Small Press Network

22/03/2024

Congratulations to all Small Press Network members who've made an appearance on these two very impressive lists.
To view the full shortlist for the Children's Book of the Year Awards click here: https://buff.ly/43qqH6p
For the 2024 Book Awards Shortlist click here:
https://buff.ly/3Tl6U3C

26/02/2024

How do we write or hold our former selves, our ancestries? How does where we come from connect to where we are headed? How do we tell the stories of those who have been diminished or ignored in the writing of history? How do we do justice to the lives they lived, or to the people they were?

In this collection of essays from Liminal and published by Pantera Press, First Nations writers and writers of colour bend and shift boundaries, query the past and envision new futures. Read the interview from the prize-winning editors of Against Disappearance: Essays on Memory, Leah Jing McIntosh and Adolfo Aranjuez, here: https://buff.ly/3UNTFLb

26/02/2024

From Kangaroo Tail Bourguignon to Saltbush Butter, First Nations chef Nornie Bero "champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking" in Mabu Mabu, which was Shortlisted for the 2023 BOTY Award.

Nornie Bero is from the Meriam People of Mer Island in the Torres Strait and is the Executive Chef, CEO and Owner of Mabu Mabu. Bero has been a professional chef for more than twenty-five years. Her style of cooking is all about generosity and flavour and she has been creating dishes using Australian native ingredients for much of her career. Mabu Mabu’s venues – Tuckshop in Yarraville, and Big Esso in Federation Square, Melbourne – champion Islander flavours and Australian native produce. Through the business and her book, Nornie is on a mission to make Indigenous herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits a part of everyone’s kitchen pantry. Find our interview with Nornie Bero here!: https://buff.ly/3uLKaBz

22/12/2023

🏆📚 Congratulations to our SPN members and their authors part of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024 - 1️⃣ 6️⃣ fantastic titles Shortlisted! 🤩

20/12/2023

We were lucky enough to chat with Andrew Sutherland about Paradise (point of transmission), which was Shortlisted for the 2023 BOTY Award. Andrew's work draws upon intercultural and Q***r critical theories, identity, culture, and self. Read the full interview here: https://buff.ly/3Ty5CDX 🧡📖

19/12/2023

A huge thanks to the four independent bookshops across Australia who helped sponsor this year’s BOTY Award! Bookoccino (NSW), Fullers Bookshop (TAS), Avid Reader (QLD), and Readings (VIC)! Let’s continue to support and celebrate our independent bookshops! Read more by following the link below!:

The Small Press Network’s Book of the Year (BOTY) Award is an annual award that highlights authorial and publishing excellence by small and independent publishers. Open to any book released by an SPN member during the previous calendar year, the BOTY Award provides significant recognition and prom...

15/12/2023

We're back from our hiatus after the 2023 Independent Publishing Conference! 📚 More posts to come to wrap up the year 🎁. But first, in case you missed it, read more about the 2023 SPN Book of the Year (BOTY) Winner here!: https://buff.ly/3uZSUUt

24/11/2023

In just under one hour the Wheeler Centre will be hosting SPN's Book of the Year (BOTY) Award presentation, where one of the Shortlisted titles will be announced as the Winner! 📚🤩 A special shout-out, also, to this year's Honourable Mentions: This All Come Back Now ed. by Mykaela Saunders (UQP), and Lockdown by Chip Le Grand (Monash).

22/11/2023

We were lucky enough to chat with Jo Riccioni about The Branded, one of the shortlisted titles for the 2023 SPN Book of the Year Award. Jo Riccioni graduated with a Masters in Medieval Literature from Leeds University. Her short stories have won awards in the UK and Australia and have been anthologised in Best Australian Stories. Jo’s first novel, The Italians at Cleat’s Corner Store, won the International Rubery Award for fiction and was longlisted for the New Angle Prize in the UK. The Branded Season is her first epic fantasy duology. Read more about Jo's shortlisted title and her creative process by following this link!: https://buff.ly/47FYEkf 🤩

"The Branded is an addictive YA novel from Jo Riccioni. With captivating protagonists and an immersive landscape, this story is entirely devourable. It includes all of the best parts of YA – a treacherous journey, a dystopian societal structure, tests of loyalty, and just the perfect amount of desire."

—BOTY 2023 judging panel

22/11/2023

We were lucky enough to chat with George Haddad about Losing Face, one of the shortlisted titles for the 2023 SPN Book of the Year Award. George Haddad is an award-winning writer, artist and academic practising on Gadigal land. In 2023 he was named a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist. He is a lecturer and researcher at the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University. Read more about George's shortlisted title and his writing process by following this link!: https://buff.ly/46pN0c8 🤩

"For a novel about violence, Losing Face is surprisingly tender. George Haddad is a writer with a talent for voice and place, vividly capturing the intensity of Western Sydney. Haddad uses layered intergenerational storytelling to demonstrate the complexity with which lives intertwine and unravel around a violent crime. He avoids delivering neat and easy answers but instead lingers in places that we usually want to look away from. But we don’t look away; Haddad has achieved a page-turning urgency that makes this a compelling reading experience."

