Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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Rights and acquisitions >

Hachette acquires McNab book on mushroom poisonings 

Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Hachette Australia has acquired world rights to Recipe for Murder (Duncan McNab). The book, based on the arrest of Erin Patterson over the alleged killing of three people using poisonous mushrooms, was...

Walker acquires Zaslavsky nonfiction ‘Splodge!’ 

Photograph of Alice Zaslavsky Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Walker Books has acquired world rights to Splodge!, a middle-grade nonfiction book from cookbook author and media personality Alice Zaslavsky. The publisher said that this book ‘will look at everyone’s...

Pantera acquires Earp debut novel 

Photograph of Joseph Earp sitting in a chair in front of a window Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Pantera has acquired ANZ rights to Painting Portraits of Everyone I’ve Ever Dated, a debut novel by Joseph Earp, in a deal brokered by Jeanne Ryckmans at Key People Literary...

Good Thing Productions acquires ‘Cherrywood’ screen rights 

Cover of Cherrywood by Jock Serong Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Screen rights to the forthcoming novel Cherrywood by Jock Serong (Fourth Estate) have been optioned by Good Thing Productions, via Melanie Ostell Literary. Good Thing Productions’ recent screen projects include Nitram and Nude...

Pantera acquires Wright fantasy debut 

Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Pantera Press has acquired Skysong, a fantasy novel by debut author C A Wright. Skysong is a ‘beautiful, lyrical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale’ that follows Oriane, a...

Affirm Press signs Sweatshop mentees Nour and Barnette

Thursday, 14 March 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to books by Egyptian-Australian writer and journalist Daniel Nour and African-American Australian writer Tyree Barnette. Nour and Barnette were recipients of the 2021 Affirm...

S&S acquires three titles by Heiss 

Author photograph of Anita Heiss Thursday, 14 March 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to three new books by Anita Heiss, via Tara Wynne of Curtis Brown Australia. The first book, which has the working...

Sort Of Books acquires UK rights to De Kretser novel 

Tuesday, 12 March 2024
UK independent publisher Sort Of Books has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to Michelle de Kretser’s forthcoming novel Theory & Practice, via Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens & Rubenstein....

Affirm acquires Hardy’s ‘Unbury the Dead’ 

Thursday, 7 March 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world English rights to Unbury the Dead, a debut adult crime novel from Fiona Hardy, via Jacinta di Mase and Danielle Binks at Jacinta di Mase...

Ultimo acquires Khurana’s ‘The Passenger Seat’ 

An author photograph of Vijay Khurana Tuesday, 5 March 2024
Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to Vijay Khurana’s debut novel, The Passenger Seat, in a three-way acquisition deal via Philip Gwyn Jones at Greyhound Literary. Described by the agent...

S&S acquires Rogers novel in three-book deal 

Thursday, 29 February 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to Matt Rogers’ novel The Forsaken in a three-book deal via Daniel Pilkington. The publisher said The Forsaken is the first...

HarperCollins acquires Gorman’s ‘Lost Pleasure’ 

Photograph of Alyx Gorman Thursday, 29 February 2024
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Lost Pleasure: Searching for the sex straight women are missing by Alyx Gorman. Gorman is the lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia and has been writing...

S&S acquires Garside memoir ‘The Good Fight’ 

An image of boxer Harry Garside applying a hand wrap Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to The Good Fight, a memoir by boxer Harry Garside. Garside rose to prominence following his bronze medal win at the...

Pantera acquires Lenton debut ‘Spite Pie’ 

Author photograph of Patrick Lenton with a greyhound dog Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Pantera Press has acquired world rights to the debut novel Spite Pie by journalist and writer Patrick Lenton in a two-book deal brokered by Lou Johnson at Key People Literary...

Affirm Press sells screen rights to Funny Ethnics 

Funny Ethnics book cover, featuring an ibis holding a bubble tea drink while standing on top of a bin Thursday, 22 February 2024
Flying Bark Productions has optioned the screen rights to Shirley Le’s Funny Ethnics (Affirm), in a deal negotiated by Bold Type Agency on behalf of Affirm Press. The 2022 novel ‘catapults...

The Heart Is a Star screen option sold to Aquarius Films 

Thursday, 22 February 2024
The Heart Is a Star (Megan Rogers, HarperCollins) has been optioned by Aquarius Films, in a television deal negotiated by Zeitgeist Agency. The novel—Rogers’ debut—is ‘set predominantly in rugged Tasmania’,...

HarperCollins acquires Gardiner, Kumar cosy crime 

An image of authors Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar. Wednesday, 21 February 2024
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective, a forthcoming cosy crime novel from Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar, via Danielle Binks and Jacinta di Mase of...

UQP acquires Behrendt novel 

An author photograph of Larissa Behrendt. Tuesday, 20 February 2024
UQP has acquired world rights to Alchemy, a new novel from Larissa Behrendt. Alchemy is described by UQP as ‘an intertwining story about the blurred lines between science and supernatural, the...

A&U acquires Beer middle-grade novel 

Photograph of Sophie Beer Monday, 19 February 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Thunderhead, a debut illustrated middle-grade novel by picture book author and illustrator Sophie Beer, via Annabel Barker at Annabel Barker Agency....