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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-10/impact-cheap-books-on-independent-bookstores-australian-writers/104672738>
'We all love a bargain, but what is the real cost of buying cheap books online
or at a discount in department stores?
In the past decade, the number of bookstores in Australia has more than halved,
going from 2,879 in 2013 to 1,457 to 2023, according to an independent research
site.
An equally sobering statistic from the 2022 National Survey of Australian Book
Authors is that the average annual income of a practising author is $18,200.
That's well below the poverty line.
And these figures are linked. A growing cohort of Australian writers and
independent bookstore owners are putting the blame on online retailers and
discount department stores that sell books at bargain basement prices.
"This constant discounting devalues the work that goes into a book, the effort
that goes into writing a book, the process that goes into publishing a book,
and you grow a generation of readers that think a book is only worth a few
bucks," Michael Robotham, best-selling Australian crime writer tells
ABC Radio
National's
Big Ideas.
Robotham says independent bookstores were critical in his literary success.
"It was independent bookstores that launched me, particularly in Australia. My
first novel had not done that well in Australia, and the second one was picked
up and championed by independent bookstores everywhere."
It's that relationship between bookstores and writers that is significant.
"The hand-selling, the championing of Australian work, the reading
recommendations, the staff picks, that sort of support, that is where
Australian talent is discovered," Olivia Lanchester, former CEO of Australian
Society of Authors, says.
So what's the reality of running an independent bookstore in Australia? And is
there a way of levelling the playing field?'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
