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[Oz] [Writers] From Kim Wilkins
Dec. 3rd, 2008 01:38 amHi, folks.
The time has come to put it in writing. The productivity commission is collecting submissions so that it can consider the issue of parallel importations of books into the Australian market. In brief, this would be a very bad thing for writers, publishers, and eventually readers who will gradually see their national culture eroded because publishers will be unable to take risks on new Australian voices.
If you know nothing about this, here's some more info: http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/books , and the ASA's take on it: http://www.asauthors.org/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=ASP0016/ccms.r?PageId=10160
There would be nothing to stop your foreign publishers, for example, selling their remaindered copies of your books into Australia, thus under-cutting the demand for full price editions. Therefore, you lose royalties. Not to mention your children will forever spell colour without a 'u'. It's important to note that neither the US nor the UK allow parallel imports (though both would be very quick to exploit our market). In NZ, where it was introduced, the results have been overwhelmingly negative, with children's books the most adversely affected.
I am not a political animal, but I do feel passionately about this. Write a letter to the commission. Write to the Prime Minister. Tell every writer you know to get behind the lobby against parallel importations. It's us against the booksellers, whose only argument really is "cheaper books are better"; so we have to be more eloquent, more persuasive, more everything than them.
Kim
The time has come to put it in writing. The productivity commission is collecting submissions so that it can consider the issue of parallel importations of books into the Australian market. In brief, this would be a very bad thing for writers, publishers, and eventually readers who will gradually see their national culture eroded because publishers will be unable to take risks on new Australian voices.
If you know nothing about this, here's some more info: http://www.pc.
There would be nothing to stop your foreign publishers, for example, selling their remaindered copies of your books into Australia, thus under-cutting the demand for full price editions. Therefore, you lose royalties. Not to mention your children will forever spell colour without a 'u'. It's important to note that neither the US nor the UK allow parallel imports (though both would be very quick to exploit our market). In NZ, where it was introduced, the results have been overwhelmingly negative, with children's books the most adversely affected.
I am not a political animal, but I do feel passionately about this. Write a letter to the commission. Write to the Prime Minister. Tell every writer you know to get behind the lobby against parallel importations. It's us against the booksellers, whose only argument really is "cheaper books are better"; so we have to be more eloquent, more persuasive, more everything than them.
Kim
