How restricting independent publishers damages the literary landscape in Australia
Courtney Carland
As it currently stands, five major publishers dominate the global publishing landscape. While innovations within technology and the presence of online book retailers continue to benefit the industry overall, large, and multinational publishing companies leave their small, independent competitors behind. The Australian publishing industry sustains 3,650 jobs with a national market size of $1.7 billion. Nurturing the Australian and global landscape of independent publishing is crucial as it leads to the preservation of local voices and ‘the diffusion of ideas’. Furthermore, independent publishers provide accessible platforms for emerging writers to have their work published, within their community, on subjects that further celebrate the overall diversity of Australian and global publishing.
The discussion surrounding independent publishers in comparison to large, multinational trade publishing houses is ongoing and varied. It has been conclusively shown that independent publishers lack the ability to compete with large trade publishers traditionally through similar marketing avenues without equal funding and resources. With the five multinational publishers mostly controlling the global landscape, the emergence of random and ever-evolving social media trends involving the literature community has given rise to independent publishers. Furthermore, it presents the opportunity for authors to self-publish with additional, free marketing tools, including TikTok, under the ‘booktok’ hashtag, and Instagram, through the online ‘Bookstagram’ community. Moreover, as readers seek to diversify their bookshelves, independent and self-publishing routes remain at the forefront of diverse and approachable purchasing opportunities.
This essay will analyse how the restriction of independent publishers damages the literary landscape and what, if anything, is being done to prevent the demise of independent publishers in Australia and overseas. Additionally, the following essay will address the possibilities for further progress and development, and the debate surrounding the benefits of independent publishers promoting diversity in the industry, the impact that larger publishers have on the industry, and the difficulties that small publishers face and how these can be rectified going forward. Lastly, this essay will address further areas for discussion and research due to ongoing changes in the literary and arts community.
Definitions
Going forward, this essay uses the term ‘independent publisher’ to refer to a publishing house not associated with the five major names in international trade publishing: Penguin Books, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and Simon & Shuster. Furthermore, any reference to ‘self-publishing’ accommodates the use of a self-publishing service such as, but not limited to: Barnes & Noble Press, Apple Books, and Kindle Direct Publishing. The word ‘diverse’ is used throughout this essay to encompass the enormous scope of individuals under-represented in the historically homogenous landscape of Australian and Western (UK, France, USA, Canada etc.) publishing.
Bestsellers
Independent publishing is a tough business fraught with competition. Research by the Department of Economics and Macquarie University found that readers favour overseas bookstores online—specifically, Amazon, Apple Books, and Book Depository. Those who shopped at ‘brick-and-mortar’ stores frequented Dymocks, Collins Booksellers, and QBD. Furthermore, over 50% of respondents agreed with the statement that ‘there should be more public funding specifically for Australian writing’.
In research conducted specifically for this paper, twenty publishers were found to regularly cover the bestseller lists across five Australian booksellers. These booksellers ranged from local (Jeffrey’s Books Malvern) and independent chain booksellers (Readings Malvern) to national booksellers (Dymocks Prahran) and retailers (Big W South Yarra), and also included an online book retailer (Booktopia). The bestseller list from each retailer was analysed, and it was found that only four books from the collected titles were published by independent names. These publishers included Text Publishing, an independent Melbourne-based publisher; Granta Books, a UK publisher with an international Penguin Books distribution partnership; Giramondo Publishing, an independent Australian publisher; and Affirm Press based in South Melbourne. The remaining sixteen novels were printed by multinational publishers: Penguin UK, Allen & Unwin, Faber + Faber, Simon & Shuster, HarperCollins, Scholastic Inc. and Macmillan. Furthermore, four publishers were branches of the largest multinational publishing house, Penguin UK (Cornerstone, Vintage Publishing, Random House and Transworld Publishing), and five were subsections of the French global publisher, Hachette Livre (Little, Brown and Company, Orion Publishing, Harlequin Enterprises and Headline Publishing Group). Readings remained the only bookseller to include all four independent publishing houses in their bestseller list. This research confirms the previously established thoughts and findings that a select few players largely control the publishing industry and further contributed to our understanding of the publishing landscape as it exists today, with emphasis on supporting the local Australian market.
