Sleepers (publishing company)

Sleepers (also known as Sleepers Publishing) is a small, independent publishing and literary events company that began in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia. Sleepers is the brainchild of writer and editor Louise Swinn, and editor and graphic designer Zoe Dattner. Their byline is 'advocates for new and established writers'.

Sleepers publishes an annual collection of short stories and miscellany (cartoons, occasional poems, lists, and sometimes non-fiction) called The Sleepers Almanac, as well as other books, including a book of illustrations edited by Paul Oslo Davis - Conceived on a Tram.

The Sleepers Almanacs showcase new and emerging authors alongside authors who are more established and have included the likes of Tony Birch, Cate Kennedy, Frank Moorhouse, Sean Condon, Gideon Haigh, Paddy O'Reilly, Jon Ronson, Kate Holden, and even recipe contributions from Stephanie Alexander and Charmaine Solomon. The Almanacs have also showcased the work of EXCITING and more emerging talent - writers like Emmett Stinson, Patrick Cullen, Mihai Sora, Brad Bryant, Leanne Hall,Jo Bowers, Paul Mitchell, Jessica Au, David Astle, Vanessa Berry, Scott McDermott, Jane Ormond, Craig Silvey,Rose Mulready, Steven Amsterdam and Andy Kissane. They have traditionally been launched in early February, and are distributed across Australia and New Zealand by Hardie Grant Books. Sleepers books often receive grant funding from bodies such as Arts Victoria and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Sleepers also runs literary and book-related events - The Sleepers Salons. While these usually take place in Melbourne, there has been a Salon in Tasmania, and one as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival (2007). The Salons have included guests such as: MJ Hyland, John Clarke, Tony Wilson, Nicholas Jose, Marina Lewycka, Curtis Sittenfeld, Frank Moorhouse, Michael Heyward, Nick Earls and Robert Drewe.

External Link: The Sleepers website 1