SPUNC to hold independent publishers conference in November; new prize for small publishers announced

Thursday, 10 May 2012 Books+Publishing

The Small Press Network (SPUNC) has announced that it will hold a new conference for independent publishers in Melbourne in November.

The Independent Publishers’ Conference, which has received some financial support from the Copyright Agency Limited, will be held at the Wheeler Centre and will ‘feature an extensive program on such issues as rights management, changing publishing models and developments in sales and bookselling’, said SPUNC in a statement. Thomas Minkus, vice president of emerging media and English language markets for the Frankfurt Book Fair, will deliver the keynote address.

‘Independent publishing plays an essential role in Australian culture,’ said SPUNC president Emmett Stinson. ‘The vast majority of titles written by Australian authors are produced by small and independent publishers, and yet there are no dedicated annual events for independent publishers and their authors to discuss this crucial sector of the Australian publishing industry.’

SPUNC said the event will also include the presentation of a new prize for small publishers called the Most Underrated Book Award, which will be sponsored by Kobo. The prize will be presented at the gala night of the conference and is designed to award both authors and publishers.

‘So much of what happens in book publishing gets missed or hidden by the weight and noise from major publishing houses,’ said Kobo Australia’s director for vendor relations Malcolm Neil. ‘Kobo loves these undervalued books and is excited to be part of a prize that clears away the noise and helps the reader find these gems.’

Category: Local news