Jacobyte Books runs a monthly poetry competition and Greatunpublished has a specialised editing program. There are also many sites offering services to writers that can help them to not only hone their writing skills but to discriminate among e-publishers. Out in cyberspace a new group of literary gatekeepers are emerging. Meanwhile at the other end of town, Bob Sessions, publishing director of Penguin, says the e-publishing revolution is all smoke and mirrors. Most publishers at this stage are playing a wait and see game.
Sessions also disputes the criticisms that are made against mainstream Australian publishers.
Sessions also believes niche publishing is alive and well and that publishers such as Penguin look for young or extraordinary talent among the literary journals and university publications that have always existed. And at HarperCollins, operations director Lil Velise says that while her company is trialling digital printing in America it will be a couple of years before it can see that technology happening in Australia. And as for e-publishing, Velise estimates it will be eight to 10 years before there is a major shift in that area. With 200 million people connected there is a real market out there. Courtenay passionately believes that reluctant readers, particularly young people, who are computer literate can be seduced into reading via electronic publications and books.