Australian fiction at Frankfurt

Romance, murder, history and “intellectually ambitious literary fiction”: Australian titles on offer at the fair have all fiction bases covered. Read on for a primer and visit the Australian stand to learn more.

Bad Art
Miranda Michalowski
Jane Novak Literary Agency
Release date to be decided

Jane Novak Literary Agency said: “Bad Art is a darkly funny, razor-sharp debut novel with the kind of strong voice international publishers are looking for right now. This novel has the unhinged romantic obsession of Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, the early-20s messiness of Green Dot by Madeleine Gray, the duplicitous scheming of Fruit Fly by Josh Silver and the sharp humour of Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler. In short: it’s amazing! Sexual politics, a campus setting, feminine rage, lust, jealousy and revenge … Bad Art has it all.”

The Book of the After
Rebecca Higgie
Fremantle Press
October 2026

Fremantle Press head of sales and marketing Claire Miller said: “The Book of the After is a literary love story with a political heart that spans centuries and crosses continents. The novel operates on a simple premise: what if there was a book, authored by the dead, that could tell us the truth about death? In 2049, this tome is a cult classic, claiming that the dead linger as spirits for as long as they are remembered by the living. The long-remembered – the people we turn into history – continue on, watching their ancestors walk across the sands that buried their ancient kingdoms.”

Fremantle CEO Alex Allan said: “The Book of the After unites the genres of speculative, supernatural and literary fiction, while honouring the tradition of great love stories. It invites the reader to reflect on how politics, love and storytelling evolve in a radically changed world. This epic story of a mysterious book and the legacy of the world’s first author is a gift for book lovers around the world.”

The Department
Dan Dixon
University of Queensland Press
March 2027

Rights and contracts manager Erin Sandiford said: “I expect The Department by Dan Dixon to attract strong interest at Frankfurt because it sits at the intersection of some key trends currently performing well in translation, particularly: intellectually ambitious literary fiction and institutional satire – its critique of corporatised academia is globally recognisable. Dan Dixon’s blend of grief, climate anxiety and absurdist humour will appeal to publishers and readers who have embraced authors such as Rachel Cusk, Ben Lerner and Katie Kitamura. Cusk’s books have been translated into something like 33 languages; Kitamura’s into 28 or so. Dixon has the same literary identity that international publishers are obviously seeking.”

Publisher Aviva Tuffield described the novel as “a superb satire that riffs on the state of the humanities and the corporatisation of universities, interwoven with a story of personal grief as well as solastalgia, set as it is against the backdrop of the 2022 Brisbane floods”.

“Dixon’s novel of ideas is a rich and rewarding reading experience: thought-provoking, moving and deeply recognisable in its absurdity,” said Tuffield.

Fantasy Ransom
Declan Fry
Upswell Publishing
April 2027

Upswell publisher Terri-ann White said: “I’ve been following Declan’s manoeuvres across Australian literary fields for all of his active years to date and am delighted to be entrusted with his first novel, an assured work full of intrigue and a visceral precision rare in the manuscripts I receive. His vivid scenes have stayed with me.

“Fantasy Ransom tells the story of a young translator teaching a cohort of predominantly Chinese students at a local university during a period of political confrontation and student protests. Fantasy Ransom explores the outer limits of desire, loss, and questions of shared culpability and shame. Attempting to make sense of his place in the city before his partner returns home, his life becomes increasingly entangled with the lives and histories of those he teaches and works with.”

The Forbidden Italian
TL Swan
Arndell
February 2027

Keeperton rights and publishing manager Jodie Moore said: “We expect strong interest in The Forbidden Italian due to TL Swan’s established global readership and proven international success. An international bestselling author published in over 20 languages, TL Swan is best known for her bestselling “Miles High Club” series. The Forbidden Italian combines her signature emotional romance and chemistry with crime and suspense in an evocative Italian setting, giving it strong commercial and translation potential.”

Acquiring publisher Fiona Hazard said: “The Forbidden Italian is an irresistible blend of romance, crime and suspense. TL Swan’s signature style delivers powerful chemistry, emotional intensity and compelling characters, while the Italian setting transports readers into a world of passion, glamour and danger that feels both seductive and immersive. We were particularly drawn to the compelling mix of romance and suspense, with the crime element keeping the story gripping throughout.”

Murder Is Cheaper Than Therapy
Kate Emery
Allen & Unwin
April 2027

Rights and international sales manager Sandra Buol said: “From a rights perspective, Murder Is Cheaper Than Therapy feels incredibly sellable. Kate is a fantastic writer and has already built an international profile through her YA novels, which have sold in North America and France. We’ve already sold North American rights of Murder Is Cheaper Than Therapy in a two-book deal to Minotaur/St Martin’s Press following an auction, which is a great endorsement of her move into adult fiction. It’s a highly commercial mystery with a brilliant hook, a very funny voice and a character you immediately want to spend time with. I’m hoping we can build on both her YA success and the North American deal to introduce Kate’s adult fiction to publishers in lots of other territories.”

Acquiring publisher Genevieve Buzo said: “We acquired Kate Emery’s first adult novel, Murder Is Cheaper Than Therapy, because we loved its mix of crime, comedy and a heroine who finds herself completely out of her depth. Hetty inherits her estranged father’s rundown house (in this economy? A total win!), a spectacularly overweight cat and a shambolic private detective agency – as well as the unfinished case he was working on when he died. It’s a fresh and very funny take on crime fiction, with the darkly comic appeal of Shailee Thompson’s How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates and Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family. It has a distinctly Australian flavour, but the humour, great premise and mix of crime and comedy will translate really well for international readers who enjoy their crime fiction with a twinkle in its eye and a cheap pub wine in its hand.”

