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Paying the Price

Chris Flynn September 06

One of the hot potato issues in Australian publishing of late has been over pricing. The debate seems to incorporate the following concerns: Are Australian books too expensive? Can already beleaguered publishers and bookstores survive if they lower cover prices to compete with online and digital retailers, many but not all of whom are based overseas? It’s the sort of debate that quickly polarizes opinions, dipping as it does into the vested interests of just about everyone involved in contemporary publishing in some way or another. Can writers make any sort of living if prices go down? Can publishers turn enough profit to be able to stay afloat? Do consumers give a damn? Ask any of these questions and bedlam erupts as all sides begin firing salvos whilst buttressing their fortresses against the barbarians at the gate. Debate often descends into petty bickering, sadly because no one truly knows the answers to the worrying questions raised, questions that pertain to the future livelihoods of thousands of people. Having your cardi singed whilst watching print newspapers go down in a flaming ball of hellfire right next to you is not exactly reassuring either.

Odd news then out of Israel, where Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat (yes, you read correctly—sport and culture are the same portfolio), the Justice Ministry, the National Economic Council and the Israeli Writers and Publishers Association have been beavering away on a bill designed to protect the income of authors by making it illegal for retailers to sell books for less than their cover price for a period of eighteen months after publication. This came about after authors and publishers convinced the government that discounting, particularly amongst the big chainstores, was adversely affecting author royalties and threatening the viability of publishing houses.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said,‘We are committed to maintaining the income of the authors who create our cultural treasures. The law creates the right balance between the aspiration that books not be a luxury item and that everyone be able to enjoy the experience of reading, and the need to protect authors and their works.’

Sports and Culture Minister Livnat went even further: ‘Books are not cottage cheese. Our duty is to ensure that the present and future Israeli public may enjoy quality Israeli Hebrew literature. This right will be realized only if authors and poets in Israel receive fair compensation for their works, so that they might continue to create and promote literature in the Hebrew language.’

Not everyone is happy about this. Authors, though not generally known for being a barrel of laughs, are probably happy, or slightly less depressed at any rate. Publishers will be stoked. Consumers used to three-for-two price deals and special offers? Not so much. What is remarkable about this legislation is the fact authors and publishers have managed to gain so much sway over public policy, in opposition to market forces. It is difficult to imagine such a scenario playing out in Australia, where publishers teeter constantly on the precipice, authors earn the sort of wages most other industries would consider a joke and nobody in government seems to care very much about the future of our culture. I suppose we musn’t complain though. Sauron’s watchful eye is upon us. There will always be plenty of jobs for authors, publishers and journalists in her mines.




 

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Comments

by Hila
06 Sep 12 at 12:34

I’m originally from Israel, but I live in Australia. Whenever I visit, I often stock my suitcase with books on the way back to Australia. My opinion here doesn’t speak for all Israeli consumers of course, but I do feel there is a different book-culture over there to the one in Australia. When I go to book stores with my family, they don’t think twice about paying high prices for books, straight from the store. These are not people with high incomes, but they are willing to invest in books as something valuable.

I do think there is a correlation between what consumers are willing to pay and how books and the wider arts are regarded by the society in which those consumers live. When my grandfather published an academic book on a very (very) specialised arts-related historical subject, he was invited to talk about it on TV. I don’t really see this happening in Australia on a regular basis, unless of course the book is about a ‘hot topic’, current affair issue the media likes to cover. I’m not saying the arts culture is perfect in Israel, but it is approached differently in my opinion, and regarded differently by the wider public. I also find the lack of distinction between sports and arts telling!

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