Fremantle Press (formerly known as Fremantle Arts Centre Press) is an independent publisher in Western Australia. Fremantle Press was established by the Fremantle Arts Centre in 1976. It focuses on publishing Western Australian writers and writing.
| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Headquarters location | Fremantle |
| Publication types | Books |
| Official website | Official website  |
It publishes works of fiction, literary prose and poetry, social history, autobiography, biography, trade books in areas such as food and photography, children's picture books and fiction for young readers.
History
editThe Fremantle Arts Centre Press was started in the mid 70s when it published the first of its books which included a poetry anthology. The first author of a whole book was Elizabeth Jolley who wrote Five Acre Virgin and other Stories[1] which was one her first published works in 1976.
Known initially for fiction works the press had a substantial financial success with a non-fiction work about an Australian autobiography entitled "A Fortunate Life" written by an 85-year-old Albert Facey. This work was licensed to Penguin books and sold over 750,000 copies. The arrangement with Penguin grew to a permanent distribution deal with the publication of My Place by the indigenous author Sally Morgan in 1987. This was a national success and in 2000 when they published Benang another award-winning novel by the indigenous author Kim Scott.[1]
The press celebrated its first ten years of publishing in 1986.[2][3] In the 1990s the press was involved in publishing archival materials.[4]
The press changed its name to the Fremantle Press in 2007.[5]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s the press had a dedicated series edited by William Grono called West Coast Writing – of books of short stories and poetry. It included works by Nicholas Hasluck, Tom Hungerford, Alan Alexander, Andrew Burke, Lee Knowles, Alec Choate, Justina Williams, Peter Cowan, Julie Lewis, and James Legasse.[6] The press published an poetry anthology of Western Australian works by Ryan and Kinsella in 2017.[7]
Subsequent published authors include Albert Facey, Sally Morgan, Elizabeth Jolley, Tim Winton, Liz Byrski, Julia Lawrinson, Kim Scott, John Kinsella, John A. Long, Tracy Ryan, Richard Woldendorp, Frances Andrijich, Carolyn Polizzotto, Wayne Ashton, Anna Haebich, Philip Salom, Eoin Cameron, Kate Lamont, Kate McCaffrey, Katherine Summers,Simon Haynes, Craig Silvey and Stephen Kinnane.
Since 1988, Fremantle Press has sponsored the T.A.G. Hungerford Award, a biennial award given to an unpublished writer for a work of adult fiction, narrative non-fiction or young adult fiction.[8]
Fremantle Press established the Fogarty Literary Award in association with the Fogarty Foundation in December 2018. This biennial award is for an unpublished manuscript by a Western Australian writer aged 18 to 35 valued at AU$20,000. In addition, the winning author receives a publishing contract for their manuscript.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Fremantle Press Archived 23 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Lavanlegal.com, accessed August 2013
- ^ Fremantle Arts Centre Press : tenth anniversary catalogue, 1986, The Press, 1986, retrieved 1 November 2024
- ^ Newman, P. W. G. (Peter W. G.) (1991), Fremantle Press, Murdoch University. Institute for Science and Technology Policy, ISBN 978-0-86905-195-5
- ^ Gothard, J (1992), Book reviews: Douglas E. Darbyshire, In time for Lunch, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle 1991, pp.108, $19.95 pb./Henry Richardson, A Pleasant Passage: The Journals of Henry Richardson, Surgeon-Superintendant aboard the convict ship Sultana, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle 1990, pp.211, including illustrations, $16.99, University of Western Australia. Centre for Western Australian History, retrieved 1 November 2024
- ^ History Archived 26 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Fremantle Press, accessed 19 August 2013
- ^ Britton, David (1989), "The Press from the west: Fremantle Arts Centre Press", Editions (Potts Point, NSW), 1 (2): 8–9, retrieved 1 November 2024
- ^ Kinsella, John; Ryan, Tracy (2017), The Fremantle Press anthology of Western Australian poetry, Fremantle Press, ISBN 978-1-925162-20-2
- ^ "City of Fremantle Hungerford Award". Fremantle Press. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "$20k unpublished manuscript award launched for WA young writer". Books+Publishing. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2021.