The Prepublication Data Service user guide contains information about the benefits of the service, how to apply, and information about the form including a subject guide.

Benefits of the Prepublication Data Service

  • Instant turnaround. A brief prepublication catalogue record is automatically generated from your application, and will appear in Libraries Australia and Trove, the national discovery service within 48 hours.

  • Libraries, booksellers and the general public can search Trove and find prepublication records for upcoming titles. This can facilitate the advanced selection and ordering of publications.

Eligibility for the Prepublication Data Service 

See the Prepublication Data Service eligibility criteria, or contact us

How to apply 

Step 1: Submit an application for the Prepublication Data Service.

Step 2: You will receive an instant email reply containing a link to the cataloguing statement which you may print in your publication.

Step 3: We will automatically generate a brief prepublication catalogue record for your upcoming book. This prepublication record is uploaded to Libraries Australia and Trove within 48 hours.

Step 4: Deposit your published book with the National Library of Australia and with the relevant state deposit library(s). See Legal Deposit for more information.

Step 5: We will upgrade your book's prepublication catalogue record to full cataloguing standards, and add the information that your book has been published. This full record will display in Libraries Australia and in Trove.

The application form 

You only need to fill out the fields with a blue tick, although we encourage you to fill out as many other fields as possible as they contain useful information for libraries and library suppliers.

Publisher details

If you are a self-publishing author, you are considered to be the publisher. Fill out this section with your own details, not those of the printer or the self-publishing service that you used.

City/Town/Suburb and State

This information will help libraries to acquire material that is relevant to their location.

If you are a self-publisher, add your own City/Town/Suburb and State, not that of the printer or self-publishing service that you used.

Expected year of publication

If your book is due to be published at a date later than those provided in the Prepublication Data Service form, please fill out the form closer to publication.

Creator: name

Name the person or organisation who is primarily responsible for the content of the publication. 

Use the additional name fields to add other people or organisations who also created the publication's content.

If your book has more than four creators, we will add them to the catalogue record once your book is published and the legal deposit copy has been processed.

Year of birth

We use year of birth to differentiate between creators with the same or similar names. This field is not mandatory.

Role

If the creator of your book does not fall into any of the given categories, do not select a role.

Subject guide

You can select subjects in the Prepublication Data Service:

  • Subjects are optional. You can leave these fields blank if you prefer.
  • You may select one fiction subject or up to two non-fiction subjects.
  • Your book may fit into multiple subject categories. Choose the primary subject.

Subject descriptions

The Prepublication Data Service form uses a defined selection of Thema subjects. See the Prepublication Data Service form for the full list of subjects used by the National Library.

Non-fiction

Biography: general: Includes biographies and autobiographies

Family & health: family, relationships, parenting, fitness, diet, personal safety, popular medicine, home nursing and caring, coping with personal problems (including illness, disability, stress, abuse and bereavement) 

Fine arts: art forms: Painting, drawing, graphic arts, sculpture, art installations, performance art, ceramics, glass art, textile art, decorative arts

Fine arts: treatments & subjects: art history, artists, exhibitions, collections, art technique and principals, humans in art, animals in art, genre subjects in art, religious art

Lifestyle, Hobbies & Leisure: antiques, collecting, craft, gardening, home maintenance, hobbies, quizzes, games, humour, personal style guides, transport

Mind, body, spirit: fortune telling, divination, meditation, dreams, psychic phenomena, the paranormal, feng shui, mysticism, magic, complimentary therapies (including acupuncture, aromatherapy, naturopathy, homeopathy, reflexology, reiki, traditional medicine) 

Nature & the natural world: general interest: dinosaurs, countryside, working animals, farm animals

Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects: encyclopaedias, reference works, research, interdisciplinary studies

Society & Social Sciences: Includes books on culture, media, social groups, popular beliefs, sociology, anthropology, criminology, social and ethical issues (including social discrimination, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, welfare, disability, violence, refugees and political asylum, immigration, health, addiction, abortion, euthanasia, censorship, sex and sexuality) 

Fiction

Biographical fiction: fictional accounts of the lives of real people

Classic fiction: works of literary and non-genre fiction, first published before 1960 or widely regarded as ‘classic.’ For example, new editions of For the Term of His Natural Lifeand The Great Gatsby.

Family life fiction: novels of domestic or small-scale family life

Fiction companions: fan-based fiction

Generational sagas: novels which chronicle the fortunes of a family or families often over generations

Modern & contemporary fiction: works of literary and non-genre fiction first published after 1960. For example, new editions of Oscar and Lucinda, and The Natural Way of Things.

Speculative fiction: Speculative fiction asks 'what if?' about our world. It is narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements, and can include fantasy, science-fiction, horror or alternate history. Examples of speculative fiction include: The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, American Gods, World War Z and Defying Doomsday. 

How can I get more subjects added to my catalogue record?

When the legal deposit copy of you book is processed, a cataloguer may add more detailed Library of Congress Subject Headings if appropriate.

Legal Deposit

The last step in the Prepublication Data Service process is sending your book to the National Library of Australia under legal deposit once it is published.

When we process your book, we will upgrade the brief prepublication catalogue record to full cataloguing standards, including the information that your book has been published. This information will be discoverable on Libraries Australia and Trove.

Contact

All enquiries must be submitted via an online form. We can no longer be contacted directly by telephone. You will receive a response within 10 working days.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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