I’d rather listen to an actual human any day, and to the best of my knowledge I have never purchased an AI narrated audiobook, but I do realise that a fully produced audiobook with quality narration is beyond the reach of the vast majority of independent authors. With that throat-clearing out of the way, here’s a head-to-head comparison of the two most prominent AI voice actor solutions, which as they often say, are only going to get better and more convincing. A cynical person might suggest it is only a matter of time before Audible lists an ostensibly human narrator whose true home is a server at Eleven Labs. In fact, they probably have already. Similar things have happened on Spotify, so why not in the audiobook space?
Make Your Book Special -- New Features from FolioFox Printers
FolioFox is strengthening its commitment to Australian authors and publishers with the opening of a new Melbourne showroom and the acquisition of modern edge printing technology.
The expansion is a direct response to what the company calls a growing contradiction in publishing – as the average Australian reads less than ever, sales of physical books, particularly BookTok-fuelled collector editions, continue to climb.
“It might look counterintuitive to be investing in print at a time when screens are dominating everyone's attention, but readership is shifting rather than disappearing,” said Tracy Yong, brand manager at FolioFox.
“The readers who are still picking up physical books are doing it more intentionally, and with collecting and displaying in mind.
"We've watched a number of Australian printers close their doors over the last few years because the economics of commercial printing are tough in today’s market. We're going the other direction, investing in the kind of production that indie authors and boutique publishers are actually asking for.
“Sprayed edges, premium finishes, short runs done locally and turned around quickly, that's a capability that's been lacking onshore.”
The newly opened showroom, available by appointment, is designed as a hub for inspiration and decision-making and offers clients a dedicated space to explore paper stocks, finishes, and binding options in person.
In addition, the company is expanding its services by investing in edge printing technology to support the increasing demand for special edition books. A defining feature of modern special edition books, sprayed edge printing has largely been limited to high-volume offshore runs.
“The current economy has definitely made people more careful about where they invest their money, especially with printing, but it’s also pushed a lot of self-publishing authors and newer independent publishers to look for smarter, more flexible local production options,” explained Yong.
The company has solidified its position as a reliable Australian book printer for short-to-mid production runs, recently partnering with Book Fair Australia and Sorrento Writer’s Festival.
The capability to produce books with sprayed edges, available from August 2026, opens new opportunities for independent authors, publishers and brands to differentiate their work on bookshelves in an increasingly competitive market.
“Sprayed edges are helping to drive strong early and on-release sales, tapping into readers’ desire for beautiful, collectible bookish objects. They elevate the book beyond content alone, creating a memorable, shareable moment that resonates with audiences and create a 'fall in love at first sight' moment for readers,” Chloe Berry, literary agent and founder of The Berry Agency, concluded.
Butchers of Colac Sold Out (for now)
Alan Doyle’s very specific local history has found an enthusiastic audience at a book launch in Colac. The following post is from the Colac and District Family History Group:
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 — 𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗰 𝟭𝟴𝟰𝟵–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
Five years of research, countless phone calls, interviews, photographs and stories… and now the first print run has sold out. More copies of Butchers of Colac 1849–2026 will be available soon.
It was a wonderful afternoon at the History Centre as members, friends, butchers past and present, and their families gathered for the launch of Alan Doyle’s remarkable book.
Amy Baudinette, President of the Colac Chamber of Commerce, officially launched the book, speaking warmly about the hard work of small businesses and the importance of preserving local histories before they are lost.
Robyn Currie then joined Alan “In Conversation”, exploring why he chose Colac’s butchers as his subject, the five years of research involved, and the memorable stories uncovered along the way.
Over afternoon tea, memories came flooding back — the sawdust on the floor, the worn chopping block, the butcher rhythmically sharpening his knives while carrying on a conversation, then the familiar clang and rattle as they dropped back into the metal pouch at his waist.
More than just a history of butcher shops, this beautiful book captures the people, personalities and traditions that shaped Colac for generations.
