Australian nonfiction at Frankfurt

There is a strong “how to” theme in the titles Australian publishers have highlighted for the fair: how to find the sublime in everyday life, how Zen helps light it up, or how not to lose yourself to AI. But there are books on art, health and history too. Read on to learn what gives them international appeal.

Art Mania: Geoffrey Bardon and the Painting Men of Papunya
Kitty Hauser
Giramondo
November 2026

Acquiring publisher Ivor Indyk said: “Kitty Hauser’s book Art Mania: Geoffrey Bardon and the Painting Men of Papunya is an acutely insightful portrait of art making, and of the mental health struggles of its protagonist, an important cultural figure who was undone by his own creative energies. While in essence an Australian story, it explores the limits of the biographical form, and how a writer can address the limits of what can and what cannot be known in intercultural and interpersonal encounters. It is an innovative work of biography, remarkable for its literary quality as much as the life and history it covers.”

Deep Regression
Luke Munn
Melbourne University Publishing
May 2027

Melbourne University Publishing publisher Foong Ling Kong said: “This is a book about the complicated times we live in. Mining the archives of hate, authoritarianism and fascism inherent in the contemporary proliferation of anti-Semitism, generative AI and influencer culture, Deep Regression sets out to examine how society has become so widely infected by toxic behavioural obsession and brutal expressions of violence.

“A timely book that decodes how different forms of digital media inculcate cultures of hate and promote and enhance fascistic tendencies in society.”

Hell Days: Into the Inferno of Hormonal Mood Disorder
Laura Elizabeth Woollett
Scribe Publications
September 2026

Scribe rights and contracts manager Alice Richardson said: “Hell Days is a game-changing, original and deeply compelling work that will appeal to readers of Esmé Weijun Wang, Rachel Cusk, Jia Tolentino and Olivia Laing. In investigating premenstrual dysphoric disorder through case studies, interviews, medical research, and forays into history, true crime and algorithmic rabbit holes, Woollett grapples with the contradictions of contemporary feminism and asks what might have been obscured by prevailing narratives of empowerment.

“Woollett’s fiction has drawn comparisons to Emma Cline, Jennifer Egan and Bernardine Evaristo among others, and her talent as a prose stylist is on full display in Hell Days. Dutch translation rights have sold to De Arbeiderspers and we expect more foreign interest in this unique and genre-bending work, one of the first books to explore this condition with such detail, insight and clarity.”

Publisher Marika Webb-Pullman said: “Navigating the impossible terrain between a potentially fatal disorder and treatments that can be almost as dangerous, Hell Days is a testament to the precarity and dignity of life as a periodically suicidal person in an often-brutal world.”

Living with Machines: How Not to Lose Yourself to AI
Ganna Pogrebna
Exisle Publishing
July 2027

Exisle Publishing managing editor Nathan Thomas said: “Even ahead of Frankfurt, publishers from across Europe and Asia have requested PDF previews of this book. With Ganna’s star rising on the heels of a recent Churchill fellowship, the Australia-based author has found a truly new way to approach one of the most important topics of the moment.

“It is not another book on AI; it is about being a human in a world increasingly mediated by these machines. It is the book we all need to read, whether we love these tools, hate them, or are vigorously trying to ignore them.”

An Ocean of Bright Stars: How Zen Helps Light Up Everyday Life
Sarah Kanowski
Murdoch Books
April 2027

Murdoch Books rights manager Lorraine Woodcheke said: “This book combines a highly accessible, zeitgeisty concept, with proven appeal in bestselling popular philosophy titles such as The Courage to Be Disliked, with a highly anticipated debut author. An Ocean of Bright Stars offers a fresh and distinctive angle within the self-help and wellbeing space, exploring with warmth, insight and humour how ancient Zen traditions can help us navigate the chaos of modern life.

“Sarah Kanowski is a trusted and deeply engaging guide, drawing on more than two decades of Zen practice as well as her celebrated career as one of Australia’s most accomplished interviewers and listeners. As co-host of Australia’s leading national interview program and podcast, ABC’s Conversations, Sarah has interviewed some of the world’s most influential writers and thinkers, including international bestsellers Gabor Maté, Stephen Grosz, Zadie Smith, Colm Tóibín and Claire Keegan.”

Publisher Justin Wolfers said: “I’ve long been a fan of Sarah Kanowski, having had many a ‘driveway moment’ listening to her on Conversations, often wondering what she’d have to say if the mic was turned to her. Finding out she had decades of history practicing Zen got me even more curious. When she sat down to write, it was like magic. I’m so excited for people to read this wonderful book, so full of insight, generosity and humour. I hope it can ignite all sorts of bright lights in people’s lives come April.”

The Outrageous Good Fortune of Living: How to Find the Sublime in Your Everyday Life
Jackie Bailey
HarperCollins Australia/ABC Books
July 2026

Key People Creative Management literary agent Jeanne Ryckmans said: “HarperCollins expects strong interest at an international book fair such as Frankfurt because of the universal theme of hope and ritual in a time of ‘lost’ religion and belief in a deity in the West, and as a counter to the narratives of negativity, doom and fatalism that increasingly prevail in our societies. Jackie Bailey offers something for the soul and a corrective tilt towards hope, growth and life. It would have natural appeal to an international readership.

“I am proud to have acquired award-winning author (2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Multicultural Award) Jackie Bailey’s thoughtful and honest guide to living gracefully, gratefully and meaningfully.”

Acquiring publisher Mary Rennie said: “Jackie speaks to people who have no religion but a yearning for the solace religion brings, and to people with belief or brought up in religious traditions through respect and the comfort of familiar – if readjusted – practices. Jackie’s book is a gift to readers who can only come away wiser and more alive.”

Women of the Future
Julienne van Loon
NewSouth
October 2027

NewSouth executive publisher Elspeth Menzies said: “In Women of the Future, novelist, nonfiction writer and academic Julienne van Loon celebrates the impact of the world’s leading female scientists who have dedicated their lives to fixing our planet – from Indian climate change expert Aditi Mukherji to US agronomist and climatologist Cynthia Rosenzweig. Blending science and life writing, this innovative literary work will appeal to readers of Maggie Nelson and Olivia Laing.”

Category: Think Australian feature