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Following our article on the 2025 annual survey results regarding artificial intelligence, this week we report on authors and illustrators’ creative practice and income, including advances and royalties.
The breakdown of the types of authors and illustrators responding to the survey remains similar to previous years. In 2025, there was a slight increase in the number of full-time and part-time creators responding to the survey, and fewer aspiring or serious amateur respondents.
Most respondents (79%) reported they don’t have a literary agent, and for the 21% who do have representation, most have agents based in Australia (72%).
The format that respondents’ most recent books are being published in remained much the same from 2024, except for audiobooks, which continue to trend upwards, seeing a 6% growth in 2025 after increasing by 2.5% between 2023 and 2024.
This years’ survey results align with our findings year on year: earnings for authors and illustrators remain unsustainably low.
When it comes to advances, 33% of respondents reported not receiving any advance, representing a 7% increase from 2024. 60% of respondents reported receiving an advance under $5,000 – which is untenable when advances are intended to help sustain authors while they write and edit their book.
Just 32% of authors reported earning out their advances. Fewer authors reported not earning out their advances than in 2024, dropping from 48% to 42%, though they still represented the majority. This year we also introduced a new option – ‘I haven’t received my first royalty statement yet’ – which 26% of respondents selected.
We asked authors and illustrators to reflect on their income from their creative practice in the last financial year, including advances, royalties, events/workshop/mentoring income, Copyright Agency payments, PLR & ELR, freelance writing, judging awards, and prizes. In the last financial year, 76% of respondents reported earning under $15,000, down from 81% last year. When it comes to earnings of full-time writers, 45% reported earning under $15,000 from their creative practice. This year, fewer respondents reported earning $0 from their creative practice than in 2024 (26% and 22% respectively).
Regarding rising royalties in publishing agreements, just 38% of respondents reported that rising royalties were included in their contracts, a decrease from 42% in 2024.
Finally, the majority of authors and illustrators are not exploring funding opportunities in Australia – such as those offered by Creative Australia, Copyright Agency, and state government arts bodies. Our survey results showed that over 50% of respondents have not applied for funding from these organisations, and do not intend to, a result which remains similar to previous years. This may be due to a range of factors: the scarcity and competitive nature of grants, the significant time involved in preparing applications, and pessimism about the chances of success.
With the establishment of Writing Australia in July 2025, and the ASA’s tireless advocacy for fair pay, fair contracts, and robust copyright protections, we hope to see the issues raised in these findings addressed for the sustainability of author careers and the literary sector.
Our warm thanks again to all those who responded to the survey. The information you share helps us to support you to pursue a sustainable creative career and better advocate for Australian authors and illustrators.
Are you an author or illustrator who has conducted a paid appearance at a school in the last two years? Contribute to our review of the ASA’s School Appearances Rates of Pay by sharing your experiences and the rates you’ve been paid in 2024-25. Your feedback is crucial to help us advocate for fair pay and set minimum recommended rates for creators.
You can also help us keep up to date on author earnings throughout the year by contributing to our rates trackers.
