SPN to launch national roadshow in 2013

Monday, 26 November 2012 Books+Publishing

The Small Press Network (SPN) plans to launch a year-long roadshow in 2013 that will involve events in each state.

SPN general manager Zoe Dattner told Bookseller+Publisher that the network is in the process of securing funding for the roadshow, which will kick off with an event in Sydney in February. The planned roadshow will be a year-long program of around 20 public events ‘showcasing different publishers and some of their authors and titles’ in the major cities and some regional areas, said Dattner. ‘We’re aiming to have bookstores, both high-street and online, involved in these events,’ she said.

‘The roadshow is about extending our reach nationally so that all our members have a chance to be involved in things,’ said Dattner. ‘But more importantly it’s about audience development and participation, and consequently, selling more books and building sustainability for the publishers and the authors.’

Dattner said the SPN has grown substantially in the past 12 months—from around 90 members in late 2011 to its current size of more than 125 members, including 11 associate members in the early stages of publishing their first titles. Victoria is the state with the most SPN members (almost half of the network’s members are based there), followed by New South Wales and Western Australia.

The plans for a national roadshow follow the rebranding of the organisation, previously known as SPUNC (the Small Press Underground Networking Community), which was announced at its inaugural Independent Publishers Conference in Melbourne in November. As previously reported by Bookseller+Publisher, plans are already underway for the 2013 conference.

Category: Local news