The Book Adviser covers all aspects of how to successfully write, self publish and market business books including how to build a book community, platform and demand for your book. The company provides one-to-one mentoring throughout the process via an 8-step 8 to12-month program and three book marketing packages: Expert, Market Expert and Global Expert, where they build your online presence through your professional website, platform, content, eBook, social media, branding, visibility and exposure. The Book Adviser helps maximise visibility, credibility and ROI on books. The Book Adviser sponsors a NSW public school onto the Books in Homes primary program. The Book Adviser CEO and Role Model Jaqui Lane chats with Books in Homes Communications Coordinator Julie Ditrich about her career journey and her Sponsor story in this new interview series.

Let’s start off by you introducing yourself, talking about your journey, and how you started the Book Adviser.

I’m Jaqui Lane. I’m the founder of two companies and the Book Adviser, which is a one-to-one business book coaching program that takes somebody from the idea of their book right through the whole writing, self-publishing, and marketing process. I’ve been running the Book Adviser now for 10 years, and I’ve worked with over 150 business owners, consultants, company directors, and the like so that’s a lot of fun.

I am also a professional corporate historian. Listed and private companies contract me to research and write and sometimes publish their company histories. I’ve been doing that now for about 15 years. I’m up to book number 42 as of today.

That’s excellent.

Prior to that, I had a business called Focus Publishing for 24 years, which was a business book publishing company. So, that’s my book publishing journey.

How did you get into publishing?

Great question… it’s a bit of a laugh. I’ve always been very interested in politics. I was thinking about going into the diplomatic corps or politics when I was at school and university. I have a first-class Honours Degree in Russian politics. I got my master’s degree and part of that involved going to Moscow for six weeks to do some research. That was in 1983.

That’s prior to Perestroika… is that correct?

Very much prior. I had a guide assigned to me, as it was an official study research trip. I got to see a lot of places and do things that perhaps a general tourist wouldn’t see.

Did you learn Russian?

I did at the time, yes – basic Russian – because I wanted to be able to converse with people, as most people spoke no English. The research people I was dealing with who were all academics spoke perfectly good English.

So, between then and now you would have been observing the world through interested eyes.

If you go onto my LinkedIn profile or my Substack I actually write commentary about what’s been going on in Russia. I’m still very interested in politics and history and Russia in particular. Also, over the past 20 years, I became very interested in the Middle East, both from ancient times to the present day and I’ve done quite a bit of business around the Middle East.

Any particular part of the Middle East?

Well, I’ve been to a lot of places–the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and I’ve visited Qatar and Oman, and been to Iran twice, as well as Syria before the war there. And Jordan. So, yes, I’ve covered quite a bit of territory.

That suggests it’s not only a passion of yours, but you like to travel.

I love to travel. I’m also a keen hiker and a scuba diver.

If I’m not traveling for history or politics, I’m usually blowing bubbles underwater or hiking somewhere.

After your Russian studies, where was the leap to Global Stories?

I ended up working in politics in New Zealand for the equivalent of what the Liberal Party in Australia, the National Party. I worked there for three or four years immediately out of university.

In what capacity, Jaqui?

I was the youth director of the National Party. My job was to engage young people in politics. I basically used to run around New Zealand, presenting at schools about the political system, about how politics works and about why it’s important to be engaged in politics. I did that for two or three years. Then, Australia’s bicentenary was coming up in 1988. The Australian Stock Exchange at the time had commissioned a think tank called the Centre for Independent Studies to help research and write a book about the history of business and entrepreneurs in Australia.

Through various connections somebody suggested I might like to be the research associate on that project, so I was offered that position, and I thought, oh, that sounds good for the next couple of years. I had never been to Australia so in 1987 I came over to do a two-year research project and never went back.

How long were you there for?

I stayed at the Centre for Independent Studies for three years. As a result of that research project, I interviewed many of Australia’s leading businesspeople and entrepreneurs for this book.

Was there a particular angle that you were looking at?

It was about the importance of entrepreneurship and business for Australian society.

Was it also looking at the mindset of the entrepreneurs?

