A Snapshot in Time
by Jane Covernton

Why did you donate the Working Title Press archive and books to NCACL?

Working Title Press represents a small segment of Australian children’s book publishing between the years 1997-2017 and is a direct descendent of its founders’ previous imprint Omnibus Books (1981-1997).

During the 36 years that I was publisher of these two imprints I was fortunate enough to publish some 400 or more titles by many of Australia’s best-known authors and illustrators, including Mem Fox, Margaret Wild, Emily Rodda, Kerry Argent, Julie Vivas, Ann James, Andrew McLean, Stephen Michael King and Craig Smith.

The Working Title list of 105 titles continued to build on the Omnibus picture book list, discovering and developing the works of new authors and illustrators, such as Tania Cox, Lesley Gibbes, Danny Snell, Greg Holfeld, Carol Chataway and Karen Briggs, as well as showcasing the works of some of Australia’s finest creators to the rest of the world. Early supporters of the list included a strong contingent of South Australian creators, including Mem, Kerry, Janeen Brian, Mike Dumbleton, Phil Cummings, Robert Roennfeldt, Katrina Germein, Sue Williams and Ruth Starke.

I believe that the Working Title Press archive complements the Omnibus archive held by the NCACL. Together they represent a significant and highly productive period in the history of Australian children’s literature.

I can think of no better collection for the Working Title Press archive to belong.

What does a complete collection of Working Title Press offer the world?

On the one hand Working Title Press offers a selection of books that would be at home on any international publisher’s list for the depth and range of their subject matter, the quality of the writing and illustration, and their immediacy and appeal to young readers.

On the other hand, Working Title Press books have interesting things to tell the world about Australia and the people

who live in it. Books about our unique animals (Puggle, Jeremy, The Silver Stream) our history (As I Grew Older, An Anzac Tale, My Gallipoli) our landscape and country (Tom Tom, Tell ’Em!, You and Me: Our Place) and even our sense of humour (The Windy Farm, Gus Dog Goes to Work) are there to inform and engage with audiences beyond our shores.

I am particularly proud of the Indigenous titles that Working Title Press has published including Tom Tom by Rosemary Sullivan and Dee Huxley; Tell ‘Em by Rosemary Sullivan, Katrina Germein, Karen Briggs and the children of Manyallaluk School; and the series of six Dreaming Narratives collected by Christine Nicholls from the elders of the Yuendumu, Lajamanu and Wirrimanu Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and illustrated by the children of those communities.

Why include WTP Books in a national collection?

Twenty years is a short time in history and the world of publishing. The archive of Working Title Press is a snapshot in time, representing the works of some of Australia’s most successful creators in a dynamic era of Australian children’s publishing. For this reason alone, I believe the archive should be housed in the NCACL, where it can be seen against a backdrop of what has come before, and where it goes beyond its own short existence. Only a national collection such as the NCACL, with its promise of longevity and its ongoing commitment to the amassing and curation of our country’s children’s literature and the stories of the people who created these works, will ensure that this history is preserved.

Other Thoughts

Stories are the lifeblood of our existence. They stir our imagination, prick our curiosity, explore, expand and inform our minds and reach into our hearts. Though stories come in an endless variety of forms, the common threads of these narratives– when, where, who, what, how and why – are there to bind us together, to tell us we are not alone, and provide solace, meaning and understanding of our lives.

A storehouse of stories is a treasure-house for all humanity.

In 1981 Jane Covernton co-founded the specialist children’s book publishing house, Omnibus Books, with Sue Williams. Sixteen years later the pair left Omnibus Books to set up their new imprint, Working Title Press, to focus expressly on children’s picture books. In 2017 Jane retired after 36 years in the industry. The Working Title Press Archive, housed at the Centre, can be accessed online via the website here.

See also:
Working Title Press Archive
Finding aid Working Title Press Archive
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource

 

Posted by: NCACL | Published: 12 Jun 2025