Simon & Schuster Australia is thrilled to announce the acquisition of four romantic fiction backlist titles by Anita Heiss: Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Manhattan Dreaming and Paris Dreaming.  Originally published between 2007 and 2011, all four titles will be re-released between April and September 2023 featuring new cover treatments. Simon & Schuster Australia has previously published three other novels by Anita Heiss: Tiddas, Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms and, most recently, the critically acclaimed and bestselling Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray.

Anita said ‘I am so excited that Simon & Schuster are now the home to all my adult fiction and are giving my first novels a new lease on life. I wrote these modern-day First Nations women into Australian literature because they did not exist in any genre. In recent years we’ve seen a renaissance in Aboriginal writing with some of our key literary authors taking out prestigious awards including the Miles Franklin and the Stella prize, but that’s not enough. These novels are still filling the void of First Nations women’s voices and representation in Australian commercial fiction. They are still the only rom-coms by a First Nations author, in a landscape 

that in general, lacks diversity. And it is essential that just as we are in every aspect of the Australian story – political, cultural, social and geographical – we need to be represented in every genre of literature.’

Cassandra di Bello, commercial fiction publisher at Simon & Schuster Australia added ‘We couldn’t be more thrilled to be the home of all Anita Heiss’s fiction. Anita was well ahead of her time when she wrote her first novels and there is still a huge appetite for diverse commercial fiction. We hope that by putting them out to market again with fresh new packages, we’re able to answer some of that demand and encourage more First Nations voices in this space.’

Simon & Schuster Australia purchased the world rights to these title from agent Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown. All books will will reissued in April, May, August and September of 2023.