Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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Rights and acquisitions >

Affirm acquires Williams’s “The German Ward”

Photograph of Pip Williams sitting in front of a bookcase Thursday, 19 March 2026
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to The German Ward, a “breathtaking historical love story” by Pip Williams, with US rights sold to Ballantine and UK rights to Chatto &...

Wombat acquires Dangerfield’s middle-grade novel

Photo of Lucy Dangerfield. Thursday, 19 March 2026
Wombat Books has acquired world rights to The Misspelled Sky by Lucy Dangerfield following a pitch at last year’s CYA Conference. The speculative middle-grade novel follows Megana, who “always believed she was...

S&S acquires Fanning memoir

Photo of Mick Fanning. Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to the memoir All Heart, by three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning. All Heart follows Fanning from the western suburbs of...

A&U acquires Tasker’s debut novel

Photo of Michael Caleb Tasker. Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Michael Caleb Tasker’s Just Like the Night, in a deal brokered by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group. The novel follows...

A&U acquires Davis’s “The Modern Dad”

Photo of author Louis Davis. Monday, 16 March 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to the nonfiction title, The Modern Dad, by Aotearoa New Zealand author Louis Davis. The Modern Dad provides advice about how to...

CJZ options Ayliffe’s “Dark Desert Road” for TV

Cover of “Dark Desert Road”. Monday, 16 March 2026
Tim Ayliffe’s first standalone novel, Dark Desert Road (Echo), has been optioned by Australian TV production company CJZ. Dark Desert Road follows police officer Kit McCarthy, who hasn’t seen her twin...

Text acquires MacFie’s debut novel 

Photo of author Stephanie MacFie. Monday, 16 March 2026
Text Publishing has acquired world rights to Stephanie MacFie’s debut novel Once Upon a Breakfast Show. Set in the high-pressure world of breakfast radio, this “funny and wise novel about love and...

HarperCollins acquires new Rogers novel

Photo of Megan Rogers. Wednesday, 11 March 2026
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to The Clue Keeper, a new novel by Megan Rogers, in a deal brokered by Benython Oldfield at Zeitgeist Agency. The Clue Keeper follows Ginnie...

S&S acquires world rights to Barry quartet

Photo of Amy Barry. Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired world rights to The Northshine Quartet, a new contemporary series by Amy Barry, in a deal brokered by Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary...

UQP sells Abdel-Fattah’s “Discipline” to Oneworld

Thursday, 5 March 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has sold world English (ex ANZ) rights to Randa Abdel-Fattah’s novel Discipline to Oneworld Publications, in a deal between UQP rights manager Erin Sandiford and Oneworld...

Summit acquires Coper’s “Angertainment”

Ed Coper. Photo credit: Enzo Amato Thursday, 5 March 2026
Summit Books Australia has acquired ANZ rights to Angertainment: How Social Media Outrange Ruined Everything by political communications specialist Ed Coper. “Rage-bait – the 2025 Word of the Year –...

A&U acquires Moss’s solo YA novel

Photo of Tamara Moss. Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired ANZ rights to Tamara Moss’s YA murder mystery, Five Voices, in a deal negotiated at auction by Jill Grinberg and Sam Farkas at Jill Grinberg Literary...

Wiley acquires Zahner’s social media critique

Photo of Alexis Zahner. Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Wiley has acquired world rights to Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies by Alexis Zahner. Drawing on the author’s own experience as well as psychological research...

Transit Lounge acquires Thompson novel

Photo of Karenlee Thompson. Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to Karenlee Thompson’s novel Notes from the White Room through NAC Literary Agency. The novel follows Hunter, “a lost soul searching for her missing...

Two Milligan novels optioned for TV

Louise Milligan. Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Allen & Unwin has optioned Louise Milligan’s crime novels Pheasants Nest and Shellybanks (both A&U) for screen adaptation by Ambience Entertainment. Pheasants Nest (2024) follows the abduction of journalist Kate Delaney...

Hachette acquires Sunday’s “Kill to Love”

Penny Sunday Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Hachette Australia has acquired world rights to the novel Kill to Love by Penny Sunday after a 2-book auction with 5 bidders, in agent Chloe Berry’s first print deal since...

Pantera acquires Coombs Marr’s “Queerstralia” 

Photo of Zoë Coombs Marr. Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Pantera Press has acquired world rights to Queerstralia, comedian Zoë Coombs Marr’s exploration of Australia’s untold queer history. The book is a companion volume to the 2023 ABC documentary of...

Christmas Press acquires Cullen middle-grade novel

Photo of Brenton Cullen. Monday, 2 March 2026
Christmas Press has acquired world rights in The Secret of Panther Valley, a mystery/adventure novel for middle-grade readers by author Brenton Cullen, via Debbie Golvan of Golvan Arts Management. Staying...

Larrikan acquires Galatola picture book

Photo of Jess Galatola. Monday, 2 March 2026
Larrikan has acquired world rights to Jess Galatola’s The Witch Who Couldn’t Spell, illustrated by Lu Baker. The book follows the adventures of Wanda Spelled, “a little witch with a...

HarperCollins acquires Fineberg novel 

Warren Fineberg Monday, 2 March 2026
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Warren Fineberg’s novel A Boy from Buchenwald in a deal negotiated by Lyn Tranter at Australian Literary Management. According to the publisher, “A Boy...

Larrikin acquires Purcell novel

Thursday, 26 February 2026
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to John Purcell’s novel The Amateur’s Guide to Killing Bad Guys. The novel begins on the “worst day” of entrepreneur Matthew Burton’s life. “The...

Upswell acquires Scott-Patrick Mitchell poetry

Scott-Patrick Mitchell Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Upswell Publishing has acquired world rights to poet Scott-Patrick Mitchell’s next collection, Incantations to a Drowned Canyon. A Perth-based poet and spoken word performer, Mitchell published their first volume of...

A&U acquires Saunders’s “Fighting for Country”

Photo of James Saunders. Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to a new nonfiction title, Fighting for Country: The Extraordinary Life of Reg Saunders, Australia’s First Indigenous Military Officer, Hero of Two Wars by...

A&U acquires “Being” by Menzies & Menzies

Photo of Rachel and Ross Menzies. Monday, 23 February 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired Australian, New Zealand, Oceania and non-exclusive Southeast Asia rights to Rachel E Menzies and Ross G Menzies’s Being: Why It’s Harder to be Human Than...

HarperCollins acquires Ferguson’s narrative nonfiction

A photo of Kirstin Ferguson. Wednesday, 18 February 2026
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to narrative nonfiction by Kirstin Ferguson in a multi-book deal brokered by Key People Creative Management. Ferguson has worked as an officer in the Royal...

Text acquires Kernot’s “Night Swimming”

A photo of Sharon Kernot by Gary McRae. Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Text Publishing has acquired world rights to Night Swimming, a psychological thriller in verse by Sharon Kernot, in a deal brokered by Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. According to the publisher,...

Hardie Grant acquires Niland’s “Saint Peter”

A photo of Josh Niland. Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to Josh Niland’s Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse. According to the publisher, Saint Peter is “a definitive statement from one of Australia’s most original culinary...