dirma Janse is a graphic designer and specializes in infographics and scientific visualisations. She looks for visual solutions to display complex information more clearly to the wider public. She’s a lecturer of Science Vision at TU Delft and also worked for Dutch newspaper NRC.

250 x 320 mm | 256 pages | 118,000 words full colour illustrations | hardcover Simplified Chinese rights sold

Delve into the texts, absorb the beautiful visualizations, and fill your brain with a lot of new knowledge and wonder

– Leading Dutch newspaper NRC

There are many books on the brain, but The Atlas of the Brain is both exceptionnally clarifying and beautiful.

– Leading Belgian newspaper De Morgen

Why Nobody Understands Quantum and Everyone Should Know Something about It

Céline Broeckaert & Frank Verstraete

Essential science, now finally in layman's terms

Discoveries in quantum mechanics are fuelling half of the world's economy

Frank Verstraete is a laureate of the Francqui Prize, the most important science award in Belgium, among other distinctions

Music, literature, movies and history; everyone can appreciate their value. It makes humans human. But who knows why matter is hard? Why the properties of an object are determined by the way we look at it? Why grass is green (also on the other side)? Why 1+1 can be both more and less than two? Why earth does not wither into a black hole?

An answer to these questions came 100 years ago with the discovery of quantum physics, the most abstract and counterintuitive scientific theory ever – but also the most controversial.

150 x 230 mm | 280 pages | 97,000 words paperback | all rights available

Frank’s insights filtered by Celine’s whimsy result in a physics book unlike any other. The scope, depth, and artistry are breathtaking.

– John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology

With this book a seasoned quantum physicist and a novice to quantum physics – husband and wife in real life – want to give everyone insight in this seemingly incomprehensible theory. They go for a stroll through the history of physics, which lends colour to the world and makes the sun shine. They pause at the most important insights that form the basis of our modern technology, and the people who uncovered the countless mysteries of the world By now, it is impossible to imagine our lives without quantum physics. This ode to quantum compiles everything everyone should know about it.

Frank Verstraete is a Leigh Trapnell Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Cambridge and a professor at the University of Ghent. Céline Broeckaert is a Romanist, playwright and writer.

How Technology Can Save the Climate

Earth Goes On Dirk Inzé

The state of our planet is dire: this book shows what we can do about it

A plea for technology and how it can offer a way out

For everyone curious about the scientifically proven facts about climate change and the potential solutions

Our planet is not doing well. The permafrost is disappearing, the sea levels are rising, and there are more frequent and more severe forest fires. Yet there is hope. We can still prevent the worst scenario from happening by working together, changing our way of life and by directing our focus to technology.

Based on the most recent data, Dirk Inzé debunks myths, offers new perspectives and answers pertinent questions, such as "do we all have to be come vegetarians?" and "is our planet not too crowded?". But above all, this book focuses on solutions. Some technological solutions are easily achievable and can be applied straight away. Othersare more radical and not yet within our reach. Yet they are all worth researching. So earth remains a welcome planet for generations to come.

Professor Dirk Inzé is a scientific director of the Centre for Plant System Biology and professor of molecular plant biology and physiology at the University of Ghent. He did research into the mechanisms of plant growth and the effects of droughts. He is one of the most cited authors in the field of phytology.

130 x 210 mm | 208 pages | 55,000 words paperback | all rights available

In the Wake of Mankind

An Evolutionary Search for the First Humans

Dominique Adriaens

A biological history of mankind

With a focus towards development of our diet, skin, brain and bipedalism

From the breakaway from chimpanzees to modern man

Nothing is more fascinating than mankind. No other animal species is intelligent enough to build a spacecraft that can leave our planet and at the same time has the power to destroy its own habitat without a moment’s thought. Yet from a biological perspective, we are simple anthropoid apes. How did we become who we are? What important steps gave our brain the opportunity to develop further? And why did our ancestors thrive while other species of man went extinct?

In In the Wake of Mankind evolutionary biologist Dominique Adriaens sets out to find the forgotten history of the first humans, from the moment we broke away from bonobos and chimpanzees to modern man. He looks for the stories behind the fossils and proves that the human body can be read like an evolutionary book. An entertaining read!

Dominique Adriaens is a professor at the department of biology of the University of Ghent. Among other things, he is specialised in the morphology of vertebrates.

