The ABA on Saving Local Bookstores

The Conversation recently published an important essay on the number of independent bookshops in Australia that just can’t make a living anymore:

In the past year alone, at least 13 independent bookshops have closed in Australia. Some have operated for decades. Perth’s Boffins Books recently announced it would close after 37 years, citing rising costs and “shifting CBD dynamics”. In February, Thesaurus Booksellers in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton closed after nearly 50 years, citing rising rent and operating costs. And late last year, The Bookshop in Sydney’s Darlinghurst closed due to “financial pressures”, after 43 years. In the decade from 2013 to 2023, the number of Australian bookshops roughly halved: from 2,879 to 1,457 – and continues to decline.

As a small, independent bookshop, Gertrude & Alice understands the pressure, and we are always thinking about solutions. One very simple idea: if you happen to be walking past an indie bookstore in your community, why not step inside! Buy a greeting card, a coffee, or even a book if you can manage it.

Bookstores are community hubs. You will always be welcome in your local bookshop. They can help you encourage your children in their reading but making recommendations; they support local schools; they host events for debut authors; they encourage people not only to read but to talk about books; they support Australian writers and writers festivals; they can help you find a perfect gift for a loved one; they will encourage your reading by directing you toward books you may never have found otherwise.

You might remember that in our previous newsletter, Dispatch #017, we mentioned that the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) is working hard on various ideas to help keep bookstores afloat. They’ve suggested an Australian Book Voucher Program, redeemable at local bookshops nationwide, and are investigating the case for a GST reduction on books to bring prices down a little.

You can visit their website to learn more.

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AI: Publishers around the world are still fighting theft by the big AI companies. The latest legal battle is taking place in New York, and it’s against the pirate site, WeLib, which likes to boast that it has “43 million books and 98 million papers” available for download. The owners of WeLib claim to be a library of sorts, but the books are pirated (read: stolen), and you can only get a fast download by making a “donation” to the site, which basically means they are charging people to get hold of the content, which they don’t own.

MORE AI: You may remember the controversy about this year’s Commonwealth Writers Prize, with more than one of the finalists accused of using AI to write their entries. Well, there’s been a sad update: the prestigious literary journal, Granta, which used to publish the winning entries, has now cut ties with the prize. In a statement ot the Guardian, they said: “The 2026 selection of the regional winners of the Commonwealth prize caused a great deal of controversy, based on the speculation that one or more of the stories may have been at least partially AI-generated.” Nobody can say for certain whether this happened, and the writers all deny it.

READING: There’s nothing more important than reading to your kids, and if you can help them appreciate Australian wildlife along the way, why wouldn’t you? The shortlist for The Wilderness Society’s Karajia and Environment Awards for Children's Literature has just been released, and it's a great starting point for anyone who wants to spark a love of nature in their young reader. You can read more about the shortlist here and see some of the beautiful shortlisted titles below.

TRADWIFE: It’s one of the hottest books of the year, so if you haven’t yet heard of Yesteryear, hop on it! It’s about a “tradwife” who lives on a remote farm with a growing number of children, and everyone is talking about whether it’s based on the real-life influencer Hannah Neeleman from Ballerina Farm (below left). Hannah has around 15 million followers across various platforms, and she’s now addressed the controversy, telling Vulture magazine that she won’t participate in “negative dynamics” about women online, saying: “I honestly stay away from it as much as I can.” The author, Caro Claire Burke, says she studied a range of influencers and the tradwife movement more broadly to write her book. We are hosting a book club to talk about this book, too.

SENSATION: The world’s No.1 YouTuber, Mr Beast (below right), has teamed up with one of the world’s most popular novelists, James Patterson, to write a new thriller, The Most Dangerous Games. Announced in a trailer video posted on YouTube, the unprecedented blockbuster collaboration will be out on 1 September. In a statement, Mr Beast said:

“Growing up, I thought books were boring. As I got into my 20s I realised I was just reading the wrong books and they can be exciting if it’s the right match. Writing this book with James – who’s literally one of the greatest storytellers on the planet – was an opportunity to create a story that I would've been obsessed with as a kid.”

The plot centres on a competition in which 100 people vie for a $1 billion prize. Things go crazily out of control, as you probably already guessed.