Photographs: Alan Doyle and Robyn Currie "in conversation" discuss the process of researching and writing the book
Amy Baudinette, President Colac Chamber of Commerce - officially launches the book
Alan signing one of the last copies of his book. If you missed out the good news is that there are going to be more books printed.
Larisa and the Speaker of Truth by Maria Stefanidis
Neos Kosmos has an interesting article on Maria Stefanidis and her latest novel Larisa and the Speaker of Truth.
“The catalyst for the novel was the Cretan hero Manolis Bikakis, dubbed the Greek Rambo.
“Manolis’ courageous resistance in defending the constitutional and self-governing rights of my birthplace Cyprus in the 1974 war offered me with a substance to create my own fictional character in commando Dimitri Geogiou,” Stefanidis told Neos Kosmos.”
Larisa and the Speaker of Truth will be available at the Bilingual Book Shop in Kogarah, Sydney, various Dymocks bookstores and on Amazon as a paperback, hardcopy or eBook. The ISBN is: 978-1-7646890-0-7
Authors Finding Audiences in New Ways
Queensland author and science communicator Toby Hendy has posted a very interesting video about promoting her first book. She discusses the tsunami of AI generated slop books on Amazon, the difficulties of discovery on bookselling platforms, the low returns for authors in traditional bookstores, and how she went about producing her own book, finding an audience, using Shopify, finding a reliable warehousing solution and negotiating the intricacies of international shipping and duties. All very practical and interesting, and a genuine alternative to the Amazon POD route… Some links to her online bookstore and an article on the uses of crowdfunding for authors:
A Guide to Making Friends in the Fourth Dimension - Paperback Paperback
Learn more about Shopify by visiting: https://shopify.com/tibees
My bookstore: https://tibees.com/
Kevin Kelly's article: https://kk.org/thetechnium/everything... When publishing this way (printing in bulk) it's important to do pre-orders or crowdfunding to know how many books to print. Kevin's article talks about his crowdfunding methods. In case you're wondering, it is possible to do print-on-demand and sell directly. Ingram Spark offers selling direct as a service only to US and UK authors.
Ever the Twain Shall Meet: Using IngramSpark and Amazon KDP together
The Alliance of Independent Authors has published a useful (and up-to-date) guide to the benefits of uploading books to both IngramSpark and Amazon KDP. Both services have their strengths, and combining them makes a lot of sense. Neither service has up-front charges or charges for updating book files (they make plenty from each book sold!)
One of the key quotes from the article:
Why You Must NOT Tick Expanded Distribution
This is one of the most common mistakes authors make. If you tick “Expanded Distribution” on KDP, Amazon makes your paperback available to bookstores and libraries through Ingram's network — but at a lower royalty rate (40% instead of 60%), and it will block you from publishing the same ISBN on IngramSpark.
If you plan to use both platforms: do not tick Expanded Distribution on KDP. Leave that box unchecked. IngramSpark will handle the bookstore and library distribution far more effectively, and you'll keep the higher KDP royalty rate for Amazon sales.
He Read 200 Self-Published Books...
The narrator of this video does a pretty good job of highlighting some of the common errors that independent authors make, even if they are quite competent writers. Keep in mind that the video is essentially an ad for his publishing service, but useful nonetheless.
Book Category Codes — Why They Matter
If you, dear author, are uploading your title to IngramSpark or Amazon KDP, you will soon encounter book category codes. Getting these right is quite important and deserves some consideration, rather than speeding on to the next bit of metadata.
IngramSpark goes into some detail on the subject of BISAC codes, and there is a lot more here.
The source site for Thema is not very user friendly, but it does explain the methodology for this system. The Australian Publishers’ Association has this to say:
What’s in it for Australian publishers?
The quick answer? Increased discoverability and sales.
