Untapped: The Australian Literary Heritage Project

Purpose of research project *

The literary landscape of Australia is facing significant challenges, with many Australian books now out of print and inaccessible to readers. This includes local histories and memoirs, beloved children’s titles, and even winners of prestigious awards like the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Untapped is a collaborative effort between authors, libraries, and researchers, aiming to identify and revive Australia’s lost literary treasures. This initiative seeks to both preserve cultural heritage and support the Australian book industry.

Authors are particularly affected, as many struggle to make a sustainable living from their writing. The average annual income for authors is just A$18,200, and four out of five authors rely on non-writing-related income. Australian publishing contracts typically last over 70 years, often leaving rights with publishers who may not utilise them, thereby hindering authors from benefiting from shifts in tastes and technology. Notably, 40% of recent Miles Franklin winners are not available as eBooks.

Libraries also face challenges in this digital age. Retailers often caution publishers that licensing eBooks to libraries might reduce sales, though no data substantiates this claim. Such restrictions pose obstacles for libraries, which serve as important community hubs. Our research aims to tackle these issues, ensuring that Australia’s literary heritage remains accessible and that the book industry continues to thrive.

Who has, is or will benefit *

This research will benefit authors, who often struggle to sustain themselves financially from their writing. Untapped empowers authors to reclaim and monetise their works, resulting in additional income streams. This initiative also opens up new opportunities for authors, including speaker fees and international translations, thus enhancing their economic stability and career prospects.

Furthermore, this research benefits libraries and the broader literary community by making previously inaccessible books available for eBook lending and sales. Libraries, which serve as vital community hubs, can now offer a richer and more diverse collection of Australian literary works, fostering cultural preservation and accessibility. The findings also contribute to public policy discussions, advocating for minimum reversion rights and demonstrating that library loans and promotions can boost both eLending and eBook sales without cannibalising the market.

Description of impact *

In response to the lack of data on the value of reverted rights and the proprietary nature of book sales and library borrowing data, we established Untapped, a unique publishing house. Partnering with libraries nationwide and the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), Untapped aims to transform the accessibility of out-of-print Australian books. By taking control of publishing decisions and data, we created a robust rights reversion infrastructure, successfully securing the rights to publish 161 Australian titles, including works of Indigenous importance and major literary award winners.

Key Steps:
1. Identify Missing Books: Collaborated with experts and the ASA to select a diverse collection of out-of-print books.
2. Obtain Rights: Secured rights and digitised 161 novels, histories, memoirs, poetry, and more for eBook lending and sales.
3. Digitisation: Used advanced scanning and OCR methods, followed by proofreading, cover design, and metadata handling.
4. Release Day: Titles released simultaneously in 2022 as eBooks for sale and library loan across Australia.
5. Data Collection: Analysed sales and loans over one year to evaluate the impact of out-of-print rights and library promotion efforts.
6. Sustainable Future: Established ongoing digitisation infrastructure, with books lodged in the National Library’s e-deposit scheme.

Impact in the First Year:
• 15,687 eBook library loans.
• 6,306 eBook sales.
• Additional print deals for 150 titles now in bookstores.
• Approximately A$200,000 in additional income for authors.
• A third of the authors reported additional income streams beyond increased income from sales and lending, including speaker fees, international translations, and film/TV rights negotiations.

Our findings argue for minimum reversion rights, showing no evidence that library lending cannibalises eBook sales. Instead, library promotions boosted both eLending and eBook sales. The rights reversion infrastructure has been handed to a publishing partner to ensure continuation.

Preliminary findings were presented at the World Library and Information Congress in August 2023 which typically attracts ~ 4,000 attendees, with a keynote scheduled for September 2024. An invited presentation at NYU, along with discussions with Copenhagen Libraries and The New York Public Library, has further extended the project's global impact.

Impact date	1 Jul 2020 → 31 Dec 2023
Category of impact	Commercial impacts, Culture impacts, Economy impacts, Policy impacts
Impact level	Adoption (early)