Who we are
UNSW Press Limited is a not-for-profit Australian company. Operating since 1962, it is a controlled entity of the University of New South Wales, based on campuses in Sydney, Australia.
Its mission is to contribute to intellectual and cultural development in a sustainable environment by providing publishing and bookselling services which will promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and scholarship and enhance the global reputation of UNSW.
The main activities of UNSW Press are book publishing; representation and distribution services in Australia and New Zealand; and retail bookselling on the Kensington campus of the university.
At our award-winning university press, there is a strong commitment to publishing Australian research and defining Australian experiences. Whether a book emerges from peer-reviewed university-funded research, lived experience, literary mastery, or all three, our team strives to bring stories to Australian audiences and to readers around the world.
UNSW Press is an accredited member of the Association of University Presses, the Australian Publishers Association and the Australian Booksellers Association.
Imprints
NewSouth Publishing is the publishing arm of UNSW Press Limited and produces general, literary and illustrated non-fiction under its NewSouth imprint.
We produce scholarly titles under UNSW Press, the company’s original imprint.
The list includes award-winning books on history, politics, law, biography, art, architecture, science, natural history and environment, as well as writing guides. About 50 new titles are published each year across both imprints. Since its founding, the company has published more than 1500 titles in various formats and it has more than 500 active backlist titles.
We co-publish with prominent publishers, including other university presses, to ensure our books are widely cited and read. We collaborate with cultural organisations, drawing on repositories of art, photography and material objects to make beautiful books. While recognising and embracing the resilience of the printed book, we engage with all current formats, from e-book and audio to translations and subscription platforms.
Distribution
NewSouth Books is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of the company. It represents more than 80 publishing companies from Australia, Asia, the USA, Canada, Europe and the UK.
Attuned to the needs of readers and authors from academic and literary communities, NewSouth Books provides innovative fulfillment solutions with Alliance Distribution Services. The focus of NewSouth Books is efficient and sustainable supply, speed-to-market and quality of service in the Australian and New Zealand markets.
NewSouth Books is a leading supplier of fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and academic books to the Australian book trade. Its wide range of lists is available in retail outlets, including major chain stores, independent booksellers and department stores. Titles also sell through online booksellers, educational and library wholesalers, museums and galleries. NewSouth Books also manages e-book distribution for independent Australian publishers and actively promotes digital product through targeted channels.
NewSouth Books is the representative for numerous publishers in Australia .
Bookshop
UNSW Press manages the UNSW Bookshop in the Quadrangle Building on the Kensington campus of the University of New South Wales in Sydney. It stocks an extensive range of general and academic books, gifts, stationery and UNSW merchandising for the university and neighbouring communities. The Bookshop also provides for the textbook and course needs of students by sourcing and supplying relevant printed and digital learning materials and books.
Following the relaunch of UNSW’s Bookshop, café and event space in 2019, it is a welcoming and vibrant environment for students and staff, a place to hold author events, a place for people to meet and engage with one another in person or online. The team at the Bookshop is actively involved in book sales at conferences, graduations and community events.
Opening hours: The Bookshop is open 9am – 5pm from Monday to Friday. It is closed on public holidays.
History
UNSW Press’ mission is to contribute to intellectual and cultural development in a sustainable environment by providing publishing and bookselling services which will promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and scholarship and enhance the global reputation of UNSW.
In 2022 UNSW Press celebrates its 60th anniversary. The presentation for a celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary in the Tyree Room of the Scientia building at UNSW Sydney is available as a PDF here.
A bibliographic listing of all titles published since 1962 is featured in the publication UNSW Press A History 1962–2012 and it is available here. Or you can find it at Apple Books.
The bibliography is updated annually. Since 1962, books have appeared under several imprints including UNSW Press, NewSouth, Choice, Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, New South University Press, The Union Store, TAFE Educational Books and others. More than 1500 titles are listed in the bibliography.
The UNSW Press Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocol
As a non-fiction publisher, UNSW Press recognises its unique responsibility to share untold or uncomfortable truths in Australian history and to promote Indigenous voices and stories that have often been neglected. In doing so, we strive to publish diverse and representative content about Indigenous peoples, cultures and stories.
The UNSW Press Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) Protocol, prepared by Terri Janke and Company, helps us to engage with Indigenous peoples and their cultural heritage respectfully and to embed culturally appropriate working practices across the organisation. The central purpose of the Protocol is to recognise and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights to access, maintain, control and benefit from their cultural heritage.
