During the past 5 weeks, cost-of-living increases were front and centre of the election campaign. But one item in Australia has barely increased in price for more than a decade – books. While that means more Australians can afford to buy books; it means fewer Australians can make a living writing or publishing them.

With three mergers in the past year after decades of independent publishers protecting their turf, the book industry is changing – and quickly. But what prompted this shift, and what needs to be done to protect the future of Australian writing?

Since 1998, when the Australian Bureau of Statistics started collecting information about book prices, there has been little change in the average recommended retail price for books. While prices have barely risen, the industry’s costs are far higher – in the past fifteen years alone, paper costs rose 51 per cent and printing costs rose 34 per cent – making it harder than at any point in recent memory to make money from publishing. Meanwhile, more books are selling through discount department stores which means publishers are getting lower prices for their books.

Sharply increasing retail prices to match overall inflation would hit book lovers who are already experiencing the living standards crisis.

The solution is greater government support for an industry that is struggling.

According to the Creative Australia website, “the establishment of Writing Australia … will commence from 1 July 2025”. The tortured wording of this sentence implies that the creation of this body will start in mid-2025 with no clear explanation of when associated industry support will roll out.

Australian authors and publishers need more immediate support. The average income for an Australian author is $18,000, which is well below the poverty line. Without support, independent publishers are ill-equipped to take a chance on a debut literary fiction author.

Crucially, independent publishers are the ones who most often foster the next generation of literary greats. Without action, we’re set to miss out on the next Tim Winton or Helen Garner.