As Pruett states in his article ‘What Counts as a Bestseller?’, ‘[bestseller lists] shape the public’s perception of what it is reading and what it should consider reading next’. He notes that bestseller lists exist as ‘editorial content’, protected under the First Amendment in the US Constitution. Rather than relying on a formulaic procedure to calculate the current bestselling books, the list is manipulated by the bookseller’s decision of what to include, as influenced by what they choose to distribute. Independent publishers rely on a larger system, which provides for online retailers and local booksellers who promote their books through personal staff recommendations. For this reason, local booksellers must remain open to awarding independent authors and publishers the space on their shelves and in their bestsellers lists. To further promote independent publishing and the Australian literary landscape, Readings established The Readings Foundation to assist Victorian organisations that support the development of literacy, community integration, and the arts. To date, the foundation has awarded over $200,000 to twelve organisations within 2023, so far. In addition, the bookseller awards The Readings Prize, which promotes emerging Australian literary voices and exists as ‘the only prize currently run by an independent Melbourne bookshop’. Further to their monetary benefits, the bookseller offers the opportunity for ‘small publishers and self-published authors’ to leave their works on a ‘consignment basis’ for display across their Victorian stores.
Diversity
As the desire for diversity in trade publishing increases, independent publishers heed the call. Within the publishing industry, independent publishers are traditionally categorised as sources of challenge through experimentation with a focus on creativity opposed to profit.
Seeking alternatives to traditional marketing follows the desire to self-publish or pursue an independent publisher. Online creator sites offer a platform that ‘enable creators to write novels or comic books where fans can follow and read their work’ through an accessible format. To earn revenue, authors may choose to keep their work behind a paywall. In this way, emerging writers can reach a broad audience through an accessible platform without contacting an agent or waiting for an opportunity from an elite publishing firm. Emerging technologies provide further hope for the diversification of the industry.
Pressure on the industry can be attributed to monopolisation by the Big Five, as illustrated by Penguin Random House and their attempted merger with Simon & Shuster. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favour of the U.S. Department of Justice and their antitrust civil lawsuit, blocking the acquisition on the grounds of ‘lessen[ing] competition in the market for the U.S. publishing rights’. The decision has provided some hope for the future of the global publishing landscape, as the DOJ noted the possibility of the merger stoked fears of ‘“reduced competition, decreased author compensation, diminished the breadth, depth, and diversity of our stories and ideas”’. Mergers within the industry are nothing new, as noted by Jim Molliot who found that in 2021 alone, 29 acquisitions were made across the publishing industry, and 25 occurred in 2022. The largest of this period was Hachette Book Group, which acquired America’s largest remaining independent publisher, Workman Publishing, for $240 million. While praising the decision by the DOJ, Dane notes there is ‘little evidence to suggest that the current structure of publishing multinationals has helped to nurture the publishing environment for those authors who are not writing blockbusters’.
Furthermore, while diverse publishing may be possible within large publishing houses, it is limited to what is necessary for revenue. As Thompson discusses, ‘Within the large corporations, there is strong pressure to focus effort, attention, and resources on big books, and to pay less attention to or refrain from publishing at all, books that might be regarded as small or mid-list. In a letter written to the US Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman, David Cicilline, the Authors Guild argued that a ‘select few tech platforms wield ‘extraordinary leverage over the US publishing industry’. Specifically addressing US online retailer Amazon, they note that ‘no publisher can afford to be absent from its online store’ with the site accounting for more than 70-80% of sales.
