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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
The ASA was delighted to attend BookUp 2025, the publishing industry conference hosted by the Australian Publishers Association. The conference brought together leaders from across the book industry, including publishers, authors, and booksellers to discuss topics shaping the future of the industry and Australian storytelling. The panels covered reading trends, navigating the non-fiction market in today’s post-truth climate, evolving book formats, and a discussion about the newly-minted Writing Australia.
The event was opened by the Minister for the Arts the Hon Tony Burke MP, who spoke briefly of the ongoing challenges of generative AI, stating plainly that ‘use of your work for a commercial purpose that you have not authorised is theft.’
The Minister also acknowledged the unique qualities of writers and why there is a need for Writing Australia, a national body to support and promote Australian literature, saying ‘We are dealing with something an author can do, a writer can do, and a machine cannot do … we are dealing with how people feel … this is where literature does something different to any other art form and needs a special place separate to any other art form.’
Panelists: Anna Burkey (Head of Australia Reads), Kady Grey (Head of Marketing and Communications Children’s Books, Harper Collins), Simon Panagaris (Head of Marketing Children and Young Adult Books, Allen and Unwin), and Justin Ractliffe (Commercial Director, Thames and Hudson)
Focussing on Australia Reads’ recent report, Understanding Australian Readers, this panel discussed declining reading rates in Australia – with 29% of senior school students not having read or listened to a book in the past 12 months – as well as what can be done to overcome barriers to reaching readers.
The Understanding Australia Readers report identifies 6 types of readers in Australia:
Interestingly, the report found that half of Australians who don’t read wish they read more. The panel concluded that the key way to address declining reading rates is to try to change reading behaviours. Approaching the matter from a behavioural standpoint, four common themes were discussed concerning what may be influencing people’s reading habits: social norms (perception of what our peers are doing), intention behaviour (failure to translate intention into action), reader identities (how we see ourselves), and emotion (emotional connections influencing the ‘right’ mood).
The panel found that reading experience can be influenced by tapping into the emotional and aspirational aspects of reading as a hobby and by engaging audiences through creative and effective marketing activities (for example, through using BookTok). What’s more, by figuring out how to navigate barriers to reading – such as being unable to find a book to read and not knowing if you’ll like it – more readers can be encouraged to adopt regular reading habits.
Panalists: Arlie Alizzi (Editor, Magabala), Jaclyn Crupi (Author and Bookseller), Lou Johnson (Consultant and Agent), and Jordon Lott (Commissioning Editor, Wiley)
In recent years, reports have shown that sales of Australian non-fiction have declined, but according to these panelists that is only seemingly the case. While print book sales may have decreased, reporting generally does not account for emerging formats like ebooks, audiobooks, and podcasts, which are playing an increasing role in engaging readers across the non-fiction market. For example, in Canada, while print books are still popular, ebooks now account for 17% of sales, and audiobooks for 6%. This reflects how readers are adopting different ways to consume books, and reading books in a way that complements their lifestyles.
Panelists: Kate Cuthbert (Publishing Director, Books+Publishing), Lou Johnson (Consultant and Agent), Joel Naoum (Publishing Director, Hachette Australia), and Chiara Priorelli (Head of Publishing and Acquisitions Australia, Wavesound)
This panel explored how the book industry has evolved over the past 15 years, shifting from a focus on print books to more innovative mediums, such as ebooks and audiobooks. Digital disruption has enabled a more direct relationship between authors and their readers, and provided new self-publishing options, giving authors more agency.
To remain relevant in a fast-changing world, the panel noted that a shift in the book industry’s mindset is needed, and growing formats, such as audiobooks, should not be looked at as threats to print media, but instead should be embraced as growth opportunities for the industry.
Panelists: Stuart Glover (Head of Policy, Australian Publishers Association), Wenona Byrne (Director, Writing Australia), Millie Millgate (Director, Music Australia), and Lucy Hayward (CEO, Australian Society of Authors)
The conference’s final panel discussed the establishment of Writing Australia, and how the new body can support the industry’s ambitions for Australian storytelling.
Lucy Hayward explained that as authors are at the start of the supply chain in the book industry, they are particularly vulnerable to all of the challenges publishers and booksellers are facing, including rising print and distribution costs, obstacles to discoverability, declining reading rates, and low book sales. Authors struggle with perilously low and precarious income and their rates of pay have not improved substantially in over a decade.
The panel discussed the ways that Writing Australia may be able to address these challenges across the sector, including through fellowships for authors and initiatives to embed them in Australian communities, a fund to publish Australian books, a voucher scheme for Australian bookshops, and support for the literary ecosystem.
We thank the Australian Publisher’s Association for their invitation to the conference, and to the panelists for sharing their industry insights.
