Months to end partnerships with Russian agents: Mamino’s success

The Ukrainian children’s publishing house Mamino refused to buy the rights to the book “Professor D Takes Control” by Israeli-American author, psychologist, and economist Dan Ariely through agents with ties to Russia. Instead, they made a direct deal with the rights holder.

“We got an offer to publish ‘Professor D’ after a meeting at the Bologna Book Fair. The book is great, and the topic is important. But when it came to buying the rights, we weren’t dealing with the main agency — instead, we had to talk to their regional partner, Van Lear Agency,” Oleksandr Sharlai, director of Mamino, said.

According to Sharlai, suspicions prompted them to investigate, and as a result, Mamino discovered that the agency had ties to Russia.

“It’s crucial to verify who you’re dealing with. You need to pay attention to all details: email signatures, the company’s background, and their silence about the war. The decision we made was clear because we couldn’t collaborate with a company that does business in Moscow. We explained our position to colleagues at Rights People, shared articles and even photos showing the destruction in Kyiv. Our point was firm: either we work directly with the rights holder, or not at all,” Sharlai said.

After several months of negotiations with the rights-holding company, the Mamino publishing reached a direct agreement with Rights People, without involving Van Lear Agency. According to the publishers, this was the result of their firm stance and their readiness to defend it with clear arguments at every stage.

The book is being translated, and is set to be released in autumn 2025.

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Copy editing: Joy Tataryn