DIY Publishing Toolkit is a project of the Community Publishing in Regional Australia Research Group.
The group puts out a Community Publishing Newsletter, and online effort – the most recent, no 8 – 11th September 2025.
The DIY Publishing Toolkit is a practical guide for anyone wanting to write and publish a book—whether it’s a memoir, poetry collection, children’s title, or another genre. Leveraging modern digital tools, the toolkit shows how to streamline production, outsource selectively, and retain creative control. It covers everything from selecting printers and designing covers to marketing, sales, and crafting cherished physical copies. Readers can navigate the sections in any order to suit their goals.
Authored by four university scholars—Beth Driscoll, Kim Wilkins, Alexandra Dane, and Sandra Phillips—the guide draws on extensive publishing experience. Together they have authored 85 academic articles, 10 books, and taught thousands of students. Their collaboration began in 2023 as part of the “Community Publishing in Regional Australia” research project, which highlighted DIY publishing beyond metropolitan hubs. Partnering with industry groups (Booktopia, Busybird Publishing, Small Press Network) and councils in Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Winton, and Ayr, they gathered local writers’ stories that enrich this resource.