Are you an author in Australia who has written a book and you now want to publish it? Here are 4 top book publishers in South Australia.
1. Wakefield Press
Founded in 1989 in Adelaide, South Australia, Wakefield Press is an independent publishing company which has a current backlist of approximately 500 titles, along with a permanently growing e-book list. They produce around 40 books every year, and the quality of their work reflects into the awards they have received – for instance, An Unsentimental Bloke: The life and work of C.J. Dennis, by Philip Butterss is the 2015 winner of the National Biography Award.
The range of topics in which they are interested varies widely, so, if you enter their website, you will find categories such as food and wine, LGBTIQ, crime, fantasy, horror, poetry, environment, arts, and accessories. In order to become more familiar with their preferences, you might want to check some of their bestsellers – Long Flight Home, by Lainie Anderson, Otherwise Known as Pig, by Catch Tilly, and Holden Treasures, by Don Loffler are just three of the most recent ones.
Although their submissions are currently closed, they will reopen them in 2020. Therefore, if you would like to collaborate with them, make sure to check their page regularly for any updates.
2. MidnightSun Publishing
MidnightSun Publishing is a company based in Adelaide, South Australia. They aim to promote writings which have had a powerful impact on them, and they deliver them to a wider audience through both traditional books and e-books.
Once you browse their online catalog you will find works that fit into the standards of fiction, middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, short stories, non-fiction, and others. Some of their 2019 titles are Hide, by S.J. Morgan, Cryptosight, by Nean McKenzie, and Born to Fly, written by Beverley McWilliams and illustrated by Timothy Ide.
Luckily, they are permanently open for submissions, so all you have to do is make sure that your work suits their interests before applying. Once you do this, you will have to send them the first 20 pages of your manuscript at submissions@midnightsunpublishing.com, while also including your name, the title, and the genre in the subject of the email. However, you will also have to send a cover letter – among others, it should contain details regarding your experience in the field, as well as information about you and your interests. Following the submission guidelines is the only way you can get their editors to read your work, and you can find them here.
3. Starfish Bay Children’s Books
Founded in 2014 in Adelaide, South Australia, Starfish Bay is an independent publishing house. Through what they produce, they aim to catch and maintain the interest of children primarily aged 3 to 8 – their picture books were created by authors from all around the world, which is what gives them an international appeal. China, Taiwan, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, and New Zealand are just a few of the countries they’re from. You can find out more about them here.
There are several types of picture books available on the Starfish Bay website. If you want to become familiar with what they publish, make sure to check titles such as Zip’s New Button, written and illustrated by Rebecca Purcell, A Stranger Comes to Town, written and illustrated by Maria Kristjansdottir, and The Monologue of Monster, written and illustrated by Grace Suen. Some of the genres mentioned on the page are juvenile fiction, strangers, social themes, friendship, monsters, animals, family, and many others.
As an imprint of Starfish Bay Publishing Pty Ltd, Starfish Bay Children’s Books is mainly interested in picture books for young children. They are open to working with any author, either unpublished or established, as long as their work is appropriate for the target audience. You will have to send a one-sentence summary, a synopsis of 300 words at most, the full manuscript (for picture books), the title, the readers’ age, as well as biographical information, such as past experience. According to the Submission Guidelines, all of these details can only be sent via email.
4. Hardshell Publishing
Hardshell Publishing is a self-publishing company established in 2009 in Henley Beach, South Australia by Rommie Corso. She has worked with a broad range of clients, from individuals to not-for-profit organizations, which is why her company can now provide appropriate services in terms of marketing, publishing, website design, graphic design, and printing services. Even though you should expect having to pay certain fees in order to work with them, you can still publish in your own name, retain copyright, and make 100% profit out of the book sales. Since all projects differ, you can choose a custom package to meet your needs.
Among other categories, their portfolio also includes cookbooks, history books, novels, children’s books, and reports & training manuals. Each one contains a short description regarding what the project will consist of. Currently, they have an offer available for authors in need of advice – for $240/hour, you can discuss your future steps with someone that has more than 18 years of experience in the field.
Their range of self-publishing services includes book publishing plans, author guidance, book cover design, typesetting, page formatting, editing, proofreading, book printing (local and offshore), e-books, barcodes, ISBNs, and legal deposits. When it comes to marketing, they also provide marketing plans, pre-sale marketing, author websites, media kits and releases, email marketing, social media marketing, and other services.
If you feel like investing in your own work would be a good idea, you can always contact Hardshell Publishing for more information.
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