‘Wie op een wetenschappelijke manier rigoureus en diep graaft in biologie van één enkele soorten, kan juist een kijk door een breedhoeklens ontwikkelen op het leven. Dat lijkt op het eerste gezicht een paradox inzoomen en tegelijk toch een breder beeld krijgen maar het geen. Een vlinder immers niet alleen een vlinder, maar ook een insect, een dier, een levensvorm. Je bestudeert niet alleen kenmerken die uniek zijn voor de vlinder, maar ook eigenschappen die vele tot alle levensvormen gemeenschappelijk hebben. achterhaalt fundamentele principes over de relaties tussen een organisme en zijn omgeving. Die helpen om iets van het biodiverse leven te begrijpen. Het onderzoek zegt alles over vlinders, maar tegelijk ook veel over andere levensvormen.’ Vooral de studie van een bijzondere vlinder, het bont zandoogje of de Pararge aegeria loopt als een rode draad door het werk van vlinderprofessor

Saved By The Tree Frog

Ignace Schops

150 x 230 mm | 240 pages all rights available, except for English rights

English manuscript available

vele aspecten van hun wonderlijk gedrag. Van de hongersnood waarmee ze kampen in moderne landschappen tot de analyse van wat snelle klimaatverandering met ze doet. Een verhaal over prachtige zorgenkinderen. Maar dit boek gaat ook over gepassioneerde mensen. Hans Van Dyck verweeft er zijn eigen metamorfose van vlinderjongen tot vlinderprofessor in. Een meeslepende getuigenis over verwondering en passie voor wetenschap. Hij vertelt ook over vele anderen die zich aangesproken weten door deze bijzondere insecten. Van kunstenaars die ze al eeuwenlang op allerlei manieren proberen te verbeelden tot ingenieurs die zich erdoor laten inspireren om technische problemen op te lossen. Het leidt tot deze fascinerende vlinderparadox: krijg door gebiologeerd in te zoomen op deze kleurrijke diertjes een bredere kijk op het aardse leven?

Van vlinders en mensen

What Butterflies Tell Us about Our Planet

Hans Van Dyck

155 x 240 mm | 304 pages

all rights available

Maps that Made History

Martijn Storms

280 x 340 mm | 432 pages

Korean and Simplified Chinese rights sold, English rights unavailable | English manuscript available

Journey to Suriname

P.J. Benoit, Carl Haarnack & Garrelt

Verhoeven

338 x 481 mm | 224 pages all rights available

Our Heart

The Complete Manual Pedro Brugada

170 x 240 mm | 288 pages | 80,000 words paperback | all rights available

10,000 copies sold

The much-praised book by the influential cardiologist Pedro Brugada, now updated with the newest insights

With pioneering chapters about the female heart and the heart of an athlete

An appeal to take your (heart’s) health at heart

Five years ago, heart specialist Pedro Brugada conquered our bookshelves with Our Heart, conceived as a maintenance guide for our most ingenious organ. Just as passionate as he was when advocating for more heart screenings, he now shows the same commitment by calling attention to two new, often neglected themes.

First, there is the female heart, which in many ways works different from the male heart. A female heart attack, for example, is not preceded by the notorious stabbing pain in the chest and the left arm, but first by pain in the upper abdomen, jaw, back and stomach. Sadly, symptoms in women have been insufficiently researched for years, because of which many heart problems stayed under the radar. A lack of knowledge Prof. Dr. Brugada is now wanting to put an end to.

Besides that, he also has a closer look at the athlete’s heart in a second new chapter, likewise a hot topic recently. Among other things, he casts a light on the heart risks of ill-considered training and the dangers of taking sporting supplements. A must-read for both heart patients as well as for people with a healthy heart who would like to keep it that way.

Prof. Dr. Pedro Brugada is a heart specialist at the University Hospital of Brussels and has his own medical centre in Aalst. As a cardiologist, he gained a spot in the history books thanks to his discovery of the Brugada syndrome, one of the most common causes of death in Asia. For years, he has been the most well-known cardiologist in Belgium and is often contacted by the media.

What Our Gut Tells Us

The Wonderous Story of Our Gut and the Impact on Our Brain and Body

Danny De Looze

The newest scientific insights about our gut flora and how you can keep your intestines healthy

With much verve and humour, told by top doctor Danny De Looze

Solid explanations for countless afflictions that are often still considered taboo

A true intestinal revolution took place in the past few years. For a long time, our intestines were regarded as a distasteful trash chute, but today they are the most talked about subject of health. That has much to do with the exciting recent studies about our microbiome, which made clear how much our intestinal health influences our general mental and physical health.

In his new book, the renowned gastroenterologist Prof. Dr. Danny De Looze draws up a clear and nuanced image of this popular intestinal science. He analyses the proliferation of remedies for ‘gut health’, contextualises frequent expectations and misconceptions and zooms in on what your gut really does tell you. He has a close look at several complaints and afflictions that arise in our digestive system, like irritable bowels, reflux, obstipation, intolerances… and puts an end to the last poop taboos: from stool incontinence to chronical diarrhoea, from farts to burps.

Finally, De Looze gives advice about what you can do yourself to maintain your gut and gut flora. After reading this book, you will know perfectly how to listen to them!

