Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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Rights and acquisitions >

Allen & Unwin acquires Wills’s “Dopamining”

Black and white photograph of Samantha Wills Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Allen and Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Dopamining by Samantha Wills, via Samuel Bernard at Zeitgeist Agency. Part memoir and part cultural commentary, Dopamining examines “how we became...

Riveted Press acquires Sandhu middle-grade fiction

Photo of Jo Sandhu Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Riveted Press has acquired world rights to Khet and the Medallion of Ra by Jo Sandhu, via a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Queensland pitch event. The...

Allen & Unwin acquires James’s “The Wreck”

Photograph of Riley James Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to crime novel The Wreck by Riley James in a deal brokered by Caitlan Cooper-Trent of Curtis Brown Australia. In 1998, researchers...

“Hoods Landing” sells to Pushkin Press 

Cover of Hoods Landing Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Āporo Press has announced the sale of world all language rights (ex Aotearoa NZ in English and te reo Māori) to Hoods Landing by Laura Vincent to Pushkin Press, in...

RWAG acquires “The Weight of Witness” 

Monday, 25 May 2026
Readers and Writers Against the Genocide (RWAG) has acquired the anthology The Weight of Witness: The experiences of Australian and New Zealand medics in Gaza. The collection of essays about...

Allen & Unwin acquires Knight nonfiction

Photograph of Riley Knight Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to The Most Interesting People You’ve Never Heard Of by Riley Knight, via Florence Dodd at WME Agency. According to A&U, the book “brings...

HarperCollins acquires third Ringland novel

Photograph of Holly Ringland Monday, 18 May 2026
HarperCollins Australia has acquired The World Beneath Her Feet, the third novel by Holly Ringland. The World Beneath Her Feet tells the story of Maggie Byrd, a woman in her...

Allen & Unwin acquires Ryan’s “Eleven”

Photograph of Christian Ryan Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Eleven: We Burn Them in the Sun by Christian Ryan. The narrative nonfiction title about cricket is “a hugely creative work...

PRH acquires Leighton-Dore YA graphic novel

Illustration of a person in bed Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired “delightful new coming-of-age graphic novel” Willy by Samuel Leighton-Dore, illustrated by Jack Grayson. The title will also be developed as an animated series...

Bakers Lane acquires Craig’s “Flying Hearts”

Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Bakers Lane Books has acquired world rights to YA verse novel Flying Hearts by Rico Craig. Flying Hearts “celebrates teen friendship and love, as four teenagers – Telly, Karr, Ahmad...

UWA Publishing acquires Sniff Squad series

A border collie with author Nic Gill; and graphic novelist Jake Minton, credit Alexandra Phillips. Monday, 11 May 2026
UWA Publishing has acquired world rights to the 4-book series Sniff Squad by Tasmanian author Nic Gill, via Sarah McKenzie Literary Management. Inspired by real-life working dogs, the series will...

Transit Lounge acquires Myles’s “Hereafter”

Sarah Myles Thursday, 7 May 2026
Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to Sarah Myles’s third novel, Hereafter. Hereafter is “a remarkable novel that deftly explores themes of grief, trust, home and borders”, the publisher said....

Wakefield acquires Lenoir-Jourdan’s “Saltblood”

Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Wakefield Press has acquired ANZ rights to the debut YA novel Saltblood by Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan, via Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary. Described by the publisher as “Puberty Blues meets Looking...

A&U acquires “Twelve Months to Financial Freedom”

L-R: Canna Campbell and Michael Thompson. Credit: Rob Palmer Photography Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Twelve Months to Financial Freedom: Take Control of Your Money One Month at a Time by Canna Campbell and Michael Thompson, via Catherine...

A&U acquires Knox’s “The Second Child”

Photograph of Malcolm Knox standing in front of the ocean Monday, 4 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Malcolm Knox’s The Second Child, in a deal brokered by Jane Novak of Jane Novak Literary Agency. Following on from Knox’s...

A&U acquires Barry’s “The Big Steal”

Paul Barry Thursday, 30 April 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to nonfiction title The Big Steal by journalist Paul Barry, direct from the author. The Big Steal recounts the story of Sanjeev...

ASA/HQ Fiction Prize 2026 shortlist announced

ASA/HQ Fiction Prize logo Thursday, 30 April 2026
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HarperCollins publishing division HQ have announced the shortlist for the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript. The shortlisted works, chosen from...

Affirm Press acquires Byrt’s “Dying Days”

Anthony Byrt Wednesday, 29 April 2026
Simon & Schuster imprint Affirm Press has acquired world rights to spy novel Dying Days by Aotearoa New Zealand author Anthony Byrt, via Nadine Rubin Nathan at High Spot Literary. Dying...

“Pissants” to be adapted for television

Thursday, 23 April 2026
Filmmakers Jesse Laurie and Lewis Mulholland have optioned television rights to Pissants by Brandon Jack (Summit Books), via Alice Cottrell on behalf of the Jane Novak Literary Agency. Laurie, a...

Bakers Lane acquires Strauss’s “Holding Space”

Picture of Gina Strauss Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Bakers Lane Books has acquired world rights to the nonfiction title Holding Space by Gina Strauss. The publisher described Holding Space as a “hybrid memoir and professional guide offering reflections...

A&U acquires Jenkins’s “Bad Neighbours”

Joanna Jenkins Tuesday, 21 April 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to forthcoming crime novel Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins via Gaby Naher of The Naher Agency. Featuring Ruth Dawson, the main character...

HGCP acquires “Sagittarius Rising”

A photo of Maxine Beneba Clarke. She stand in front of a bookshelf. Thursday, 16 April 2026
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has acquired world rights to children’s chapter book Sagittarius Rising by author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Jade Goodwin. Senior publisher Chren Byng said, “For...

A&U acquires Keane’s “Seize the Moment”

Photograph of Bernard Keane Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Seize the Moment, a nonfiction title by Bernard Keane. According to the publisher, the book examines “how Australia can prosper in...