What Australian publishers are looking to acquire at Bologna
We ask Australians attending Bologna this year what they are looking to acquire – and what they are expecting to talk about with fellow attendees.
Miriam Rosenbloom, publisher and art director at Scribe’s children’s imprint Scribble, has attended Bologna ‘irregularly since 2017’, most recently in 2024. This year’s fair will be her fifth visit to Bologna.
What are you looking to acquire?
The honest answer is I’ll know it when I see it! But, beyond that, fiction picture books with exceptional illustration that share universal truths or insights, narrative nonfiction illuminating underrepresented topics, early childhood books that play with form, and junior graphic novels with excellent art and engaging stories.
What will you be chatting about?
There are many things to be concerned about currently on a global level, but I imagine that the book-related chat will be about challenges in trade book sales, the potential impact of tariffs, rising production costs, and the continuing trend of acquisitions of independent publishers by larger publishing houses and conglomerates.
Melena Cole-Manolis (left) of Magabala Books will attend Bologna Children’s Book Fair for the second time, having made her first visit in 2024. She will be accompanied by Kate McCormack (right), who has attended ‘numerous times’.
What are you looking to acquire?
Magabala isn’t looking to acquire this year.
What will you be chatting about?
We’re looking forward to hearing from other industry professionals about their thoughts on AI generation, geo-politics, world politics, book bans, and what’s happening in different markets. We’re also looking forward to connecting with other international First Nations publishers again.
With her previous role being at an exclusively adult publishing house, Erin Sandiford, rights and contracts manager at UQP (left), only attended Bologna for the first time in 2024. ‘Excitingly, this year, UQP received Creative Australia funding for Cathy Vallance [right], our new(ish)ly appointed children’s publisher, to attend Bologna for the first time in her career, too.’
What are you looking to acquire?
Cathy Vallance: I’m hoping to find some fantastic, high-quality stories with a distinctive hook or unique point of view that will appeal to young readers in Australia.
What will you be talking about?
Erin Sandiford: AI! AI! AI! Especially when it comes to illustrator copyright, I think that is an interesting topic. As always, I will have discussions with our international network at Bologna that align with UQP’s broader values as well as my own. Specifically, I want to speak to Canadian publishers, particularly, about the lack of First Nations middle-grade fiction on the shelves in Australia, and also, I look forward to conversations about introducing younger readers to stories (both fiction and nonfiction) about the genocide in Gaza in safe and appropriate ways.
Cathy Vallance: I’m beyond excited to be attending my first-ever Bologna Children’s Book Fair. I’m looking forward to meeting up with publishing folk from around the world and discussing the issues facing the industry, such as AI, declining literacy rates, and how to make books more accessible.
Carey Schroeter, rights and international sales manager, books for children and young adults at Allen & Unwin, first attended Bologna in 2016, with this year to be her eighth attendance at the fair.
What are you looking to acquire?
I only sell rights, but we do have the lovely Anna McFarlane, publisher, books for children and young adults, attending. Anna is looking for outstanding new talent in both writing and illustration, especially in the narrative nonfiction category, where stories are told from fresh or new perspectives, as well as publishers’ real passion projects.
What will you be chatting about?
International politics and its social and economic influence on local markets and reading choices.
Tash Besliev, publishing director, children’s at Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S), with responsibility for both S&S and Affirm Press titles, has attended Bologna ‘too many [times] to remember and bore you with’, most recently in 2024. This year, she will be attending with S&S Australia managing director Dan Ruffino.
What are you looking to acquire?
I’ll be on the lookout for middle-grade and teen/YA fiction and graphic novels, largely.
What are you hoping for at Bologna?
S&S and Affirm Press will be represented by the S&S foreign rights team, with Dan and I joining key meetings. I’m looking forward to meeting my new colleagues within the Simon & Schuster group and finding pathways for our Australian list through their networks, and I’m looking forward to seeing how our existing and new foreign publishing partners respond to our latest catalogue.
Cristina Pase, children’s publisher at Windy Hollow Books, will be attending Bologna for the fifth time, with her last attendance being in 2023. She says: ‘Although we have a great rights agent, it is so good to go to Bologna and establish relationships with other publishers, to understand their preferences and what is going on in their markets. As a publisher, I find it inspiring to see what other publishers are doing around the world and engage with how different markets manage challenges or opportunities – and to see if there are any ideas I can apply to my own publishing list.’
What are you looking to acquire?
Not acquiring.
What will you be chatting about?
Market decline; impact of economic and political instability on publishing.
Fiona Horman, managing director at Five Mile, first attended Bologna in 2024 – the first time Five Mile had its own stand at the fair (as part of the Australia Collective Stand). ‘We were welcomed warmly last year and made many new contacts around the world and signed seven deals from the show.’
Will you be acquiring at Bologna?
Yes, we look to acquire at all shows, as well to add to our range of children’s books.
What will you be chatting about?
We will be discussing what trends other publishers are seeing.
Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke, founder, managing director and publishing director at Berbay Books, will be attending Bologna for the 12th time, with her most recent visit being in 2024.
What are you looking to acquire?
We’re always on the lookout for something fresh, fun, and filled with hope – stories that stand out and bring a unique perspective to young readers.
What will you be chatting about?
A big conversation this year will be about nurturing creativity in an AI-driven world. How do we support and protect original storytelling and artistry in a rapidly evolving landscape? It’s a question that’s on everyone’s minds.
Picture credits: Photo of Erin Sandiford (cropped from original) by Darren James; photo of Cathy Vallance (cropped from original) by Bradley Kanaris.
Category: Think Australian feature