Prof. Dr. Danny De Looze is a stomach and intestinal specialist associated with the University Hospital of Ghent. He is a much sought-after expert for talk shows and articles about health. Besides that, he regularly presents lectures about our bowels and the wonderous world of gut flora.

Our Hormones, Undervalued Heroes

The No-Nonsense Handbook

Lieselot Theys

A user-friendly, comprehensive plan to improve your hormonal health

Sheds light on the entire hormonal system, from sex hormones to thyroid gland

The most recent medical and scientific insights, in everyday language by osteopathic gynaecologist Lieselot Theys

Hormones, they are often the scapegoat when we don’t feel at 100%. Too often, hormonal complaints are dismissed or shushed with medication, as if they are little parasites we have to combat. Wrongfully so, osteopathic gynaecologist and hormonal expert Lieselot Theys explains: our hormonal system is the drive of our entire being and, as such, essential for our general health. High time for a hormonal crash course that should have been taught in school ages ago!

This complete handbook is the inseparable companion for everyone who wants to repair their hormonal balance. How do our thyroid glands, adrenal glands and sex hormones work? What impact can a thyroid disorder have on the menstruation cycle? And why can your adrenal gland influence your sex drive?

In a clear and science-based manner, Lieslot Theys clarifies what complaints are normal and which aren’t (spoiler: not a single complaint is normal!). Subsequently, she helps you along the way to examine your own hormonal health and ‘inexplicable’ complaints. Step-by-step she explains what you yourself can do about digestive issues, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, lowered sex drive, menstruation complaints, menopause complaints, mood swings, sleep issues, chronic weight gain… a handbook you can fall back on each time those hormones ‘act up again’!

Lieselot Theys is an osteopathic gynaecologist. After her Master’s degree, she specialised in physiotherapy, gynaecological complaints and hormonal problems.

The Compass of Your Cycle

Let Yourself Be Guided by Your Natural Hormones and Get the Best from Your Menstruation Cycle

Morgane Leten

A revolutionary book that makes you look at your hormones in a completely different way With a scientific basis by experts, accessibly explained with testimonies

Morgane Leten shows how to live according to your cycle

When we think of the menstruation cycle, most people only think of the days in which a woman is losing blood. It is often seen as something negative and distasteful. That’s a shame, because the female cycle is so much more than that! Not only can living according to the rhythm of your hormonal compass help you to be less affected by all sorts of complaints, it can also help optimise your energy, performance and mindset.

With this book, nutrition & fertility expert Morgane Leten makes a positive case for the hidden powers of your natural hormones. She tells you everything about the things you didn’t now about your own body's three pillars: body, mood and food. She scrutinises all kinds of fables and arms your with important insights into female health.

On top of that, The Compass of Your Cycle contains attributions by several experts, like gynaecologist Geert Luyckx and Joke Bulthé, midwives Uwe Porters and Rebecca Verhofstede, hormonal expert Bénédicte De Jaeger, family physician Annaïk van Branteghem and many others. A book opening up horizons and changing your view on hormones forever!

Morgane Leten is co-founder of Guud Woman, nutrition and fertility expert and mother of two children. In her search for solutions after her PCOS diagnosis, she discovered the many advantages of living in accordance with your cycle. That is why it is her goal to accompany other women towards a healthier relationship with their cycle and hormones. Morgane speaks the language of millennials and is a much sought-after expert.

F*ck Menopause

What Nobody Tells You about the Menopause

Liesbeth Gijsel

Honest answers to all questions about what to expect during the transition into the menopause

Liesbeth Gijsel resolves misunderstandings and debunks myths about the menopause

With recognisable stories, strong numbers, the newest scientific insights and input from countless experts

The menopause is much more than periodic flushes and the end of menstruation. It is preceded by a process of several years, which can already kick in at the age of forty. Not only does the menopause come much earlier than we think, most women are hardly prepared for it and the symptoms are fairly unknown. From a personal perspective – what should I expect? – science journalist Liesbeth Gijsel looks for the facts and debunks the stubborn myths and clichés. Because the transition shouldn’t be something you have to endure patiently!

In this well-founded, but also emphatical and engaged book, Liesbeth Gijsel walks you through all of these questions and tricky issues, without the use of euphemistic terms. Whether you are forty years old or not, forewarned is forearmed!

Liesbeth Gijsel is a scientific journalist and chief editor of Eos Psyche&Brein. She mainly writes about psychology and also made a podcast for Eos and Radio 1 about menstruation. Liesbeth often talks about hormones and interviewed countless experts in this field of study.

