Australia is home to bestselling and award-winning authors like Liane Moriarty, Jane Harper, Peter Carey, and more.
If you’re located in Australia and hoping to join the ranks of such talented writers, look no further than these Australian publishers who are currently open to submissions for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Australian Publishers
Below are 18 Australian publishers currently accepting unsolicited submissions.
1. Allen & Unwin
Voted “Publisher of the Year” 14 times since 1992, Allen & Unwin is Australia’s leading independent publisher.
A & U publishes an average of 250 new titles per year, including literary fiction, commercial fiction, children’s and YA books, and a wide range of nonfiction. They have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and London. Check out some of their previous titles here .
Submission Guidelines: www.allenandunwin.com/submission-guidelines
2. Text Publishing
Based in Melbourne, Text Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, commercial fiction, and nonfiction.
As far as genres, they’re really open to pretty much anything. The only things they won’t consider are poetry, screenplays, technical manuals, or how-to books.
You can check out some of their previous work here.
Submission Guidelines: www.textpublishing.com.au/manuscript-submissions
3. Scribe Publications
Scribe Publications was founded in 1976 by Henry Rosenbloom, who wanted to publish serious nonfiction. Since then, Scribe has grown into a multi-award-winning company with offices in Melbourne and London.
They publish an average of 65 nonfiction and fiction titles annually in Australia, plus about 60 in the United Kingdom and 30 in the US.
Please note that while they do accept unsolicited and unagented submissions, they are only open for select periods throughout the year. For 2022, those periods are April 1 – April 21, and September 1 – September 21. You can check out their previous titles here.
Submission Guidelines: scribepublications.com.au/submissions
4. University of Queensland Press
University of Queensland Press was founded in 1948 as a subsidiary of The University of Queensland.
They are known for publishing literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories. You can browse some of their published works here.
Submission Guidelines: www.uqp.com.au/submissions
5. Big Sky Publishing
Big Sky Publishing specializes in adult nonfiction titles and informative children’s books.
They currently welcome manuscripts that focus on history, military history, true crime, self-help, health, parenting, business, biography, memoir, humor, and lifestyle. You can browse their titles here.
Submission Guidelines: www.bigskypublishing.com.au/submitting-a-manuscript/
6. Hachette Australia
As a subdivision of Hachette Livre, Hachette Australia is one of the country’s largest publishers.
Currently, they are only accepting submissions of nonfiction and children’s books from writers who are residents of Australia or New Zealand.
You can browse their catalog here.
Submission Guidelines: www.hachette.com.au/submissions/
7. Fremantle Press
Fremantle Press is a nonprofit publisher founded in 1976. They aim to bring the work of talented new and emerging Western Australian writers to the widest audience possible.
Currently, they are looking for nonfiction, fiction, narrative non-fiction, poetry, and books for children and young adults. You can see some of their past work here.
Please note that they only accept unsolicited manuscripts from authors of Western Australian origin or residents of Western Australia. Work from non–Western Australian authors will only be considered when the book has a strong Western Australian focus.
Submission Guidelines: fremantlepress.com.au/submissions/
8. Pantera Press
Founded in 2008, Pantera Press is a leading “social purpose publisher” that seeks to bridge the literacy gap and publish books that matter.
They publish most major genres of fiction and nonfiction and actively encourage unsolicited submissions. Check out their published titles here.
Submission Guidelines: www.panterapress.com.au/submit/
9. Magabala Books
Magabala Books is an Aboriginal-owned and led Indigenous publishing house. Based in Broome, they publish Indigenous storytellers, writers, artists and illustrators from all over Australia.
Magabala publishes a range of genres, including children’s picture books, memoir, fiction (junior, YA and adult), non-fiction, graphic novels, social and cultural history, and poetry.
See some of their past work here.
Submission Guidelines: magabalabooks.submittable.com/submit
10. Melbourne University Publishing
Founded in 1922, Melbourne University Publishing is Australia’s first and leading university press. Primarily an academic publisher, they specialize in agenda-setting political writing, history, and current affairs titles, as well as illustrated art and lifestyle books and Australian academic research.
