Centre of excellence for digital literature announced
Article by Madeline Healy in the Courier Mail

A NATIONAL centre of excellence for digital literature will be established in Brisbane next year, the first of its kind in Australia.
Set up by the Queensland Writers Centre, the Institute of the Future of the Book – or if:book Australia – will be the third centre of its kind in the world, after those in New York and London.
It will examine new forms of digital printing and explore ways to boost connections between writers and their audiences.
QWC chief executive officer Kate Eltham said the growing digital market did not mean hardcopy books would disappear.

We get different things from print books than we get from digital media," Ms Eltham said.
"Hardcopy books give us a pleasurable physical experience. But digital media means convenience, easy connection to other readers and writers and portability."
Announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival, the idea for if:book Australia was conceived after the QWC identified a need for more support and research for Australian writers and publishers.
Ms Eltham said one of the benefits of digital media was that authors in rural areas could pursue many of the same digital strategies as authors based in bigger centres.