Small publishers are important for authors. As Michelle Bower discusses in conversation with Sangeeta Mehta, the niche interests and concentrated writer pools of smaller presses ensure ‘a bigger fish in a smaller pond’ mindset, where each author is dedicated more time and attention and shown more care through publishers ‘being more responsive’ (Mehta, S 2021). It’s these interests that provide an outlet for authors whose works may not provide as much return on investment.
Marketing
As currently seen throughout the Australian market, the dispute and desire for higher wages affect independent publishers, particularly due to the freedom of their operations, leading to ‘lower advances and slimmer marketing and publicity budgets’. For this reason, social media acts as a lifeline for promoting independent publishers.
In a further study conducted for this essay, the publishing houses of books contained within the first ten generated videos on TikTok under the ‘booktok’ hashtag were recorded and analysed. Of twenty-eight books promoted within those videos, seven were printed by independent publishing houses, and two within that selection were self-published. Note that this data should be interpreted with caution as TikTok is a platform that randomly generates short-form content and is subject to change according to a user’s interests and geographical location through data collected by the app. The independent publishers include The Unnamed Press, a Los Angeles-based publishing house; Sourcebooks Inc, based out of Chicago; Vesper Publishing, from the Netherlands; Oneworld Publications, a British independent publishing firm; and Europa Edition, the English language imprint of the Italian independent publisher, Edizioni E/O. The two self-published titles were The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, published by Carissa Broadbent and The Right Move by Liz Tomforde, published through Barnes & Noble Press—a self-publishing service run by the US bookseller. The remaining twenty-one books analysed were published by the five multinational publishing houses, with the majority of nine from Penguin UK.
Through their independent research, examining the five large publishers and independent publishers concerning the diversity of publications, Nicholas et al. determined that while ‘Penguin Random House held the highest number of [diverse] titles in the list... self-published and independently published titles came in at a strong second’.
While a content creator’s location cannot be precisely determined, the absence of Australian titles or publishers must be noted, as all videos were viewed in Melbourne, Victoria. Importantly, it must be noted that all but two authors were female. The findings from this analysis are consistent with Throsby, Zwar and Morgan’s study, which states that ‘older readers appear to be more conscious than younger ones of the idea of “Australian books” as a distinctive identifier’. They surmise that these younger generations—ranging between Year 8 students to 25-year-olds—‘are not so much influenced in their reading habits by the cultural nationalist movements which have affected older generations’. In this way, the globalisation of the industry through social media sites, including TikTok and web-based publications, lead to an unexpected homogeneity of US publications, once again limiting the scope and increasing the competition of Australian independent publishers.
Funding
On discussions of the five major publishing names, Dane notes that ‘there lies a deeply conservative and risk-averse group of decision-makers who appear keen to drop large sums of money on a few, rather than medium sums of money on many’. For this reason, further government assistance must be created and engaged in supporting independent Australian trade publishers if they are to remain as vessels for local authors and marginalised voices. This statement is supported by Crosby et al., who note, ‘Funding support for innovative writers and publishers contributes to a diverse arts ecology—one that is able to renew and reinvent itself, rather than becoming stale and dated’.
A study by the Australia Council for the Arts on the ‘International Rights Sales of Australian Authored Books’ notes that most Australian trade publications marketed and achieving success overseas contain a pattern of ‘Anglo-Saxon’ features within their protagonists and the author themselves. As discussed, through increased government initiatives, the expansion of voices printed by independent publishers will only lead to a rise in the overall diversity of the landscape.
Additionally, the study recommends areas for further government assistance, explicitly highlighting the need to ‘raise the profile of Australia’s literature and leading thinkers overseas’ and to ‘extend funding support for authors’.
In response to the ‘significant transition’ currently faced by the media industry, the Australian Government launched the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund in 2017. Distributed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the grant awarded $50 million over three years to regional and independent publishers for ‘business activities to drive revenue and readership’, among other things. To be eligible for the grant, applicants were required to undergo a suite of tests and hold a membership to the Australian Press Council. The fund ended in 2021.
