Inspiring Women: Alison Green || Pantera Press
Ok – full transparency, Pantera Press just acquired The Author People, and so own the rights to Dogs of India. Which is of course how fate intervened and threw me into the path of Alison Green, enabling me to 100% know that she is one inspiring woman. Ali is a natural good hustler, you know, one of those people that the light just shines from, and its mesmerising. Luckily, you don’t have to take my word for it. She was voted as one of the 100 Women of Influence in the Westpac/AFR awards for 2016, and that nod to her influence speaks to the breadth and depth of the vision she bring to Pantera.
Publishing is a hard gig. Books aint going nowhere, but the market certainly threw lots of shade on the future of books for over a decade as the Internet threatened to dissolve all tangible text into e-books and the sky was falling on the world of publishers, especially those in a more boutique environment. Like so many of the ‘death of the insert here’ that was mooted through the beginning of the new millennium, it turns out we like books, and magazines, and reading, and being intellectually challenged by more than 180 characters (that’s text characters, not actual characters!).
When Ali dived into Pantera at 22, she had the resolve and the resilience to back her belief in the power of storytelling. She also understood the link between reading and literacy, and didn’t need any good hustle book to tell her that all business can embed the principles of compassion and philanthropy in their business model.
‘The literacy piece had always come into it because as the core part of the business I thought it was really important to be investing in that next generation of Australians, writers and readers,’ said Green. ‘So the business was about finding new authors, but then at the time we had started our Good Books Doing Good Things program, investing a percentage of the revenue into fixing the literacy gap.’
Showcasing new writers while closing the gap – c’mon, that is one helluva lady. Pantera is going from strength to strength, continuing to push the envelope in giving emerging and young writers a platform to enter the literary ring, and acknowledging the changing tastes of readers with their Lost the Plot imprint that specifically targets millenials and those who choose to push boundaries with words, format and ideas.
Ali’s love for the business of books is palpable, as is her enthusiasm for the industry and the evolution of the author and reader dance. In a world where books are often commodity, like so many things, the bespoke and niche continues to buck the trend, and touch the hearts and minds of readers. I love that Ali is out there leading this charge in Australia with grace, resilience and a sparkle that would give most French Champagne a run for its money.
