About AAP
Australian Academic Press (AAP) is an independent Australian publisher specialising in professional, scholarly and evidence-based books and resources. Founded in Brisbane in 1987 by psychologist and publisher Stephen May, AAP began in psychology and the behavioural sciences and developed over the following decades into an international specialist publisher of both books and scholarly journals. By 2012 AAP had published 28 peer-reviewed journal titles. That year the company was divided and the majority of its journals business was sold to Cambridge University Press, allowing AAP to concentrate on a smaller, highly selective program of books and professional publications.
Today AAP publishes practitioner resources, specialist professional books, institutional and commemorative publications, Open Access works, and print and digital resources designed for use in professional practice, education and training.
Some titles are published under the traditional royalty model. Others are developed through professional publishing partnerships in which AAP works closely with experienced practitioners, researchers, professional bodies and organisations to turn specialist knowledge into credible, useful publications.
What has remained constant is an emphasis on quality, evidence and practical value — and on giving specialist ideas the editorial, design, production and publishing expertise they need to reach the people who can use them.
About Stephen May
I have spent almost 40 years working across virtually every part of publishing — from bromide paste-up and traditional print production to electronic journals, ebooks, print-on-demand, global distribution, ecommerce and social media.
I came to publishing through psychology and science writing. After qualifying in psychology at the University of Queensland, I began freelance writing and in 1987 started a magazine for psychologists. Producing it meant learning almost every part of publishing myself — writing and editing, commissioning contributors, selling advertising, laying out pages and working with printers.
That was the beginning of Australian Academic Press.
Since then I have worked as a writer, editor, managing editor, commissioning editor, art director and publisher, as well as across production, marketing and the commercial side of publishing. I have commissioned and developed publications, negotiated contracts and rights, and worked with authors, universities, governments, professional associations and other publishers.
My psychology background still shapes the way I work. I was a registered psychologist for 25 years, and the scientist–practitioner tradition in which I trained remains important to me. Evidence matters, claims should withstand scrutiny, and complex professional knowledge should be communicated clearly without being dumbed down.
I am a past President of the Australian Publishers Association and a recipient of the George Robertson Award for service to Australian publishing.
Today much of my work involves helping experienced professionals and organisations work out what their knowledge could become — and then turning that idea into a publication that works.
After almost four decades, that remains the part of publishing I enjoy most.
