Ultimo acquires Ash’s Mantle

Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to novelist Romy Ash’s new work, Mantle, in a deal brokered by Michaela McGuire of a4 Literary.

Mantle is a literary eco-thriller set in coastal lutruwita/Tasmania examining how love and grief fundamentally alter us. In the publisher’s words, “Mantle is a powerful novel that shows us our fate is intertwined with the people around us, and the fate of our world.”

Melbourne-based Ash is the author of Floundering (Text Publishing, 2012), which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, the Commonwealth Book Prize and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, among others.

Publisher Brigid Mullane said, “From the very first pages, it was clear Mantle was something truly special – a novel that is both electrifying and unforgettable … [It] reflects our world back to us while inviting readers to imagine how we might navigate an uncertain future with humour and human connection.”

Ash said, “I wrote this book when I was grieving. Not just the death of a loved one, but the irrevocably changed coastal environment in southern Tasmania … All these feelings are entangled here, in this book.”

Ultimo Press plans to release Mantle on 28 April 2026.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions