This year our Health of Business report comes off the back of repeat surveys in 2021/2022. It is always good practice to compare periods and back-to-back reports given with this opportunity. With all the pressures booksellers face it is helpful to step back and consider those things we can control. The Health of Business Report provides information on various income and cost aspects of respondent’s businesses, their inventory mix, staffing, and the factors that contribute to profitability.
Members can log in below to access a copy of the report.
Members read more ...Members can log in for some useful bookseller resources including the 2024 BookPeople Wall Calendar, featuring in-store distributor dates, literary awards, and key book industry dates such as Book Week and Love Your Bookshop Day. Plus an updated list of key literary awards in Australia and overseas.
Members read more ...The importance of imagination: Understanding the state of Australia’s imagination and the role reading plays in fostering creativity.
This paper aims to better understand the state of the nation’s imagination and the role reading plays in fostering creativity. It has been commissioned by us at BookPeople and was conducted in partnership with research agency, YouGov. Analysis of the research has highlighted that there is a growing concern about the level in which we use our imagination in our day-to-day lives, with many Australians expressing their desire to use it more. This paper explores the nation’s use of imagination and the ways in which we can foster our creativity further. Books and reading give us access to infinite worlds, past and future histories, and are the best medium for exploring narratives and ideas. Whether we read for entertainment or information, reading generates a net benefit for our mental health and our understanding of the world.
Robbie Egan Chief Executive Officer BookPeople
Download the full report - Imagination Paper
Towards a Sustainable Bookselling Future Paper
What does sustainability look like in the book industry, and what can we do for the future?
The BookPeople Sustainability Paper discusses the issue of environmental sustainability and bookselling, placing it within the context of the broader book industry. It’s a snapshot of where we are currently, and provides practical and peer advice on what can be worked on immediately to improve the environmental footprint of bookselling. It is intended to contribute to a conversation about larger and more radical changes within the book industry.
The audience for this paper is, foremost, Australian booksellers, but it is also intended for publishers, industry bodies, policymakers, and anyone interested in the impact of books on the environment and possible solutions.
Summary
BookPeople and Angela Meyer (author, editor and academic).
Download the full report - Towards a Sustainable Bookselling Future Paper
BookPeople bookshop members can enjoy the benefits of an NRA Essential Membership with access to a suite of membership benefits, including:
Unlimited telephone advice for non-complex queries from the experienced workplace relations advisors and advocates of NRA Legal in relation to a diverse range of employment and workplace relations issues including, but not limited to:
Access to the extensive online member resource base of fact sheets and templates, forms and checklists, wage rates, webinars and helpful links. Log in below to access the portal.
Discounted rates for complex workplace relations matters. Access to NRA's specialist advisors and lawyers is available to members at competitive rates, often 50% lower than the top law firms.
Specialist telephone advice on all tenancy and related issues including matters relating to tenant’s rights under a shop lease or as prescribed by relevant retail shop lease legislation. The NRA can also assist in the drafting, renewal, and negotiation of leases and liaising with landlords at discounted member rates.
Log in below to access the portal and additional information about benefits.
Members read more ...Australia Council Literature Board
Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers
Australian Children's Laureate
Australian Publishers Association
Children's Book Council of Australia
Christian Bookselling Association Australia
Have you visited the new Fair Work Ombudsman small business resource website?
fairwork.gov.au/small-business-showcase
This is a great resource and reference point for all aspects of workplace rights and obligations including:
Other useful links:
The two independent regulating bodies of Australia's workplaces are the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission (previously called Fair Work Australia)
Both have different roles as outlined below.
The Fair Work Ombudsman enforces compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009, related legislation, awards and registered agreements. They also help employers and employees by providing advice and education on pay rates and workplace conditions.
Key functions
The Fair Work Commission is the independent national workplace relations tribunal. It is responsible for maintaining a safety net of minimum wages and employment conditions, as well as a range of other workplace functions and regulation.
Key functions:
The Fair Work Ombudsman is responsible for the National Employment Standards (NES)
The National Employment Standards are 10 minimum conditions for ALL Australian employees. Together with the national minimum wage, they are a minimum safety net for employees.
They include minimum entitlements for leave, public holidays, notice of termination and redundancy pay. The NES does not deal with basic rates of pay and casual loadings, these are instead contained in modern awards.
The NES deals with 10 minimum conditions including;
Generally, the NES apply to all employees covered by the national system, including those to whom a workplace agreement made under the former legislation or enterprise agreement made under the Fair Work act applies.
Modern awards are able to supplement the NES in a limited number of circumstances specified in the NES, for example, to allow averaging of hours of work over a specified period. Otherwise, all of the provisions in the NES must be complied with.
Members log in for more information on the 10 minimum conditions.
Members read more ...Along with the NES enterprise agreements, modern awards contain minimum entitlements for wages and conditions of employment.
Most enterprise agreements include:
Enterprise agreements cannot include unlawful content (such as discriminatory or objectionable terms).
If you are not covered by an agreement, your minimum wages and conditions are likely to be set by a modern award.
The modern award will deal with:
For more information visit: fairwork.gov.au/awards-and-agreements
Employment can end for a variety of reasons. An employee may resign or can be dismissed. It is very important to know and apply the rules about dismissal, notice and final pay.
In Australia, dismissal is covered but the Fair Work Act and the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code.
The Small Business Fair Dismissal Code applies to small business employers in the national workplace relations system. A small business is defined as any business with fewer than 15 employees. This is calculated on a headcount of all employees who are employed on a regular and systematic basis. For details including the code and checklist visit: fwc.gov.au/about-us/legislation-regulations/small-business-fair-dismissal-code
The Fair Work Act covers workplaces with over 15 employees. fairwork.gov.au/about-us/legislation
Ending employment information for employers and employees can be found on the Fair Work Ombudsman website at: fairwork.gov.au/ending-employment
e-Bility™ is a sophisticated and powerful business management system designed specifically for retail and distribution bookselling, music and stationery.
UniLink Data Systems is an Australian company that has been delivering quality software solutions for over 25 years.
Circle provides booksellers with a cloud-based book management system.
Computerlink develops comprehensive and innovative software for the retail environment.
BookMine is the complete, retail, supply chain and customer relationship management software solution for single and multi-store booksellers.
Nielsen Book provides a range of services to the book industry, aiding the discovery, purchase and sales measurement of books. They offer the largest and most comprehensive bibliographic database, BookData Online, with more than 35 million title records as well as a record supply service to populate bookseller, library and publisher websites.
PacStream enables booksellers and publishers to achieve efficiencies in the supply chain. PacStream allows retailers to send orders electronically to their suppliers and receive back acknowledgements and invoices.
TitlePage is the Australian book industry's online price and availability service. It allows publishers and distributors to offer current price, availability and stock information to booksellers and suppliers.
