Copyright Agency’s Author Fellowship doubles value to $80,000
July 21, 2016
Author Mark Henshaw, Photo: Bryan Sun
The Copyright Agency’s annual Author Fellowship for mid-to-late career authors has doubled its award from $40,000 to $80,000 this year, making it one of Australia’s richest fellowships for writers.
Copyright Agency CEO, Adam Suckling, says, “This is now the flagship fellowship for mid-to-late career authors, providing valuable financing so they can develop their next work.
“As we know, Australian readers love Australian stories, but many would be surprised to learn the average income of an author in Australia is $13,000 – an almost 50 per cent decline since 2001.
“We have doubled the Fellowship’s value in recognition of the time and effort that is required by authors to produce high-quality Australian stories that touch us deeply.”
Last year’s inaugural fellowship winner was author Mark Henshaw to write his new book, The Missing. Mr Henshaw said the money was critical to allow him to keep writing and pay the bills, as his son still had two years of school to complete.
Mr Suckling says, “Authors are the engine room of this nation’s cultural and creative industries and copyright is fundamental to encouraging and rewarding Australian creativity. In 2014, core copyright industries represented 4.7% of Australia’s gross domestic product.
“Recent draft recommendations by the Productivity Commission to overhaul Australia’s world-leading copyright framework by importing a US-style Fair Use exception represent a dagger to the heart of creativity and, if implemented, will undermine authors’ rights and the ability of companies to invest.
“Copyright Agency does not oppose sensible changes to copyright but its core purpose is to provide clarity and certainty around the use of creative content for Australia’s innovative creative community.”
The Author Fellowships are open for entry until 24 August 2016. To apply, authors must have at least five substantial published works (two can be self-published) and a publishing contract in place.
Four Publisher Fellowships worth $10,000 each are also available for research in the digital publishing landscape.
Mr Suckling says, “This is the only funding of its kind specifically aimed at supporting Australian publishers to build deep knowledge in the digital space so they can develop innovative business models.”
The Copyright Agency pays more than $100 million in copyright licence fees to publishers, writers, visual artists and surveyors every year.
ENQUIRIES
Please ask for Cultural Fund Manager, Zoe Rodriguez 02 9394 7600 or email zrodriguez@copyright.com.au