Publisher Services

FAQ small press & self-published authors

Will James Bennett tell libraries about my book?
Yes, James Bennett is interested in all new Australian publications, including books published overseas by Australian authors. All new titles appear on our database and our New Titles Service, which notifies libraries that your title is available to order through James Bennett.

Will James Bennett promote my book?
It's up to you (and your publisher) to promote and publicise your book. You can boost sales by letting librarians know they can order it through James Bennett.

What information do I need to provide?
Submit bibliographic information including the title, author, ISBN, a description or synopsis, page count, and binding type. We require the Australian Retail Price (including GST), and the publisher's name and address. An image of the book cover is always helpful. Click here for an easy form to complete.

Does James Bennett require a discount?
We expect library wholesaler discounts or at the very least the same discount that you would provide to a bookshop. We need to know if you charge freight or if James Bennett is FIS. For small presses, our preferred credit period is 30 days.

How 'new' does my book have to be?
James Bennett prefers pre-publication but up to one year after publication is acceptable for non-commercial publications. Non-commercial means publishers who don't provide adequate discounts or trading terms.

Should I send you a copy of the book?
It is not necessary to send us a copy of the book - you can submit a description or promotional blurb via our easy form here or email datacollection@bennett.com.au.

Download this form and follow the instructions to have your publication considered for listing on the James Bennett database, accessible to hundreds of libraries, locally and internationally.

Image Requirements

We require images for all publications.

Format: ideally .jpg but we also accept .gif and .png.
Size: long edge size more than 1000px.
Resolution: 72 dpi or larger.
Naming: use the ISBN to name your images, for example 9781234567890.jpg.
Send images to our ftp in a zip file, including your company name within the file name, for example, JohnSmithPublishingJune2010images.zip.

For more information on Opening Day Collections, email info@bennett.com.au

Advanced Marketing Materials

Send us all your marketing materials for forthcoming titles in softcopy. This helps us ensure that your titles are promoted to libraries through our Sales Kits, the New Titles Service, and our Profiled Order teams.

Supply advanced marketing materials in these formats:

Advanced Information Sheets in Word or PDF, include the following

Bibliographic data
Author biographies/affiliations
Long descriptions
Table of Contents (where possible)

Reviews in Word or PDF or via email. We prefer ANZ reviews but positive reviews in leading international newspapers and magazines are also helpful.

Author tours or media appearances in ANZ in Word or PDF or via email, ideally accompanied by a list of backlist titles.

Stock files

Our library customers have the option to view stock holdings from our suppliers on James Bennett Online. Supply stock information in these formats:

Format: csv, onix or xls or xlsx
Frequency: daily or weekly
Required Fields: ISBN13, Warehouse/DC, Stock on Hand (SOH), Stock on Order (OO)
Stock on Hand: while our preference is to receive a quantity figure (which will not be displayed to the customer) we accept indicator options, for example H (high) / L (low) or 0 (Zero) / 50 (up to ...) / 100+ (greater than)

Publishers should utilise their existing James Bennett contacts and bibliographic workflows to send us stock files. Contact datacollection@bennett.com.au to discuss your delivery method.