Love In The Chaos Years

How to Maintain Your Relationship in the Hustle and Bustle of Family Life

Katrien Koolen

How to nurture a loving relationship during the (initial) years of parenthood

How to keep your relationship from fading into the backdrop

Includes recognisable stories, practical tips and fun ideas

‘Do we still need anything from the store? If you start making dinner, I will already bath the children. And can you pick them up from school tomorrow?’

Do you remember back when you came home from work, had a drink together and the whole night was yours? Welcome to the testing times, during which your children take charge of your schedule and your relationship with your partner seems to get shoved into a dusty corner. The laundry multiplies, the exhaustion tires you out and time for intimacy is in short supply.

How do you find enough time for each other as young parents? Where did the sex go (and will it ever come back)? And what do you do when your partner has an entirely different perspective on raising children than you? These are only a handful of the questions Katrien Koolen was asked from her therapy couch. With this book she wants to support couples who sometimes lose sight of each other in the hurricane of (new) parenthood. She does so through recognisable stories, practical tips and fun ideas that go a step further than ‘just plan a date-night’. So you can keep nurturing your relationship and keep it lively, even after another sleepless night.

Katrien Koolen is a clinical psychologist and couples therapist. She has a specific interest in the challenges that the arrival of children bring to a partner relationship. In her acclaimed podcast Over ons (About us), she gives the floor to couples with children. She writes regularly for Maison Slash.

Parents are from Mars

The Book You Need to Read to Understand Your Teenager

Evelien Kayaert, Anky De Frangh

Short, practical tips and information

With a high dosage of humour

Finding answers to better understand your teenager

The hard and difficult years are over, no more ‘Team No Sleep’, no more toddler puberty and babysitting … Lovely, an independent child that doesn’t need to be constantly entertained and with whom you can have interesting conversations and do grown-up stuff… Alas! All you get is a cup full of fresh hormones. It’s a truly unique blend: the TEENAGER.

Who are they? What do they do? What drives them? Important questions… because it seems to be entirely unclear to their parents. Starting from about 50 typical, yet entirely incomprehensible ways of behaviour/exclamations of teenagers, we go looking for answers. With the help of experts, of course. Hopefully, they will know!

Evelien Kayaert is the mother of two teenagers and Lifestyle Publisher at Lannoo. In 2015 she founded Mama Baas, an online community for and by mothers and guided by experts. Considering her children are teenagers now, she founded Tieners in Huis in 2022, a similar concept yet directed at the parents of teenagers. Anky De Frangh has a master’s degree in clinical psychology specialising in children and family. She’s also trained as a behavioural therapist and the mother of two children.

Mom, Am I Too Fat?

Helping Your Teenager Grow to a Positive Body Image and Eating Habits

The survival guide for parents of children with (starting) eating disorders

An accessible and approachable aid to prevent eating disorders

Supplemented with practical tips, recognisable testimonies, and interesting facts about eating disorders

Parents play an important role in the prevention of eating disorders, but how do we do this exactly? How do you recognise whether your child or teenager has an unhealthy relationship with weight and food? When do you start discussing the subject? What do you put on the table? And how can you mildly influence your child developing a more positive relationship with their body?

In this guide, psychologist and founder of Eetexpert (Eating-expert) An Vandeputte offers well-founded answers to a parent’s most common questions and concretely tackles many frequent doubts and concerns. From the contents of the pantry to the opening sentence of conversations about health and weight.

175 x 245 mm | 206 pages | 54,000 words paperback | all rights available

An Vandeputte is a clinical psychologist and behavioural therapist. She is the founder and driving force behind Eetexpert.be, the Flemish Research Centre for Eating and Weight Disorders. For years, she has been teaching prevention and treatment of eating disorders at several Belgian universities.

Everything Starts with Self-Care

Nina Mouton

Bestseller by a renowned psychotherapist: over 50,000 copies sold

Playful illustrations by Eva

Mouton

Self-knowledge is the key to true self-care

Everything Starts with Self-Care. Listening more closely to the signals your body sends you. Taking a second to think about how you feel and what you need. Bringing more resilience and peace into your life.

In this book, Nina Mouton takes you on the road towards more and better selfcare. She shows how you can spot bruises from the past, can disrupt fixed patterns and watch over your limits. She explains why self-care isn’t an egotistical choice. On the contrary, by taking better care of yourself, you will also be able to take better care of others around you.

Are you ready to radically choose yourself? Then this inspiring book is the first step!

50,000 copies sold

Nina Mouton is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and much sought-after expert in media. In 2020 she started some very successful online training programs about, among other things, self-care.

150 x 220 mm | 208 pages | 46,000 words hardcover with dust jacket | Russian rights sold

Strenghten Your Vagus Nerve

Actively Engaging in Polyvagal Theory

Luc Swinnen

Actively engage yourself with your vagus nerve

With many new exercises and practical tips

Activate your Vagus Nerve sold over 30,000 copies

With his bestseller Activate You Vagus Nerve, stress expert Luc Swinnen introduced Flanders and the Netherlands to the vagus nerve, a nerve that runs all over your body and connects your brain to your organs.