While this initiative is an example of the progress and support desired for independent publishing, the subsequent Covid-19 pandemic, after the grant’s completion, saw many publishers shut their doors. While book sales soared during Melbourne’s lockdown period, the limit on movement saw most Australian readers head to online retailers. Government support is detrimental to independent publishers as they provide an opportunity for marginalised voices and their stories to be told and enjoyed nationally and globally. As Susan Hawthorne discusses, the importance of independent publishers is that they provide ‘a way of engagement with society and communities and methods that reflect something important about the locale or the niche they inhabit’.
Success
Thus, it is not unreasonable to assume that a novel such as ‘Dark Emu’, written by Bruce Pascoe, would not have been published in 2014 were it not for the independent, Aboriginal-run publishing house, Magabala Books. Following the novel’s publication and success, Magabala Books was able to increase its publishing program. In this way, the novel’s revenue, accumulated from 250,000 copies sold and an international rights deal with Scribe, was reinvested to promote Aboriginal culture. This achievement is supported by the Department of Economics’ findings that ‘a substantial majority [of Australian readers] … said they regard it as important or extremely important that books written by Australian authors be published in Australia’. However, the not-for-profit, Broome-based publisher still relies on partners and government funding to continue its essential work.
Conclusion
Despite the critical strides taken to maintain and develop the Australian literary and publishing landscape for emerging, diverse voices, further government assistance is required if the industry is to remain a vessel for local authors. Analysing the current publishing landscape concerning independent and self-publishing compared to large trade publishers clearly indicates areas where improvement is still required. This essay has suggested areas where the Australian Government should continue investing funds and resources, where trade publishers take advantage of their chokehold on sales, and where independent publishers continue to thrive despite limitations.
Areas for further research will be required with the continuation of TikTok as an important platform for writers and publishers to market their works nationally and internationally. Additionally, as Book Depository finalised online operations, further care should be taken to ensure the distribution of Australian novels overseas as the impact that the online global retailer’s collapse will have on the landscape is still unknown.
It is detrimental to the publishing industry, particularly on a national level, that local voices get the platform they deserve. As discussed, while local booksellers are important vessels for small publishers to market their work, they cannot provide a platform to local voices without preliminary work by the publisher. Local writers create a diverse literary landscape, yet the absence of independent publishers due to a lack of funding and unsustainable competition will lead to a ‘white washing’ of local voices and a return to the homogeneity previously seen in the Australian publishing industry.
Appendixes
Appendix 1
Publishers featured on the ‘Bestsellers’ lists of five Australian book retailers, 2023.
(Independent booksellers are in bold.)
Affirm Press
Allen & Unwin
MacMillan Publishers
Scholastic Inc
Penguin Books
Harper Collins
Simon & Shuster
Random House (Penguin Books)
Text Publishing
Granta Publishing
Harlequin Enterprises (Hachette)
Headline Publishing Group (Hachette)
Giramondo Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group (Hachette)
Transworld Publishing (Penguin Books)
Little, Brown and Company (Hachette)
Bloomsbury
Faber + Faber
Vintage Publishing (Penguin Books)
Cornerstone (Penguin Books)
Retailers analysed:
Big W (South Yarra)
BookTopia (Online retailer)
Readings Malvern
Dymocks Prahran
Jeffrey Books Malvern
Appendix 2
A list of books, with their authors and publishers, gathered from the first five videos under the ‘booktok’ hashtag on TikTok, 2023.
(Small, independent publishers are highlighted in orange.)
About the author
Courtney Carland is a tea lover, cat enthusiast, part-time writer, and full-time reader. When she’s not working as a Communications Coordinator, you can find her over-analysing minor spelling errors in published novels and lauding herself for being a vegan. She is currently undertaking a Master of Writing and Publishing at RMIT with an end goal of becoming a full-time copy editor or independent bookseller. Hire her – she's really nice!