Australia
Self-Publishing and Ghostwriting Services in Australia
Publishing from Australia brings its own details: Australian spelling, an Australian ISBN agency, legal deposit with the National Library and a time difference with most overseas providers. We write, edit, design and publish your book with those details handled, and you keep the rights and the publisher listing.
- Written and edited by an in-house team, never subcontracted
- Australian English spelling and usage throughout
- Revisions included until the brief is met
- Each book quoted with its own timeline
The problem
Most publishing advice is written for American authors
Search for how to self-publish a book and nearly everything you find assumes you live in the United States: US ISBNs from Bowker, US spelling, US tax forms and US prices. Follow it from Sydney or Perth and you can end up with an ISBN you are not allowed to use, a manuscript full of "color" and "organize", and a cover price that makes no sense in Australian dollars.
We work with Australian authors the way an Australian publisher would. The book is edited to Australian English, priced with the local market in mind, registered through the correct agency and deposited where the law asks. You get one team for the writing and the publishing, and a clear list of what you own at the end.
Services
What we do for Australian authors
Ghostwriting
Memoir, business books, family histories and fiction written from interviews and your notes. You are the named author and own the manuscript outright.
Editing and proofreading
Structural edits, copy edits and proofreading to Australian English, using a consistent style sheet so spelling and punctuation stay the same from chapter one to the index.
Cover and interior design
Print covers built to your chosen trim size and page count, typeset interiors, and ebook files that display properly on Kindle and other readers.
Self-publishing setup
Accounts, metadata, categories, ISBN allocation and upload to print-on-demand and ebook platforms, set up in your name so the royalties go to you.
Book marketing
Author websites, book descriptions, press releases and launch plans that reach Australian readers as well as overseas ones.
Business content
The same team writes web copy, blogs and SEO content for Australian businesses, from $12.95 per 100 words for blog and article writing.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
ISBNs
ISBNs in Australia: use the Australian agency
Thorpe-Bowker is the ISBN agency for Australia, and Australian publishers must buy their ISBNs there; numbers bought from the US Bowker store or another country's agency cannot be used by an Australian publisher. At the time of writing a single ISBN costs A$44 and a block of ten costs A$88, with a one-off setup fee for publishers buying for the first time. Check the agency's store for current prices before you buy.
Each format needs its own number, so a paperback, a hardback and an ebook of the same book need three. That is why most authors who plan more than one format, or more than one book, buy a block of ten. Some platforms offer a free ISBN instead, but the platform is then listed as publisher and the number cannot be taken to another printer. We explain the trade-off and set up whichever route you choose, with your name or imprint as publisher where you buy your own.
Handled for you
The Australian details we take care of
These are the steps overseas providers most often skip or get wrong for Australian authors.
- Australian English spelling and usage agreed in a style sheet before editing starts
- ISBN allocation through Thorpe-Bowker, with one number per format recorded against your imprint
- Legal deposit: the National Library of Australia and your state library are entitled to a copy of books published in Australia, and digital editions are deposited through National edeposit (NED)
- Cover prices and ebook list prices set in Australian dollars, not converted from a US figure
- Book description and keywords written for Australian readers as well as US and UK stores
- Quotes and invoices in AUD on request, so you are not guessing at exchange rates
- Review calls booked in your time zone, whether you are on Eastern, Central or Western time
How it works
From first call to published book
1. Free consultation
A call at a time that suits you in Australia. We talk through the book, your goals and your budget, then send a written quote and timeline.
2. Writing or editing
Ghostwriting in agreed chapters, or editing in rounds, with you reviewing each stage before the next begins.
3. Design and files
Cover, interior and ebook files, checked against the printer's specifications for your trim size.
4. Publishing and deposit
ISBNs assigned, platforms set up in your name, the book released, and legal deposit arranged.
Pricing
How we price a book project
Every book is quoted with its own timeline and a fixed price before work begins. The things that change the price are the length of the manuscript, how much writing or rewriting is needed, the number of formats and whether you want illustrations or a full-colour interior. Your quote lists third-party costs, such as ISBNs or printed copies, separately from our fees, so you can see exactly what goes to whom.
We will not promise sales, rankings or bestseller status. Nobody can honestly guarantee those. What we can promise is a book that is well written, correctly registered and ready to sell.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about publishing in Australia
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Not if you are publishing as an Australian publisher. ISBNs are issued by the agency in the country where the publisher is based, and in Australia that is Thorpe-Bowker. Numbers bought from the US Bowker store or another country's agency are not valid for Australian publishers. If you already bought the wrong ones, talk to us before you publish and we will help you sort it out.
Australian copyright law requires publishers to deposit published works with the National Library of Australia, and with the state library where the work is published. Digital publications are deposited online through National edeposit, known as NED. We can prepare and submit the deposit as part of your publishing package so it does not get missed.
Australian English by default, because that is what your Australian readers expect. If your book is aimed mainly at a US audience, we can edit to US English instead. Either way, we agree the choice in a style sheet before editing starts, so the spelling is consistent throughout rather than mixed.
We schedule calls in your time zone. Australia runs on several zones, and some states use daylight saving while others do not, so we confirm the time with you in your local time for every call. Most of the review work happens in shared documents, which you can comment on whenever suits you.
Yes. You own the manuscript, the cover files and the royalties. Publishing accounts are set up in your name, and if you buy your own ISBNs, you or your imprint are listed as publisher. Ghostwritten books carry your name as author.
It depends on where you start. Editing and publishing a finished manuscript is much faster than ghostwriting a book from interviews. Each project is quoted with its own timeline in writing, and if you have a launch date or event in mind, tell us on the first call so the schedule is built around it.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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