In this new book, he shows how you can actively engage yourself with your vagus nerve to deal with various problems like stress, burnout, trauma, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammations and chronic fatigue. Through concrete tips and exercises you can immediately get started. The result? A healthier, calmer and happier life!

155 x 240 mm | 264 pages | 74,000 words paperback with flaps all rights available

30,000 copies sold

Dr. Luc Swinnen is an internationally recognised expert in the field of stress and burnout. Like no other, he knows how to translate scientific insights for a broad public. Over twenty thousand copies of his books have been sold.

Why We're Not Happier

How to Lead a Carefree Life Despite Our Selfish Genes

Michael

Vlerick

An evolutionary answer to the great questions on happiness

Being truly happy is against our nature, but not impossible With simple practices for a calm mind and a satisfied life

Why do you remember an insult longer than you do a compliment? Why does the sting of loss feel more intense than the joy of gain? Why do we worry so much about our future and linger so long over painful memories. Why are we not happier, even when we objectively have every reason to be?

The answer to these questions is simple: it is due to our genetic programming. From an evolutionary point of view, we were not created to be consistently happy. Quite the opposite, our evolutionary build saddles us with chronic discontent, stress, depression, addiction, disloyalty, jealousy.

However, we don’t have to resign ourselves to this truth. Despite our genes, happiness is a possibility. Science philosopher Michael Vlerick shows you how to take fate into your own hands and be happy, borrowing age-old insights from Buddhism and the Stoics.. Today these practices are studied scientifically and their huge potential is becoming all the more clear. Happiness is within reach and this book shows you the way.

150 x 230 mm | 240 pages | ca. 80,000 words paperback | all rights available

Michael Vlerick is philosopher of science and a lecturer at the University of Tilburg. In his work, he applies the theory of evolution to important philosophical questions.

Solace

Ordinary Words by Dirk De Wachter Dirk De Wachter

65,000 copies sold

His most personal book so far, with already more than 65,000 copies sold

The best-selling author of The Art of Being Unhappy and Borderline Times

Offers a unique perspective on a universal theme

As a psychiatrist you’re trained to stand by people during hardship, guide them and give them a helping hand.

But what do you do when you yourself are struck by fate? How do you find comfort during hardship? And who can you turn to?

In this personal book, Dirk De Wachter researches how we can find comfort during moments of hardship. It can be found in art, nature, beauty, in thoughts and rituals, but most of all: in others.

The Art of Being Unhappy French, Complex Chinese, Czech and Arabic rigths sold

Bestselling title for 10 years

Borderline Times Czech rights sold

140 x 210 mm | 240 pages | 31,000 words paperback | all rights available

Dirk De Wachter is psychiatrist-psychotherapist and head of systemic and family therapy at the University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven. Earlier publications of his are: Borderline Times, Love. An Impossible Desire?, The World of De Wachter and The Art of Being Unhappy.

Love. An impossible desire?

all rights available

I Will Stop Worrying Tomorrow

This Is Not A Mindfulness Book

Filip Raes

How to handle worrying

Contains simple tips to deal with your worries immediately

Written in a humorous and light-hearted manner

Do you really want to stop worrying? Then you need to know how to go about it. In this book, ‘Professor of Worries’ Filip Raes gives you dozens of tips to let go of the endless and fruitless battle with your worries. From placing a worry box next to your bed to having a healthy conversation with your worry demons.

This book provides well-tried tips full of mildness and humour. You learn to find peace and balance, without having to engage in mindfulness.

140 x 240 mm | 200 pages | ca. 50,000 words duotone illustrations | paperback all rights available

Filip Raes is a clinical psychologist, behavioural therapist and professor of psychology at the Catholic University of Leuven. He does scientific research into what makes people vulnerable to emotional issues like depression and anxiety. He is a much sought-after lecturer about themes like worrying, behavioural therapy, mindfulness and depression in Flanders and the Netherlands.

Exercising after Cancer

8 steps to more energy and self-confidence

Ulla Lust

A handbook inducing the right incentive and motivation to dare to start, exercise and enjoy after disease

A positive guideline with concrete, practical tips and inspiring anecdotes

Written by a mobility coach in oncology

In Exercising after Cancer Ulla Lust doesn’t just address cancer survivors –people whose treatment has ended – but rather everyone, who after a long period of disease wants to lead an active life again, to be able to manage their work assignments again, to experience social life to the fullest again, wants to search for opportunities and solutions…

After an extensive introduction about the importance of exercising, Ulla presents an eight-step plan, a handbook that helps (cancer) patients to look for the right incentives and motivation to dare to start (over).

