Tuesday, 21 October 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
UQP has acquired world rights for Blue Giant by writer and filmmaker Jordan Prosser.
The novel centres on disillusioned Melburnian millennial Abby Horne. “Abby once believed she was destined for great things, but her attempts at becoming an industry-disrupting fashion designer, a celebrity yogi and/or a renowned wildlife conservationist all went up in smoke,” said the publisher. “After a drunken bender, she wakes up one morning with an all-new, all-consuming purpose in life: to be the first person on Mars. As luck would have it, charismatic billionaire Tor Skovgaard is currently recruiting for a one-way mission to colonise the red planet through his mysterious new start-up, MarsNow. So begins Abby’s final, ill-fated quest for purpose, fame and fortune. And if she can’t be humanity’s saviour … she’ll settle for being its martyr.”
Prosser is an author and filmmaker living in Naarm/Melbourne. His writing has appeared in Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, the Guardian, the Age and Australian Book Review, while his short films and screenplays have won multiple international accolades. His short story “Eleuterio Cabrera’s Beautiful Game” won the Peter Carey Short Story Award in 2022. His debut novel, Big Time, released in 2024, was shortlisted for the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year at the ABIA Awards, and the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
“Blue Giant is a story very close to my heart; it’s my attempt to paint a heightened, satirical picture of how it feels to be alive right now, at a time when the demands of runaway capitalism and hyper-individualism sit so at odds with the collectiveness required to secure our very future as a species. Beyond that, it’s a story about one woman’s search for meaning,” said Prosser. “My hope is that, flawed though she may be, Abby’s last-ditch attempt at reclaiming that purpose – by whatever means necessary – will resonate with readers.”
UQP publisher Aviva Tuffield said, “A hilarious journey through the self-delusions of youthful idealism that come crashing down even as our protagonist is literally reaching for the stars. Jordan Prosser has a luminous imagination, with talent to burn. I can’t wait for readers to encounter this giant of a book.”
UQP plans to publish Blue Giant in August 2026.
Photo credit: Sarah Walker
Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions