NielsenIQ BookData recorded more than 9,400 Australian print books scheduled for publication in 2024. This figure represents a 7% decrease from the average over the past 10 years, according to Nielsen.

The NielsenIQ BookData figure for 2024 includes various formats such as spiral-bound books, self-published books, textbooks, and foreign imports reissued with an Australian ISBN. However, the data does not account for self-published e-books.

Catriona Menzies-Pike, a critic and editor, stated, "The industry is being asked to do more with less, and to do it more quickly." Alice Grundy, managing editor of the Australia Institute Press and a scholar of Australian publishing, said that aligning book publishing with the timelines of other media does not make sense. "Arguably the point of a book is that it takes time to make and to read," Grundy added.

Researchers Julienne van Loon, Bronwyn Coate, and Millicent Weber have traced the publishing life cycle of Australian books. "New titles usually get three months on bookshop shelves," van Loon said. She noted that if a title does not shift within that window, it disappears – usually returned or remaindered – in some cases never to be seen again.

Printing costs have continued to increase, while book prices have largely remained the same. Independent bookshops face challenges competing with the pricing offered by large online retailers and discount stores. Author Richard Flanagan has called for government intervention in the form of price-fixing measures, similar to those used in Europe. Writing Australia was established to offer support to the industry.

No independent assessment was available for this report.