170 x 240 mm | 144 pages | 29,000 words duotone illustrations | paperback German rights sold

In 2005, Ulla Lust was diagnosed with breast cancer. She now works as a mobility coach in oncology. It is her mission to help mainly cancer survivors to regain their health by motivating them to exercise, in their own way, at their own speed.

Psychotherapy in Motion

The Healing Art of Boxing

Masja Otter & Damiaan Denys

The first book about boxing therapy

Includes both theoretical background and practical guidelines

An alternative to the current impasse in mental healthcare

Mental healthcare is in trouble, there are waiting lists and professionals are often weighed down by their workload. Where do these problems exactly come from? Is it possible that we don’t optimally approach the relationship between body and mind?

This book is an fascinating search for a better alternative: boxing psychotherapy. This innovative approach involves using the body to achieve faster diagnosis and treatment. Even in cases where nothing else seems to help anymore.

Psychotherapy in Motion describes this search, the theoretic background, and practical guidelines and forms an enriching inspiration for every professional.

Masja Otter is a mental healthcare psychologist and psychotherapist. In 2021, she founded the first expertise centre for boxing psychotherapy together with Eugene Sedney: In2box, where she teaches the accredited training to other mental healthcare professionals. Damiaan Denys is professor of psychiatry at the University of Amsterdam. In 2020 he received the Ig Nobel Prize for his discovery of misophonia. Besides sciences, he also focusses his attention on broad societal questions concerning anxiety, control, happiness, normality and meaning. Denys is know for his honest questions and brave stances in complex debates.

Great Minds Think Unalike

The Benefits of ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and OCD

Peter Ampe & Emily Rammant

A surprising look at neurodiversity with many recognizable examples

For (young)adults on the wide spectrum of ADHD, ASD, dyslexia or OCD

An answer to the growing attention for neurodiversity in education and the business world

You can’t sit still. You don’t like unannounced visitors. You always triple-check if the lights are out. But you also see details that no-one else notices. You’re always coming up with surprising solutions. You can focus intensely for hours at a stretch. Usually without realising it, many people lie somewhere on the spectrum of a neurodivergent condition.

We often tend to focus on the many downsides of neurodivergent conditions such as AD(H)D, ASD, dyslexia and OCD. This book takes a different approach by looking in depth at the special talents that go hand in hand with these conditions. Whether you already have a diagnosis or simply feel you’re somewhere on the neuroatypical spectrum, one thing is certain: once you’ve identified your unique talents, you’ll be able to make more focused choices in your life and work.

Peter Ampe is an internationally acclaimed advertising creative and columnist whose writing credits include the UK-based creativity magazine Little Black Book. He has distinct traits of ASD and ADHD. Emily Rammant is a business engineer, business coach and co-founder of the coaching firm YIN United. With her mild form of ADHD and slight traits of OCD, and a hefty dose of emotional intelligence, she supports people and businesses struggling with issues of identity, leadership and corporate culture.

Great Minds Think Unalike

150 x 200 mm | 208 pages | 38,000 words paperback | Russian rights sold, English rights unavailable English manuscript available

Our economy needs creativity and innovation in order to stand out. This book shows that neurodivergent people can make all the difference. A book brimming with positivity!

– Vivian Roks, Innovation Lead Randstad Group

A career guide for out-of-the-boxnatural thinkers

The Benefits of ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and OCD

Peter Ampe Emily Rammant

Worries of the Mind

Understanding psychosis in 33 questions

Stijn Vanheule & Jim van Os

Clear answers to recognisable questions

Written by the preeminent psychosis authorities from the Low Countries

Gives an overall view on what psychosis is

What are psychotic experiences? Is psychosis a brain disease? Is the use of lifelong medication absolutely necessary? Is psychotherapy even a good idea? Can trauma cause psychosis? Are people suffering from psychotic issues dangerous to their surroundings or to themselves? And how do you recover from psychosis?

Renowned experts Stijn Vanheule and Jim van Os throw light onto the biggest misconceptions. By means of specific questions, the most recent scientific findings and practical experience, this book explains what psychotic experiences are exactly, how they develop and in what way they are treated best.

150 x 230 mm | 232 pages | 50,000 words

B&W illustrations | paperback

Spanish rights sold

Stijn Vanheule is senior lecturer of clinical psychology and psychoanalysis at Ghent University. He’s an internationally acclaimed expert on Lacan, and an expert concerning psychosis and psychiatric diagnosis, administrator of PsychoseNet in Belgium, and a much sought-after speaker in Flanders and The Netherlands. Jim van Os is a senior lecturer of psychology at Utrecht University, member of the KNAW, Fellow of King’s College London and chairman of PsychoseNet in The Netherlands.

