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.
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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.
The Small Press Network’s Book of the Year (BOTY) Award is an annual award that highlights authorial and publishing excellence by small and independent publishers. Open to any book released by an SPN member during the previous calendar year, the BOTY award provides significant recognition and promotional opportunities to both publisher and author. The 2023 […]
The Shortlist Find out more about this year's award
Upcoming SPN Events
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News

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author George Haddad
For a novel about violence, Losing Face is surprisingly tender. George Haddad is a writer with a talent for voice and place, vividly capturing the intensity of Western Sydney. Haddad uses layered intergenerational storytelling to demonstrate the complexity with which lives intertwine and unravel around a violent crime. He avoids delivering neat and easy answers but instead […]

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author Jo Riccioni
The Branded (Pantera Press) is an addictive YA novel from Jo Riccioni. With captivating protagonists and an immersive landscape, this story is entirely devourable. It includes all of the best parts of YA – a treacherous journey, a dystopian societal structure, tests of loyalty, and just the perfect amount of desire. —BOTY 2023 judging panel We […]

Frankfurt report from Pantera Press
Pantera Press has been attending the Frankfurt Book Fair since our earliest days, with our first visit back in 2010 with a limited list of books and an even more limited meeting schedule! Nowadays, it is considered an essential part of our Rights strategy, with a full schedule of meetings across four days and an […]
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.
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Templates & Fact Sheets
IpEd guide to working with self-employed editors
Click here to view the guide. IpEd’s freelance editor list is here.
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Getting ebooks and audiobooks registered for Lending Rights
With thanks to our board chair Sophie Masson, who has put together this guide on how to add ebook and audiobook records to the Lending Rights scheme
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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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Member Benefits
Member benefit: SPN Book of the Year Award submission
Building on the success of the Most Underrated Book Award (founded in 2012), SPN’s annual book award is now known simply as the SPN Book of the Year Award. Books published by all SPN members are eligible. Thanks to generous sponsorship from the Australian Booksellers Association and ArtsHub, the winning book’s author and publisher each […]
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Member benefit: Ingram Content Group offer to SPN members
Ingram Content Group provides a wide range of services to sell your print books, eBooks, and audiobooks globally. If you have 50 titles or more or are printing more than 5,000 units per annum, then Lightning Source may serve you best. For publishers with fewer titles, and lower annual volumes, please see our IngramSpark offer. If you have 50 […]
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BookData Publishing Webinar 2024
Tuesday 5 March 2024 @ 10:00 AEDT BookData will be hosting opportunity for small publishers, literary agents, authors and those curious about the Australian Book Market to learn more about how our services fit within the book supply chain. Register your interest by emailing InfoBookScanAus@nielseniq.com Nielsen BookData also offers SPN members generous discounts when subscribing […]
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Content collection:
Book of the Year Award

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author George Haddad
For a novel about violence, Losing Face is surprisingly tender. George Haddad is a writer with a talent for voice and place, vividly capturing the intensity of Western Sydney. Haddad uses layered intergenerational storytelling to demonstrate the complexity with which lives intertwine and unravel around a violent crime. He avoids delivering neat and easy answers but instead […]

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author Jo Riccioni
The Branded (Pantera Press) is an addictive YA novel from Jo Riccioni. With captivating protagonists and an immersive landscape, this story is entirely devourable. It includes all of the best parts of YA – a treacherous journey, a dystopian societal structure, tests of loyalty, and just the perfect amount of desire. —BOTY 2023 judging panel We […]

In conversation with BOTY shortlisted author Sam Wallman
Our Members Be Unlimited by Sam Wallman is an immense achievement. Both a history of the union moment and a personal memoir of Wallman’s own experience of working as a picker at an Amazon warehouse, the personal is political and the political is intensely felt and personal. The graphic medium allows for dense information to be […]

Meet the 2023 BOTY Judges
We are very pleased to introduce our judges for the 2023 Book of the Year Award. While our inboxes begin filling with all the wonderful titles that our SPN member publishers have released, we thought you may like to get to know our judging panel for the year. Bec Kavanagh Bec Kavanagh is a writer, […]
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 […]