Here it was decided that an organisation be established that was firmly rooted in Aboriginal law and culture. The Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC), was to be run by Aboriginal leaders and one of its aims was to protect the rights of traditional storytellers and artists.
This aim led to the establishment of KALACC’s publishing arm and in 1987 Magabala Books published its first title, Mayi: Some Bushfruits of the West Kimberley by Merrilee Lands. Wandering Girl, the highly acclaimed autobiography by Glenyse Ward, soon followed.
In March 1990 Magabala Books became an independent Aboriginal Corporation with the objective to preserve, develop and promote Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and protect the rights of traditional storytellers and artists.
Since that time, Magabala Books has published more than 150 titles across many genres, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, poetry, young adult, and children’s – their most popular titles. Their books can be purchased online through their website and via NewSouth Books, who distribute Magabala Books’ titles into bookstores around the country. They are also sold internationally via Independent Publishers Group (IPG) in the USA and Canada. Many of their titles are available as ebooks and teacher’s notes are available for the majority of their children’s titles.
Over the years, a number of Magabala titles and authors have won national awards. These include: Fog a Dox by Bruce Pascoe, winner of the Prime Minister’s 2013 Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction; Ruby Moonlight by Ali Cobby Eckermann, Book of the Year and Kenneth Slessor Poetry Prize winner in the NSW Premier’s 2013 Literary Awards.
In addition to its publishing arm, Magabala Books strives to support the professional development of established Indigenous creators and has a commitment to nurturing young and emerging Indigenous writers and artists through its annual Australian Indigenous Creator Scholarships program, which was established in 2013. Other key projects include the Magabala Literary Fund – which aims to ensure new stories are written and published and books of significance remain in print. There is also Small Seeds Big Reads: Magabala Books for Little Hands, a philanthropic project that aims to improve literacy and increase young people’s understanding of Indigenous culture by providing books to children who otherwise would not have access.
In 2017, Magabala Books will celebrate its 30th birthday. More than just a publisher, Magabala Books has played – and continues to play – an important role, along with other pioneers in Indigenous publishing, in changing the way that books about Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture are commissioned, conceptualised, written and published.
For more information visit www.magabala.com