It was not so much a how to be a successful business or an insider’s guide to how to become an entrepreneur, but many shared some insights about their journey and business approach.

Do you think that subject matter permeated your consciousness, so that when it came to you starting your own business you already had strong foundation for it? Or was that skillset more innate?

No, it’s more prosaic than that. One of the people I interviewed was a very successful entrepreneur and he asked me what I was thinking of doing next, and I told him I was meaning to go back to New Zealand. I was unsure about what I really want to do, and I said I was thinking about starting up a publishing company because a number of people I’d interviewed asked me to help them write and publish their book.

And I told him that in my view there was either no one out there doing it, or if they were doing it, they were not doing it very well. So, I thought, I might start a publishing company to do that. Then he said, well, do you know anything about publishing? I said, absolutely nothing. He said, well, I’m interested. He also mentioned he knew the Head of Bay Books in Australia, George Barber. He recommended I ring George and then if I was still interested to come back to him with a business plan so he and I could start a publishing company. And that’s exactly what we did.

Wow! All the pieces lined up for you.

Yes. I’d never thought about being a business owner, never thought about publishing in my life.

And now you’re onto book 42…

Yes, now I’m on book 42, and I’ve published over 700 books, and I’ve interviewed over 2,000 people.

That’s excellent. That’s fantastic, Jaqui.

A bit of fun.

Congratulations.

And, you know, I love what I do. I’m as passionate about it now as I was when I started, and I love meeting people, interviewing people, learning about their business. They trust me… there’s a great deal of trust involved. I still think I’ve got a fantastic job.

That’s a good place to be, Jaqui.

It’s great.

And I’m a book tragic, so I’m in Jaqui heaven. Just look at my bookshelves.

That’s excellent. So, all of your businesses came together. And throughout that journey you seemed to be paying it forward to the charities or not-for-profits you’ve aligned yourself with. It seems like a natural transition for you.

I had been a long-term member of a businesswomen’s group called Women Chiefs of Enterprises International. I was their New South Wales president for a number of years and then sat on their National Council to mentor and guide young businesswomen way before that became trendy.

It is for businesswomen owners, not for corporates. And I’m still involved with that. In fact, on Thursday, I’m doing a presentation about AI and copyright to that group.

Prior to being involved in Books and Homes, I was the founding chairman of a charity called The Footpath Library. That was started by Sarah Garnett. We started out by literally putting books on a footpath outside the food van in Woolloomooloo for the homeless who came to the area to get fed. Sarah started putting books out that people had donated to her. When the homeless people would pick up books, we could talk to them while they had a bite to eat.

When Sarah wanted to formalise it into a charity I was introduced to her, and I became their founding chairman. I held that role for seven years.

Wow.

So, people donate their books, and we put books literally on the footpath in various places, sometimes in Martin Place. We also installed libraries in refuges, and within the women’s refuges.

Where do your books come from?

The general public. Mostly second-hand. Some publishers give us new books, but basically, it’s a grassroots exercise.

As mentioned previously, I’m a book tragic, and through The Footpath Library I learned a lot about what it means to be homeless. Homeless people, are anyone and everyone, professors and accountants and lawyers, kids running away from abusive homes, so that was a real education.

Do you think the act of picking up a book changed the homeless people in some way or facilitated change?

I’m not sure it changed anything. I think it’s more that, because they’re homeless, they don’t have anywhere to keep books and also typically, because they’re homeless, they can’t get a library card. So, even if they wanted to read and get books out, they couldn’t because you’d need to have a fixed address to get a library card.

It’s a Catch-22.

Very much so. I think a lot of them just missed books. One of them was an art teacher, and I remember him really clearly. He’d come up from Melbourne because his son had been in hospital long-term. They [he and his wife] used all their money to fund his medical care, and they sold their house. He had parted company with his wife, but his son was still sick. So, he had no money and was homeless, but he was a qualified art teacher, and he loved the art books that we used to bring along. We asked him what books do you want? And he said, well, I’d really like some art books, so we put a call out, and we got all these art books. So, it was a really lovely way for him to stay connected to his passion through a really tough time.

