Photograph by David Hahn
SYDNEY, Thursday 6 March 2025 – HarperCollins Publishers Australia is thrilled to announce that they have acquired World rights to publish Pilbara by Australian bestselling author Judy Nunn, brokered by Brigitta Doyle, Publishing Director, and Roberta Ivers, Fiction and Non-fiction Publisher, with Karen Reid at Reid Books, to be published in November 2025. Judy Nunn is an Australian No. 1 bestselling author of more than twenty novels and collections of short fiction.
Pilbara, Nunn’s new novel, is set in the harsh, beautiful region in the north of Western Australia – an iconic Australian story about family, love and struggle, grit and cruelty, and the power of hope.
Brigitta Doyle, Publishing Director said: ‘Publishing Judy Nunn at HarperCollins is a dream come true. We have all watched Judy with admiration and awe over the years as she writes novel after brilliant novel. Judy IS Australian fiction – a writing powerhouse, a national treasure, a much-beloved author, and we’re so delighted she’s joined us, with a list that started with fellow luminaries like Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, writers who also knew how to move and thrill readers.’
Roberta Ivers, Fiction and Non-fiction Publisher, said: ‘I’m over the moon to be publishing the great Judy Nunn. I remember when I was a young editor just starting out and Judy’s first books showed us all what great storytelling could be – stories of love, belonging, struggle and hope, and all set in the dramatic landscapes of our extraordinary country. What I love about Judy’s writing is that she always engages with big questions about identity and belonging and who we are as a people, and readers are always swept away with her expert hand – her stories are always dramatic, always insightful, always moving and uplifting – head and heart fully engaged. Pilbara is her best yet, an iconic story about an iconic part of our country and culture, and the entire HarperCollins team is so excited about bringing Pilbara to readers for Christmas.’
Judy Nunn said, ‘I’m thrilled that my new novel Pilbara is to be published by such an iconic Australian publishing house as HarperCollins Australia. I’m so looking forward to working with their exciting and passionate team of true book lovers.’
Karen Reid said, ‘Judy Nunn’s new book, Pilbara, is set to be another spellbinding novel showcasing her exceptional storytelling skills and deep connection to Australia’s history and culture. We are looking forward to working with the energetic and passionate team at HarperCollins to ensure Pilbara reaches the widest possible audience and continues Judy’s legacy of Australian bestsellers.’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Judy Nunn AM is an Australian literary icon and master storyteller. With over twenty books over thirty years, and over a million copies sold in Australia alone, readers everywhere are passionate about her stories of her country and its people, told with Judy’s trademark authenticity and filled with unforgettable characters who live on long after the final page. From the stage to the screen and the page, Judy has always been a storyteller, and her significant service to the performing arts and to literature was recognised in 2015 when she was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
HarperCollins Publishers is the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 15 countries. With over 200 hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year, in over 30 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles.
Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Miles Franklin Award, the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the Booker Prize. Publishing Australian stories since 1888, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, incorporating the Angus & Robertson imprint, is Australia’s foundation publisher. For further information see www.harpercollins.com.au.
CONTACT
Nicola Woods
0434 602 622