Melting Pots and Digital Gateways - by Laurie Steed [16.11.2009]
Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.
~Dwight D. Eisenhower
When researching publishing, one often finds bold and surprising predictions. In his 2001 book Futureconsumer.com, Frank Feather predicted eBooks would be outselling print versions by 2009.
Despite major developments in ePublishing over the past decade, Feather was a little off on that one.
The best any industry can do, it seems, is to safeguard itself as best as possible, while still remaining open to the possibilities of future technological developments. To this extent, 2009 was a huge step forward for the Australian publishing industry.
In the last twelve months, we saw the creation of two new hubs with the potential to streamline the future of Australian publishing: The Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas (CWBI) in Melbourne, and The Institute for the Future of the Book in Brisbane.
Both promise to add much to the literary landscape. The CWBI has office accommodation, open plan areas for collaboration, and a public presentation space to accommodate up to 200 people, with adjacent areas for receptions and catering.
SPUNC now operates out of the CWBI, and the building certainly looks the part; as arts precincts and performance spaces go, it is more spacious than most I have seen, and it is clear that a lot of money has gone into bringing the technology up to speed.
It also a work in progress; plastic matting lines the stairwells and the outside is covered in scaffolding. The space is yet to be populated by the public lit-heads and interlopers that we all know and love, and without them the place feels a bit like a library before the doors open.
In Brisbane, the recently opened Institute for the Future of the Book (IF: Book) is only the third digital literature centre in the world after centres in New York and London. The Institute was announced by Queensland Writer's Centre CEO Kate Eltham at the 2009 Melbourne Writer's Festival.
IF: Book's first project for 2010 seems promising: it hopes to deliver a national seminar series called Writers and Digital Markets. Supported and funded by the Literature Board of the Australia Council, it will inform writers about new opportunities to create and publish digital content.
How these new institutions will contribute to Australian publishing is not yet known. Of the two centres, The CWBI seems to face the bigger challenge in attempting to consolidate what are essentially fluid concepts: culture, innovation and creativity.
The potential bureaucratic problem in this consolidation is not to be underestimated; in a literary community that until now has thrived predominantly on spontaneity, the presence of a central launch/performance space may shoehorn the activities of many distinct bodies towards competition for the most viable space. Emerging Writers Festival director David Ryding sees the potential for both connectivity and disparity, but is unsure of how said connectivity will work in practice:
“I think the advantages and disadvantages [of the centre] all lie in the perception of the patrons and residents of the CBWI itself. Is it a bad thing if the audiences see all programming coming out of the centre as CBWI programming? Will this amalgamation … create new interests for all the organisations? So many questions and, for the moment, all we can do is play with suppositions.”
Without having seen both centres in full operation, it is hard to predict how well they will function. The key to their success, however, will be an integration of the many disparate entities that make up the Australian publishing scene and a focusing on a collective future. They will need to focus on creating a space where reading, writing and publishing galvanise towards mutual benefit; a celebration of what has been, and what is still to come.
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Comments
Paul — 16 November at 12:06PM
Another fascinating article. Institutes and institutions form inevitably (usually as a way of centralising power) but as you have pointed out, centre and Centre are both problematic concepts in the digital age.
Zoe D — 16 November at 02:42PM
There is of course another key to the success, and in many respects it is a far bigger challenge; combining, developing and rewarding the audience. Let's do our best to make this about them. Publishing is such an introspective and inward-looking industry, and fairly conservative too. If we can stay true to our values and be flexible and generous about the way in which we allow those values to manifest themselves, then we will engage people. We're all stuffed without an audience.
Leseo — 21 November at 04:03PM
The Australian publishing scene appears to be in the same transitions everywhere afoot. The CWBI sounds quite promising. Let's hope the potential for connectivity wins over that for disparity.
Zoe's respect for the audience is spot on. Creative paradigms will be needed for ongoing success.