We got to know some of the people. I’d never interacted with homeless people before. I’d seen them, but I’d never really talked to them, so I learned a lot, and I remember this smelly guy picked up a book by Hermann Hesse and I thought, oh, that’s interesting.

That’s an interesting choice.

Yes, but talk about judgment… why wouldn’t somebody pick up a book from Hermann Hesse? He’s one of my favourite authors, which is why I remember it.

And I said, “Oh, you’ve picked up… [whatever the title was].”

And he goes, “Yeah, I love Hermann Hesse.”

And I said, “So do I.”

So, we had this long conversation and never in a million years would I ever have thought that that would kind of ever happen, then again why wouldn’t it?

I remember saying to him, because he used to come every week, and then drop the book back, and then pick up another one.

I said, “Oh, you read a lot.”

And he said, “Well, I’ve got a lot of time to read.”

I then asked him, “When do you read?” I’m thinking he’d be sitting around the park during the day, but he says, “Well, I read at night.”

And I said, “But isn’t that hard?”

He said, “I sit under a streetlight. I read at night because it’s too dangerous to go to sleep at night.”

Wow.

I thought, yeah, that makes sense.

That makes perfect sense.

And then ever since I’ve looked at homeless people, sleeping on park benches during the day, or the grass, with a new perspective. As soon as he said that to me, I thought you’ve got a lot to learn, Jaqui.

It’s a moment where you feel humbled and grateful.

That’s a good lesson, you know… You do not know what somebody’s life is like. And it’s another reminder not to judge anybody.

What happened in the next phase of your career?

I retired as Chairman after seven years but knew I wantedto stay connected with a charity and then Books in Homes came across my radar David Streichler [the Books in Homes Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager] reached out to me, and said, “I’m going to organise a Larapinta Trek as a fundraiser for Books in Homes.”

Now, I always hike with a friend of mine, so I said, “Oh, I’ll be in that.”

So, I dragged a couple of my friends along, and we did about four or five days of the trek. [Collectively] we raised $35,000 for Ntaria School, which fully funded it from 2016 to 2018. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Ntaria is a remote Indigenous community, also known as Hermannsburg, in the Ljirapinta region of the Northern Territory, 130km west of Alice Springs.] So, that was a pretty special experience.

Larapinta Trail in 2015 (Jaqui Lane in green – middle)

I spent the day at the school and sat in on some classes. I stood up and did a couple of Q&As. That was another really interesting learning experience. We all have views about remote Aboriginal communities, and the kids, and learning. The school, and the teachers and students were amazing. I just learned so much. My assumptions were blown out the window. It was an amazing experience to be involved with, and to know that the funds were going to support the school. One of my friends organised for 10 computers to be donated to the school. We were able to present them to the school as well. I also did a couple of interviews on the school grounds with the local radio station.

Jaqui Lane on air at Ntaria School, NT.

Ntaria School

I had a very privileged upbringing, and I wasn’t really exposed to homeless or disadvantaged people, so I guess that was kind of why I got connected with Footpath Library and with Books and Homes and remain committed to Books in Homes to this day.

I am seriously a book tragic… bookshops and Bunnings are just disaster zones for me!

I’ve only discovered Bunnings in the last couple of years, and my local one is just extraordinary.

Yes. I was always a voracious reader, so books have been an integral part of every part of my life for as long as I can remember. For me, books are just like breathing. Reading is like breathing in, and writing is like breathing out. I feel that in a very physical way.I read a lot–two to three books a week.

And I write. I write a lot. I write all the time, so unless I’m hiking or blowing bubbles underwater, I’m reading or writing, literally. All the time. Seven days a week. I’ve still got my original Winnie the Pooh books from 55 years ago.

When I hear you talk about your love of books, I know exactly what you mean. So, let’s go back to after you completed the Larapinta Trail… the fundraising, was an extraordinary effort. Did you transition to be a Role Model at that time? Is that what happened?

I came in as a Role Model. I’ve now been a Role Model for 10 years.

Over the years, you’ve obviously gone out to several schools, and participated in a lot of virtual Book Giving Assemblies via Zoom and then you put your hand up to be a Sponsor

I’ve got another story for you…

Throw me some stories!