The ICIP Protocol is an initial point of reference in projects which involve Indigenous people or use Indigenous cultural material and is shared with our staff, authors, copyeditors, proof-readers, indexers, designers and researchers, along with media, cultural institutions and other collaborators.
The ICIP Protocol and associated resources align with UNSW’s Indigenous Strategy, which aims to increase the Indigenous student body and workforce, and develop Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and academics who will make an impact in communities across the nation. Further, it recognises the need to have Aboriginal culture and UNSW's cultural heritage more prominent on campus – with these initiatives grounded on respect for Country. UNSW has contributed to important nation-building activities like the Uluru Statement from the Heart and will continue to do so in the future.
Submissions
NewSouth Publishing welcomes new authors and book proposals that fit our diverse publishing program. Authors interested in publishing with us can read more about our guidelines here.
Rights
We sell territorial and translation licenses for our books throughout the world. We have co-published books with publishers in the UK, Europe, Canada and North America and our books have been translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
We attend the book fairs in London and Frankfurt each year. If you would like to enquire about the rights for one of our titles or make an appointment at one of the fairs, please email rights@unswpress.com.au. You can also download our rights catalogue here.
Permissions
All material published by NewSouth Publishing is protected under copyright law. Written permission is required and a fee may be payable if you wish to reproduce our material.
The Copyright Agency processes permission requests on our behalf.
If you would like to reproduce our material, please send a short email to Copyright Agency’s Licence Enquiries service (licence.enquiries@copyright.com.au) including the following information:
- The extract or illustration you wish to reprint
- Details of the book it appeared in (title, author, publisher, year of publication, page number)
- Title and publisher of your book or other publication
- Proposed price
- Print run and publication date
- The territories you need permission for (e.g. ANZ, world, e-rights).
The UNSW Press Bragg Prizes for Science Writing
UNSW Press hosts an annual prize for the best short non-fiction piece on science written for a general audience.
The UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing is named in honour of Australia’s first Nobel Laureates William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg and is supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund and UNSW Science. Long-listed and shortlisted entries are included in The Best Australian Science Writing, NewSouth's annual collection featuring the finest Australian science writing of the year.
The UNSW Press Bragg Student Prize for Science Writing is a competition for Year 7–10 students in Australia. This prize is designed to encourage and celebrate the next generation of science writers, researchers and leaders. For an aspiring university Dean of Science or Walkley Award-winning journalist, this could be the first entry in their CV.
The UNSW Book Idea of the Year Prize
UNSW Press is excited to launch the UNSW Book Idea of the Year Prize that will discover, develop and promote the work of a nonfiction writer from UNSW. This prize enables UNSW Press to continue to develop relationships with talented early to mid-career academics at UNSW from all backgrounds and disciplines.
Publishing partnerships
Do you or your organisation have a story to tell? At NewSouth Publishing we’re perfectly placed to help get your book published. Highly respected for our titles on Australian history, politics, current affairs, biography, art and design and popular science, we’ll bring all of this experience to your project. Read more about our partnerships here.
Board of Directors
UNSW Press’ Board is appointed by the Council of UNSW.
Professor Merlin Crossley AM is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) UNSW Sydney and Chairman of UNSW Press Ltd. He trained or worked at the universities of Melbourne, Oxford, Harvard and Sydney before moving to the University of New South Wales. He works on human genetic diseases and is focusing on using CRISPR-mediated gene editing to treat sickle-cell anaemia. He is on the editorial boards of The Conversation and BioEssays.
Professor George Williams AO is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Planning & Assurance) UNSW Sydney, and Anthony Mason and Scientia Professor at UNSW Law. He has written and edited 37 books, including nine books published by UNSW Press.
Lynette Petrie is Director, Management Reporting and Analysis, in the Finance division of UNSW Sydney.
Fiona Inglis is the Managing Director of Curtis Brown Australia Pty Ltd, a leading Australian literary agency that represents authors of both fiction and non-fiction across all genres.
Jenny Brockie is an award-winning journalist and facilitator. She hosted SBS’s current affairs program Insight and reported nationally and internationally for the ABC.
Kathy Bail is the Chief Executive Officer of UNSW Press.
David Bridge is the Company Secretary.
Staff
Find a list of our staff here.