AustLit

Louise Adler was born in Melbourne and attended local schools before completing a BA at Reading University and an MA and MPhil at Columbia University. She worked as a teaching assistant at Columbia University between 1977 and 1980, then returned to Melbourne where she worked as an English Tutor at Melbourne University for seven years.

Adler began her career in publishing with a term as editor of the Australian Book Review (1988-89), and followed this with five years as publisher at Reed Books. After a short period as arts editor for the Age, she joined the ABC, presenting the daily Arts Today programme for Radio National from 1996 to 1999. In 1999 she returned to university life as Deputy Director (Academic and Research) at the Victoria College of Arts. She worked in that position until late 2002 when she was appointed publisher at Melbourne University Press. In 2018, she was Chief Executive of Melbourne University Publishing, and also served as President of the Australian Publishers Association and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association.

Adler, along with four members of the Melbourne University Press board, resigned from the press in January 2019, in protest at the press's new direction.