Wakefield Press

Wakefield Press
Status Active
Founded 1942
Founder Harry Muir
Country of origin  Australia
Headquarters location Adelaide
Distribution Australia
Nonfiction topics Various
Fiction genres Many
Official website wakefieldpress.com.au

Wakefield Press is an independent book publishing company in Australia, based in the Adelaide suburb of Mile End, South Australia. They publish an eclectic list diverse in subject, tone and point, with strong suits in true stories, gastronomy, history, literature and gift books.

History

Wakefield has been under its present ownership since 1989, but there have been several different versions of the company since the 1940s. It was founded in 1942 by Adelaide bookseller Harry Muir (1909-1991), owner of Beck Book Company Limited. His intention was to publish small, historical monographs which he believed would otherwise go unread. The company’s first publication was A Checklist of Ex-Libris Literature Published in Australia.[1]

The current director is Michael Bollen. Against national and international publishing trends of outsourcing most areas of expertise, Wakefield Press conducts all stages of the publishing process (except printing) under one roof. This includes editing, design, typesetting, marketing, publicity, sales, distribution and administration.

Wakefield Press publishes around fifty new titles each year. Their books often hit bestseller lists and win awards. Ochre and Rust, by Philip Jones won the non-fiction prize in the inaugural Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.[2]

Corporate Publishing Service

Wakefield provides a comprehensive publishing service for government, cultural institutions and corporate Australia.

Their clients include:

Adelaide Festival Centre Trust

Wakefield Press also have key ongoing partnerships with the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association, the South Australian Living Artists Festival (publishing ten SALA monographs to date), and a newly formed publishing partnership with the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies at the University of South Australia.

Distribution

Wakefield Press supplies bookshops and other retailers across Australia and New Zealand through an in-house distribution department.

References

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