As the Australian book trade approaches the crucial Christmas bookselling period, publishers do so with some relief that a key local channel to market has survived to sell books in Christmas 2024. Booktopia is an Australian-owned online-only bookseller established in 2004 and publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2020. When it entered voluntary…

See what Australian publishers have been signing recently in children’s and YA. Animals Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired rights to Bindi Irwin’s debut picture book, titled You Are a Wildlife Warrior! Saving Animals & the Planet, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, for publication in February 2025. The picture book, which the publisher said is ‘written…

Australian publishers are heading to Frankfurt with plenty of nonfiction titles on offer, from poetic memoirs to vibrant art books. Below, they share highlights they look forward to pitching at the fair. Life writing, politics and society Nonfiction specialists Black Inc. bring to Frankfurt ‘the gripping story of Australia’s first female crime writer and her…

Among recent book to screen adaptations, Cognito Entertainment, a new independent film and television production company in the United States, has optioned Every Version of You (Grace Chan, Affirm) for adaptation into an international feature film, in a deal negotiated by Bold Type Agency on behalf of Jacinta di Mase Management and Chan. Set in the ​near…

Earlier this year, publishing professionals Lou Johnson and Jeanne Ryckmans set up a new literary agency, Key People Literary Management. With a connection going back to their time as colleagues at Penguin Random House in 2000, Johnson and Ryckmans have worked across a wide range of publishing roles, and Ryckmans is also author of the recently…

Several prize-winning Australian authors will have new novels showcased at the fair. Waanyi (First Nations) author Alexis Wright, who is the only writer to have won both the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, has released Praiseworthy (Giramondo, April 2023). This new novel is ‘an epic set in the north of Australia, told with the…

Since the industry last gathered for a major rights fair, titles from Australian publishers have continued to sell into international markets, with a range of new and established authors’ works to enter new territories. Among these recent international rights sales of Australian titles, Echo has sold UK and Commonwealth (ex ANZ) rights to Debra Dank’s We…

Australian publishers are excited to pitch a wide range of fiction titles this year, including major award winners, debuts and follow-ups, in genres ranging from complex literary works to page-turning thrillers. Below are some titles Australian publishers look forward to highlighting at the fair. Literary and contemporary fiction After taking out the Australian awards that…