FAQ

Random House Australia publishes a wide range of fiction, non-fiction, illustrated and children’s books under imprints including Arrow, Bantam, Doubleday, Knopf, Random House and Vintage. In general, the Australian publishing divisions of Random House Australia do not publish short stories, anthologies, educational material or poetry.

Random House Australia also distributes titles from its overseas companies across a wide range of categories. Read more about Random House Australia.

No. The Doubleday Book and Music Club is a separate company to Random House Australia and our publishing imprint, Doubleday. Visit the Doubleday website at www.doubleday.com.au for more information.

The privacy of Random House Australia's authors is very important so we cannot release personal contact details for any author, under any circumstance. However, we will forward correspondence to authors on behalf of readers. Address correspondence to authors to: Author's Name C/- Publicity Department Random House Australia Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia (Please include your return address.) Alternatively, you can send an email to us at media@randomhouse.com.au Although the utmost care is taken, we cannot take responsibility for the loss or damage of correspondence, or a lack of reply from the author.

Yes, relevant reading guides appear on Book Pages where available.

There are different policies for different genres. We do not generally accept submissions for:

• Poetry
• Educational material
• Short stories
• Fiction from previously unpublished authors.

For more detailed information about submitting manuscripts, read our full manuscript submission guidelines.

No. Manuscript submissions and publishing inquiries will only be accepted as a hard copy in the first instance. (If later required, we will request a disk or digital file.) Electronic manuscript submissions, (eg email, disk or a request to view a website) will NOT be considered.

These are the guidelines for Adult submissions. Click here if you wish to submit a children's manuscript. Before submitting your proposal to Random House Australia please read the following guidelines carefully. These guidelines cover:

• Accepted genres for submission
• Submissions from unpublished fiction authors
• What to consider before you send us your proposal
• How to submit your manuscript
• Our response time.

Accepted genres for submission

Random House Australia imprints will accept submissions for the following genres:

• Arrow - mass market commercial paperback fiction, fantasy, thriller
• Bantam - popular fiction and non-fiction, biography, travel narrative, popular culture and memoir
• Doubleday - parenting, health, new-age and self-help.
• Ebury – illustrated, lifestyle
• Knopf - hardcover literary fiction and non-fiction, biography, memoir
• Random House - children’s
• Vintage - paperback literary fiction and non-fiction, biography, memoir
• William Heinemann – general fiction and non-fiction Random House Australia does not accept submissions for:
• Poetry
• Educational material
• Short stories
• Fiction from previously unpublished authors, although there are exceptions
• Children’s books, although there are exceptions. Refer to Children's Submission Guidelines

Submissions from unpublished fiction authors

Random House Australia will accept submissions from unpublished fiction authors if they are:

• Submitted via a literary agent, or
• Have obtained a positive assessment from an accredited manuscript assessment agency. There are a number of organisations who can provide more information about getting published. Refer to "Who can I contact to help me with getting published? " below.

What to consider before you send us your proposal

Are you sending your proposal to the right publishing company? Research appropriate publishing companies to ensure you are submitting your proposal to the most appropriate ones. You could:

• Find books that are similar to yours to see which company publishes those types of books
• Obtain the Australian Publishers Association (APA) directory of publishers. This contains information about Australian publishing companies and the types of books they publish. Visit the APA website at www.publishers.asn.au. Do you have enough writing experience? If you have had little or no writing experience, it is a good idea to do a writing course to gain experience and learn about the publishing industry. Find out more about who can help you get published .

How to submit your manuscript

If after reviewing the information above you decide to submit your proposal to Random House Australia please enclose the following:

1. A covering letter that addresses the following:

• How you came to write the book.
• The market for your proposed book and how your proposed book fits in to the market.
• List similar books that are already in print and explain how your proposal differs from existing books in the market.
• How comparable books have sold in bookshops.
• List any additional markets that your proposed book could sell in, besides bookstores.
• How you would promote your book, including any of your relevant media or corporate contacts or other contacts that would help us in publicising and marketing your book.
•  What your intended audience is. What sections of society would be interested in what you have written?

2. A synopsis of your proposed book.

3. Your current CV.

4. Three chapters (not necessarily consecutive) or at least 50 pages on white A4 paper, double spaced, not bound.

5. A stamped, self-addressed envelope or POSTpak for the return of your material. If this is not supplied, your material will not be returned it will be destroyed. Although all possible care is taken with all submissions, Random House Australia bears no responsibility for the loss or damage of materials received. Please ensure that you send copies only of materials you are submitting. Do not send original illustrations or photographs. The address for submissions is: The Submissions Editor Random House Australia Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia

Our response time Due to the volume of submissions it takes approximately three to nine months for submissions to be assessed, and it may be longer at certain times of the year. No acknowledgement of receipt will be sent. You will be advised in writing when your submission has been assessed. Assessment is made in order of receipt.

There are a number of organisations to help writers improve their writing skills, assess manuscripts and provide information on self-publishing.

The Australian Society of Authors is the professional association for Australia's literary creators. Visit The Australian Society of Authors website at www.asauthors.org for information about pay and conditions, writing, copyright and publishing.

The Australian Publishers Association produces a 'Directory of Members' which may help you decide which publishers would be most interested in your work. Visit The Australian Publishers Association website at www.publishers.asn.au to purchase the directory.

