In 1982 Virago merged with the CBC Group of Companies – Jonathan Cape. The Bodley Head, Chatto & Windus, and The Hogarth press – and Carmen became managing director of Chatto & Windus which had been playing poor cousin to the high profile Jonathan Cape and Bodley Head. In the new group, Chatto & Windus became the experimental publishers, breaking new ground and finding new authors. It is principally a literary house. As its new head, Carmen was receptive to new writers, new movements. Inevitably, some of those writers were Australian. ‘I didn’t go out to get them; I am approached by agents and Australian writers because I am Australian. I suppose they think I am more likely to publish Australian writers.’ she said. ‘I have always felt that Australia is real and part of my universe. I feel strongly Australian and not at all English. To be frank, most other English publishers aren’t at all interested in Australian writers, but because they are writing about a place that I feel is my home they speak to me with an authentic voice.’ Australian literary houses, such as UQP, are understandably nervous about the prospect of writers they have published departing to greener pastures, overseas once they achieve a certain level of recognition and popularity.

Carmen is adamant that she has not solicited any of her Australian writers. She inherited David Malouf, who has been publishing with Chatto before she arrived; Christopher Koch’s Doubleman had been sent to her by his agent. It is no easier publishing Australian writers in the United Kingdom than it is publishing English writers. The market for serious writing in the UK is very small – 1500-3000 copies of a hardback novel.

Carmen is becoming annoyed at the criticism from Australian based publishers about her role. ‘It is interesting that no one has objected to Virago reprinting Christina Stead or writers like that; those editions of works by forgotten Australian writers have played their part in re-establishing them in particular, and Australian writing in general. I publish Australian writers because I like their style, but it is hard work and I could easily devote those energies to other areas,’ she said.

She maintains that the final decision of whom to publish with must lie with the authors. ‘I have enormous sympathy for small publishers and their terrible problems – I was one once. But I have lost sympathy with Australian publishers whinging and moaning about their authors leaving them – no publisher owns an author.’ If authors leave their publishers, she maintains, then it is perhaps because of the way they conduct their business.

Ultimately, it is authors and their works that matter and she suggests that it is astonishingly patronising for some Australian publishers to suggest that writers should make financial, editorial, and artistic sacrifices for the sake of Australian publishers and editors. ‘It is up to Australian publishers to be more aggressive and innovative on behalf of their authors both in Australia and overseas.’

Certainly, Australian writing cannot grow and mature without a strong and diverse local publishing industry. One couldn’t expect overseas publishers to show much interest initially in writers such as A.B. Facey, Paddy Roe, or Frank Hardy. But it is hard to see what Mr Muller expects writers such as David Malouf and Christopher Koch to do in the face of apparently more lucrative offers from offshore publishers. Any writer and any publisher will acknowledge than that writing in Australia pays very little. Equally it would be untenable to deny such writers access to grants and local awards. It may not be unreasonable to expect that offshore publishers shouldn’t receive subsidies to publish books by Australian writers.

What the issues does point to is the problems Australian publishers face operating in such small markets. The Literature Board, with its declining share of the arts budget, has chosen to direct most of its limited resources to assisting writers. The Australian Book Publishers Association is wary about taking too aggressive an Australian stance for fear of alienating its members who do little or no Australian publishing.

In the meantime, enterprising and sympathetic offshore publishers like Carmen Callil are going to be attracted to our writers. Ironically, a new work by the Director of the Literature Board of the Australia Council, Tom Shapcott, will be published later this year by Chatto & Windus.

Australian television has never paid much attention to books and writers, but on May 5 a weekly half hour program devoted solely to books and related issues will begin on ABC television. Called The Book Program it will be screened nationally and it comes from an idea of its executive producer, Noel Price. The program will be directed out of the Melbourne studios by Bill Garner. It is not intended that the program be essentially, or solely, a literary one. It will also look at books and writers which do not fall strictly into the ‘literary’ area. So gardening and cookbooks could well be reviewed.

The program has a relatively low budget and will be principally studio based, although there is a chance of some outside work. The interviewing will be done by freelance people and the idea is to use writers to interview writers where possible. In one of the early programs, Melbourne writer Helen Garner will interview Perth writer Tim Winton.

Because of its limited resources, the program will very much reflect the flow of current publishing in Australia. But as a consequence it should be very topical. The program aims to look at issues that affect writing and writers as well as just reviewing books. The program will be divided into three or four segments, says Bill Garner and will therefore be able to look at items in some depth.

Although the orientation will be mainly towards Australian books and writers, overseas writers and books that are available on the shooting days will be used. The program grabbed Josef Skvorecky and Graham Swift on their way through Melbourne from Writers Week in Adelaide.

The interest and enthusiasm of the people involved in the program suggest that it will be very good indeed. I hope that it succeeds and that the response is such that it or a similar program become a permanent feature on Australian television.

DROP CAP

The National Times is metamorphosing into a lavish Sunday newspaper under the general editorship of Robert Haupt. One of the principal obstacles to the success of Sunday newspapers is the problem of home delivery – for the new National Times, this problem has been apparently overcome. The current arts section in the National Times is to be expanded into a self-contained magazine section. The space and attention to books and writing should be greater and livelier.