Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house. Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, Indigenous writing and youth literature. From 2010, UQP has been releasing selected out-of-print titles in digital formats, in addition to the digital and print publishing of new books. In 2021, UQP was awarded Small Publisher of the Year by the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs).

History

UQP began as a publisher of scholarly works in 1948, and made its transition into trade publishing in the mid-1960s through its Paperback Poets series. The Paperback Poets series came into being when Australian novelist and poet David Malouf approached publisher Frank Thompson and suggested that poetry ought to be made available widely and inexpensively. Thompson agreed, and UQP's poetry list began with Malouf's first book, '' Bicycle and Other Poems'', alongside volumes by Michael Dransfield and Rodney Hall.Sam Martin (March 2010)
Publish or Perish? Re-Imagining the University Press
Media and Culture Journal. Volume 13 Issue 1. Since then, UQP has become Australia's leading poetry publisher, maintaining a poetry list that includes

John Tranter John Ernest Tranter (born 29 April 1943) is an Australian poet, publisher and editor. He has published more than twenty books of poetry; devising, with Jan Garrett, the long running ABC radio program ''Books and Writing''; and founding in 1997 ...

, David Malouf,

Thomas Shapcott Thomas William Shapcott (born 21 March 1935) is an Australian poet, novelist, playwright, editor, librettist, short story writer and teacher. Biography Thomas William Shapcott was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and attended the Ipswich Grammar ...

, and many others. It has launched the careers of many Australian writers, such as David Malouf, Peter Carey (novelist), Kate Grenville,

Doris Pilkington Doris Pilkington Garimara (born Nugi Garimara; c. 1 July 1937 – 10 April 2014), also known as Doris Pilkington, was an Australian author. Garimara wrote ''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (1996), a story about the stolen generation, and base ...

Melissa Lucashenko Melissa Lucashenko is an Indigenous Australian writer of adult literary fiction and literary non-fiction, who has also written novels for teenagers. In 2013 at The Walkley Awards, she won the "Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words) Award" for ...

and Nick Earls. In 1978 the press published its first title in its UQP Studies in Australian Literature series. In 1972, during a time of "Australia’s developing awareness of her place in Asia", UQP launched the Asian and Pacific Writing Series, edited by Michael Wilding and later

Harry Aveling Harry Aveling (born 1942 in Sydney) is an Australian scholar, translator and teacher. He specialises in Indonesian and Malaysian literature, and Translation Studies. He received the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy in Malay Studies from the Natio ...

. In 1980 the press launched the Leaders of Asia Series, with K. G. Tregonning as the general editor.

API Network

Founded in 1997, Australian Public Intellectual Network (API Network) is an organisation focused on linking Australian public intellectuals, and a registered publisher as Network Books. API Network was a scholarly imprint through the University of Queensland Press until 2004. Over this period it gradually transferred to Perth, Western Australia, where its imprint Network Books was formed as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

publisher of scholarly titles on Australia. ''Creative Arts Review'' was edited by Ffion Murphy and included as a supplement to the ''Journal of Australian Studies'' between 1998 and 2008. It was produced at the Australia Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, and published by UQ Press and the API Network. ''Journal of Nutritional Studies'' was also produced in this way. In 2002 API Network was also associated with Fremantle Centre Press. As of 2006 it published the refereed journals ''Journal of Australian Studies'', ''Australian Cultural History'', and ''Life Writing'' (from 2005), as well as four book series: ''Australian Scholarly Classics'', ''Symposia'', ''Australian Essay'', and ''Fresh Cuts''. It also published the ''API Review of Books'' (''JAS (Journal of Australian Studies) Review of Books'' from 2001-2005), ''Altitude 21C'' electronically. the API Network continues to publish ''ACH: International Journal of Culture and History in Australia'', which has been published electronically since 2003.

UQP today

UQP currently publishes books for general readers in the areas of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, poetry, non-fiction, Indigenous writing and youth literature. Many of UQP's recent fiction and poetry titles have won significant international acclaim, including Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang, which won the 2001

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

and the

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

. In 2019, Melissa Lucashenko won the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

for her novel ''Too Much Lip''. In 2010, UQP announced that it will release selected out-of-print titles in digital formats, in addition to the digital and print publishing of new books. In 2021, UQP was awarded Small Publisher of the Year by the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). Judges commented: 'UQP has been recognised with 13 award wins and 30 shortlistings in 2020. In the wake of COVID-19, it launched several initiatives: the UQP Quentin Bryce Award, the UQP Writing Mentorship, and Extraordinary Voices for Extraordinary Times podcast. It supported and actively promoted local bookshops and partnered with the Queensland Department of Education – to beam animated readings of UQP picture books into homes and classrooms. To improve diversity and career pathways for the literary sector – UQP launched its Indigenous Placement Program which has since been recognised as an industry-leading initiative – and hosted six internships for people from diverse and minority backgrounds, including an intern from Vision Australia.' The UQP Bookshop on the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland opened in September 2021. Located in the Biological Sciences Library, it exclusively stocks UQP titles including new releases, children's books, poetry titles, and classics.

Books and authors

The UQP publication list includes

novels A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

, short stories,

memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

, essays, and poetry by writers such as Les Murray, Peter Carey, David Malouf, Katharine Susannah Prichard, Kenneth Slessor, Thea Astley,

Janette Turner Hospital Janette Turner Hospital (née Turner) (born 1942) is an Australian-born novelist and short story writer who has lived most of her adult life in Canada or the United States, principally Boston (Massachusetts), Kingston (Ontario) and Columbia (South ...

, Kate Grenville,

Beverley Farmer Beverley Anne Farmer (also known as B. Christou) (7 February 1941 – 16 April 2018) was an Australian novelist and short story writer. Personal life Beverley Farmer was born in Melbourne. She was educated at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and ...

, Lily Brett, Frank Brennan,

Ian Lowe Ian Lowe (born 3 November 1942) is an Australian academic and writer focused on environmental issues. A physics graduate, he is an Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society and former Head of the School of Science at Griffith Univ ...

Bernhard Schlink Bernhard Schlink (; born 6 July 1944) is a German lawyer, academic, and novelist. He is best known for his novel ''The Reader'', which was first published in 1995 and became an international bestseller. He won the 2014 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Earl ...

Olga Masters Olga Masters née Lawler (28 May 1919 – 27 September 1986) was an Australian writer, journalist, novelist and short story writer. Masters' children went on to be notable figures in journalism, media and film making. Early life Olga Masters ...

Randolph Stow Julian Randolph Stow (28 November 1935 – 29 May 2010) was an Australian-born writer, novelist and poet. Early life Born in Geraldton, Western Australia, Randolph Stow was the son of Mary Campbell Stow née Sewell and Cedric Ernest Stow, a ...

, Michael Dransfield,

Bruce Beaver Bruce Victor Beaver (14 February 1928 – 17 February 2004) was an Australian poet and novelist. Biography Beaver was born in Manly, New South Wales. He was educated at the Manly Public School and at the Sydney Boys' High School. He worked at ...

, Jennifer Mills, Gwen Harwood,

Tony Birch Tony Birch (born 1957) is an Aboriginal Australian author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on ABC local radio and Radio National shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the honours programme for creative writing at the Un ...

and Elizabeth Jolley.

References

External links