Thema will ground your book in a whole new layer of discoverability that works for retailers and consumers alike. The wants of readers are constantly changing, and if you’re providing what the Australian reader wants but they cannot find it, you’re missing out on sales.
Reedsy has quite a comprehensive guide to the Amazon KDP category codes. Amazon’s own guide is here.
Recent Design Work
A few new covers, spanning a range of genres, colour schemes and type selections…
Sarah Martin's Author Website
If you’re new to Sarah Martin’s writing, her new website is the perfect introduction.
Sarah writes across a range of genres and age groups, but what ties all of her work together is heart — stories about people, belonging, resilience, friendship, and the natural world.
It’s a beautiful new online home for her books and writing life.
Visit: sarahmartinwriter.com
Beautifully designed by Michael Brimelow.
Author Luke Simon Reports from the Publishing Trenches
This past week was challenging as I got scammed by a Reading Group in Jersey City. I asked from the get-go “is this going to cost?” and was reassured that there’d be no fee. I sent them all manner of supporting materials including a video trailer and they even booked me for a Q&A that they would purportedly pay me for doing. But in the 10th email, the inappropriacy of the text and the sudden mention of 2 contributory fees alerted me I was probably speaking to a Nigerian scammer who had gone to great lengths to pass themselves off as Susan Geller, CEO of the Club, complete with a lovely photo and even a joyful city council banner from Jersey below their signature.
As I fought despondency and wondering what to do about my contact form on my web site which is where many suspicious types contact me through (offering dubious marketing services), the Universe took pity on me.
I had a milestone breakthrough.
When The Art in My Palm was published I sent ABR 2 copies.
I was told by a friend yesterday that they now have an extensive review of ART in their March issue.
It is a decent review. On first reading I presumed “muted prose” was a negative description but then I looked it up and saw it is a good thing.
Still, it is a significant milestone as it is my first ABR review albeit for my 6th book.
In other news: SWIMMING has garnered another accolade, announced as a Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards which are decided by reading groups in the UK and Sweden. Wishing Shelf is one of the Alli founders.
I’m still optimistic for good outcomes in several contests to be decided by November. My logic tells me that the more good contests outcomes next to my name the more chances I have for a US/UK publisher or agent to show some interest.
How to Rescue an Overhydrated Book...
Did you leave a favourite book on a table outside, only for a passing shower to turn it into a soggy mess? Despair not — a few simple steps can return your beloved tome to its previous dehydrated state… The State Library of NSW has posted a more detailed procedure.
Dinosaurs Still Walk the Earth: Not all Books are Sold Online
Bookstores still exist and some are thriving, but for an independent author, approaching dozens of stores individually gets old pretty fast. Perhaps distributors might offer a way of making your book available for ordering from many bookstores? Beware the steep fees (70% or the retail price), but worth considering…
John Reed Books via membership with the Australian Society of Authors
Libraries are also worth considering. Companies servicing the thousands of Australian public libraries include:
Australian Library Services (ALS)
ALS partners with Australian Public libraries in book acquisition and collection development. The staff at ALS work to bring Australian-based and international publications into both schools in public libraries throughout Australia.
James Bennett Pty Ltd
Like ALS, James Bennett is library supplier that works to make print and digital publications available throughout both Australia and New Zealand. They are known for their print and digital acquisitions as well as their collection services.
Peter Pal Library Supplier
Peter Pal partners with libraries to assist them with meeting the needs of their customers. They provide help for selections, acquiring, cataloguing, processing, and distribution for a wide range of collections.
Westbooks
Westbooks is a Western Australian-based library supplier that provides quality library resources and services.
Smaller Suppliers (for schools)
St Georges Bookseller
Network Educational Australia
Endeavour Education
Boomerang Books
Awards for Luke Simons' Books
Swimming in Words was recently announced as one of five finalists in the 8TH Eyelands Book Awards; it has been shortlisted in the LGBTQIA+ category.
