SWF non-compete clause “a disaster for independent bookshops”
Monday, 13 April 2026
The Sydney Writers’ Festival, which prides itself on being “a barometer of the world around us”, last year jointly received $1.5 million from the NSW government to expand events beyond...
Teens and the ‘book slump’: Why we should diagnose a situation rather than an identity
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
With multiple reports pointing to a decline in reading for pleasure among young people, school library and research professional Gabrielle Mace argues a change in language could help teens avoid...
Bookselling in a pandemic: 18 months later Archive
Monday, 23 August 2021
Brunswick Bound manager Ellen Cregan travelled to the United States in March 2020 as part of Melbourne City of Literature’s Bookseller in Residence program. Although her trip was cut short...
Reps off the road: Mandy Wildsmith on repping during lockdown Archive
Wednesday, 4 August 2021
While the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, some semblance of normality is on the horizon. Here, Mandy Wildsmith from Hardie Grant Books reflects on the past year of life...
‘Changes start small’: Behind the union push at PRH Archive
Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Elena Gomez was part of a core team of editorial and publicity staff at Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) who initiated collective bargaining with their employer last year, resulting in...
Marketing to the gatekeepers: Karys McEwen on marketing books for young people Archive
Wednesday, 20 November 2019
In her final column for Junior, Karys McEwen explores what works (and what doesn’t) when marketing children’s literature to the people actually purchasing books—adults. When it comes to marketing literature to...
All bases covered: Karys McEwen on book design Archive
Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Karys McEwen discusses the subtle ways that book design impacts students and librarians. Book design is not something that I spend a lot of time considering, or at least that...
Judging a book by its cover: Jane Curry on the influence of Instagram Archive
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Ventura Press publisher Jane Curry argues that the biggest influence on design trends this decade has been Instagram. With 5000 new titles a month released into the Australian market, what...
Hidden in plain sight: Jane Curry on the role of the editor Archive
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
Ventura Press founder Jane Curry explores the role of the editor. 'Who’s the editor?’ I have only been asked this question once in my career and it was by a...
Karys McEwen: Age advice Archive
Tuesday, 21 May 2019
Secondary school librarian Karys McEwen explains why, when it comes to teen readers, age may not be the best indicator of whether a book is ‘suitable’. A student approached my library...
Jane Curry: What makes a good author? Archive
Thursday, 18 April 2019
In her first opinion column of the year, Ventura Press founder Jane Curry shares her thoughts on the traits that make a successful author. Writing is a solitary and fiercely...
Karys McEwen: Why you should meet your heroes Archive
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
In her first column for 2019, high school library manager Karys McEwen argues that young people have much to gain from interacting with authors in person—but authors need to be...
Reversing the cultural cringe: Martin Hughes on publishing debut fiction Archive
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Publishing debut fiction in Australia is worth the risk, argues Affirm Press publisher Martin Hughes. Can anyone remember a year that has delivered so sweetly for Australian debut novels? Not...
Martin Hughes: Death by exposure Archive
Thursday, 30 August 2018
Publishers should take an industry-wide stance to ensure fairer collaboration with print media, argues Affirm Press publisher Martin Hughes. Many years ago a major metropolitan newspaper was so excited about...
Talking less and listening more: Martin Hughes on creating safer workplaces Archive
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Affirm Press publisher Martin Hughes (with senior editor Ruby Ashby-Orr) explores what it means to shape a better culture and create safer workplaces. At the recent Leading Edge Books conference...
Publishing, fast and slow: Martin Hughes on ‘slow’ media Archive
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
Martin Hughes is the co-founder and publisher of Affirm Press, the former editor of the Big Issue and, in 2018, a regular columnist for Books+Publishing. In his first column, Hughes...
Beyond print: Exploring transmedia narratives Archive
Monday, 23 October 2017
UQP nonfiction publisher Alexandra Payne explores the potential of transmedia narratives for publishers. (more…)
Book love and burnout: Alexandra Payne on the ‘unexpected challenges of working in publishing and bookselling’ Archive
Monday, 17 July 2017
UQP nonfiction publisher Alexandra Payne explores burnout in the book industry. I found the recent Macquarie University report Reading the Reader: A Survey of Australian Reading Habits fascinating. Drawing data from...
Joining the chorus: Alexandra Payne on feminist publishing Archive
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
UQP nonfiction publisher Alexandra Payne examines the resurgence of feminist books, their viability and the price of moving from the margins to the mainstream. I have a bookcase at home that...
Question time: Reflections on the role of the publisher Archive
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
UQP nonfiction publisher Alexandra Payne has worked in the publishing industry since 1995 and is completing a doctorate on the future of the publisher in a transmedia landscape. She joins...
Reflections from differently angled mirrors: Terri-ann White on diversity in publishing Archive
Thursday, 6 October 2016
The publishing industry needs to take a closer look at the diversity of its workforce and its books, argues UWA Publishing director, author and former bookseller Terri-ann White. As one’s...
Reaching the readers: Terri-ann White on book promotion Archive
Friday, 8 July 2016
Is the book industry doing enough to promote books in a crowded marketplace, asks UWA Publishing director, author and former bookseller Terri-ann White. The distractions of the online treasure chest...
Where does a book sell and why: A look at sales for different channels Archive
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
Nielsen Book Australia general manager Shaun Symonds takes a closer look at sales for indies, chains and discount department stores. Consumers buy books in many places, from a planned purchase...
Pricing our business: Terri-ann White on book prices Archive
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
UWA Publishing director, author and former bookseller Terri-ann White calls for industry-wide resistance to lower book prices and greater efficiency in distribution in her latest column on the state of...
Terri-ann White: Is the book industry special? Archive
Monday, 21 March 2016
UWA Publishing director Terri-ann White has written books, taught writing and literature, and owned a bookshop. She joins Books+Publishing in 2016 as a regular columnist examining the book industry and where...
Craig Cliff on ‘the trans-Tasman literary gulf’ and how to bridge it Archive
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
In Melbourne, author Eleanor Catton and I appeared in a session called ‘New New Zealand Fiction’. If the session’s blurb in the program is anything to go by, the festival...