Old Wounds
Michael Brissenden
Summit Books
September 2027

The Pilkington Agency literary agent Alice Cottrell said: “Michael Brissenden is one of Australia’s most respected journalists and broadcasters. His most recent novel, Dust, was a number-one Australian fiction bestseller for two weeks in a row and has sold over 14,000 copies. His upcoming novel, Old Wounds, marks an exciting evolution in his crime writing. It has the pace, authority and political intelligence readers expect from him, while also drawing on his experiences reporting from Bosnia to bring a deeper emotional charge to the themes of displacement, silence, inherited trauma and the debts that pass between generations. This is a novel that combines a gripping plot with real moral weight, emotional depth and a strong sense of place. Readers won’t be able to put it down!”

Summit Books publishing director Jane Palfreyman said: “Michael Brissenden writes bestsellers with the layered depth and brilliant characterisation of Chris Hammer, the narrative complexity of Michael Robotham and the nuance and razor-sharp insight of the respected journalist that Brissenden was before he took to crime. His work is thoughtful, propulsive and a joy to read.”

The Parisian Corset
Katrina Lawrence
HarperCollins Australia
December 2026

HarperCollins rights manager Airlie Lawson said: “Set primarily in Paris, immediately before and during World War II, Katrina Lawrence’s The Parisian Corset is a captivating blend of glamour, intrigue and romance. North American English language rights have already been snapped up and, importantly, so have French language rights, which tells us Katrina’s convincingly captured the period. In a crowded market, this is a real selling point. It’s got all the elements needed for a terrific TV series too, so I’m also expecting screen interest.”

HarperCollins commercial fiction publisher Anna Valdinger said: “Katrina’s fascination with the French Vogue team’s experiences during World War II has given us an utterly absorbing novel with all the elements we love in this genre – a mystery based off a real photograph, wartime hardship and the ingenious spirit of resistance, romance and a heroine for readers to adore. I loved this from the first page and I know all readers of Natasha Lester, Christine Wells and Kate Quinn will agree!”

Small Rooms
Anneliz Marie Erese
Black Inc.
March 2027

Black Inc. publisher Sophy Williams said: “Gripping, poetic and sensual – this is the much-anticipated debut novel by winner of the Deborah Cass Prize and Faber Writing Academy Scholar, Anneliz Marie Erese. Anneliz was mentored by Emily Bitto and Miles Allinson during the writing of the book, which draws on the author’s lived experience of being an international student in Melbourne and having to build a life after a break-up.

“I think Small Rooms will resonate with international audiences, given it’s a fish-out-of-water story and explores the difficulties of finding meaning, love and friendship in an increasingly dislocated world.”

Something That Never Existed in the First Place
Aisling Smith
Ultimo Press
December 2026

Ultimo Press rights manager Katy McEwen said: “Something That Never Existed in the First Place is a truly international novel, with four cleverly interlinked stories set in four different cities around the world – Porto, Paris, Austin and Melbourne. The stories cover universal themes of intimacy, isolation and the beautiful, painful reality that some feelings simply cannot be translated. Readers are drawn into the world of the private language spoken by every couple, impenetrable to others, and the idea that while some words have no direct translation, the love between two people is also fundamentally untranslatable to anyone outside. A thought-provoking interrogation of love and relationships with broad appeal.”

Ultimo Press publishing director Robert Watkins said: “Four untranslatable words form the core of this story. Through linked vignettes, we get to see our characters play out those words through their relationships. I’d be very surprised if you did not see yourself on that page, through the eyes of those characters experiencing love, lust and loss. I can’t wait for you to read it.”

Survival Notes
Michelle Haines Thomas
Text Publishing
January 2027

Rights and contracts director Anne Beilby said: “Survival Notes is Text’s debut crime fiction title for the first half of 2027. Readers will love this race-against-time thriller set in a town full of characters with their own challenges and secrets.”

Acquiring publisher Penny Hueston said: “Michelle Haines Thomas takes us into the hearts and minds of characters confronting their worst nightmare. Survival Notes is a superlative heart-in-your-mouth thriller.”

Swimming Backwards
Helen M Jones
Bakers Lane Books
March 2027

Bakers Lane Books publisher Ginny Grant said: “From the moment we announced the acquisition of Swimming Backwards, it has drawn interest from literary agents and scouts as well as the public. The story of a mother’s grief following her son’s death and pursuit of the truth, we believe Swimming Backwards would travel well internationally and has strong screen adaptation potential. Swimming Backwards was shortlisted in the inaugural Fearless Prize 2026, co-judged by Bakers Lane Books publisher Ginny Grant and acclaimed author Emily Bitto.

“It has also attracted several glowing early reviews and endorsements, including this from reviewer Gabrielle Mace: ‘Extraordinary craftsmanship … Swimming Backwards is an unforgettable exploration of grief, family and what it means to keep searching when there are no easy answers.’

“In addition, we have already acquired Jones’s second novel, Alice Comes Home, which will be published in 2028, one year after the release of Swimming Backwards.”

Grant said: “Among the wealth of manuscripts we received for the 2026 Fearless Prize, Swimming Backwards was an early frontrunner. It is a deeply affecting study of grief and ultimately a call for women to be daring and bold, just as our Fearless Prize invited them to do.”

Category: Think Australian feature