Please note that they are currently only seeking submissions of nonfiction. You can browse some of their past titles here.
Submission Guidelines: www.mup.com.au/submissions
11. Affirm Press
Based in Melbourne, Affirm Press is an independent publisher of nonfiction and select fiction. They are dedicated to publishing “great Australian stories, big ideas, and the most engaging local and international authors.” You can view some of their published titles here.
Please note that they only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month. Submissions received outside this window will not be reviewed. Affirm also only accepts work from Australian authors or authors based in Australia, and only works that haven’t been previously published.
Submission Guidelines: affirmpress.com.au/submissions/
12. Federation Press
The Federation Press was founded in Sydney in 1987. They are an independent publisher of student texts, scholarly monographs, and practitioner titles with an emphasis on education, analysis, and debate.
Their imprint, Desert Pea Press, publishes high quality non-law titles. You can check out some of their published books here.
Submission Guidelines: federationpress.com.au/for-authors/
13. Black Inc. Press
Since 2000, Black Inc. has been an independent publisher of quality nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. They are passionate about important works of history, politics, biography, and current affairs, as well as novels and poems “that open up new worlds.”
Please note that they only accept proposals from Australian authors. You can view some of their previously published work here.
Submission Guidelines: www.blackincbooks.com.au/submissions
14. Boolarong Press
Founded in 1976, Boolarong Press is a commercial trade publisher that focuses on helping Queensland authors bring their stories to the world.
Their main genres are history, biographies, and Australiana children’s books, but they do also publish other genres in fiction. You can browse their published titles here.
Submission Guidelines: boolarongpress.com.au/submission-guidelines/
15. Murdoch Books
Murdoch Books was acquired by Allen & Unwin in 2012. They publish a wide range of food, gardening, and lifestyle titles.
With headquartered in Sydney, they also have offices in Auckland and London and an extensive network of international partners across more than 20 languages.
You can view their catalog here.
Submission Guidelines: www.murdochbooks.com.au/submission-guidelines
16. MidnightSun Publishing
MidnightSun Publishing prides itself in working with new and unknown writers in order to deliver books that “challenge, excite, enrage or overwhelm” their readers.
They are especially interested in new and exciting voices in literary fiction, but are happy to consider stories in other gernes. However, they do note that they are unlikely to take on poetry, romance, speculative fiction, or self-help books.
You can view MidnightSun’s published books here.
Submission Guidelines: midnightsunpublishing.com/submission-guidelines/
17. Harlequin Australia
Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins. They seek “vibrant, innovative, well-crafted, strongly voiced fiction” or compelling memoirs.
Please note that they are not currently accepting submissions of high fantasy, science fiction, erotica, horror, children’s, or young adult fiction. Browse their past titles here.
Submission Guidelines: www.harpercollins.com.au/harlequin-books-submissions/
18. Pan Macmillan Australia
Pan Macmillan Australia publishes a wide range of bestselling, award-winning and high-quality titles in commercial and literary fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and more.
They are passionate about bringing compelling Australian stories to readers. You can browse their catalog here.
Submission Guidelines: www.panmacmillan.com.au/submissions/
Publishers in Australia
If you’re an author looking to publish your book in Australia, the publishers in this list can help.
Before you submit your manuscript or proposal, please be sure to read their guidelines carefully. Many are looking for writing exclusively from Australian citizens or residents, while some prefer to receive a proposal in lieu of your full manuscript. You’ll find the full details for each publisher in their submission guidelines.
If you’re going to submit a proposal, check out our tips on how to write a great book proposal.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Hi Kaelyn,
I am interested in publishing a completed romance novel. Do you have any recommendations for romance publishers? My novel is rather niche and unfortunately I have faced rejection as of late.
Hi,
Do you have a list of technical and construction book publishers accepting submissions?
Thank you.
Hi Ernesto, thanks for your comment! We don’t have a list of technical publishers yet, but a lot of the publishers mentioned in this post specialize in technical and instructional material.