Look It’s Me

The Child Monitoring System for Childcare and Preschool Education

Ferre Laevers & Bart Declercq

A manual with consecutive steps and a description of ten developmental stages

Tested by hundreds of childminders, childcare supervisors and preschool teachers

Helps you to further the well-being and involvement of the child

Look It’s Me is an individual fill-in-the-blanks notebook in which each childcare supervisor and each preschool teacher can assess how the child is feeling and developing.

It includes six child portraits that can be completed and used to share one's own observations with those of the parent(s). Together you will create a more detailed picture, offering a perspective on what can be done for the child in childcare, at school and at home.

210 x 280 mm | 56 pages | 5,000 words duotone illustrations | hardcover all rights available

Ferre Laevers is an emeritus professor, founder of experiential education and head of the CEGO (KU Leuven). Bart Declercq is a scientific staff member working at the Centre for Experiential Education (CEGO) of the KU Leuven.

A Diamond in the Rough Over 100 Specific Tips to Build a Strong Customer Culture

Steven Van Belleghem

A book based on 20 years of experience, gained at small and large companies in terms of customer orientation

This book does not contain complex strategies, but it gives specific tips that any type of company can use immediately

A Diamond in the Rough shows you how to build a customer-oriented corporate culture. Turn your rough diamond into a beautiful shiny gem. Many companies have the intention to be customer-oriented, but only a few succeed in making the customer really happy. The key to success is building a customercentric culture: a culture where both leaders and employees of an organization are aware of their role towards the customer at all times.

In this book you will learn in concrete steps and clear tips how you can develop a customer-oriented corporate culture. Success or failure is often in the details and in having the right attitude.

The Offer You Can't Refuse all rights available, except for English rights English manuscript available

170 x 240 mm | 276 pages | 70,000 words full colour illustrations | paperback all rights available, except for English rights English manuscript available

Steven is one of the world's leading thought-leaders, speakers and authors on customer experience to discuss what key trends CMO's and their teams need to be taking seriously.

– Dr Geraint Evans, Forbes

Steven Van Belleghem is an international keynote speaker. He is a part-time marketing professor at Vlerick Business School and a guest speaker at London Business School. Steven is also an entrepreneur: he is a partner of inspiration company Nexxworks and co-founder of content creation agency Snackbytes. He is a director at Plan International Belgium.

Customers The Day After Tomorrow Slovenian rights sold, English rights unavailable English manuscript available

The Investor’s Brain Overcome Your Biases and Pick Better Stocks

Luc Kroeze

The 17 most common cognitive biases that cost you money on the stock market

What every investor needs to know about human behaviour and the psychology of money

For beginners and seasoned traders, because everyone makes these mistakes

Do you think you have an above average sense of humour? Would you go out for champagne and caviarstraight away after winning the lottery? Do you have a fear of flying? Would you rather have one million euros of cash in hand rather than one cent doubling its value every day for thirty days? If you answered yes wholeheartedly to one of these questions, there’s a good chance that you are making an error in judgement.

No need to panic, in most cases these mistakes are quite innocent. But when making financial decisions, you would do well to be vigilant for them. After all, Innocent-looking logical errors can leave a trail of destruction in your wallet.

The Investor’s Brain introduces you to the most common cognitive biases and shows you how they can take you by surprise. More importantly, it shows you how you can prevent them. For some mistakes, awareness is enough to prevent them. For others, the simple tips and techniques from this book will ensure a more successful money mindset.

Since 2008, Luc Kroeze has been active on the stock market. In 2014, he became a full time investor, realestate investor and financial blogger. In his book The Caviar Formula (De kaviaarformule) he pled to invest in the world’s best companies. Recently, he delved into the behavioural finance literature, about how our behaviour on the stock market – and also the stock market itself – is influenced by our psychological shortcomings. In The Investor’s Brain he shares the insights and helps the reader to invest better and more rationally.

Destination Dream Job

6 Stages towards Better Workplace Happiness

Karen Dejongh

Take your career into your own hands and engage with your talents, values and ambitions

Get to know your professional self better by means of useful tests, exercises and questions

Developed and well-founded by the HR experts of The Job Coach

What is your dream job? What career do you want for yourself? And how does that fit in with your other life goals?

The more we think about these kind of questions, the more vague the answer becomes to many. That’s why this book doesn’t deal with complicated theories, but rather offers a series of clear exercises, confronting, reflective questions and stimulating tests to take your career goals into your own hands. Each time accompanied by clear explanations about the changing patterns of expectation, new career possibilities and challenges that characterise today’s workplace.

