By:

In the disassociated world of desk top printing new models of publishing are emerging and will continue to emerge. The history of publishing and in particular the Publisher-Printer- Bookseller relationship has undergone a series of historical transformations. From its earliest days the printing of books was determined by the market place (Demand) and perhaps surprising for some, the Bookseller traditionally acted as Publisher in the 16th 17th & 18th centuries. Booksellers who probably evolved out of Stationers, were the instigators of new publications whenever they felt that a commercial opportunity of unmet demand was presenting itself. This often included pamphlets the precursor of the newspaper. Being on the front line of readership meant that booksellers had first hand knowledge of what readers both wanted to read and could be persuaded to read. If a ship wrecked sailor was rescued from a south pacific island and returned with tales of adventures and sexually permissive cultures, a bookseller would beat a path to the sea- farers door and persuade the returned traveller to impart their story in the form of a book. Should the sailor have poor literary skills, the bookseller would hire an author from Grub St to actually ghost the publication which would be published under the travellers name. All of this is both well known and widely recorded, but what makes it especially relevant is the recent developments in Printing Publishing and Bookselling has returned to a market where the Bookseller is often the best placed stakeholder. To read the current market and influence publishing decisions. Self publishing has become a growth industry and when the author gets over the excitement of producing a manuscript and the disappointment of discovering that a mainstream publisher is unlikely to publish their creation, they now typically turn to self publication so called Vanity Publishing rather than allow the manuscript to gather dust in the bottom drawer. The author armed with their new monograph then faces the daunting task of ‘marketing” their product to an audience hopefully wider than immediate family and friends. Where do they go? Quite frequently to their local bookseller who is aked for their advice on how to market or often whether they will stock a few copies to see “how it goes”

Stream: Books, Writing and Reading

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Currently managing a large campus bookshop group and operating on the Board of
Melbourne University Press and ACBA (Australian Campus Booksellers Association)

I was a Philosophy academic at several Australia and UK Universities
including UNSW UNE USC and in UK UC London LSE University of Kent
and Westminster University.

My Bookselling career commenced in an Antiquarian Bookshop on Charing Cross Rd
when I was 16 years old.

I am interested in the connections between bookselling and publishing as I sometimes have to wear both hats as a Board member of a busy academic publisher.

I am also very interested in the future of the book and the implications from electronic publishing.

I have assisted many authors through the process of self publishing and believe that booksellers have an important part to play in the future of disaggregated publishing