Findings

A snapshot of the current state of Australian publishing

Never static, Australian publishing continues to evolve in response to changing technology, market trends, legislation and reader behaviour. Stakeholders or even those spectating this industry development may be left with questions. Whose stories are told? Whose voices are heard? What gets a place on the page and how do these stories find the right audience and spark conversations? In Bound 2026, we’ve looked at the evolution of the Australian industry through three lenses: industry, intersectionality and influence.

We acknowledge some limitations across the articles, including small sample sizes, limited access to data and participants, and a focus on specific case studies. Some articles are based on older or international research, which means they do not reflect the full picture of the Australian publishing industry. Despite these limitations, the articles offer valuable perspectives to the themes explored in Bound 2026.

An industry caught between global and local influences

The Australian publishing industry is highly influenced by international ownership, imported books, changing consumer behaviour and powerful online retailers. These pressures affect not only the price and availability of books, but also the publishers, booksellers, authors and genres.

Decisions on pricing and imports are connected. More access to overseas books can increase choice and affect the price of these books. Parallel import restrictions (PIR) restrict overseas editions of books from being imported freely, protecting Australian publishers and authors from cheaper overseas books, while also helping to build Australia’s local publishing industry. But due to current price regulation systems, large booksellers can heavily discount their products, impacting small/independent booksellers who cannot afford to sell at heavy discount. This practice has renewed discourse on market regulation and the viability of alternative pricing systems in the Australian publishing/bookselling industry.

Competition from global chain and online retailers has intensified, particularly through pricing, convenience and algorithmic recommendations. Despite this, independent booksellers continue to function through personal service, community engagement and in-store experiences.

Making space for more voices

For decades, the Australian publishing industry has shown inequalities in whose stories are heard and celebrated. Women writers have historically not been taken as seriously or given the same recognition as male writers. Their work received less attention, while written works by men were more often deemed ‘culturally significant’. This imbalance is evident in the recipients of Miles Franklin Award between 1957 and 2012, where women writers won just 14 times. In 2013, the Stella Prize was introduced as a response to this imbalance. By supporting women and non-binary writers through recognition, visibility and financial support, it has contributed to a shift in representation, with women making up 83.3% of Miles Franklin winners between 2013 and 2025.

Despite these strides, there still remains a need for equal representation. After five consecutive wins by white women, Stella awarded its first prize to a woman of colour in 2018. This raises broader questions about who is recognised and who may still be overlooked.

Following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, many major publishers pledged to improve diversity. While the progress is visible, it is not a resolution. Representation is not about who wins the award or who’s works appear in reviews, but about creating space for a wider range of voices to be heard, recognised and valued.

No more gatekeeping

Throughout Bound 2026, the role of influence has been explored through the growing importance of digital platforms in publishing. While book reviews have been around for a long time (traditionally in newspapers and literary journals), the emergence of reader-generated review platforms (such as Goodreads) as well as the growing number of content creators focused on book content (Bookstagram, BookTok and BookTube) has changed the current review landscape.

Currently, readers have more options regarding reading and writing reviews than ever before. Generally, this may be seen as a positive for the industry, as reviews are no longer gatekept for those in the literary space. Inversely, this shift calls in to question the current state or quality of the format, with reader-generated reviews generally becoming shorter, casual pieces, heavily influenced by opinion.

With this change of review culture and following a surge of popularity for content creators and their content, the way publishers reach and engage with audiences has had to evolve, highlighting the growing potential of digital influence within the industry. Their influence comes from the trust and relationships they build with the audiences, making their recommendations feel more authentic. Using their interactive format, these content creators have built communities beyond giving reviews. However, publishers have limited ways to track their direct impact on sales. The relationship between content creators and Australian publishers is a developing relationship, where publishers have underestimated the full potential of influencers. Publishers continue to attempt to leverage this relationship to garner positive publicity and capitalise on the parasocial relationship between content creators and their viewers.

Moving forward

The future of the Australian publishing industry, just like any other sector, is unpredictable. However, based on our findings, we have come to the following conclusions and suggestions that would lead a positive change in the industry:

  • Industry trends
    The future of the publishing industry will most likely depend on how well the industry adapts to changing market, reader behaviours and rapidly evolving technology.

  • Review culture
    Book reviewing will continue to change with the growth of digital platforms and content creators. It is anticipated that algorithm-based systems will continue to impact book recommendations.

  • Content creators
    The relationship between publishers and content creators requires further development, particularly around measuring influence beyond engagement metrics.

  • Representation
    Publishing should look more closely at who is being represented and whose voices may still be missing. Recognition should extend across First Nations, culturally diverse, migrant, working-class and other underrepresented writers. Continuous monitoring and tracking progress will help in eliminating the existing inequalities. A more diverse publishing industry can better reflect the multicultural communities it serves.

  • Literary fiction
    Further investigation needs to be done on how contemporary Australian literary fiction can not only survive through independent and international publishing networks but be actively redefined by them.

  • Competition
    To compete with large corporations (such as Amazon, which relies on algorithms and commercialisation of books) it is recommended that independent bookshops focus on differentiating and specialising their stock.

  • Online presence
    Independent booksellers should maintain an online presence (online shopping as well as social media accounts) as well as consider alternative strategies such as live events. While there should be efforts made to compete with large online retailers in their space, independent booksellers should highlight their own unique characteristics as this is what differentiates them from online competition.

  • Pricing
    A more flexible pricing and PIR system, along with stronger support from the government for independent publishers and booksellers, could help close the gap between large and small publishers.

  • Digital platforms and algorithms
    Publishers need to make better use of social media, digital communities, content creators and trends. Dedicated digital teams could help build an active online presence and books reach wider audiences. Keeping up with trends, platform features and user behaviour will be the key to making the most of these opportunities.

  • Flexibility
    Australian publishing should evolve to be more flexible and open to change, encouraging industry-wide collaboration between government, large and small publishers, and international stakeholders to improve operational efficiency and help bridge the gap between large and small publishers.

Moving forward and deliberating over what’s next for the Australian publishing landscape isn’t complete without addressing generative AI and its increasing use within industries globally. Needless to say, AI will surely play an important part on the industry’s future, but its impact on creativity and authorship needs further study.