Aboriginal Studies Press releases resource for Indigenous publishing

Aboriginal Studies Press (ASP) has released a free resource to assist publishers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors or material about their histories and cultures.

Guidelines for Ethical Publishing was soft-launched at the Write Edit Index conference in Canberra in May. It contains chapters on planning for publication, including cultural clearances and who to seek information from; authorship, which explores contracts, remuneration and other issues; editing; Indigenous language; and marketing and publicity. The publication also includes a number of case studies and practical tips.

ASP publisher Rhonda Black told Books+Publishing that the guidelines are ‘aimed at those people who already deal with Indigenous content or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors’, but ‘more importantly, perhaps, they’re written for people who aren’t doing that yet because they feel unconfident’.

‘The reality is that there are lots of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanting their stories told so there are opportunities for collaboration, but, more importantly, for skilled editors, indexers, illustrators, etc, who are culturally competent to work with them to allow their stories to be told in the way that’s meaningful for them,’ said Black.

Black said the guidelines were developed from the publisher’s cross-cultural training workshops for staff and freelance editors, as well as workshops run through the Australian Publishing Association. The guidelines are also informed by the AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (GERAIS).

Guidelines for Ethical Publishing can be downloaded here.

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