bookpublish.com.au

What It Is

Fontaine Publishing Group is an Australian publishing services company that provides print-on-demand (POD), global paperback distribution, and ebook publishing services through its Vivid Publishing brand. It is not a typical enterprise SaaS product, but rather a publishing services platform with an online sales dashboard, book web pages, and distribution data feeds. Its primary audience is independent authors, businesses, government bodies, and organizations in Australia.

Core Features and Integrations

Its core capability is connecting print books to global print-on-demand and retail distribution networks. The page mentions coverage across more than 100 countries and over 50,000 wholesalers, online retailers, booksellers, and libraries, including channels such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and Booktopia. Under the POD model, once an order is placed, the book is printed and shipped from a print facility close to the delivery address, so authors do not need to hold inventory or deal with warehousing pressure. Services also include a Vivid Publishing ISBN, a dedicated book web page, Title Page data submission, Australian trade and library order fulfillment, cover design, interior layout, ebook conversion, and global ebook distribution. Sales data is updated monthly through a private online Sales Dashboard.

Pricing and Service Model

Pricing is quote-based. The page lists plans such as BYO, POD Suite Pro, POD Suite Pro + Ebook, and Corporate/Custom, but all prices are marked as “ASK US”. The company states that it needs to review the manuscript before providing an accurate quote. Full-colour interiors add AUD 200, while hardcover adds AUD 250; footnotes, complex tables of contents, images, and other additional elements may also increase the cost. There are also references to a one-off setup fee and a minimum annual subscription, but the exact amounts are not disclosed.

Pros and Cons

The main advantages are that it reduces inventory risk for small publishers and authors, offers a relatively complete publishing, distribution, design, and fulfillment workflow, and emphasizes that authors always retain 100% of their rights. Its one-on-one consultant support is also suitable for authors who are unfamiliar with the publishing process. The drawbacks are limited pricing transparency and the fact that sales still depend heavily on the author’s own marketing efforts. From an “enterprise software” evaluation perspective, team permissions, APIs, developer support, data security compliance, and self-hosting capabilities are not disclosed.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is best suited to Australian authors, institutions, and businesses that want to distribute English-language books or titles for overseas markets through international channels. It may also be useful for reprinting out-of-print paperbacks. For users in China, the page does not provide information on China network access, payment methods, or RMB settlement, and royalty payments are explicitly directed to Australian bank accounts, so accessibility and ease of use from China are unclear. Alternatives include Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Lulu, and BookBaby; for domestic projects, users should evaluate local publishers, print distribution services, or partnerships with Chinese reading platforms.