Small Press Network Code of Conduct

This Code sets out the minimum professional and ethical levels of conduct expected of SPN members in their operations.

All Members are expected to support and abide by the following principles:

1. Publishers will offer authors contracts that are, in all the circumstances, fair.
2. Publishers will offer authors agreements that are clear, comprehensive and expressed in terms that are not ambiguous.
3. Publishers will promptly report and pay to authors all royalties and other payments that become due to them.
4. Publishers will provide services to a competent and professional level, including (unless agreed otherwise), editorial, marketing and production services.
5. Publishers will give authors appropriate attribution in publications and, where the author retains copyright, will, in line with industry practice, clearly acknowledge the author’s ownership of copyright.
6. Publishers will give due respect to the copyright and intellectual property rights of others.
7. Where a contract requires an author to contribute to the costs of publication:
   1. the agreement will allocate costs, risks and rewards fairly, having regard to all the circumstances; and
   2. the publisher will be open and honest with authors in relation to the costs, likely returns an author might expect from any financial contribution he or she makes to a publication, and not misrepresent the scale of any paid services offered. 
8. Publishers will seek to resolve disputes with others, including authors, printers, and distributors, promptly and fairly, having regard to all the circumstances, including the terms of the relevant publisher agreement/s.

The Model Rules of the Association provide that the Board may expel, suspend or caution a Member if, in its discretion, it determines that the Member has engaged in conduct prejudicial to the Association, including any offensive, unseemly or other conduct detrimental to the objects or interests of the Association, or has engaged in conduct likely to bring the Association into disrepute.

SPN reserves the right, in its discretion, to expel, suspend or caution a Member if it determines that the Member is guilty of discrimination, or promoting, encouraging, endorsing or broadcasting discrimination, on the basis of race, colour, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, in any of its activities or operations.