Speak out against threats to local books

The Productivity Commission is set to hand the Government its final report on Intellectual Property Arrangements on Friday 23 September. We expect it will not have changed its recommendations. You will remember that the Commission’s plans would: diminish the rights and income of authors; risk the ability of local publishers to invest in Australian authors; and risk the commercial viability of local bookstores. The election is over and Parliament will sit soon. The #BooksCreate campaign is now hard at work on a plan to submit our petition to the government in September. We have reached over 16,000 signatures, but we need as many as possible to get our message across to those with the power to influence this decision. We’d like to let you know how much we appreciate the hard work you have already done to raise public awareness of the threat these radical changes pose to our industry. We are seeing ongoing media coverage and growing reader concern, and that’s thanks to you. However, there are still many passionate readers of Australian books who are not aware of this issue and therefore have not expressed their concerns to the government. If you're an author: The Melbourne Writers Festival (26 August – 4 September), Canberra Writers Festival (26 – 28 August) and Brisbane Writers Festival (7 – 11 September) are just around the corner. We’d like to invite you to take this opportunity to help get the message out even further. If you are speaking at these festivals – or at any public event, or to media over the next month – please consider taking the following easy steps: 1. Email comms@asauthors.org to request a choice of two A4 placards that you can print at home. Use the subject heading “Placard”. 2. Take thirty seconds at the beginning or end of public proceedings at your festival appearance to display your placard and make the following statement: “Audience members may not be aware that the Australian book industry is under threat. The Productivity Commission has proposed a number of changes to copyright that will result in fewer Australian publishers, booksellers and authors. We need to make our voices heard. If you enjoy events like this, and if you value Australian stories, visit www.bookscreateaustralia.com.au and sign the petition.” If you're not an author, or not speaking at these events: There’s another important step you can take to stop these changes to copyright becoming law. Write to your local MP and your state Senator to express your concerns. The ASA has set out detailed instructions including a letter template at http://www.asauthors.org/news/threats-to-copyright-your-mp-needs-to-know. Our template is designed for authors but can easily be adapted for other interested parties. With your help, we can win the fight for Australian stories. Kind regards, Juliet Rogers Australian Society of Authors CEO