Recent acquisitions

A bilingual picture book, YA verse novel, literary novella, novel and nonfiction: recent Australian acquisitions offer a breadth of perspectives.

As local titles are included in the catalogue for the IBBY–UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages, a local imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired its first bilingual work.

S&S imprint Bundyi Publishing is led by First Nations author and publisher Anita Heiss and recently announced the acquisition of world rights to the bilingual (English/Wiradyuri) children’s picture book ngurrumirgang ngarru, written and illustrated by Kalari Wiradyuri woman Dhani Gilbert.

The book about the blue-banded bee, journeying within beautiful riverine ecosystems, was acquired by Heiss, who sees it as a significant contribution to the UN’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

“From the moment I saw the first draft, I knew the value of ngurrumirgang ngarru; the story honours the enduring strength of Wiradyuri women and kinship, guiding us on Country for generation after generation,” said Heiss. “It centres Wiradyuri ways of knowing, being and doing by creating pathways for the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and language, carrying with it lessons of yindyamarra – going slowly, respectfully, with honour and care.” Bundyi plans to publish ngurrumirgang ngarru in early 2028.

Among Australian publishers’ other recent local acquisitions, several books reflect the diversity of titles being published by First Nations writers.

First Nations publishing house Magabala has acquired world rights to “powerful literary fiction novella” Children of Crows by Wiradjuri writer Sharleigh Crittenden, in a deal brokered by Rebecca Slater at a4 Literary.

Magabala said Children of Crows could be compared to Dept. of Speculation (Jenny Offill) and Swallow the Air (Tara June Winch), describing it as the story of a young Wiradjuri mother whose “past begins to press in from every direction” after her brother suddenly reappears. “As a pair of crows circle and settle, so too do old stories, wounds, and inheritances, disturbing the delicate equilibrium of suburban family life.”

“Children of Crows is an elliptical novella that invites readers into the charged space between thought and action,” said Magabala. “It explores grief, motherhood, mental illness, survivors guilt, and the uneasy work of imagining a future while attempting to find liberation from the past.” Magabala editor Arlie Alizzi said, “This is one of the most exciting and complex new pieces of Australian literary fiction I’ve read in a long time, by a sharp, thoughtful and brave Wiradjuri author whose work is going to make waves.” Magabala plans to publish Children of Crows in the second quarter of 2027.

Bruce Pascoe. Photo credit: Matthew Newton, Rummin Productions.

Also at Magabala, this time in nonfiction, Bruce Pascoe’s The European Mind: Colonialism, Capitalism, Christianity & How to Recover, a follow-up to his bestselling Dark Emu, is due to be published later this month on 29 September.

Described by the publisher as “a powerful global examination of Western power informed by a First Nations perspective”, The European Mind contends that European imperialism “was not only driven by economic and exploratory factors but motivated by a self-perpetuating belief based on moral superiority, racial hierarchy, spiritual entitlement and an insatiable greed paraded as benevolence and economics”.

“Framed by a First Nations philosophy, The European Mind challenges what we think we know about ‘history’ and picks apart beliefs and truths that sit at the heart of our society,” said Magabala.

Declan Fry.

Upswell Publishing has acquired world rights to Fantasy Ransom, the debut novel by Declan Fry, via Jenny Darling at Jenny Darling & Associates.

Set against a backdrop of political unrest and student demonstrations, Fantasy Ransom centres on a young university translator who is teaching a group of mainly Chinese students. “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,” said the publisher. The novel explores “the outer limits of desire, loss, and questions of shared culpability and shame”.

Fry is a descendant of the Yorta Yorta whose work has appeared in titles including Woven (Magabala, 2024) and Another Australia (Affirm, 2022). Of  Fantasy Ransom Fry said: “I wanted to write about parts of Australia we see every day yet often choose to ignore.” 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.” Upswell plans to publish Fantasy Ransom in April 2027.

Hayden Green.

Finally, in YA, HarperCollins Children’s Books has acquired world rights to YA verse novel Not Black Enough by Hayden Green in a two-book deal negotiated by Sarah McKenzie of Sarah McKenzie Literary Management after an “enthusiastic 4-way auction”.

Drawn from the author’s life, the debut explores “Aboriginal identity, race, masculinity and survival” and “asks who gets to belong, and who gets to decide”, said the publisher.

Green is “a proud Aboriginal man from the Darug and Gundungurra Mobs [who] has worked extensively in community, mentoring and advocacy roles supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people navigating education, employment and wellbeing systems”. His writing is grounded in lived experience, “particularly around identity, cultural visibility, burnout, and survival within institutions not designed for Aboriginal people”.

Green said, “Seeing my first book about to be published is still hard to believe. I don’t come from a writing background, and if you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be working with HarperCollins on a story inspired by my own experiences, I wouldn’t have believed you. Not Black Enough comes from experiences I’ve carried with me for a long time. It’s about what happens when you’re constantly measured against other people’s expectations of who you should be and where you should belong. While the story draws on my own experiences as an Aboriginal man, the questions it asks about identity, belonging and acceptance are ones many people face.”

HarperCollins Children’s Books plans to publish Not Black Enough in August 2027.

For more acquisitions news, see Think Australian’s sister publication Books+Publishing. 

Category: Think Australian rights