Sleepers Publishing announces it’s not taking on new books

Independent small press Sleepers Publishing has announced it will not take on new books after 13 years of operation.

In a newsletter, Sleepers co-founders Zoe Dattner and Louise Swinn thanked authors, booksellers, readers, and Creative Victoria and the Australia Council for their support.

‘It’s a dire time for the arts in Australia,’ said Sleepers. ‘It’s not just the cuts in funding, it’s the way that artists are made, in an abundance of casual ways, to feel like hobbyists. We need to look after and support the arts—they are necessary.’

Sleepers called for readers to ‘please pay for books’ and ‘support your local book industry’. ‘A conversation overheard recently had people talking about a pampering day of massage, facial and a fancy meal, all a total bargain at $150,’ they said. ‘In the same conversation there came a complaint about paying as much as $14 for a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. “Books are so expensive,” was the complaint. What? WHAT?’

Sleepers will continue to manage its backlist, which includes works by Kalinda Ashton, Brendan Gullifer, Steven Amsterdam, S J Finn, Balli Kaur Jaswal, miles vertigan, Eleanor Limprecht, David Musgrave, Eli Glasman, Daylan James, Oslo Davis, Paul Dalgarno, John Tesarsch and Vanessa Russell.

Category: Local news