The Seventeenth International Conference on Books, Publishing & Libraries

Abstract

The small-press book publishing sector is rising in importance within the wider publishing industry in Australia, in line with a similar trend internationally. Driven partly by big-publisher contractions, as well as lower entry cost due to technological innovation, especially in digital file creation and printing, contemporary small-press publishing in Australia is offering new and diverse opportunities for authors across all genres. This trend has seen titles published by small press recently featuring in substantial numbers in prestigious literary prizes, including the Miles Franklin Awards, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the Stella Awards, and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards. Sales have also risen significantly, and small press titles are frequently reviewed in major newspapers and magazines, a big change from just a few years ago. In small-press publishing, the lines between author and publisher are often less clear than in the publishing sectors dominated by multinationals and large independents. Not only is the author-publisher relationship closer and more personal, but some small press publishers are directed by professional authors, who must negotiate new social spaces within the traditional binaries of business and art. Based on a series of interviews with authors and publishers, this paper examines the impact of the blurring of lines on publishing practice and professional relationships, giving an insight into an intriguing aspect of the contemporary publishing industry in Australia. The author is an established writer, director of a small press, and currently undertaking a PHD in Creative Practice at the University of New England.