One of the schools I went to was Auburn North Public School and I really connected with a group of Year 6 kids there and I helped them self-publish their book—Cleo the Clownfish. After having attended a Book Giving Assembly along with the school librarian I ran a program with her over the next six to eight months. We took a group of the Year 6 kids through the whole process of creating their own story, then some of them illustrated it, and then, one of my graphic designers undetook the page layout, and then we published and launched it.

That was a lovely experience. So, once a month I’d jumped on the train to Auburn and walked down to Auburn North School. It was an amazing experience. It’s one of the biggest primary schools in the area. I think 80% of the students are first-generation Australians… a lot of refugee families, so it’s a really diverse school cohort. I think I got more out of it than they did. They were talented young, bright people. I thoroughly enjoyed that whole process.

Cleo the Clownfish. Written and illustrated by Auburn North Public School students.

And from there, you decided one day that you wanted to sponsor a school.

I was still a Role Model, but I just added another layer. I thought it was about time to put some money in there, as well as my time.

As it turned out, a school was available that a very good friend of mine has a long-standing connection with.

Baryulgil Public School in regional NSW.

My intention was to take a long weekend at some point and drive up there and go and see them but through COVID we had to go virtual. My preference is always to go and travel and be there in person, if I could.

Baryulgil Public School students.

Baryulgil Public School students.

You’ve been so fantastic, and so committed, and the kids love it. Do you feel as though the love has come back to you? Do you feel it through your heart?

I reckon I get way more out of it than the kids do. It’s just such an uplifting and humbling experience to go to the schools and connect with young people.

And it’s kind of funny because I’m not like a lot of other Role Models who are writing fiction. I’m a business writer, so it’s quite removed for these kids. I always talk about, my favourite books growing up, and I ask the kids whether they know Winnie the Pooh.

And then I tell them I’m a real big Minions fan, so if I don’t get much feedback about Winnie the Pooh, I ask them who likes the Minions? Or who knows the Minions? And they all go nuts, right.

I’ve got Minions water bottles, figurines, a Minion USB and backpack. I’ve been to all the movies, and even though I’m old-fashioned, I just love them.

We talk about the Minions, and then I talk a bit about Snoopy. I’m also really keen on Snoopy.

Then the kids ask me “What do you do?”

I say, “Well, I don’t write stories. “I tell them that people talk to me about their stories, about their family history or their business.

The questions the kids ask are pretty intelligent. One of the kids asked at the last assembly, “Who was the most interesting person you’ve interviewed?”

And who was the most interesting person you’ve interviewed?

Paul Keating.

That was when I was writing the history of the Commonwealth Bank.

So, it was a good question, and then they often ask, “What’s your favourite book you’ve written? Well, you know, what I say? That’s a bit like asking a parent who their favourite child is.

I usually say, “My favourite book is the latest one I’m writing.”

So, the kids ask really good questions. I’ve was surprised by that they’re even remotely a bit interested in what I do.

I’m just happy to talk about the books I grew up with.

Then one young girl said to me once, “So you can make a living out of doing this?”

And I said, “Well, yeah, you can.”

So, then that was a whole kind of thing, like, , you can make a living being a writer. And I said, yeah.

That’s probably one of the critical lessons for those children.

It’s kind of interesting that whilst Books and Homes is about reading, the reading is completely connected to writing and about expressing yourself.

The last thing I do at night before I go to sleep is read a book.

Pretty much the first thing I do in the morning, after I’ve got up, is read the newspaper.

Reading us such an integral part of how I communicate, how I write and what I write.

And I earn my living from it as well, but I’d do it even if I wasn’t paid.

A key reason Books and Homes is important for me is that the kids take the books home, and sometimes they’re the only books that they’ve got at home. And they’re not just reading them themselves; they’re often reading them to their siblings or their parents. The books are not just for the child; they’re for the family.

I’ve also been to Auburn South, with large migrant community families. Many of the parents are learning to speak English as a second or third language. So, we’re having a family impact, not just the impact on kids’ reading at school. That’s a really compelling element to Books in Homes.

