Latest acquisitions: Fiction and poetry

Among the new Australian fiction and poetry titles signed this year are books from familiar names, debut works, titles signed at competitive auctions, and a range of romcoms.

Fiction

Familiar names

Pan Macmillan Australia has acquired ANZ rights to Last One Out by Jane Harper. According to the publisher, Last One Out is a standalone mystery set in the dying town of Carralon Ridge, where Ro Crowley waits in vain for her son to return home on his 21st birthday. Pan Macmillan plans to release Last One Out in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on 14 October. The novel will also be published internationally by Flatiron in the US and Pan Macmillan in the UK with their own publication dates.

Summit Books has acquired ANZ rights to Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray, via Grace Heifetz at a4 Literary. ‘Set in Sydney over 18 years, Chosen Family follows Nell and Eve as they grow into themselves, as they both love and destroy each other, from school, to university, to careers, to motherhood,’ said the publisher. Overseas, Chosen Family was also acquired by Lettice Franklin at Orion (UK), via John Ash at CAA, and by Caroline Zancan at Mariner Books (North America), via Dana Murphy at Trellis Literary Management, on behalf of Grace Heifetz. Summit Books plans to release Chosen Family on 28 October.

Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired ANZ rights to A Far-flung Life by ML Stedman. The novel will be published simultaneously with Doubleday in the UK. PRH fiction publisher Beverley Cousins said, ‘Ten years in the writing, A Far-flung Life offers a truly immersive experience, transporting the reader to a sprawling sheep property in Western Australia and into the lives of the MacBride family. As with her debut, The Light Between Oceans, Stedman has written an unforgettable epic novel that is destined to be a global bestseller and an Australian classic.’ PRH plans to release A Far-flung Life in 2026.

PRH has also acquired ANZ rights for a new novel, When Sullivan Met Lola, by Monica McInerney, via Fiona Inglis at Curtis Brown. According to the publisher, When Sullivan Met Lola brings together two of McInerney’s previous characters into ‘a warm, funny and moving novel about unexpected friendships, lost loves, family secrets and long-hidden lies’. PRH plans to release the novel in 2026.

Text Publishing has acquired world rights to Miles Franklin winner Amanda Lohrey’s new novel, Capture, via Lyn Tranter. Capture follows psychiatrist James Mather, who begins a research project about people who claim to have been abducted by aliens. ‘Transcript-like interviews, with experiencers who claim to have been captured, are interwoven with a series of conversations between Mather and his young research assistant,’ said the publisher. Text plans to release Capture in the first half of 2026.

The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to A Short History of Longans, a new novel by Mirandi Riwoe, through Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown. UQP publisher Aviva Tuffield said Mirandi Riwoe’s ‘engrossing intergenerational story is told across four seasons, four time periods and in four distinctive registers, and starts in a recognisable-yet-altered future and weaves back in time to reveal one particular strand of the rich history of this continent’. UQP plans to release A Short History of Longans in 2026.

UQP has also acquired world rights to When I Am Sixty-four, an autofiction title by Debra Adelaide, via Jane Novak Literary Agency. Tuffield said, ‘This work of autofiction, based on the close friendship between two women, now in their 60s, who are both writers and have known each other since high school, is nothing less than mesmerising.’ UQP plans to release When I Am Sixty-four in April 2026.

New works and experimental writing

Text Publishing has acquired world rights to The Minstrels by Eva Hornung, via Jenny Darling & Associates. The Minstrels follows the Thurston family, farming land overlooked by the Minstrels, the plunging gorge where young people go to ‘enact their dangerous rituals and desires’, said the publisher. Text senior editor Mandy Brett said, ‘It’s always been a privilege to publish Eva Hornung, but The Minstrels is her tour de force: a big, beautiful and deliciously weird novel, both serious and playful, that is simply a pleasure to read.’ Text plans to release The Minstrels in March 2026.

Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand (A&U NZ) has acquired world rights for Good Things Come and Go by Josie Shapiro. Publishing director Michelle Hurley said, ‘Good Things Come and Go is a hypnotic novel about friendship, grief, betrayal and ambition.’ A&U NZ plans to release Good Things Come and Go in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia on 4 November.

