Dominic Amerena’s debut sells to Summit Books

ANZ rights to Dominic Amerena’s stunning debut novel, I Want Everything, have sold to Simon & Schuster, in a pre-emptive offer, from agent Grace Heifetz. It is Jane Palfreyman’s first fiction acquisition as publishing director of Summit Books, a distinguished literary imprint recently revived by Simon & Schuster. The book has also been signed by Ella Fox-Martens and Sophie Missing at Scribner UK, via John Ash at CAA.

I Want Everything is a novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition. The storied career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia’s last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the literary world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye, after a mysterious plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The only problem? He has to pretend to be someone he’s not to trick the story out of her.

Says Jane Palfreyman: ‘I was gripped from the first page of this intoxicating and electrifying novel, and knew instantly that I had to publish it. Dominic creates his own kind of literary mythology in I Want Everything as he cuts to the heart of literary ambition and creative inspiration with an unflinching and wicked eye. He’s a brilliant, original writer and I am thrilled to be working with him on this extraordinary debut and, I hope, many more novels to come.’

Dominic is an Australian writer whose work has been widely published and anthologised. He has won numerous prizes, scholarships, fellowships, and grants, most recently: the Hawthornden Fellowship, the inaugural Speculate Prize, an Australia Council New Work Grant and the Alan Marshall Short Story Award. Last year he completed a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of RMIT. Dominic lives between Melbourne and Athens, Greece.

Says Dominic, ‘This news came as a brilliant, thrilling shock. I Want Everything has taken the better part of four years to write, and I’m ecstatic it will soon be out in the world. It’s a huge honour to be the first fiction acquisition at Summit Books and to work with Jane, who has supported some of the most innovative and interesting writing in Australia. I couldn't be happier.’ 

I Want Everything will be published in mid-2025 in print, ebook and audiobook.