Each state and territory also has a writers’ centre and a variety of writers groups who can provide useful information (eg lists of manuscript assessment agencies), support and encouragement.

• ACT Writers Centre: www.actwriters.org.au
• NSW Writers’ Centre: www.nswwriterscentre.org.au
• NT Writers’ Centre: www.ntwriters.com.au
• QLD Writers’ Centre: www.qwc.asn.au
• SA Writers’ Centre: www.sawriters.on.net
• TAS Writers’ Centre: www.tasmanianwriters.org
• VIC Writers’ Centre: www.writers-centre.org
• WA State Literature Centre: www.writerswritingwa.org

All material published by Random House Australia is protected by the Copyright Act of 1968. If you wish to reprint or reproduce any material from a Random House Australia publication, you must obtain written permission from Random House Australia. If the work from which you are requesting permission is an anthology, consult the credit or acknowledgments page and apply to the original source for permission to use the copyright material. This also applies to photographs and illustrations.

NB: Always check who first published the original work. In most cases, the first publisher is the copyright controller.

Include the following information in your permission request:

• The title, author and ISBN of the publication from which you wish to reprint.
• If possible, a photocopy of the imprint page.
• Exactly what material you wish to use (provide photocopies highlighting which text and/or illustration is to be used).
• Details of how the material is to be used.
• The format in which the material will be reproduced (ie book, magazine, video, audio, broadcast, Internet, other).
• Approximate number of words.
• The territory required.
• The number of reproductions of the copyright material (ie if a book, the initial print run).
• The selling price of your finished product (RRP).
• The publication/release date of your finished product.
• The name of the publisher.

Permission requests for use of material first published by Random House Australia should be sent by post to: Permissions Department Random House Australia Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2061 Australia You may also fax the Permissions Department on: +61 (02) 9956 6487 or you can send by email to rights@randomhouse.com.au

Generally, it takes between six to eight weeks to process a permission request. Please allow enough time in your editorial schedule to clear permissions.

A permission (or copyright) fee will always be charged to compensate the author and/or illustrator for use of their work.

Random House Australia distributes books for a number of international publishers and cannot grant permission for use of material from these books. Permission must be obtained from the original publisher. Worldwide Random House websites are listed on the Contact us page.

Random House Australia books are available from all good bookstores , and if your local bookseller does not have a title in stock, they can generally order it for you. We do not sell books through ourwebsite. If you are a retailer, please contact our customer service department who will answer your queries.

We do not sell books online. Our books are available at all good bookshops .

You can search our catalogue of titles by using the ‘Search’ function located at the top of each page of this website.

When a title goes out of print, it is generally considered no longer available. Sometimes, however, a book which is out of print can be found through:

• A visit to your local second-hand bookstore
• An Internet search. Try sites such as www.biblioquest.com.au , an Australian specialist search service for out-of-print, rare and collectable books.

The Random House Australia website is regularly updated with all the latest information about upcoming titles and events .

If you find an error or misprint in one of our titles, please send the book (or a copy of the page/s in question) with a letter explaining the problem to: The Publishing Assistant Book Errors Random House Australia (insert imprint name here, eg Bantam Books) Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia

Faulty books (eg with printing or binding problems) should, in the first instance, be returned to the original place of purchase. The retailer can assess the fault and offer a replacement book. If it is not possible to return the book to its place of purchase, it can be sent, along with a letter explaining the problem to: The Publishing Assistant Book Errors Random House Australia (insert imprint name here, eg Bantam Books) Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia

For any general media enquiries or to request a review copy of a book or interview please email media@randomhouse.com.au. You will be able to find all the information you need about our books, including cover images by browsing the website. Please email media@randomhouse.com.au for all author image requests.

Send your requests for display material to: The Marketing Department Display material request Random House Australia Level 3 100 Pacific Highway North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia You may also email your request to teachers@randomhouse.com.au There is no charge for this material. We will do our best to supply the requested material but it is subject to availability.

Employment opportunities at Random House Australia are advertised online including via our LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages, on seek.com.au and booksellerandpublisher.com.au. If you would like to submit your resume for our consideration please send to our human resources department, the contact details are listed below.

Random House Australia does hire experienced editorial freelancers from time to time. If you have at least 2 year’s experience editing and/or proofreading, send your application and CV to our human resources department, the contact details are listed below.

Random House Australia does hire illustrators, designers and photographers from time to time. If you would like to submit material please send your CV, with a cover letter and your portfolio to our human resources department, the contact details are listed below.

Random House Australia provides opportunities for people to undertake unpaid work experience placements in a variety of publishing functions such as Publishing, Editorial, Publicity and Marketing. Work experience will enable you to learn about how the organisation and its different departments work. You will have the chance to develop and practice your publishing skills and talk to people within the industry and gather advice and contacts. All this will enable you to make more informed career choices about whether this is the right industry for you. Work experience here is an excellent way to get your foot on the publishing career ladder if you are interested in working in the industry.

If you are interested in an internship or work experience with Random House Australia, please send your CV, with a cover letter to our human resources department, the contact details are listed below.

Unfortunately due to the high number of applications we receive we are unable to reply to every applicant individually.