Tom Thompson was educated at Broken Hill school, Woolongong High School and Macquarie University. After travelling through Asia in the mid 1970s he published three books of poetry with the support of of the Australian Literature Board : The Island Hotel Dreams (1977), From Here (1977) and Neonline (1977). He is, perhaps, better-known as an editor and publisher. In the 1970s he produced a number of small magazines, including Dodo, Leatherjacket and the Australian Small Press Review. He worked as associate editor at Currency Press 1977-1979 and operated the Red Press 1978-1982. During the 1980s, he was art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, book editor at the National Times and he directed the first four Sydney Writer's Weeks (1984-1988) As publisher for the Australian Bicentennial Authority (1984-1988) he managed over 2000 commissions. He took this experience to Collins Australia (1988-1989) and developed the Imprint label, before becoming Publisher of Literature at Angus and Robertson (1989-1993), following the merger of both companies. He returned to running small presses in the 1990s with Angrier Penguins Press and Editions Tom Thompson labels. Following a management buyout of the Angus and Robertson backlist in the mid-1990s he continued to publish such writers as Judith Wright and Don Bradman under the Imprint label. Since 2000 he has concentrated on making websites for authors like Mudrooroo and Margaret Preston, and documentary films like Lewis Morley, Photographer (2005) which was broadcast by the ABC. In 2007 he was completing documentary films on Reg Mombassa and Donald Friend.
