PUBLISHING IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS: A Wakefield Press diary

Times are strange.

Here at Wakefield Press we are a small team in a small office, publishing beautiful books that make their way into homes and hands across every corner of sunny Australia.

Our little publishing team has a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. Some of us have worked here a long time, and others for less than a year.

But we all love books. And we love the arts.

And that is how we have been drawn together.

Yet now, as we watch the world face something unprecedented within all of our lifetimes, I can't help but think about those books that I love. About what this new landscape will mean for the stories still yet to be released into the world, still being created and still being dreamed about.

I have watched lately as book launches have been cancelled one by one. Not to mention poetry readings and author talks, book clubs and writing groups. Literary festivals.

It is frightening to face the future right now. Because often, in times of great strife, the arts sector is one of the first to face hardship. People spend money on books when times are good. Not so much when fear for the future seeps into every thought.

Which is why all of us here at Wakefield Press truly hope that the communities and readers who love our books will continue to support us by buying those books.

And in the meantime, each of us will be taking some time out to stop, reflect and examine our feelings and thoughts about working in publishing right now, during these uncertain times.

This blog series will continue, so please keep an eye out over the coming weeks as we share new posts, but for now, I want to leave you with the thoughts of our Director Michael Bollen.

'On a warm, soft, velvety night, walking through parklands to the twinkling city, body feeling at ease, at one, it seems impossible, dreamlike, that all this should be unfolding. There’s an invisible worm wriggling in the mind.'

In this wonderful article for InDaily, Michael Bollen reflected on publishing in the age of the coronavirus, and the eeriness of a beautiful Adelaide autumn, as events are cancelled, income is lost, and everything is suddenly uncertain.

What to do?

Buy books! Then read them. (We home-deliver.)

It is the absolute best way you can help us right now, and Wakefield Press, as always, is grateful for your ongoing support.
Discover more for yourself about our beautiful books! Visit our website or contact us on 08 8352 4455 for more information, or to purchase a book (or three!). We can post your purchase to your doorstep!