First, a recap for those who don’t know – late last year, the Australian Productivity Commission began an inquiry into parallel importation restrictions on Australian books. Currently, it stands that a book published in Australia under an Australian copyright is protected from competing in bookstores against the same book as published elsewhere in the world. However, if a book gets published overseas first, there’s just a few weeks window for the Australian version to come out, otherwise the restrictions are lifted and the overseas version can come in.
A group called the Coalition for Cheaper Books, made up of Australia’s largest book retailer Dymocks and some major companies such as Woolworths put forward the contention that these restrictions on importation were inflating Australian book prices, and that this was uncompetitive. Hence the inquiry.
It is true that Australian books are more expensive compared to books published in places like America and England, particularly in areas such as educational texts. However, it is also true that the Australian market is smaller than these places, so the ability to sell books cheaper is hampered by lack of demand. Please note that the Australian Association of Booksellers does not agree with Dymocks. And has been pointed out recently, if the Government is concerned about book prices, they can drop the GST on books – bang, down go prices.
It is also true that the Australian publishing industry is well-regarded and respected around the world. It’s one of the most profitable publishing industries that exists, and it’s achieved this by a) championing Australian writers and b) with virtually no government support or subsidies.
I saw the problems in this, and so I put in a submission to the inquiry, along with dozens of other writers, publishers, booksellers and so on. The first potential recommendation was that Australian copyright only exist for twelve months. Both sides of the argument were unhappy with this response – it was a case of trying to have a foot in both camps.
So last week the final recommendation was released and in a nutshell, it was that the restrictions be abolished and booksellers can get their books from wherever they want to.
This would be disastrous for the Australian publishing industry, for Australian writers and readers. As someone who dreams of having a publishing contract, and who is submitting my novel to Australian publishers right now, the thought that this could happen terrifies me. So I’m sending a letter to politicians – my local pollies, the Prime Minister and Arts Minister, politicians I knew during my years as a journalist.
I’ve copied the main portion of the text below – I’m personalising the first paragraph for the various people I’m writing to. If you like what I’m saying, feel free to steal parts of the letter for your own.
The Federal Government is still to decide what to do. There is still the chance to make them see the damage this would do and to ignore the recommendation. I hope you’ll join with me.
“I am hoping to follow the footsteps of many friends and writers I admire – people who started their career here in Australia, were able on the strength of their writing and the sales to then sell that book overseas. People whose career and whose art was nurtured by the presence of a strong and vital Australian publishing industry. They were able to dip their toes in the water in the country of their birth, in a culture of their understanding; growing and developing before they had to compete against the huge numbers in the rest of the world.
But this is a path that it would seem is going to come to an end, if the recommendations of the Productivity Commission are enacted. Why will Australian publishers spend their time and energy on publishing Australian authors, when they will have to compete against the very same books coming in from overseas? How will Australian authors get the experience and support they need to match it against the multitude of expectant authors overseas?
It’s true that lifting the restrictions may well see the price of books lowering, but they won’t be Australian books. Even if they are written by Australian authors, if they are edited and published overseas, they will be skewed towards those markets, not our own. Many of my published friends talk about the intrusive editing from overseas, particularly from America, and that their books change substantially. It’s not just about changing words such as footpath to pavement – it’s about changing the sensibility and ideology to match that of another country and another culture.
And then take in consideration the size of the industries overseas – here in Australia, you are competing against just dozens, maybe hundreds of other authors for the possibility of publication. Overseas, you are one person against thousands, all aiming for the few spots each month that publishers can provide.
There are many incredibly talented writers here in Australia who are working extremely hard to hone their craft, to write and edit and revise in the hope of writing the book that catches an editor’s attention and gets a contract. Those people will, under this recommendation, lose an important avenue to publication. Those people will have to write books as Americans or as the British, not as Australians in order to get published.
And the losers will be the book-buying public. The Australian Publishing industry has grown mostly on the success of local authors. Australian readers love to read Australian books, and without parallel importation restrictions and Australian rights, there won’t be as many of them.
Even if this proposal does cause the lowering of prices for the book-buying public, it is relying on big business to pass on those savings. Knowing that Coles and Woolworths are involved, and knowing what they are doing with grocery prices and fuel, I cannot help but laugh at this very naïve assumption.
The book-buying public already has access to cheap books, through the internet and through remaindering. But the Coalition for Cheaper Books doesn’t mention or support this and why? Because that money isn’t coming to them.
The recommendation from the Productivity Commission will, in my mind, not achieve the intended result of substantially lowering book prices and will cause a downturn in Australian publishing, and in the quality and quantity of Australian books being published.
I ask that you not agree to the recommendation and that you keep the current parallel importation restrictions in place.”
Nicole R Murphy