I do want to give you a little bit of context about the Role Models… about 50-60% of our Role Models are children’s book writers and illustrators but other Role Models are people from all walks of life. We’ve got firefighters, athletes, performers such as musicians, accountants, surf lifesavers, artists… a whole lot of different people.

The Role Models inspire the kids to read and are also aspirational figures.

A lot of these kids are not taught to dream; they’re not taught to dream about what they can do once they leave school. They’re often discouraged to think broadly and big picture like that.

And so, when you come along and a child asks you, “Hey, can you actually make a living from this?” and then you say yes., suddenly, a little light bulb can go off.

That reminds me that one of the kids asked me, what I wanted to be when I was a kid, and I said I wanted to be New Zealand’s first women Prime Minister.

And, if I’d followed my original plan and gone back to New Zealand after my two-year research project in Australia, I was going to go back into politics and run for a seat.

So, the decision to stay here wasn’t a flippant one. If I really had wanted to pursue that path, I would have needed to go back.

And then I decided to stay here and give this opportunity a go.

It was a fork in the road. You followed your intuition and the opportunity of self-truth.

I don’t know why I made the decision to stay here, because I’ve never been in business, and don’t come from a business family. I guess I had the confidence of this entrepreneur who helped me and backed me, so I guess the risk was fairly low financially… But it looked like a good idea, and I thought, well, why not? Let’s give it a go, and if it doesn’t work, well, you know, I’ll find something else.

As it turns out, it worked!

It worked.

But it’s not an “it”; you made it work.

As a young kid, even if you do have ideas about what you might want to do, you don’t know what future holds. I was dead set on going into politics or the diplomatic corps. I’d been told that I needed a First-Class Honours degree in politics or languages, so I chose politics. And from the age of 12, that’s what I was set on doing.

I was awarded a First-Class Honours degree in politics. And then I went and worked in politics and then an opportunity came up, and I arrived in Australia… it was a big call. But there was something in me that thought, well, just give it a go.

It is a big call, but at the same time you took a big risk.

The key thing for me around that decision was that while I’m outgoing, I’m actually a very private person, and I thought… if you go into politics then you have no private life, it’s a whole different life.

So, let’s just get back to Books in Homes. Over the years are there any particular case studies, like, kid case studies, that jumped out at you? Some stories that the teachers might have told you, or the kids might have told you, or a parent might have mentioned about their children, and how having books in the homes may have changed their life?

The Auburn North experience would have been the closest. There were two or three very talented young girls who led that year group and the book project. The kids were so on it and really did an amazing job. The school was really supportive. They sold the books and they put the money into the school kitty for the next year 6 grade group.

Everything was donated, and I covered the printing and design, but it just demonstrated creativity, and where you can go with it. Just seeing the kids grow. They split themselves up into the group who were going to write the story, and the group who were going to do all the illustrations.

The setting ended up being under the sea with Cleo the Clownfish. Just watching the kids go through that collaborative exercise. They were coming up with these kid characters, and some of them were mean and nasty They were all different types of fish. One of the kids that was getting teased, and one fish was a pufferfish. If it was teased it blew up. I mean, there were some really clever things [in the story], and it also had a school of tuna.

I remember the librarian and I, at one point, we were trying to help the kids name one of the tuna characters. And the librarian and I looked at each other and we say, “Well, it has to be Tina, Tina Tuna aka Tina Turner,” and we could not stop laughing, and the kids all just looked at us and went, what’s so funny? Which made us laugh even more. I mean, honestly, we laughed until we cried. And we just thought it was the funniest thing that they had to call this fish Tina Tuna.

It was a really special thing to do, and the kids had so much pride about it. All their names were listed at the back. They can say that by the age of 10 they were published authors or illustrators. That’s pretty cool.

Jaqui Lane with Auburn North Public School students.

And the other takeaway that they might not realise but you certainly do is that writing a book or publishing a book is a marathon. And these kids finished it.

I took them through that process. Here’s what you have to do, and this is the order you do it. Sowe developed the budget and at how much it was going to cost.And then talked through the decision about what we were going to sell it for.

