Sydney Writers'
Festival 2001
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (JUNE 2001)
Though
most of us can name a few Australian authors — Tim
Winton, Robert Hughes, David Malouf,
Colleen McCullough, Shirley Hazzard, and
Thomas Keneally — the fact is we may not understand
the greater context from which they have emerged. And
judging from a week spent as a guest at the 2001 Sydney
Writers’ Festival, the publishing culture of Australia
is home to a significant degree of untapped writing
talent and potential that we don’t know about. But most
impressive is the fact that the country loves to read:
There is a greater sell-through rate of books per capita
in Australia than in either the US or Britain. What
is surprising is that K-mart and not a bookseller is
the nation’s #1 national account. While there are no
wholesalers in such an enormous country, and only one
“chain” of franchise stores, the balance of selling
falls firmly in the hands of the nation’s numerous independent
booksellers.
The festival kicked off on a suitably contentious note
with the NSW literary awards dinner, where the
State Premier advocated bypassing Amazon.com
to protect the prevailing independence of Australian
bookselling. If, of course, there had been an Amazon.com.au,
then the issue would have been moot. While visiting
authors and publishers went to work in earnest the next
morning, a discussion on the latest sword of Damocles
to hang over Australian publishing — parallel importation
— continued behind closed doors: Local agents and mid-sized
publishers prepared to explain yet again to the government
why parallel importation caused a threat to the local
publishing industry. When the Premier touched on the
subject at the official opening cocktails later in the
week, he met with booing from publishers. Negotiations
did not seem to be going well.
The strong ties that bind Australia to Europe have been
a hot-button political issue in recent years, and attendance
at a panel to discuss how to take Australian fiction
to Europe was at full capacity on a rainy morning. Members
of the public may not have understood the relevant rights
and translation issues, but clearly the need to be involved
in the rest of the world, no matter how far away, is
keenly felt. England, however, wasn’t even discussed
as part of Europe, and it remains a frustrating fait
accompli that most British publishers will not pick
up rights to a novel from Australia when the Australian
market is already tapped. That much the public also
seemed to take for granted. Interesting, on the other
hand, that American publishers are able to separate
rights out between the UK and Australia in the case
of nonfiction.
After a few days with appointments Frankfurt-style (but
even more brief: every 20 minutes), each of the seven
international visitors had met with more than 95% of
the Australian publishing community, some of whom flew
in from as far off as Perth and Adelaide to convey their
passion, their smarts, and their fervor. As the week
drew to a close, we realized the Australian literary
scene may be far away but it keeps us in mind on a daily
basis and puts us all somewhat to shame, particularly
since its community of agents, publishers, and booksellers
is so supportive of local authors and of each other.
Most of us were tempted to stay, as have many other
publishing types over the years. If the nation’s vibrant
literary life isn’t enough of a draw, consider this:
a few Australians even hold their publishing lunches
on Bondi Beach.
This
article was contributed by Rebecca Strong, senior editor
at Harmony Books.
©2001
Publishing Trends
