News, Advice & Skill-Sharing
Keep up to date with the latest news, opportunities and expert perspectives through SPN’s discussion groups, emails, and networking events.
Documents & Resources
Get access to documents that help you as a writer or publisher, including the ASA Model Publishing Agreement for Full Members.
Discounts & Services
Discounts on core services like advertising, digital distribution, B+P subscription, Australian Booksellers Association membership and Australia Post discount —
Welcome to SPN
Small publishers: a vital component of Australian literary culture
Australia’s small publishers produce award-winning fiction, critical non-fiction, acclaimed journals and magazines, and serve as the launching pad for some of our favourite authors.

Booksellers, librarians and readers: find out what’s new from Australian small and indie publishers!
Awards
SPN Book of the Year Award
Uncovering and celebrating the hidden gems of Australian publishing.
We are excited to announce the winners of the 2021 SPN Book of the Year Award. That’s right, winners, the judges decided to award two BOTY winners this year! They are Echoes (2020) by Shu-Ling Chua and We are Speaking in Code (Brio Books 2020) by Tanya Vavilova. The judges said ‘both titles exhibit beautiful […]
The Shortlist Find out more about this year's award
Upcoming SPN Events
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News

BOTY 2022: Meet the Judges
We’ve received a varied and vibrant array of entries to the 2022 Book of the Year Award, covering nearly every genre we can think of and adding up to a record 93 titles submitted! Needless to say, the judges for this year’s award will be busy reading over the coming months. While you wait for […]

Call for Papers: Publishing Futures
Book publishing is a forward-thinking cultural sector. There is no shortage of articles, Twitter posts, and think pieces discussing emerging publishing trends and speculating about the future of publishing. Predictions over the eventual dominance of eBooks seemed to put the future of the print book at stake. Beyond the ‘format wars’, digital technologies and platforms […]

The Book of the Year Award 2021: Winner Announcement
We are excited to announce the winners of the 2021 SPN Book of the Year Award. That’s right, winners, the judges decided to award two BOTY winners this year! They are Echoes (2020) by Shu-Ling Chua and We are Speaking in Code (Brio Books 2020) by Tanya Vavilova. The judges said ‘both titles exhibit beautiful […]
Podcast & Audio
Judging the Book of the Year Award
In this episode of the Small Press Network’s Podcast, we had a chat to the Book of the Year Judges Penni Russon, Marina Sano and Jing Xuan Teo to discuss their experience of judging the award. The winner of the Book of the Year Award will be announced on Friday 26 November.
The 2021 Academic Day: In Conversation with Alexandra Dane and Claire Parnell
In this episode, we chat to Alexandra Dane and Claire Parnell to discuss this year’s Academic Day for the Independent Publishing Conference 2021. This year’s theme is Publishing and the Environment.
In Conversation with Robbie Egan
In the lead up to this year’s Love Your Bookshop Day, Associate Producer Chloe Agius sat down with Robbie Egan, CEO of the Australian Booksellers Association, to talk all things bookshops.
Members Only
Templates & Fact Sheets
Guidelines for ethical publishing of Indigenous authors and stories
The following sets of guidelines from the Australia Council and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) outline key considerations in the ethical publishing of Indigenous Australian writers: Protocols for producing Indigenous Australian writing (Australia Council) Guidelines for the ethical publishing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and research from […]
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SPN publishing terms glossary
Commonly used acronyms and terms of the book industry Acknowledgement/sources: Publish It! (Thorpe-Bowker), Style Manual (Wiley), Australian Booksellers Association, Australian Publishers Association, Australian Copyright Council, American Publishers Association, student research/contribution. Additional contributions are welcomed. Not to be reproduced without written permission
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Fact sheet: Print on demand, ebooks and distribution through Ingram
IngramSpark is the eBook publishing, print on demand and distribution service from Ingram, combining all these services into one simple platform. Here is some more information about what IngramSpark can offer SPN members.
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Fact sheet: Working with libraries
This fact sheet has been put together by the Australian Libraries and Information Association which is the national professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector.
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Members Only
Member Benefits

