Investigating the Publication of OwnVoices Australian Picture Books in 2018

This paper discusses findings from the first OwnVoices count of Australian picture books, as part of a grant-funded partnership with advocacy group Voices from the Intersection (VFTI). The research involved the compilation of a detailed annotated list of all Australian picture books published in 2018; the identities of the characters; and demographic information of authors and illustrators, sourced from publicly available resources where creators freely self-identified as belonging to structurally marginalised communities. A book’s OwnVoices status was determined from this information. Findings indicate OwnVoices picture books are significantly under-published in Australia, and contribute a greater understanding of the level of equity and access in the contemporary Australian publishing industry.