Australia has an odd history among local writers and local publishers. I’m less familiar with it than I should be, but it’s pretty much history, and much of it predates my moving to this country.

It was a good little market once – very much British UK sphere-of-influence, and a lot of readers for its population (big distances, not a lot of competing entertainment besides beer, relative affluence).

There was some kind of government tariff protection to foster the local industry. The result was $25 paperbacks (when they were $5 in the US), and new entertainment eating their lunch. I think the number of readers has dropped off steeply. E-books help – but it’s not the walled garden it was. A country that had its own crop of competing authors… now has many taking jobs in academia. It seems to have suffered too with the same urban left capture as the US, and follows the same fads – but about 2 years behind.

We have a more urbanized population than the US, but a lot in common — certainly in rural Australia. I’ve had any number of people say that the characters and character of rural/small towns I’ve written about in CHANGELING’S ISLAND and JOY COMETH WITH THE MOURNING felt just like places and people they knew in rural/small town US. So: to that part of the population of Australia, much of the current output feels like it was written for NYC not Didjerbringthebeeralongaroo.

Looking at the backswing – politically – that’s going to either change or destroy what’s left of legacy publishing here. We’ve just had a ‘Writer’s Festival’ fly apart because they attempted to remove a ‘Palestinian’ (Born in Sydney, but apparently being that is eternal) who celebrated October 7, and has actively campaigned against a Jewish author being there. The bulk of the guests – top-heavy with Prof. and Dr. — have cancelled in sympathy. The name-recognition experience looking through the list… was that these were not people I’d ever heard of or read anything by. Perhaps it is my ignorance showing, and my loss. Apparently quite a lot of government money is involved in Arts festivals and grants to various academics etc. I suspect, as Australia tends to follow the US… a drought may be coming.

It will be interesting times — and I hope a place where indies and e-books can finally get their legs. I’d love to see a real Australian flavor develop.