Coleman’s ‘Terra Nullius’ sold to North America

Hachette Australia has sold US and Canadian rights to Claire G Coleman’s debut speculative-fiction novel Terra Nullius to US independent publisher Small Beer Press.

Small Beer Press publisher Gavin J Grant acquired the rights in a deal negotiated by Hachette rights and publishing manager Sarah Brooks.

‘I read about Terra Nullius in the Guardian and immediately asked Hachette to send us a copy,’ said Grant, who described the book as ‘ferocious, timely and thrilling’. ‘Claire Coleman’s novel reframes first contact between European and Indigenous Australians through a speculative-fictional lens. It deserves to be recognised as a classic of post-apocalyptic literature … and we’re over the moon to have the opportunity to launch her career in the US.’

Brooks told Books+Publishing she is excited to have found a US publisher for a novel ‘so deeply rooted in Australian history’. ‘The US has always been a tricky market to place books into,’ said Brooks. ‘Taking into account the profusion of home-grown US authors—not to mention the steady stream of books coming in from the UK—there’s never a lack of competition.’

Coleman won the 2016 black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship for her manuscript of Terra Nullius.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions