Australian nonfiction at Frankfurt

UQP opens the Australian nonfiction offering with If Queers Weren’t Meant to Have Kids, a satirical picture book ‘that speaks directly to the complexities of queer parenthood, not just as a possibility, but as a radical act of love and resistance’. Rights and contracts manager Erin Sandiford expresses excitement to pitch the title, adding, ‘Parody adult picture books have traditionally sold well on the international rights market, especially in translation.’

In a title pitched as ‘a true crime book like no other’, Text brings together three well-known Australian nonfiction authors in The Mushroom Tapes, co-authored by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein. The authors ‘explore the gap between the certainties of the law and the messiness of reality, their own ambivalence about the true crime genre, and all that remains unknowable about Erin Patterson’.

Meanwhile, Scribe pitches a true crime title drawing from very different source material – the theft of thousands of rare butterfly specimens from a series of museums last century by Cambridge-educated amateur naturalist Colin Wyatt. ‘Along the way, award-winning journalist Walter Marsh reveals a deeper history of gentleman explorers, scoundrels, and grave-robbers that begs an uncomfortable but vital question: What if Western museums were crime scenes all along?’ adds the publisher.

From Melbourne Prize for Literature Writers Prize finalist Marika Sosnowski comes a book project, 58 Facets, in which the original essay expands ‘with additional narratives of Holocaust survivors and Israeli war criminals with Syrian activists, revolutionaries and dissenters’, in a work blending life writing and law. Melbourne University Publishing CEO and publisher Foong Ling Kong says the hybrid title contains ‘58 facets, 58 chapters, with lots of spaces in between to allow readers to walk with Marika and think of the instruments of the law – and the reality of small revolutionary acts that are often life-changing, generations-affecting.’

Forthcoming from NewSouth, this title from arts journalist Neha Kale weaves a ‘beautifully written investigation of the meaning of home, told through the lives of artists across the globe, ideal for fans of Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City,’ says publisher Harriet McInerney.

Text travels with another collaborative work from some well-known Australian writers, with the forthcoming work A Brief History of Climate Folly from Tim and Emma Flannery, in which the authors ‘tell the story of how human beings have tried to change the weather’. The publisher adds, ‘The book reveals an outrageous history of dreamers and schemers who wanted to bend the climate to their will.’

This forthcoming title from Pantera ‘reveals why we need plants and how they can save us’, featuring archival diagrams and botanic art from the Sydney Botanic Gardens. Publishing director Lex Hirst says, ‘Without plants, we wouldn’t have any medicine or food, and pollen can even be used to solve crimes. This unique blend of research, investigation and natural history unveils the fascinating world of botany, relevant around the world.’

Hungerford Award winner Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes’ memoir, የተስፋ ፈተና / Trials of Hope, is due for release through Fremantle Press early next year. CEO Alex Allan says, ‘Yirga’s profound, groundbreaking narrative weaves together stories of heritage and heartache, celebrating the beauty of Ethiopian culture while mourning its erosion – first under colonial forces, and later through internal conflict. Framing his work via the Ethiopian belief in the four elemental stages of human experience – water, fire, soil and wind – this is an essential exploration of the human condition, connecting readers to a nation of people whose sagacity and spirit have endured through generations.’

Allan describes this forthcoming memoir as ‘another warm embrace for the soul’, following the author’s previous release, A Year of Loving Kindness to Myself, also published by Fremantle. ‘Whether navigating the quirks of aging joints or pondering life’s mysteries, Brigid’s unabashed, sometimes edgy candour about aging gracefully (and sometimes disgracefully!), but always gratefully, makes for a wonderful companion,’ adds Allan.

Interactive Publications plans to pitch a hybrid multimedia play from David P Reiter, which tells of ‘the secret life of Tchaikovsky and his secret relationship with benefactor and confidant Nadezhda von Meck’, via thousands of letters of the two’s correspondence. ‘It was a classical case of what might have been, in a different time,’ adds the publisher.

Meanwhile, from the Australian Self Publishing Group comes paranormal memoir My Brutal Awakening. ‘Its powerful themes of resilience, faith, and confronting the unseen make it both timely and unique in the growing market for authentic supernatural memoirs,’ says the publisher. ‘It challenges scepticism and opens meaningful conversations about trauma, healing, and spirituality, making it a standout title with significant commercial and emotional impact.’

From Pantera comes full-colour title The Fair Share by content creator and The Dream Clean author Chantel Mila, which the publisher pitches as ‘a must-have home-organising bible’, which ‘will spark an all-important conversation about mental load and daily routines’. ‘ It offers a structured, practical four-week program that will change lives,’ adds the publisher, noting that Mila focuses on involving the whole household (including partners and children) in household chores.