Member benefit: SPN Christmas catalogue listings and advertising
An annual catalogue produced both in print and as a PDF that features SPN member publishers’ titles. It is distributed directly to booksellers and librarians across Australia in partnership with the Australian Booksellers Association, Leading Edge Books, Good Reading magazine (and hence to Booktopia customers) and ALS Library Services. Title listings start at only $50. […]
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Member benefit: Independent Publishing Conference ticket discounts
SPN has run Australia’s only comprehensive book industry conference every year since 2012. SPN members receive deep discounts on tickets and are actively encouraged to participate in the conference. Find out more here.
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Member benefit: B+P Book Buzz discount
B+P BookBuzz SPN regularly works with Books+Publishing to create SPN-branded editions of B+P’s BookBuzz e-newsletter at an affordable price. BookBuzz is read by over 5000 people across the book trade: booksellers, reviewers, librarians, journalists, social media influencers, keen readers, etc.
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Content collection:
Book of the Year Award

The Book of the Year Award 2021: Winner Announcement
We are excited to announce the winners of the 2021 SPN Book of the Year Award. That’s right, winners, the judges decided to award two BOTY winners this year! They are Echoes (2020) by Shu-Ling Chua and We are Speaking in Code (Brio Books 2020) by Tanya Vavilova. The judges said ‘both titles exhibit beautiful […]

In Conversation with BOTY shortlisted author: Tanya Vavilova
“I think what I struggle with most is this question of fitting in, of belonging. If you find yourself on the outskirts of society and then on the outskirts of an already marginalized group in that society, what do you to?” Tanya Vavilova, We are Speaking in Code Tanya Vavilova is an award-winning writer, having […]

Judging the Book of the Year Award
In this episode of the Small Press Network’s Podcast, we had a chat to the Book of the Year Judges Penni Russon, Marina Sano and Jing Xuan Teo to discuss their experience of judging the award. The winner of the Book of the Year Award will be announced on Friday 26 November.

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author: Sreedhevi Iyer
In the lead up to the 2021 Book of The Year winner announcement on Friday 26 November, Associate Producer Emma Kellaway sat down with Sreedhevi Iyer to discuss the shortlisting of her novel The Tiniest House of Time (Wild Dingo Press 2020). Critically acclaimed for its brilliantly complex style, research and storytelling, The Tiniest House […]
Content collection:
Meet the Publisher

The Small Press Network Interviews: Terri-ann White, Upswell Publishing
As she prepares for her keynote speech for this year’s 2021 SPN Independent Publishing Conference workshop day, Terri-ann White speaks to Holly Hendry-Saunders on launching Perth-based publishing house Upswell Publishing during a pandemic. Her life before Upswell’s inception White, a veteran in the book industry, began her career as a bookseller at eighteen, and at […]
Meet the Publisher: Duncan Felton, Grapple Publishing
When and how were you established? After many years of semi-organised pondering and planning, Grapple Publishing started late in 2013, making itself known to the world with a call-out for submissions to The Grapple Annual No. 1. At that point it was just me sitting at my computer with some ideas, some savings and a […]
MEET THE PUBLISHER – Lacuna Publishing
Linda Nix, Publisher and Editor, Lacuna When and how were you established? I have a long-standing fascination with how words and ideas are disseminated and become part of society’s cultural fabric. After years working in the industry, I realised my dream was to run a small press. In 2010 I set up a freelance editing, […]
Meet the Publisher – coeur de lion
When and how were you established? As with all good ideas, coeur de lion was born in a pub. The speculative fiction scene goes through boom and bust cycles and at the time there weren’t a lot of local independent presses catering to a sci-fi, horror, fantasy audience. Myself and fellow author Andrew Macrae were […]