The Eyelands Book Awards is an international book contest jointly established 9 years ago by Eyelands literary magazine and Greek publishing house, Strange Days Books. This year, submissions were received from 33 countries. The Grand Prize winner in each of 8 categories wins 5-days accommodation in Athens, and/or translation into Greek for their title.
Also, Good Reading Magazine have included a review for The Art in My Palm in their December issue.The Art in My Palm was a Quarter-finalist recognition in the Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize—both the Aust Soc of Authors and Books+Publishing mentioned the news.
Service Above and Beyond with Tenderprint
Taken from website, may not be an accurate depiction of Tenderprint staff…
Ganga Powell needed her book for a launch in Port Fairy. Mal from Tenderprint went somewhat more than the extra mile — he drove all the way from Melbourne to Port Fairy with Ganga’s books, handed them over and drove back to Melbourne. All for no extra charge. You know you are in good hands when you have a printer willing to do that!
Recent Cover Design Work
A small selection of recent cover designs, with the usual variety of subject matter.
NLA Pre-publication Data
Remember to register your new (or existing) titles with the National Library of Australia. Once you have completed your application, you can add the notice above to the imprint page of your book.
General Prepublication Data Service application process
Use the Prepublication Data Service to make the details of your upcoming publication available to Australian libraries, library suppliers, booksellers and the general public.
Text: The Once and Future King
Adam Mastroianni makes an optimistic case for the future of text. I certainly want this to be true, and the stubborn survival of many bookstores makes it feel at least plausible. Here are a couple of quotes to give the flavour of his piece.
“I think there is a deep truth here: human desires are complex and multidimensional, and this makes them both hard to quench and hard to hack. That tinge of discontent that haunts even the happiest people, that bottomless hunger for more even among plenty—those are evolutionary defense mechanisms. If we were easier to please, we wouldn’t have made it this far. We would have gorged ourselves to death as soon as we figured out how to cultivate sugarcane.”
“I didn’t always believe this. I was persuaded on this point recently when I met an audio editor named Julia Barton, who was writing a book about the history of radio. I thought that was funny—shouldn’t the history of radio be told as a podcast?
No, she said, because in the long run, books are all that matter. Podcasts, films, and TikToks are good at attracting ears and eyes, but in the realm of ideas, they punch below their weight. Thoughts only stick around when you print them out and bind them in cardboard.
I think Barton’s thesis is right. At the center of every long-lived movement, you will always find a book.”
Can Bookstores Make a Comeback?
Music writer and popular culture critic Ted Gioia highlights the surprising resurgence of bookstores in the United States, even in the face of a declining population of readers. Let’s hope that pattern repeats here — according to an ABC News report, the last ten years have been bleak:
“In the past decade, the number of bookstores in Australia has more than halved, going from 2,879 in 2013 to 1,457 to 2023, according to an independent research site.”
Books are hanging on, just, and still retain some cultural cachet, but the attention-monster they are battling is huge and many-limbed and has screens, games, music and money and coming soon, huge AI server farms in space beaming down infinite streams of slop tailored just for you…
So, let us hope that books become some sort of talisman, a symbol that a person has not outsourced all of their thinking to Large Language Models.
One of the comments to Gioia’s article:
“Barnes & Noble is succeeding because it is inefficient by design. By letting local humans choose books, the stores create "serendipity"—the joy of finding a book you didn't know you wanted.
In an age of digital fatigue, people are increasingly willing to pay a premium for human curation over a cold algorithm.”
Scammers Uber Alles
For some reason, publishing attracts a plethora of scammers, ranging from reasonable quality books produced at ridiculously high prices, to no books at all produced, funds and scammer vanishing into the ether. This Guardian article details AI-generated staff members, deliberate misrepresentation, services that never eventuated, zombie office spaces, the same business popping up under multiple names and much more. If you have suspicions about a publisher, do some research before committing any funds. And report any shady businesses to the National Anti-Scam Centre— you might be helping someone else fall victim to these unscrupulous charlatans.