Comments on: Australian book publishing under attack? http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/ Business help for entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners in Australia | Business > Innovation > Technology > Entrepreneurship - Anthill Magazine: It's Where Ideas and Business Meet. Fri, 25 May 2012 13:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Melbourne Lawyers http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/#comment-29848 Melbourne Lawyers Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:25:35 +0000 http://anthillonline.com/?p=13425#comment-29848 In order to get a business started you often have to take hits. Hope this works out for bootopia! In order to get a business started you often have to take hits. Hope this works out for bootopia!

]]> By: KIM JACOBS http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/#comment-11607 KIM JACOBS Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:28:02 +0000 http://anthillonline.com/?p=13425#comment-11607 I don't think the Productivity Commission see it as their goal to ensure the Australian consumer is poorly served by the restructure of an industry. In fact I am sure it is the exact opposite. They are probably a more disinterested party on this matter than the Australian publishing industry. The Productivity Commission has a good record in ending industry arrangements that maximise industry profits in return for illusory or unquantifiable small benefits for consumers. The benefits might exist but their cost to consumers is way above what they are worth. Typically the case of the target industry collapses when a realistic value is placed on the alledged benefits and it is seen that the target industry is appropriating a massive amount of revenue for itself over and above the cost of the benefits been supplied to consumers. Recent changes to copyright and importing arrangements on music, credit card servicing and interchange fees and so on are good examples. With this in mind comments like those of Maree McCaskill, CEO of the Australian Publishers Association, leave me cold: “You don’t invest in a property you are renting, completely renovate it and landscape it in the knowledge that you will never own it. The Commission is proposing that publishers and authors rent copyright thereby removing completely the ability to invest in the Australian industry”. What I want to see is how much extra the industry is charging the Australian consumer each year for books and how much of this is being reinvested back into the Australian industry over and above what there would be invested any way. I bet there is nice little profitable differential that the industry is keen to hold onto. Nothing wrong with that but don't dress up profit maximisation as something other than what it is. I don’t think the Productivity Commission see it as their goal to ensure the Australian consumer is poorly served by the restructure of an industry. In fact I am sure it is the exact opposite. They are probably a more disinterested party on this matter than the Australian publishing industry.

The Productivity Commission has a good record in ending industry arrangements that maximise industry profits in return for illusory or unquantifiable small benefits for consumers. The benefits might exist but their cost to consumers is way above what they are worth. Typically the case of the target industry collapses when a realistic value is placed on the alledged benefits and it is seen that the target industry is appropriating a massive amount of revenue for itself over and above the cost of the benefits been supplied to consumers. Recent changes to copyright and importing arrangements on music, credit card servicing and interchange fees and so on are good examples. With this in mind comments like those of Maree McCaskill, CEO of the Australian Publishers Association, leave me cold: “You don’t invest in a property you are renting, completely renovate it and landscape it in the knowledge that you will never own it. The Commission is proposing that publishers and authors rent copyright thereby removing completely the ability to invest in the Australian industry”. What I want to see is how much extra the industry is charging the Australian consumer each year for books and how much of this is being reinvested back into the Australian industry over and above what there would be invested any way. I bet there is nice little profitable differential that the industry is keen to hold onto. Nothing wrong with that but don’t dress up profit maximisation as something other than what it is.

]]> By: Australian Online Bookshop http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/#comment-11594 Australian Online Bookshop Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:44:05 +0000 http://anthillonline.com/?p=13425#comment-11594 With all due respect to Leela, this post is a nothing comment! If you're going to take a free swipe at Australian publishers then you could at least mention what it is that they are doing so poorly. With all due respect to Leela, this post is a nothing comment! If you’re going to take a free swipe at Australian publishers then you could at least mention what it is that they are doing so poorly.

]]> By: Leela Cosgrove http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/#comment-11580 Leela Cosgrove Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:29:59 +0000 http://anthillonline.com/?p=13425#comment-11580 It's about time the book publishing industry took a blow like this - perhaps it will get them to smarten up about the way they do things. If you look at the model book publishers use to secure, publish and market books - it's so backwards it makes me want to shake someone! If most of us ran our businesses like that, we'd be out of business so fast our heads wouldn't have time to spin. If publishers just smartened up about the way they ran their businesses (i.e. caught up with the fact it's 2009 now ... they're still living in the 18th Century!) - they would have plenty of money to invest in new Australian authors and to take risks on books ... It's time the industry got a shake up - competition isn't going to kill them - in fact, it might just make them stronger ... It’s about time the book publishing industry took a blow like this – perhaps it will get them to smarten up about the way they do things.

If you look at the model book publishers use to secure, publish and market books – it’s so backwards it makes me want to shake someone! If most of us ran our businesses like that, we’d be out of business so fast our heads wouldn’t have time to spin.

If publishers just smartened up about the way they ran their businesses (i.e. caught up with the fact it’s 2009 now … they’re still living in the 18th Century!) – they would have plenty of money to invest in new Australian authors and to take risks on books …

It’s time the industry got a shake up – competition isn’t going to kill them – in fact, it might just make them stronger …

]]> By: Australian Online Bookshop http://anthillonline.com/australian-book-publishing-under-attack/#comment-11565 Australian Online Bookshop Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:20:51 +0000 http://anthillonline.com/?p=13425#comment-11565 It's a shame Australian booksellers have to prostitute themselves to compete with Amazon. Good on Booktopia for taking a lead in what will be a long and sustained battle for the hearts and minds of Australian book consumers. It’s a shame Australian booksellers have to prostitute themselves to compete with Amazon. Good on Booktopia for taking a lead in what will be a long and sustained battle for the hearts and minds of Australian book consumers.

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