If you’re an author looking for book publishers in Western Australia, below we’ve featured 5 especially for you.
1. Hesperian Press
Founded in 1969 by Peter Bridge in Victoria Park, Western Australia, Hesperian Press has already published more than 700 titles. It is currently run by a non-profit foundation that has, among its objectives, the promotion of Australian culture and literature with a focus on non-fiction and historical fiction, as well as the publication of works on the study of the traditional Aboriginal culture.
When it comes to their topics of interest, you will find maritime history, outdoor activities, scientific reference works, bush poetry, explorers and prospectors, military history, along with a few others online. Their titles are sorted out in alphabetical order – in order to become more familiar with what they publish, you should check out Evidences of an Inland Sea, by George Fletcher Moore, Expeditions in Western Australia 1837-1839, by George Grey, and Escape from the Rising Sun, by Allen Metherell.
Hesperian Press welcomes unsolicited manuscripts in the fields in which they have already published books. The manuscript sent should be typed, double-spaced, on one side only of the A4 paper, and numbered. It also has to be sent via mail – the electronic format will only be requested if the book is accepted for publication. Short stories and poems are not of interest. You can find the submission guidelines here.
2. Fremantle Press
Based in North Fremantle, Western Australia, Fremantle Press is a non-for-profit team of publishers, artists, and authors, and it was founded in 1976. In time, their main goal has remained that of helping Western Australian talents reach the widest audience they can.
When it comes to genres, there are numerous categories available on their website. Among them we can name fiction, children’s e-books, young adult, crime & mystery, short stories & anthologies, history, and poetry. The press also has a “new releases” category, which is perfect for authors who want to become familiar with their publication criteria – Through the Artists’ Eyes, by Shelley Craddock, Invisible Boys, by Holden Sheppard, and Maddie in the Middle, by Julia Lawrinson are just three of the titles you can look up.
Unsolicited manuscripts are only welcome from people born in or living in Western Australia. The only situation in which other authors would be taken into consideration is that where their work has a strong Western Australian focus. Either way, the manuscript has to be sent electronically, via the Submittable website. Writings in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, narrative non-fiction, poetry, as well as children’s and young adult books are accepted. To find out more, click here.
3. Serenity Press
An independent publishing company based in Perth, Western Australia, Serenity Press was founded in 2012. Their main goal is that of gifting their audience with traditional stories which are built around myth, folklore, and fairytales. As they work with renowned book distributors, such as Ingram Global Distribution or Novella Distribution, the press is capable of helping their authors receive the visibility they deserve.
If you enter their webpage, you will find a few essential book categories in terms of genres – these are folklore, romance, and children’s books. Upcoming publications are also presented in a separate category, thus allowing writers to become familiar with their current interests. For this, you can check out Glittering Obsession, by Carolyn Wren, Much Ado, by Ilona Krueger, and Head over Heels, by Bree Verity.
Unfortunately, they are currently closed to submissions. However, you can still refresh their page once in a while to find out about any updates. Once they start accepting manuscripts again, keep in mind that all of them have to be sent electronically, and that you should also send a one-page cover letter, a 100-word bio, and a 100-word synopsis.
4. Magabala Books
Magabala Books is located in Broome, Western Australia, and it was founded in 1984 as a part of the Aboriginal self-determination movement occurring in the 80s. It is currently the leading Indigenous publisher in Australia, with over 220 titles released so far. In terms of recent progress, the house was shortlisted for Small Publisher of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards in both 2017 and 2019.
When it comes to preferred genres, Magabala Books has a wide range of interests. Therefore, on their website you will find categories such as children’s picture books, junior fiction and non-fiction, culture & history, memoir & biography, poetry, fiction, and a few others. You can get an idea of what they publish by checking their new releases, among which we can name Yinti, Desert Dog, by Jimmy Pike and Pat Lowe, Going to the Footy, by Debbie Coombes, and Young Dark Emu, by Bruce Pascoe.
They welcome unsolicited manuscripts from both authors and literary agents. However, the authors have to be Indigenous, since their goal is to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers and illustrators. If this is the case for you, you will also have to send, besides your manuscript, a covering letter containing your name, contact information, title, and genre, a short summary, and a brief CV. Works of adult non-fiction require a contents page and a chapter summary or short synopsis.
5. UWA Publishing
Founded in 1935 as a part of the University of Western Australia, UWA Publishing is aiming to expand the limits of academic writing in a manner that will determine intellectual, social, and cultural renewal. Currently based in Crawley, Perth, they introduced a new imprint in 2014 – UWAP Scholarly places a focus on social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. You can find more about it here.
The book genres available on their website are fiction, poetry, memoir, health and medicine, architecture, politics, Australian studies, as well as a few others. Titles such as A Country in Mind, by Saskia Beudel, Take Me to the River, by Julian Bolleter, and A Woman of Influence: Science, Men & History, by Ann Moyal are worth looking up to become familiar with their interests.
UWA Publishing is currently closed to submissions, but you can still check their submissions page once in a while for any updates.
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