The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the Australia Council for the Arts will contribute $30,000 each to a new Macquarie University study examining the international rights sales and export of Australian books over the past 10 years.
In conjunction with book industry representatives, Macquarie University academics David Throsby, Paul Crosby and Jan Zwar will conduct research into the extent and nature of demand for contemporary Australian books, the changing nature of deals, and factors contributing to success in global markets.
By surveying publishers and agents, and conducting a series of case studies of author, agency and publisher experiences with the sale of international rights, the study aims to inform strategies for sustaining international interest, and increasing opportunities for Australian publishers and writers in the future.
Throsby said: ‘Many opportunities exist for increasing the publication of Australian books in overseas markets. However, there is a lack of basic data on the export sector of the book industry that could assist publishers, agents and authors in planning international rights sales, leading to a stronger presence of Australian titles in the international marketplace. This research is aimed at helping to fill that gap.’ The results of the study will be released in late 2019.