Awards wrap-up
12 September 2019
Journalist Hamish McDonald’s self-published book Reasonable Doubt: Spies, police and the Croatian Six was nominated for two awards in August: the Bad Sydney Crime Writers Festival’s Danger Prize (which was...
Wattpad introduces new monetised program; reports rise in user base
12 September 2019
Self-publishing platform Wattpad has announced a new monetisation program amid a 23% rise in its user base, reports Publishing Perspectives. In July, over 130 authors were participating in the Paid...
Awards wrap-up
8 August 2019
In the US, a number of self-published authors were winners at the Romance Writers of America’s (RWA) annual RITA Awards, which recognise excellence in romance novels and novellas. Among the...
Self-publishing scam targets local authors
8 August 2019
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) is warning local authors about an email campaign from self-publishing company EC Publishing, which offers to exhibit the recipients' titles at the 2019 Miami...
BWF 2019 program announced; first authors for MWF named
9 July 2019
The program has been announced for the 2019 Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF), which runs from 5–8 September. Over 160 writers will appear at the festival, which in recognition of the...
Program released for Emerging Writers’ Festival 2019
3 June 2019
The program has been announced for this year’s Emerging Writers’ Festival, which runs in Melbourne from 19–29 June. The festival includes the National Writers’ Conference, which is billed as Australia’s...
Awards wrap-up
3 June 2019
The winners of several Australian and New Zealand unpublished manuscript awards have been announced over the past month. Perth-based writer Rebecca Higgie was named the winner of the inaugural Fogarty...
Amazon self-published authors suspended ‘without sufficient explanation of wrongdoing’
30 April 2019
In the US, self-published authors have claimed Amazon removed their ebooks from sale without sufficient explanation of wrongdoing, reports Yahoo Finance. Amazon has reportedly been cracking down on authors who...
DC Public Library to add self-published authors’ ebooks to their collection
30 April 2019
In the US, the District of Columbia (DC) Public Library is looking to add ebooks written by local authors to its online collection, reports NBC News. Electronic resources librarian April...
Upcoming events
30 April 2019
April Sydney Writers’ Festival (29 April–5 May), Carriageworks, Eveleigh, NSW May Clunes Booktown Festival (4–5 May), Clunes, Vic Scribblers Festival (8–12 May), The Goods Shed, Claremont, WA Institute of Professional Editors conference (8–10 May), Pullman...
John Reed Books offers bookseller distribution to ASA members
30 April 2019
John Reed Books will provide sales and distribution for new print books by Australian Society of Authors (ASA) members, under an agreement negotiated by the distributor and the ASA. The...
Self-published authors among winners of the ANZ Photobook Awards 2018
28 March 2019
A number of self-published titles were among the winners of the Australia and New Zealand Photobook Awards 2018, presented at a ceremony in Melbourne on 16 March. Photobook winner Second...
Upcoming events
28 March 2019
April International Military Writers’ Festival (5–7 April), Darwin, NT Sydney Writers’ Festival (29 April–5 May), Carriageworks, Eveleigh, NSW May Clunes Booktown Festival (4–5 May), Clunes, Vic Scribblers Festival (8–10 May), The Goods Shed, Claremont, WA...
Self-publishers among Aurealis Awards finalists
28 March 2019
Three self-published books are among the finalists for the Aurealis Awards, presented for science fiction, fantasy and horror writing in Australia. We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson is one...
Davis wins inaugural £1500 Selfies Award for a self-published novel
28 March 2019
In the UK, Jane Davis’ self-published novel Smash All the Windows has won the inaugural Selfies Award for a self-published work of fiction. Smash All the Windows explores the emotional lives of the...
Self-publishing marketplace Reedsy launches new marketing platform for authors
26 March 2019
In the UK, self-publishing marketplace Reedsy has launched a new marketing platform for authors, Reedsy Discovery, reports Forbes. The book review portal will alert readers to new books its expert...
More than 1000 authors earned over US$100K in 2018 says Amazon
1 March 2019
Amazon has reported that authors earned more than US$260 million (A$359m) from the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select Global Fund in 2018, totalling more than US$840m (A$1.16bn) since the launch of Kindle Unlimited. Amazon...
EU agrees on copyright directive
1 March 2019
The European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission have made an agreement on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, which modernises copyright law for the first...
New Macquarie Uni research to examine Aus rights sales
1 March 2019
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the Australia Council for the Arts will contribute $30,000 each to a new Macquarie University study examining the international rights sales and export of...
ASA advises authors to send takedown notices to Internet Archive
1 March 2019
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has condemned the activities of the Internet Archive’s Open Library in its unlicensed lending of scanned copies of physical books and is advising authors to...
Upcoming events
1 March 2019
March Adelaide Writers’ Week (2–7 March), Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden, Adelaide Leading Edge Books conference (17–19 March), Hilton, Adelaide April International Military Writers’ Festival (5–7 April) Sydney Writers’ Festival (29...
All-women shortlist announced for inaugural Selfies Awards
1 March 2019
In the UK, BookBrunch has announced the shortlist for the inaugural Selfies Awards for a self-published novel. The new prize was unveiled in December 2018, and aims to ‘discover new talent and recognise...
Self-published Aussie novel longlisted for Republic of Consciousness Prize
1 March 2019
Brisbane author Nicholas John Turner’s debut self-published novel Hang Him When He Is Not There has been longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Turner’s novel, which was sold into the UK and...
Amazon unblocks Oz shoppers from US store
29 November 2018
Australian consumers are now able to purchase and ship items from Amazon’s international website, according to a statement from Amazon. The retailer suspended shipping to Australian addresses from its international website...
New pricing model at PublishDrive
29 November 2018
PublishDrive, a global ebook distribution platform for authors and independent publishers, has introduced a new subscription pricing option, reports Publishers Weekly. Under the new plan, authors will pay a flat...
SPN Independent Publishing Conference 2018 program: publishing in the age of Trump, podcasts, disability awareness
30 October 2018
The Small Press Network (SPN) has announced the full program for its 2018 Independent Publishing Conference, which will run at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne from 22-24 November. The three-day...
EU council allows VAT-free status for ebooks and audio books
30 October 2018
The European Union’s (EU) Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) has agreed to allow all member states to give ebooks and audiobooks the same value-added tax (VAT) status as printed books, reports...
Over one million books self-published in the US in 2017
30 October 2018
In the US, more than one million books were self-published in 2017, breaking the record for the the total number of titles self-published in a year, according to a report published...
WA Tourism grants help visitor centre self-publish
30 October 2018
The Dryandra Country Visitor Centre in Western Australia has revealed refurbishments and technology updates, including a newly self-published guidebook, after receiving two grants worth nearly $90,000, reports the West Australian....
ALLi launches new self-publishing campaign
30 October 2018
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), a UK-based non-profit independent author organisation, has launched a new campaign called Self-publishing 3.0, according to a press release about their forthcoming white paper on the concept....
