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Brow Books acquires Dao’s debut novel

Tuesday, 8 October 2019
Brow Books has acquired world rights to André Dao’s debut novel, which has the working title Anamnesis, or A Book No Longer Discussed Today. Set in Ho Chi Minh City,...

Masson joins MidnightSun with spec-fic YA novel

Monday, 7 October 2019
MidnightSun Publishing has acquired world rights to Sophie Masson’s YA speculative fiction novel The Ghost Squad. Set in ‘an alternative yet jarringly familiar reality’, The Ghost Squad follows 16-year-old Polly...

Australian novels, international rights: What’s the story? Part two

Wednesday, 2 October 2019
In the lead-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair on 16–21 October, Books+Publishing is publishing a three-part feature on Australian fiction rights sales by researcher Airlie Lawson. A PhD candidate at...

HarperCollins acquires former NSW homicide detective Jubelin’s memoir

Wednesday, 2 October 2019
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to former NSW homicide detective Gary Jubelin’s as yet untitled memoir. HarperCollins head of Australian nonfiction Helen Littleton acquired rights via Fordham Company CEO Nick...

Hachette acquires ‘On’ series from MUP

Wednesday, 2 October 2019
Hachette Australia has acquired world rights to Melbourne University Publishing's (MUP) 'On' series of essays. The deal was negotiated by MUP then-acting CEO Richard Tegoni. The list of over 30...

PRH sells ‘The Yield’ to US, France

Wednesday, 2 October 2019
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has sold Tara June Winch’s novel The Yield to publishers in the US and France. Pamela Malpas at Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency sold world English-language...

PRH sells ‘Jane in Love’ to US

Tuesday, 1 October 2019
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has sold North American rights to Rachel Givney’s forthcoming novel Jane in Love (Michael Joseph) to HarperCollins imprint William Morrow, via Daniel Lazar at Writers...

‘Dinner Detectives’ books to be developed for TV

Thursday, 26 September 2019
Melbourne-based production studio BES Animation has acquired world broadcast and digital content rights to self-published picture book series ‘Dinner Detectives’, with plans to develop the books into a multi-platform TV...

Windy Hollow makes first North American sale with ‘Ivy Bird’

Thursday, 26 September 2019
Independent children’s publisher Windy Hollow has sold North American rights to Ivy Bird (Tania McCartney, illus by Jess Racklyeft) to Blue Dot Books. The deal, negotiated by Natasha Solomun at...

Australian novels, international rights: What’s the story? Part one

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
In the lead-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair on 16–21 October, Books+Publishing is publishing a three-part feature on Australian fiction rights sales by researcher Airlie Lawson. A PhD candidate at...

Ventura Press acquires Dalgarno’s debut novel ‘Poly’

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Ventura Press has acquired world rights to Paul Dalgarno’s debut novel, Poly. The rights were acquired via Martin Shaw at Alex Adsett Publishing Services. Shaw described Dalgarno’s novel as ‘a...

Hoffmann’s ‘inclusive, uplifting’ picture books sold to US

Monday, 23 September 2019
Hardie Grant Egmont has sold US rights to Susann Hoffmann’s Girls are Pretty ... (smart, clever, fast) and Boys Will Be ... (kind, calm, creative) to Penguin Philomel. Girls are...

S&S acquires Mildenhall’s ‘The Mother Fault’ in two-book deal

Monday, 23 September 2019
Simon & Schuster (S&S) has acquired ANZ rights at auction to Kate Mildenhall’s ‘genre-busting’ sophomore novel The Mother Fault in a two-book deal, via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown. S&S...

A&U acquires ‘Larrimah’ for six-figure sum

Friday, 20 September 2019
Allen & Unwin has acquired rights to Larrimah: An outback town, a missing man and 11 people, who mostly hate each other by journalists Kylie Stevenson and Caroline Graham. ANZ...

NewSouth to publish Bryant’s debut ‘Hysteria’

Friday, 20 September 2019
NewSouth Publishing has acquired world rights to Hysteria, the debut nonfiction book by Adelaide writer Katerina Bryant, via Sarah McKenzie Literary Management. Hysteria is a hybrid memoir that explores chronic mental...

HarperCollins acquires rights to Hazlehurst’s memoir

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to actor Noni Hazlehurst’s memoir in a 'hotly contested' auction. The publisher said Hazlehurst, an award-winning stage and screen actor and advocate for children’s welfare,...

‘You Must be Layla’ sells to Puffin UK

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has sold UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to Yassmin Abdel-Magied's You Must Be Layla to Puffin UK, reports the Bookseller. Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-Australian writer,...

Black Inc. sells Glover’s ‘The Last Man in Europe’ to UK

Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Black Inc. has sold UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to Dennis Glover’s novel The Last Man in Europe to Edinburgh-based independent publisher Polygon. Glover’s novel, about the writing of...

Parrett’s ‘There Was Still Love’ sold to UK

Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Martin Shaw of Alex Adsett Publishing Services has sold UK and Commonwealth rights to Favel Parrett’s third novel, There Was Still Love (Hachette), to Francine Toon at Sceptre, Hodder &...

Walker acquires Neridah McMullin picture book

Monday, 16 September 2019
Walker Books Australia has acquired world rights to a new picture book by Neridah McMullin called The Drover. Based a true story, the book follows a young female drover as...

‘The Trespassers’ TV adaptation in development

Thursday, 5 September 2019
A TV adaptation of Meg Mundell’s novel The Trespassers (UQP) is being developed by Triptych Pictures and production company Fremantle. The screen rights were optioned via Alex Adsett Publishing Services...

Nine million books in Beijing: Jane Curry on the Beijing International Book Fair

Wednesday, 4 September 2019
Ventura Press founder and publisher Jane Curry attended this year's Beijing International Book Fair, which ran from 21–25 August. I am writing these words as I prepare to fly home...

Hardie Grant acquires second Clive Hamilton book on China; sells rights in four territories

Wednesday, 4 September 2019
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to a new book by Clive Hamilton on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) international influence. The book, titled Hidden Hand: Exposing how the...

Affirm signs White for third and fourth novels

Tuesday, 3 September 2019
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to two new novels by Christian White. Affirm Press publishing director Martin Hughes said: ‘Christian has worked so hard over the past 18 months, promoting...

Pantera acquires literary crime novel by Kimberley Starr in two-book deal

Friday, 30 August 2019
Pantera Press has acquired ANZ rights to literary crime novel Torched by Kimberley Starr, via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown, in a two-book deal. Set in a small town in...

UQP acquires new poetry collection by Ellen van Neerven

Thursday, 29 August 2019
UQP has acquired world rights to Ellen van Neerven’s second poetry collection, Throat. Throat is described by the publisher as 'a collection of poems about whiteness, climate change, extinctions; about...

Fremantle sells ‘Antarctica’ picture book to US

Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Fremantle Press has sold US rights to Moira Court’s forthcoming picture book Antarctica to Massachusetts-based children’s publisher Charlesbridge. ‘Charlesbridge’s roots are in nature nonfiction, which is what attracted them to...