13/07/2023

A new project to investigate the changing use of digital media in promoting Australian women authors has received Australian Research Council funding with the support of the Australian Publishers Association. 

Associate professors Anthea Taylor (University of Sydney) and Margaret Henderson (University of Queensland) will undertake the three year project funded by an ARC Linkage Project grant of $214,900, and supported by the Australian Society of Authors and BookPeople alongside the APA. 

Stuart Glover, who will support the research as Policy Manager for the APA, said of the project:

‘The research aims to give publishers a broader understanding of shifting author promotion practices. Anthea and Margaret will document current best practices in digital marketing, and transmit this information back to industry through workshops and written accounts. 

The collaboration with the ASA and Bookpeople will drive a fruitful industry discussion about the balance of responsibilities between publishers, authors, bookstores, libraries and other platforms. Ultimately, the research will support publishers and authors to streamline promotional work while maximising promotional benefits.’

The research proposal offers the following outline for the project:

‘Women authors are vital to Australia’s creative economy and cultural life. To ensure their wider cultural resonance as well as commercial success, such authors have long been actively engaged in the business of image management. However, digital media have significantly altered how renown is manufactured and sustained, in ways that are yet to be understood in the Australian context. By generating new knowledge about the role of digital media in promoting women authors, this project's findings will be of use to authors, publishers, cultural policy makers and funding bodies to help better support these vital cultural workers in their digital media usage.’