Unravel your authentic talents and personal motives, learn to recognise your ideal workplace, discover how your education and character influence your professional life and design your own unique job passport. Besides that, there is still space to think about your personal obstacles, values and ambitions, as well as to discover a suitable career destination in the short and long term. So that eventually you will not only have a more successful, but also a happier career.

With about fifty associated coaches, The Job Coach is a market leader in career counselling in Flanders and Brussels. Based on careful research, the HR experts developed a hands-on method to delineate and adjust your ideal career path.

The Stressed Society

Why We Have Everything Yet Still Get Sick

Stephan Claes

Plea for a broad change in mentality and societal evolution

What does the way we look at common complaints like burnout and chronic fatigue say about our society?

Renews the attention for old wisdoms and values

Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from chronic fatigue, pain and other bodily and psychological symptoms without doctors being able to diagnose why, or what they can do about it. It seems like many people quickly burn through the resilience that was supposed to last them a lifetime and that our body is telling us that maybe humankind wasn’t made for the 21st century. Why is it like that? Why do so many people get overburdened?

The Stressed Society looks for the broad societal tendencies that raise the pressure on people. An answer to this: focus the attention onto our bodies as a signaller of overburdening.

150 x 230 mm | 240 pages | 60,000 words paperback | all rights available

Stephan Claes is a professor of psychiatry at the Catholic University of Leuven, and a psychiatrist at the University Psychiatric Centre of KU Leuven. He is a chairman of the research group Psychiatry and leads the Mind Body research group, studying stress as a central theme.

Survival Guide for Times of Change

25 Change Hacks – To Better Deal with the Challenges of Your Private Life and the Workplace

Florence Pérès

Discover what you can do to deal with outside changes

Practical and down to earth

Contains insights, principles and concrete tools to become adaptively resilient

In our fast-changing world, we are bound to encounter uncertainty and stress. But what if we could expertly deal with changes or setbacks and could enhance our ability to be flexible and resilient?

With the help of 25 change hacks, this book offers a handle to better deal with the challenges of life and the workplace. From centuries-old insights to the most recent scientific discoveries, these hacks are based on a wide range of sources and have been adjusted to our modern time.

Florence Pérès is trained in communication and was active in the world of digital media for over twenty years, occupying several functions in Sales & Marketing. At the same time, she broadened her knowledge of health sciences and was trained as a mindfulness trainer. In the middle of the first wave of COVID, she founded the successful speaker's bureau Speakersbase.

170 x 240 mm | 250 pages | 72,000 words duotone illustrations | paperback all rights available

Content Marketing like a PRO

The All-In-One Guide to Content Marketing: From Planning to Promoting Clo

Willaerts

A comprehensive strategy, creation, and distribution approach is needed to succeed in today's competitive digital landscape

The case studies and examples are a great way to see how the concepts are applied in the real world

This step-by-step marketing approach makes it ever so easy to apply content marketing concepts

Take your content marketing skills to the next level with this comprehensive handbook. Inside, you'll find everything you need to know to develop and execute a successful content marketing strategy, including identifying your target audience, creating compelling content, and distributing it effectively. Then, with case studies and real-world examples, you'll be equipped to create and distribute content that engages and converts your target audience.

170 x 240 mm | 352 pages | 84,000 words duotone illustrations | paperback all rights available, except for English rights English manuscript available

Clo Willaerts is a keynote speaker, author and trainer with over 20 years of experience in the digital realm. She is a leading expert on the impact of technology on our daily lives, with a unique perspective as a girl geek, tech blogger, and digital technology optimist. She has a proven track record of helping organizations understand the challenges and opportunities of the digital age, and how to navigate them successfully.

Draw for Change

6 Female Cartoonists Redefining the Lines

Catherine Vuylsteke

About the work and life stories of 6 cartoonists and graphic artists: Amany Al-Ali (Syria), Mar Maremoto (Mexico), Victoria Lomasko (Rusland), Rachita Taneja (India), Ann Telnaes (USA), Doaa El-Adl (Egypt)

The TV series of the same name was awarded the prize for best docuseries in Cannes

The brave battle of six female top cartoonists

Six women, six stories. They make cartoons and graphic work in the besieged Syrian town of Idlib or the Egypt of president al-Sisi, they fight against fat shaming and homophobia in Mexico, live out of a suitcase on the run for president Putin, draw a bead on the Hindu-nationalism of prime minister Modi or make things hot for the powers that be in The Washington Post. Whether they are from Mexico, the USA, Syria, Egypt, India or Russia, they all belong to the world’s absolute best. But their path to the top wasn’t strewn with roses.

140 x 210 mm | 176 pages | 20,000 words full colour illustrations | hardcover all rights available, except for English rights English manuscript available

Catherine Vuylsteke is a freelance journalist, she wrote books and made movies about China, (Moroccan) gay men, Brussels and refugees.

© Doaa el-Adl