Transit Lounge has been on an acquisition spree. The company has acquired world rights to Rite of Spring, a new novel by Kris Kneen, via Jane Novak Literary Agency. Transit Lounge publisher Barry Scott said, ‘I love the way Kneen’s novel so beautifully fuses place, psychological drama, the mystery of the ocean and the personal search for a centre. It’s the sort of knockout book that only an experienced writer could deliver. It is a wildly sexual novel about a woman on the cusp of menopause but much more besides.’ Transit Lounge plans to release Rite of Spring in July 2026.

Transit Lounge has also acquired world rights to Crimson Velvet Heart, a new novel by Carmel Bird. ‘This sumptuous historical novel centres on Marie Adelaide of Savoy, Louis XIV, and Adelaide’s childhood friend who later becomes a nun, [and] revels in the secret tales and intrigues of late 17th and early 18th century France,’ said Scott. ‘It has all of Bird’s bravura style, cut through with a compelling psychological and moral intensity and a pervading sense of loss.’ Transit Lounge plans to release Crimson Velvet Heart in November.

In further acquisition news, Transit Lounge has acquired ANZ rights to author Adam Ouston’s second novel, Mine, via Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. According to Shaw, Mine has been composed in one complete sentence. The novel follows a poet, academic and activist in his 70s trapped at the bottom of an abandoned gold mine in Tasmania. Transit Lounge plans to release Mine in August 2026.

And finally, Transit Lounge has also acquired world rights to The Phantom Surrealist by Geoffrey Gates. Scott said, ‘The Phantom Surrealist is a truly intriguing novel that at its heart captures the ways in which surrealism shook up the staid Australian art world and captured a generation of young radicals. It is also a novel that seamlessly crosses genres, combining elements of mystery fiction and a love story. I was hooked from the beginning.’ Transit Lounge plans to release The Phantom Surrealist in September 2026.

Debut authors

Atria Books Australia, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia, has acquired world rights to Hate You to Love You by bookseller Joshua Hortinela in a two-book deal through Daniel Pilkington at the Pilkington Agency. Publisher Anthea Bariamis said, ‘I’m incredibly excited to be working with Josh on his gorgeous, tender-hearted debut. He infuses emotion into his writing so beautifully, and I know it’s going to make readers heart-sore in the best way. I feel so lucky to be Josh’s champion and editor, and I know this is only the first of many uplifting stories he’ll share with the world.’ Atria Books plans to publish Hate You to Love You in September 2026.

Text Publishing has acquired world rights to debut romcom Side Character Energy by Olivia Tolich, in a deal brokered by Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. Side Character Energy follows character Gertrude, whose best friend, Bee, has finally found her Mr Right in ‘attractive, mature’ William, ‘after a series of Mr Wrongs’. Text editor Mandy Brett said, ‘A lot of craft goes into creating effortless fun. Olivia Tolich is a master of her craft.’ Side Character Energy is scheduled for release in February 2026.

Hachette Australia has acquired ANZ rights to Theodora’s Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones in a joint acquisition with Wildfire, an imprint of Headline, taking UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, via Anna Carmichael at Abner Stein, in a ‘hotly contested’ international auction. Hachette head of fiction Rebecca Saunders said, ‘I knew within seconds that I wanted to publish Christy’s breathtakingly imagined novel. It is so beautifully written and enchanting; think Howl’s Moving Castle, The Night Circus and Emily Wilde’s series of novels.’ Theodora’s Tea Shop is planned for simultaneous release in Australia and the UK in late July 2026.

WestWords Books has acquired world rights to Swallow by Alexandria Burnham. Acquiring publisher Michael Campbell said, ‘If this was just one of those “important Australia stories” about our convict past, or just a rollicking adventure on the scale of Patrick O’Brien, Bernard Cornwell and C S Forester, it wouldn’t have been a WestWords book. But it is also a novel about the nature of love itself, who you can and can’t love, and how to break not only society’s shackles but also the prisons we make for ourselves.’ Swallow is scheduled for release on 1 November.

Crime

Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Christian White’s upcoming crime novel, The Long Night, via RGM Artists. Affirm Press publishing director Cate Blake said, ‘Christian has been at the forefront of Australian crime writing for years now, and The Long Night is his most gripping book yet. Wildly propulsive and cinematically intense, this is guaranteed to keep readers up for their own long night as they race to the heart-stopping ending.’ Affirm plans to publish The Long Night in November.

