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....
Upcoming events
30 October 2018
October Digital Writers’ Festival, (30 Oct-3 Nov) online November Feminist Writers Festival, (1-3 Nov) Sydney, NSW Supanova, (2-4 Nov) Adelaide, SA West Coast Fiction Festival, (3 Nov) Perth, WA Quantum...
Upcoming events
26 September 2018
October Tasmanian Poetry Festival, (5-8 Oct) Launceston, Tas. Crush Festival, (5-14 Oct) Bundaberg, Qld. Unleash the Beast: Writing and Wellness Symposium, (10 Oct) Toowoomba, Qld. Frankfurt Book Fair, (10-14 Oct) Frankfurt, Germany....
Prizes round-up
26 September 2018
Two self-published titles have won awards in the 2018 Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Romantic Book of the Year awards, known as the ‘RUBYs’. Ruining Miss Wrotham by Emily Larkin won...
Longlisting of self-published title for major prize angers French booksellers
26 September 2018
French booksellers have lashed out at of one of the country’s most prestigious literary prizes for longlisting a self-published novel that's only available on Amazon, reports The Guardian. French-Israeli author Marco...
Reading the audience: the LoveOzYA readership survey
26 September 2018
In 2017, the LoveOzYA committee conducted a survey into the reading habits of the Australian YA community. Committee chair Stacey Malacari reports on the survey’s findings. The LoveOzYA movement was...
UK awards organisation builds digital hub for emerging writers
31 August 2018
In the UK, the Young Writer of the Year Award (YWYA) has launched a free online hub for emerging and aspiring writers, reports the Bookseller. YWYA is hosting free content on...
Amazon to merge CreateSpace and KDP
31 August 2018
Amazon has announced that its print-on-demand platforms CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) will merge, reports the Digital Reader. The announcement follows staff layoffs at CreateSpace in March and the closure of...
Shut down Oceanofpdf piracy website returns
31 August 2018
US-hosted ebook piracy website Oceanofpdf, which was recently shut down, has returned under a .net domain, reports the Bookseller. The Bookseller reported on 22 August that the website was offering free copies of books by...
Dennis Jones & Associates enters liquidation; industry groups respond
31 August 2018
Melbourne-based book distributor Dennis Jones & Associates has ceased trading and has entered voluntary liquidation, with 1300 creditors, including a secured creditor, and approximately 500 debtors involved, reports Books+Publishing. Dennis...
Upcoming events
31 August 2018
September BAD: Sydney Crime Writers Festival, (1-2 Sept) Sydney, NSW Indigenous Literacy Day, (5 Sept) nationwide Heroines Festival, (5-8 Sept) Thirroul and district, NSW Write Around the Murray, (5-9 Sept)...
Small Press Network announces staff changes
30 July 2018
The Small Press Network (SPN) has announced the appointment of Tim Coronel as general manager. Coronel, who was previously communications manager for SPN, takes over from Matthia Dempsey, who has...
US sales declined slightly in 2017; 5.4% rise in adult nonfiction sales
30 July 2018
US publishers’ total industry sales fell slightly in 2017 to US$26.23 billion (A$35.5bn), down from US$26.27 billion (A$35.6bn) in 2016, according to results released by the Association of American Publishers...
Upcoming events
30 July 2018
July ALIA/LIANZA joint 2018 Conference, (30 July–2 Aug) Gold Coast, Qld. Indie Publishing Forum, (31 July) Melbourne, Vic. August Indie Publishing Forum, (1 Aug) Brisbane, Qld. Red Dirt Poetry Festival,...
ASA seeks author feedback for campaign to extend PLR/ELR to digital books
30 July 2018
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has appealed to authors, including self-published authors, for information to help it campaign the government to extend the current Public and Educational Lending Rights...
Bookings open for inaugural Indie Publishing Forums
27 July 2018
Bookings are now open for the inaugural Indie Publishing Forums, a series of events aimed at small publishers, self-publishers, aspiring writers, established authors, students of publishing and creative writing, and those...
Amazon criticised for removing online book reviews from website
29 June 2018
Amazon has drawn criticism from authors, bloggers and publishers for removing reviews from its online book listings, reports the Bookseller. According to reports, some Amazon customers have had all their reviews removed or...
Upcoming events
29 June 2018
June Kids and YA Festival, (30 June) Sydney, NSW July Children’s and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators (CYA) Conference, (7 July) Brisbane, QLD Telling Tales in Balingup, (7-8 July) Balingup,...
Amazon launches Prime in Australia
27 June 2018
Amazon has launched its subscription service Prime on the company’s Australian website, offering users free delivery and subscription access to ebooks, videos and games. The service will include free ‘expedited...
Upcoming events
25 May 2018
May NT Writers Festival, (24-27 May) Darwin, NT. Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival, (25-27 May) Geraldton, WA. Feminist Writers Festival, (25-27 May) Vic. Latrobe City Literary Festival, (25-27 May)...
EWF 2018 program launched
25 May 2018
The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) has announced its 2018 program, which runs from 19-29 June in venues across Melbourne’s CBD and surrounding suburbs. Timmah Ball, Tony Birch and Neil Morris...
Self-publishers among 2018 RWA ‘Ruby’ award finalists and Ngaio Marsh 2018 longlist
25 May 2018
Five self-published books are among the finalists for the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Romantic Book of the Year Award, also known as ‘the Ruby’. Ruining Miss Wrotham by Emily Larkin...
Authors create #SelfPubIsHere campaign to amplify self-publisher voices
17 May 2018
A number of self-published Australian authors, including Dionne Lister, A B Patterson and Lisa Fleetwood have pledged their support for a campaign to have self-publishing recognised and included in Australian...
Subbed In Chapbook Prize expands in 2018
26 April 2018
Sydney-based literary organisation Subbed In is expanding its Chapbook Prize—previously open to NSW residents only—to writers across Australia. Launched last year, the Subbed In Chapbook Prize aims to support emerging...
Upcoming events
26 April 2018
April Unearthed Pemberton, (26 April – 6 May) Pemberton, WA. Supanova, (27-29 April) Gold Coast, Qld. Speculate: the Victorian speculative writers festival, (28 April) Melbourne, Vic. Sydney Writers Festival, (30...
2018 Australian/Vogel Literary Award winner announced; Entries open for 2019 Award
26 April 2018
Emily O’Grady’s The Yellow House, a story about ‘the legacies of violence and the possibilities of redemption’, set in semi-rural Queensland, has won the 2018 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award. The winner was...
