Publishing in Australia: National interests in a transnational age

Abstract

This article introduces a collection of essays arising from the Small Press Network's Independent Publishing Conference, an event that brings together publishing professionals from Australia and academics working in the nascent discipline of publishing studies. These essays address the role of small publishers within the globalized publishing industry. Australian small presses enjoy considerable success both culturally and financially, but also encounter structural disadvantages - such as geographical distance and competition from corporations based in larger nations - that are not necessarily dismantled by the digitization of book culture. Yet, as some of the essays highlight, independent A..