Current Publishing Practice: An Australian Report

This paper has been prepared at the direction of the Committee of Management of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA). Faced with confusing and apparently contradictory information regarding the state of publishing from members and stakeholders, the Committee sought a comprehensive view of the Australian publishing industry and the different income streams available for authors. The Committee was concerned it lacked a broad overview of the current status of publishing in Australia as it related to a global context, analysis of the different segments and some forecasting of future directions. This paper attempts to address those concerns. The Committee was also concerned about flow-on effects on Australian culture with regard to reported cutbacks in the publishing of Australian fiction and other narratives.