A&U has acquired ANZ rights to Jack Heath’s crime novel Kill Your Boss, via Alexandra Christie from Curtis Brown Australia. A&U acquiring publisher Annette Barlow said, ‘Kill Your Boss thrusts Jack’s popular detective Kiara Lui right back into the centre of an investigation that really tests her. The action is fast, darkly funny and compulsive – I couldn’t put it down. It’s a perfect follow-up to Jack’s acclaimed bestselling Kill Your Husbands and an equally perfect Christmas gift.’ A&U plans to release Kill Your Boss in November.

A&U has also acquired world rights to a new crime novel, The Hidden, by Bryan Brown. ‘Someone is preying on the women of The Heads,’ read the synopsis. ‘And what does the discovery of buried roosters in the forest mean to a young boy traumatised by the death of his mother?’ Barlow said, ‘Bryan Brown’s writing is fierce, gripping, spare and uniquely Australian – it’s a privilege to publish him.’ The Hidden is scheduled for publication in November.

Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to SD Hinton’s new crime novel, Inlet Bridge, via Sarah McKenzie Literary Management. Scott said, ‘This is a brilliantly written, taut and fast-paced crime thriller. SD Hinton has a true flair for captivating characters, and Inlet Bridge is brimming with tight prose, provocative dialogue, gallows humour and a final twist that turns your understanding of the story on its head. I devoured the novel in a day.’ Inlet Bridge is set to be published in November 2026.

Echo Publishing has acquired world rights to Dark Desert Road by Tim Ayliffe, via Jeanne Ryckmans at Key People Literary Management. According to the publisher, Dark Desert Road is Ayliffe’s first standalone crime novel. The story follows twin sisters – Kit, a police officer, and Billie, who lives a life of crime. Echo Publishing plans to release Dark Desert Road in February 2026.

Thriller

PRH has acquired Oceania rights to The House at Hanger Hill by Ashleigh Mounser, via Michaela McGuire at a4 Literary in a two-book deal. According to the publisher, The House at Hanger Hill is a ‘dark psychological suspense set in an old house in Canyonleigh’, regional NSW. Internationally, The House at Hanger Hill was also acquired for simultaneous publication by Catherine Richards at Minotaur Books/St Martin’s Press (North America), via Gráinne Fox at UTA, and by Zulekhá Afzal at Baskerville/John Murray Press (United Kingdom), via Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates, on behalf of Michaela McGuire. PRH plans to release The House at Hanger Hill in early 2027.

Romcom

A&U has acquired world rights to Power Moves, Leesa Ronald’s second romcom novel. In Power Moves, ‘a workaholic communications staffer is determined to guide her beloved boss to a stunning re-election win,’ said the publisher. ‘The only thing standing in her certain path to success is her nemesis – an ex-rugby star she’s known since university, who is now a political journalist wunderkind.’ A&U plans to release Power Moves in December.

HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, has acquired ANZ rights to Better Than the Real Thing by Brooke Crawford in a two-book deal, via Samuel Bernard at Zeitgeist Agency. According to the publisher, Better Than the Real Thing is ‘an ode to the joys of grown-up romance, complex lives and second chances’. The story follows Netta, who finds an old diary in her house that belongs to ‘internationally famous rock star Morrison ‘Mo’ Maplestone, and the last thing he wants is for the contents of the diary to be made public’. He offers Netta a ‘life-changing amount of money’ to return the diary to him in person, in London – a city she swore to never return to. HQ plans to publish Better Than the Real Thing in December.

Speculative fiction

Atria Books has acquired world rights to Luke Bateman’s debut fantasy series in a two-book deal, via Sean Anderson and Tim Wall at 22 Management. According to the publisher, Bateman’s series will be an ‘epic quest’ with themes of love, conflict and redemption. Bateman is a writer, poet, and former NRL player with the Canberra Raiders. Atria plans to release the first book in the series in early 2027.

Poetry

UQP has acquired world rights to After War, the debut poetry collection from Dženana Vucic. Tuffield said, ‘[Vucic’s] first poetry collection is a standout: multilingual, lyrical, experimental and wide-ranging; reflecting on familial violence and separation, migration, refugee experiences and Islamophobia, among other things. Across the collection, readers are variously located as “outsiders” to certain historical moments and, at others, situated as “insiders” and implicated in the silences and structures that enable acts of violence, whether on families, communities or the environment. This is a searing debut whose power lies in its strength [and] clarity of vision.’ UQP plans to publish After War in May 2026.

Pictured (left–right): Jane Harper (credit: Smart Photography) and Dženana Vucic (credit: Leah Jing McIntosh).

Category: Think Australian rights