New Name for Western Australian Publisher [19.06.2009]
The University of Western Australia Press has set a benchmark for the WA book industry by unveiling a new name and imprint that reflects its evolution as a publishing house.
A division of The University of Western Australia, the Claremont based publisher will now be known as UWA Publishing, a name change spurred by the diversification of its business interests.
The announcement was accompanied by the news that UWA Publishing will launch a selection of its new release and back-list titles into the international marketplace as ebooks. Select titles have been available in the print-on-demand format in the United Kingdom for the past month.
Other new initiatives include the introduction of a fee-for-service publishing division known as UWAP Custom and the expansion of the annual list of books to include cookbooks and trade fiction titles into its traditionally scholarly range.
The emphasis on multiple income streams and accessible specialist works represents an important turning point for the company’s reinvigoration, which has been spearheaded by Professor Terri-ann White since her commencement in 2006.
Professor White said UWA Publishing had already put in place a number of ambitious growth initiatives, including a focus on higher production values.
“Quality editing and design are fast becoming synonymous with UWA Publishing, while the acquisition of international book rights and the establishment of an annual internship program has already demonstrated our commitment to sustained viability within the book industry,” she said.
The first books to carry the UWA Publishing imprint – which features a strong typographical treatment resembling a traditional ink stamp – include the June releases The Toss of a Lemon (fiction) by Padma Viswanathan and Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (memoir) by Mark Richardson.
Later this month, the new corporate identity will be formally introduced to the book trade at the 85th Australian Bookseller Association Conference and Trade Exhibition in NSW, an annual event attended by book sellers and publishers from around the country.
UWA Publishing has made a valuable contribution to academic publishing since 1935. In 2009, UWA Publishing will produce and market nearly 30 titles that showcase the ideas and research stemming from a modern university. The year’s highlights include the upcoming release of Wine and Food by winemaker and restaurateur Kate Lamont with photographs by Frances Andrijich.
The new UWA Publishing imprint and catalogue can be found at the updated website www.uwap.uwa.edu.au.
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