What I’ve learned: Martin Hughes, Affirm Press

Martin Hughes shares with ArtsHub his learnings after 16 years as CEO and Publishing Director of Affirm Press.
Martin Hughes, wearing a blue shirt and dark troursers, has his arms spread out in the office of publishing firm Affirm.

Martin Hughes is the outgoing CEO and Publishing Director at Affirm Press, the Melbourne-based book publisher he founded and which was recently acquired by Simon & Schuster. He previously worked as editor of The Big Issue magazine; as a writer, editor and photographer with Lonely Planet Publications; and in journalism and public relations in Ireland and the UK.

Hughes speaks to ArtsHub about his experiences as a small press publisher.

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Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian. She has three collections of poetry published by the University of Western Australian Press (UWAP): Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025). Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy