Advice from the ISBN team
9 July 2019
How is a barcode file opened? Please do not try to open a barcode file. Barcode files are inserted, not opened. Do NOT double-click on the barcode to begin working...
Diversity in publishing: The good, the bad, and how you can help make a change
9 July 2019
In recent years, there's been a big focus on increasing diversity in publishing. Learn how you can encourage more representation and inclusion in books. Read more on the IngramSpark blog...
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...
Self-publishing essentials with Ellie Marney: promo, marketing and all that jazz (part four)
3 June 2019
Get promoting! We’ve reached the fourth instalment of this series on book promotion—and congratulations! You’ve done all the preparation for marketing your book! You’ve made a marketing plan, figured out...
Build your author platform with IngramSpark’s free online course
3 June 2019
Learn how to find your book’s audience, build your author brand, and connect with readers in less than an hour! Read more here.
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The winners of several Australian and New Zealand unpublished manuscript awards have been announced over the past month.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...
Advice from the ISBN team
3 June 2019
If a spouse or family member passes away, can a relative or surviving spouse use their remaining ISBNs? ISBNs are considered property of the publisher and all of their ISBNs...
How do bookstores find out about self-published titles?
3 June 2019
For the past few months, Books+Publishing has been asking Australian book buyers—the people responsible for selecting which books are stocked on a bookstore’s shelves—how they find out about new books...
Georgia Spanos on ‘When the Tomatoes Are Ready’
22 May 2019
Georgia Spanos is a Melbourne-based writer, editor and ‘advocate for all things food and culture’. When she’s not the digital editor at Halliday magazine, she is working on her second self-published cookbook. She...
Drew Turney on ‘Falling’
30 April 2019
This month, author Drew Turney spoke with Australian Self-Publisher about Falling—a ‘sweeping adventure of the paranormal in the technology age’ that’s 25 years in the making. Describe your book in...
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...
Learn how to self-publish with IngramSpark’s free online course
30 April 2019
How much does it cost to self-publish a book? How do I start a publishing business? How is self-publishing different to traditional publishing? Learn the answers to these questions and...
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-publishing essentials with Ellie Marney: promo, marketing and all that jazz (part three)
30 April 2019
Welcome back! In the first article in this series on book marketing, we explained the difference between promotion and marketing, and why it’s good to have a marketing plan. In...
Advice from the ISBN team
30 April 2019
Who should apply for an ISBN? It is always the publisher of the book who should apply for the ISBN. For the purposes of the ISBN, the publisher is the...
Momento Pro: How to self-publish a photobook in the Antipodes
28 March 2019
This piece originally ran on the Momento Pro blog. Momento Pro has spent 15 years immersed in photobook printing, learning about people’s publishing experiences in Australia and New Zealand, and...
The author next door: Stocking self-published books
28 March 2019
Kelsey Oldham talks to booksellers about stocking self-published books. Most Australian bookshops acknowledge that stocking self-published books is important—in theory. In practice, however, store policies are often opaque or ad-hoc,...
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...
Advice from the ISBN team
28 March 2019
Why does a book need an ISBN? ISBNs are linked to essential information. They allow booksellers and readers to know what book they are buying, what the book is about,...
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...
Matt Simon on ‘Dancing with the Bull’
28 March 2019
Matt Simon spent 25 years in senior executive roles for multinational companies like J P Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, Merrill Lynch and NAB—but one day, he realised he’d had enough....
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...
Shatzkin on the capabilities of Ingram’s Lightning Print Australia
28 March 2019
Earlier this year, US digital publishing consultant Mike Shatzkin visited Ingram’s Lightning Print print-on-demand operation outside of Melbourne as part of a trip examining the Australian and New Zealand book...
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...
Survey: self-published author incomes are on the rise
1 March 2019
Earlier this month, The Authors Guild shared the results from its 2018 Authors’ Income Survey, leading to much discussion of dwindling author salaries. IngramSpark’s Regan Kannamer explores the results and finds self-published...
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...
