Penguin acquires debut novel from Hayes
Penguin Random House has acquired ANZ rights to Antonia Hayes’ debut novel Relativity at auction.The publisher described the novel as ‘an irresistible story about science, love, unbreakable bonds and irreversible...
Penguin UK to publish videogame tie-in magazine
In the UK, Penguin has acquired world rights to a new Skylanders Universe magazine based on the Skylanders videogames, reports the Bookseller. This is the first licensed magazine acquisition for...
Scribe acquires book on meth addiction expanded from ‘Saturday Paper’ article
Scribe has acquired world rights to The Ice Age: A Journey into Crystal Meth Addiction by freelance journalist Luke Williams, an expanded version of an article by Williams published in...
UQP signs Rowe, O’Reilly and Lamb
UQP has acquired a novel-in-progress by Josephine Rowe, a short story collection by Paddy O’Reilly and a biography of Thea Astley by Karen Lamb. Rowe, who is currently a Stegner...
Momentum acquires NT-set YA fantasy series and rural romance
Momentum has acquired two books in a YA crossover fantasy series by Justin Woolley and a yet-to-be-titled medical rural romance by Nicki Edwards. Woolley’s books have been acquired in a two-book...
HarperCollins completes acquisition of Harlequin
HarperCollins’ parent company News Corp has completed its acquisition of Harlequin from Torstar Corporation for C$455 million (A$447 million), reports Publishers Weekly. As previously reported by Books+Publishing, the acquisition was...
Scribe acquires bookseller’s award-winning debut in two-book deal
Scribe has acquired Fever of Animals by Miles Allinson, the winning entry in the 2014 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. Scribe acquired world rights in the novel...
Black Inc. acquires first YA novel
Black Inc. will publish its first YA novel in October.Nona and Me by Clare Atkins is the story of a friendship between Rosie, a white girl, and Nona, an Aboriginal...
Exisle acquires Rennie’s ‘Art in Nature’
Exisle has acquired Art in Nature, the first book by photographer David Rennie. Rennie was the 2013 winner of the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition. His...
HarperCollins signs three-book deal with bestselling self-published author
HarperCollins has signed a three-book deal with self-published Perth author Lili St. Germain. St. Germain’s self-published ‘Seven Sons’ series—a ‘dark romance set in the outlaw world of biker clubs’—has sold nearly...
Affirm to publish Gilchrist autobiography
Affirm Press has acquired the rights to publish former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist’s illustrated autobiography.The self-titled book, which follows Gilchrist’s 2008 autobiography True Colours (Pan Macmillan), will feature ‘hundreds of...
Sleepers signs first memoir
Sleepers Publishing has made its first nonfiction acquisition with a memoir from editor Paul Dalgarno. Publisher Louise Swinn told Books+Publishing that Sleepers was ‘thrilled’ to be publishing the as-yet-untitled memoir...
HarperCollins to acquire Harlequin
HarperCollins has agreed to acquire Harlequin for C$455 million (A$446 million), reports Publishers Weekly.The purchase still requires the approval of the US and Canadian governments. In Australia, the Australian Competition...
Hachette Australia to publish ‘MKR’ contestants’ cookbook
Hachette Australia has acquired the rights for Taking You Home: Simple Greek Food by My Kitchen Rules contestants Helena and Vikki Moursellas.The Moursellas participated in the latest season of the popular television series before...
Penguin Australia to publish new Toltz novel in 2015
Penguin Australia has acquired Quicksand, the second novel by Steve Toltz, whose debut A Fraction of the Whole was published by Penguin in 2008.A Fraction of the Whole was shortlisted...
Will Amazon-acquired Goodreads start selling books?
Amazon has acquired book-recommendation website Goodreads amid speculation that the site will soon incorporate a retail component, reports Publishers Weekly. When asked whether Goodreads will start selling books, Russ Grandinetti,...
Phaidon Press sold to Black family
Phaidon Press has announced it has been acquired ‘from Richard Schlagman by the Leon D Black family’, but has not revealed terms of the acquisition. Schlagman, who acquired the publisher...
A&U advertises for new Murdoch Books staff
Allen & Unwin is advertising for four new staff members, including two publishers, to work within the Murdoch Books business, which it acquired this month. A&U is advertising for a...
DA acquires library division of Foreign Language Bookshop
DA Information Services has announced it has acquired The Foreign Language Bookshop's library division. The division, now called Languages Direct, supplies LOTE (Languages Other Than English) books and audiovisual material to...
In brief
Redundancies at New Holland UKNew Holland has announced seven redundancies in its UK office. ‘We were already having a difficult year, due to the absence of a fully staffed rights...