SPECIAL EVENT: Frances Whiting has been writing a column in Brisbane’s Sunday Mail for more than 20 years. She is also an award-winning journalist and a writer for Q Magazine at The Courier-Mail. She’s interviewed absolutely everyone in Queensland, including, just this week, the young Robert Irwin, whom she’s known since he was just three years old. She’s also a novelist, and she’s coming to NSW to talk about her latest book, The Nocturnals, and you are invited to join us for a lovely, intimate evening with her, where she promises to tell all about the wonderful people she’s met over the course of her career. It’s at the bookshop, so numbers are capped.

BOOWROWA: We’ve said it before, but let’s say it again: the small, regional writers' festivals are just so good. This week, I was lucky enough to be invited to Boorowa, which is about four hours out of Sydney. Jeremy Clarke, who owns the local wine bar and bookshop, started the local literary festival just four years ago. It’s getting bigger and more delicious all the time. The village is gorgeous. We were hosted by long-time Boorowa farmers, Chris and Ingrid, in the rather lush “shearing shed” on their property, waking to the rooster’s crow, admiring the cattle and the guinea fowl, keeping a close eye on the wallabies and the parrots (besides the quality of its merino wool, Boorowa is famous for parrot watching). The coffee in town is superb, there’s a tasty bakery, a first-class op-shop, and great pubs for old-fashioned pub meals. We heard from a mighty list of authors: @kimberleyallsopp, @sularigentill, @sam_guthrie_author, @alliparkerwriter, and @thehammernow, and one of the really neat touches is that they have community readers ask the questions. There was so much joy and laughter. They’re getting bigger all the time, now with support from @boorowa_communitybank (which puts profits back into the village), and if you have a chance to get along next year, don’t hesitate. Oh yes, they hold the talks in the old courthouse, so of course I set myself up in the box for reporters.

I Can’t Tell You But I Will by Magda Szubanski: A memoir about life, grief and activism as Szubanski navigates her mother’s final years.

Teeth Kicker by Glenn Orgias: A debut about a debt collector torn between violence and redemption in 1990s Newcastle.

The Wreck by Riley James: A tense survival mystery set on a Bass Strait island where a research team uncovers secrets of a vanished pilot.

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves : A novel narrated by Death, exploring love, loss, and human connection.

The Brain Cliff: How to Stay Away from the Edge by Dr Norman Swan: A science‑based guide to maintaining cognitive health and resilience through lifestyle and mindset.

The Second Child by Malcolm Knox. A comic novel about family secrets and moral compromise in post‑war Moscow.

Outlawed: Responding to the Global Rise of Sovereign Citizens and Legal Conspiracies by Harry Hobbs  &  Stephen Young : An urgent investigation into the spread of the conspiracy‑driven “sovereign citizen” movements worldwide.

The Burn by  Jessica Mansour‑Nahra: A psychological thriller set amid bushfires, where old friends confront buried secrets as flames close in.

Baby, it’s cold outside, so do join us for a cosy evening talking about your favourite books:

John of John Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Thursday 2nd of July: John of John by Douglas Stuart, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

The Things We Never Say Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Tuesday 7th of July: The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Hannah Richell, An Evening with the Author, Tuesday 21st of July: Hannah Richell will be in conversation with Vashti Whitfield as they discuss her book ‘An Ocean and a Day’ at Gertrude & Alice. Click here for tickets.

On The Calculation of Volume Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Wednesday 22nd of July: On the Calculation of Volume (1) by Solvej Balle, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Lost Lambs, Bondi Literary Salon, Wednesday 29th of July: Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Whistler Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Tuesday 4th of August: Whistler by Ann Patchett, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Yesteryear Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Thursday 6th of August: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, hosted by Aneta Purewal and Sam Dumas Hayward at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Shannon Kelly-White, An Evening with the Author, Thursday 23rd of July: Join author Shannon Kelly-White for an author event at Gertrude & Alice. We'll be celebrating the launch day of her debut novel, 'Billie King'. Click here for tickets.

And that’s all for today, folks! Thank you for reading, and please do forward our newsletter to your friends so that we can build our community here. We have over 2,000 subscribers, and we would love to welcome more!

Have something you’d like to include? Our newsletter is compiled by a Bondi local, Caroline Overington. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook, or get in touch here if you’ve got news to share.