Australian Enterprise Awards 2021

21 APAC / Australian Enterprise Awards 2021 , Ocean Reeve Publishing (ORP) is Australia’s leading independent book publishing company. Servicing authors primarily in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, the firm’s services stretch as far as the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the UK. “Our focus is to bring to life stories and publications to an industry standard for independent authors that are either unsuccessful in their submissions, or not interested in, traditional publishing,” explains Publishing Manager, Jason Smith. ORP offers a pay-for-service operation which covers every element of the book publishing journey - from writing mentorships, manuscript appraisals, all editorial levels, typesetting and interior design, book cover design, print-on-demand, digital production, and offset book production (for those wanting to print in excess of 1,000 copies). Clients vary from those publishing memoirs and family histories to business and personal development books, fiction, self-help, and even children’s picture books, with many of the company’s authors going forward and receiving recognition and awards for their publications. However, it is in the firm’s marketing and distribution services that ORP has a strong point of difference that takes the author above the self-publishing space. Along with its tailored 1-on-1 Book Marketing Mentorship, where the team works directly with the author in the marketing and promotion of their book, ORP also offers video marketing services (interviews and book trailers along with book launch videography), website development, professional photography for author photos and events, media kit development and press release writing and distribution, book review programs, and any printed material required for promotional purposes. On top of all of this, it can also provide eBook and audiobook development for their published work. Another key reason for ORP’s success is its drive to establish long-term relationships with its authors. “Publishing can be such a solo project and it shouldn’t be,” Jason highlights. “The ORP team are all connected with our authors’ visions and goals and together we work to help establish the right product and platform to help achieve that.” ORP’s service, high-quality focused publishing process, marketing support and distribution network means that authors can fulfil all their publishing needs in just one place. “Self-publishing comes with a wealth of challenges most of which connected to who should do what and if the people they contract Best Australasian Independent & Self-Publishing Company 2021 Basedout of Brisbane and theGoldCoast inQueensland, OceanReevePublishing is an independent book publisher in Australia, offering authors a one-stop-shop to publish and promote their work. We speak to Jason Smith about the firmand what it is that makes it so different. Jan21272 Ocean Reeve Publishing Company: Ocean Reeve Publishing Contact: Jason Smith Website: www.oceanreevepublishing.com actually have the correct skills. With ORP, we solve that problem by delegating a publishing coordinator and a marketing mentor to each author who will manage the two areas for them.” Working in the creative industries, it is of paramount importance that the firm has the right staff on board in order to help it to lead creatively. Therefore, it offers a supportive and encouraging environment for its team members to speak freely about concerns, improvements and ideas to help develop a more comprehensive model for the authors. “We have removed the word ‘staff’ or ‘employees’ and replaced it with team and there are no bosses, only team leaders. This culture is progressive and inspires creative thinking which is ideal when working with authors.” Furthermore the values of the company are simple: “Do your best and we will give you the tools, skills and education to be able to do even better.” For ORP, the COVID19 pandemic brought with it a fresh wave of authors who used their downtime to dust off former manuscripts or try their hand at penning a novel. As such, the publishing house saw a huge spike in new submissions, as well as a push for upcoming titles to be released faster to reach the demand of more people discovering reading at home. “This period saw us take on several new interns, as well as a number of new team members. Additionally, we finalised an 18-month discussion to purchase a Brisbane-based printing business. This allowed us to service our author’s needs even more, by having our own production facility where we can control costs and timeframes.” The deal to acquire Clark and Mackay Printers was signed in November 2020 and this ensured that ORP had more management over the printing of its work. The big plan for the end of 2021 is now to establish the physical branch of Ocean Reeve Publishing in New Zealand and then, in 2023, do the same in Singapore. “Bringing a book to life is an enjoyable process to go through,” Jason enthuses. “Authors need to establish the know-like-trust factor with their readers and their publishers - this is critical for the success of all parties. Establishing confidence and community is a large part of building that connection.”