Join Us

Why become a member?

• To increase sales;
• To improve promotion of your organisation;
• To access networking opportunities and professional development; and
• To play an active role in improving the interests of the small and independent publishing sector.

What does membership include?

Just $77 (incl GST) per organisation for the first twelve months entitles you to:

• Input into the future direction of SPUNC and the opportunity to participate in working groups;
• Voting rights at Annual General Meetings;
• The opportunity to be elected to the SPUNC Board;
• Inclusion in the SPUNC website and online sales tool;
• Associate membership to the Australian Booksellers Association and discounts of 35-42% on Australia Post parcel postage;
• 25% discounts on advertising in Bookseller + Publisher magazine;
• Discounted advertising rates in various media;
• Access to reduced printing rates with various printers
• Discounted entry into SPUNC’s 2010 industry professional development program;
• Representation at the Australian Booksellers' Association’s annual conference;
• Access to the SPUNC Digital Publishing Project
• Access to launch and workshop spaces at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre for Books Writing and Ideas;
• Invitations to take part in literary festival events and other industry panels, and;
• Inclusion in all online and hardcopy marketing to booksellers and media. And this is just the beginning. SPUNC is also working towards achieving many more opportunities for Australian small publishers not readily available to them.

How to Join

There are two kinds of membership available, Full and Associate.

1) Full Membership SPUNC Full Membership is available to currently operating small and independent publishers located in Australia. SPUNC Members are expected to be commercial entities. SPUNC members are as wide as they are diverse. We welcome small and independent publishers of books and magazines. Membership requests are put before a sub-committee which considers the applicant’s qualifications using the following guidelines: Included: • Book publishers who pay advances and royalties to authors • Magazine publishers who pay for contributors in cash or in-kind, as distinct from magazines financed by fees from contributors

Excluded: • Vanity presses or presses who publish books at the author’s expense or require financial investment from the authors. • ‘Self-publishers’ who do not consider outside submissions, or who primarily publish their own work.

SPUNC, however, does acknowledge the changing nature of contemporary publishing, and organisations that engage in other forms of publishing outside of standard print publishing are encouraged to apply. Such activities may involve publication of ebooks, POD publishing, web publishing or other related activities. Such organisations are, however, expected to function as commercial entities engaging in commercial publishing activities, and will be vetted by our membership committee on a case-by-case basis.

Criteria considered for non-traditional publishers can include the following: • Registration of an ABN • Payment of authors • Salaried staff members • Government funding or grant support • Revenue generated from advertising, sales of subscriptions, services, or other products • Demonstration of an ongoing audience or readership • Other demonstrable forms of public recognition and excellence within their field

2) Associate Membership Associate Membership is available to start-up organisations that are planning to publish, but have not yet done so. The purpose of such memberships is to enable skill-sharing, professional development, and otherwise aid publishers new to the industry.

Associate Members are charged at the normal rate, but Associate Memberships are valid for only 12 months and are non-renewable. Associate Members can be considered for Full Membership upon the commercial publication of work that is not deemed vanity or self-publishing, or upon undertaking other commercial publication activities as deemed appropriate under the rules for Full Membership (see above). If, at the end of 12 months, the Associate Member has not undertaken what SPUNC deems to be appropriate commercial publishing activities as outlined in the criteria for Full Membership, the Associate Membership will be canceled. The prospective member, however, can later re-apply for Full Membership on the instigation of commercial publishing activity.

Associate Members do not have the same rights as Full Members. The following rights are not available to Associate Members:

• Associate Members are not allowed voting rights at Annual General Meetings. • Associate Members will not be listed on the website. • Associate Members are not authorised to display the SPUNC Logo on their websites, publications, or any other materials. • Associate Members will not have access to the SPUNC online store. • Associate Members will not be eligible for group advertising purchasing organised through SPUNC.

Associate Members do have access to other SPUNC services, however, which can include the following:

• SPUNC Professional Development Seminars. • Listing of news and upcoming events. • Inclusion in the SPUNC catalogue prior to the release of their first publication (if the publication is in production). • Inclusion in SPUNC promotional events (where deemed appropriate). • Other SPUNC services (where deemed appropriate).

To become a member of SPUNC simply download the application form and return the completed form with a cheque or money order. Download document (305Kb)
membershipappform