Jaqui Lane (centre) at Auburn North Public School.

Sales and marketing decisions.

Were they going to give it away, or were they going to sell it? And if they sold it, what were they going do with the money? So, it wasn’t just this creative exercise there were some business lessons around that too.

Where are you now in your mindset about your relationship to Books in Homes.

You’ve got me for life.

Oh my! I’m so very happy to hear it. Peter’s [EDITOR’S NOTE: Peter Large, CEO] will be very happy to hear it too.

You got me. I just think what the organisation does is extraordinary. It’s vitally needed. I try and go out to the schools where possible.

You know, I’ve been to a special needs school, and spent two or three hours there meeting the teachers and improving my understanding about how they operate and meeting the kids. Most of us don’t know much about how other people live. In particular, the kids in remote and regional and disadvantaged areas. They experience a different life journey than an inner-city kid.

Absolutely.

So, my key takeaway… I guess that’s why I’m so passionate about Books in Homes ,is because [the programs] are going where the need is most and where they’re often forgotten.

And for me, that’s just a tragedy. Because books, as I said previously, have always been part of my life… I can’t remember not ever reading.

They’re a life source.

They totally are and they remain that for me. That hasn’t stopped at all. It’s a bit of a standing joke in my family whenever we’re having dinner and my son brings his mates around, and there’s maybe six or seven of them. They’re now between 25 and 30, but they’ve been coming around every fortnight for maybe eight to ten years. They’re from different nationalities, and we sit and we talk about anything—politics, history. I’m involved in the conversation, and at some point I’ll say I’ve just read a book about this, or I’ve got a book about that, and so now they all just start laughing.

It’s a running gag, Jaqui.

They’re all talking away, and then I’ll just get up, and they say, “We know what Jaqui’s doing; she’s got a book on that.” Then I come out and pull one from my bookshelf, whether it’s about Iran, or Russia in the Second World War or something else.

But they’re not mind-spirited.

Well, whatever the topic, I’ve got a book about it.

Oh, that’s actually really sweet.

I’ve got books on AI governance, and how to build large language models… I have got a wacky collection of books, um, so it’s a standing joke “Oh, Jaqui will have a book on that.”

That’s really funny.

I’ve just asked about your relationship with Books in Homes, but where do you think you’ll go in the future? Will you stay with your business or is there something else that’s calling you?

I haven’t got enough time on this planet to write all the books I want to write. Or read all the books I want to read, so I’ll be doing this until I can’t do it anymore, because I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.

A friend of told me once: “You know what my greatest fear is?” He said, “My greatest fear is that by the time I die, I wouldn’t have read all the books I want to read.”

That’s mine.

And I completely get it.

And for me. Also, that I haven’t had time to write all the books I want to write.

Maybe books on longevity are next for your bookshelf.

I’ve got a list of things that I want to write, but I’m usually too busy writing other people’s books or helping other people publish theirs. But you know, the painter never paints their own house.

I do know I will be doing this until I can’t.

My son Hugo said, maybe you’ll stop reading if you lose your eyesight, and I said, “Well, I’ll get an audiobook.” But then again, I don’t really do audiobooks, I’m a big reader.

And he said, “Well, what happens if you can’t hear?”

And I said, “I’ll learn Braille.” There will always be a way for me to read, and conversely, I will always find a way to write.

And that’s a nice way to finish but before we do… Is there anything you want to add? Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you think is important?

Yeah. I think more people should support Books and Homes…

We love that!

I deeply mean it.

I know you do.

I’m hoping that this interview will give me something I can share with my community. Because many people don’t know about the charity. You’ve got to get more visible.

Yes, one of our problems is that we have low visibility.

And it’s [the charity space] is really competitive.

It’s something we’re going to be looking at very closely.

I’m not saying you need to do it, I’m saying I need to do it.

Well, we’re grateful for everything you’ve done for us.

So that’s what I’d like to add… It makes a significant difference in the lives of the very kids and families that need it most.

Thank you very much, Jaqui.

Great to catch up, Julie. Talk soon.

For more information on The Book Adviser go to: https://thebookadviser.com.au/

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED ON 16/09/25