—BOTY 2023 judging panel

21/11/2023

It's almost time! ⏱️🥳📚 The 2023 Independent Publishing Conference will be held over three days from 23–25 November at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and livestreamed online.

Last up: Workshop Day! The final day of the 2023 Independent Publishing Conference will entail practical workshops. These will include sessions on what goes into the production of audiobooks, how to efficiently and successfully self-edit a draft, tips on career progression, how to engage in e-commerce, what makes good book design, the challenges of setting up a publishing business, the popularisation of new review platforms and so much more! ✍️😍

Scroll through the slides to see a breakdown of Saturday's events - and book your tickets through this link!: https://buff.ly/47fLAlD We look forward to seeing you there! 🤩

18/11/2023

It's almost time! ⏱️🥳📚 The 2023 Independent Publishing Conference will be held over three days from 23–25 November at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and livestreamed online.

Next up: Industry Day! The second day of the 2023 Independent Publishing Conference will feature industry professionals speaking on important topics such as ‘First Nations – Story, Culture and Community’, ‘Creating Author Communities’ and ‘AI and the Literary World’.

Discussions will entail inclusion, diversity and innovation in bookselling, new directions in children’s books and strategic development for small publishers. Joining us on-screen from New York is international guest Mike Shatzkin, legendary publishing consultant, in conversation with Tim Coronel (SPN GM), discussing global industry trends.

Join us later in the evening for the SPN Book of the Year Award (BOTY) presentation, presented by The Wheeler Centre as part of its Next Big Thing program. Scroll through the slides to see a breakdown of Friday's events - and book your tickets through this link!: https://buff.ly/47fLAlD We look forward to seeing you there! 🤩

17/11/2023

We're deeply saddened to hear that A S Byatt, winner of the 1990 Booker Prize, has died. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

17/11/2023

It's almost time! ⏱️😍📚 The 2023 Independent Publishing Conference will be held over three days from 23–25 November at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and livestreamed online.

Thursday 23 November will be Research Day with the theme ‘Renew and Revive’, co-ordinated by Dr Claire Parnell, Dr Katherine Day and Caitlin Parker (all from the University of Melbourne). The keynote speaker will be Associate Professor Sandra Phillips from Western Sydney University. Scroll through the slides to see a breakdown of Thursday's events - and book your tickets here!: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1105314 We look forward to seeing you there! 🤩

17/11/2023

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for international deals and trading. Pantera Press, one of our SPN members, have put together a report on the Fair, covering:

🔵 What happens at a book fair?
🔵 Why Frankfurt?
🔵 What’s a typical day like?
🔵 What were the buzz books? Hot topics? Controversies?
🔵 Did you have any big wins? And were they buying or selling?
🔵 What are the parties like?
🔵 Given the cost, is it worth it?

Check out the report here!: https://buff.ly/47CEwj2 🤩📚

10/11/2023

As publishing professionals, we must respect and defend creators’ copyright. SPN supports APA and ASA stances on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The APA says: “Poorly regulated AI development risks distorting the publishing value chain, and threatens to displace our creative workforce, and destroy our creative ecosystem of bookstores, literary festivals, and more.”

The ASA says: “We support the development of new technology, but this development must be done ethically. The ASA position is that the laws and policies regulating AI should ensure authorisation, fair compensation and transparency.”

There will be a panel session on developments in AI and how they might affect publishing as part of the Industry Day of SPN’s Independent Publishing Conference on Friday 24 November, featuring experts offering academic, legal and publishing industry perspectives. Read more and find tickets for our panel session by following the link: https://buff.ly/46gglpC 📚🧠

09/11/2023

SPN is pleased to endorse and recommend a new set of guidelines published by the Institute of Professional Editors (IpEd) on best practices for publishers when working with freelance editors.

The guide sets out some basic principles, both professional and ethical, so both parties can approach the project with a clear understanding of what is required and build a strong working relationship from the start.

Check out the full guide and IpEd's freelance editor list here: https://buff.ly/3FSVNsw

07/11/2023

We were lucky enough to chat with Sam Wallman about Our Members Be Unlimited, one of the shortlisted titles for the 2023 SPN Book of the Year Award. Sam Wallman is a comics journalist and cartoonist based in Melbourne, Australia. His drawings have been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Age, the ABC, and SBS. Read more about Sam's shortlisted title and his creative process by following this link: https://buff.ly/4719eCu ! 🤩