Interview: Using Indie Platforms to Publish First Nations' Stories with Anna Featherstone and Anna Borzi AM

Feb 4, 2026

Anna Borzi AM, Chair of First Nations Publishers and former international banker who now champions Pacific and First Nations writers. She discusses finding and publishing underrepresented Pacific voices. Topics include authentic storytelling in native voices, a lean print-on-demand publishing model, marketing via social media and direct sales, and shifting from costly festivals to sustainable community-focused events.

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INSIGHT

Publish In Their Own Voice

Anna Borzi insists First Nations stories must be published "in their own voice," not whitewashed into standard English literature.
That authentic voice drives cultural representation and raises authors' profiles internationally.

ANECDOTE

Memorable Books From The Pacific

Anna Borzi recounts standout books: a Solomon Islands memoir that moved Caroline Kennedy and a PNG family memoir spanning a century.
She also highlighted a Filipino Igorot fantasy that turned local legends into a published novel.

ADVICE

Run Year-Round Submissions And Protect Rights

Accept submissions year-round and use judges to shortlist promising manuscripts before awarding support.
Provide modest financial awards and a contract that protects authors' rights and royalties.

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ALLi nonfiction adviser Anna Featherstone speaks with Anna Borzi AM, chair of the First Nations Writers Festival and its publishing imprint, First Nations Publishers. They discuss how the volunteer-led charity has grown from a literary festival into a global publishing and distribution platform for Pacific writers, often where no other option exists. The conversation covers publishing in an authentic voice, professional production on a lean model, print-on-demand and direct sales, and a strategic move away from costly festivals toward sustainable social media marketing.

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Sponsor

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Gatekeeper Press — your partner in premium independent publishing. Empowering authors with expert guidance, 100% rights, 100% royalties, and global distribution. From editing to marketing, their all-inclusive services help you publish professionally and confidently. Gatekeeper Press — Where Authors Are Family.

About the Host

Anna Featherstone is ALLi's nonfiction adviser and an author advocate and mentor. A judge of The Australian Business Book Awards and Australian Society of Travel Writers awards, she's also the founder of Bold Authors and presents author marketing and self-publishing workshops for organizations, including Byron Writers Festival. Anna has authored books including how-to and memoirs and her book Look-It's Your Book! about writing, publishing, marketing, and leveraging nonfiction is on the Australian Society of Authors recommended reading list. When she's not being bookish, Anna's into bees, beings, and the big issues of our time.

About the Guest

Anna Borzi AM is director and chair of First Nations Publishers. She is a former international investment banker, entrepreneur, and award-winning author who has advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals, major fund managers, global financial leaders, governments, and industry bodies. Over the course of her career, she broke numerous glass ceilings in the financial services sector. Borzi has worked internationally and has longstanding ties to First Nations cultures. She was raised in Papua New Guinea, from village settings to the capital city, and has family connections to the PNG Highlands and Southern Region. Her great-grandfather was Aboriginal. She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2005 for her contribution to financial services.