News Archive

 Emerging authors and illustrators battle it out with our long-time writing heroes in the nation’s most prestigious children’s book awards this year.

Announced today, the finalists in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults include names loved by generations of Kiwis including Joy Cowley, Maurice Gee and Jack Lasenby.  Alongside them are some exciting new talent in New Zealand children’s literature, admired by the judges for their humour and creativity.   

 ‘The wide range of themes, places and times represented in this year’s selection are a fantastic snapshot of who we are as Kiwis and as a nation. There are rhyming stories that feature animals; humorous yet thought-provoking contemporary fiction; stories that look forwards as well as backwards, as far back as pre-history; science fiction, fantasy and realism.

‘All these great books offer New Zealand children and young adults a veritable feast of challenging, stimulating and engrossing reading, as well as fresh, new ways of looking at the world,’ says New Zealand Post Book Awards judges’ convenor, Bill Nagelkerke.

The finalists were selected from more than 130 children’s books published in New Zealand in 2008 and submitted for the awards. 

Nagelkerke, a past New Zealand Post finalist and former children’s librarian is joined on the judging panel by children’s editor and career bookseller, Jenni Keestra and children’s literature reviewer and librarian, Rosemary Tisdall.  Together they will decide which author will earn the New Zealand Post Book of the Year prize and will choose winners from across the four categories. Winners will be announced on 20 May.

The finalists in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards are:

Picture Book

Duck’s Stuck! Written by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Ali Teo and John O’Reilly (Scholastic New Zealand)

Every Second Friday written by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Ben Galbraith
(Hodder Children’s Books)

Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig written by Diana Neild, illustrated by Philip Webb (Scholastic New Zealand)

Roadworks written by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books)

The Were-Nana written by Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic New Zealand)

Non-fiction

Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious
by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)

The Crafting of Narnia: The Art, Creatures, and Weapons from Weta Workshop
by Weta Workshop, Paul Tobin and Daniel Falconer (HarperOne)

High-Tech Legs on Everest by Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell
(Random House New Zealand)

Juicy Writing: Inspiration and Techniques for Young Writers by Brigid Lowry (Allen and Unwin)

Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)

Junior Fiction

Chicken Feathers by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Elliot (Puffin)

Enemy at the Gate by Philippa Werry (Scholastic New Zealand)

Five (and a bit) Days in the Life of Ozzie Kingsford written by Val Bird,
illustrated by Rebecca Cundy (Random House New Zealand)

Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby (HarperCollins Publishers)

Payback by Michelle Kelly (Scholastic New Zealand)

Young Adult Fiction

The 10pm Question by Kate de Goldi (Longacre Press)

Chronicles of Stone #1, Scorched Bone by Vincent Ford (Scholastic New Zealand)

Gool by Maurice Gee (Puffin)

Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (Random House New Zealand)

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner (Walker Books)

In selecting finalists, the judges consider points such as creative writing, use of language, impact, integrity, design and production values.  Additional criteria for the Picture Book category include harmony between text and illustration.  For the Non-fiction category the judges take into account integration of text, graphics, how illustrations were used to engage interest and enhance understanding, plus accuracy of data.

Finalists also compete for the coveted Children’s Choice Award; where kids, not the awards’ judges, get to choose their favourite book. Voting for the Children’s Choice Award begins today.  Long considered one of the highest accolades a children’s author can receive, this award is voted on by children of school age from all over New Zealand.  Voting can be carried out online at http://www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz/ or by using the special voting card available from bookshops, libraries or schools. Voting closes at 5.00pm, Friday 1 May.

All winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held at Auckland Museum on Wednesday 20 May.

Finalists will be participating in children’s book events around the country as part of a nationwide celebration of the New Zealand Post Book Awards.  The festivities begin on Monday 11 May and continue through to Wednesday 20 May. 

New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults since 1997. Its partnership has seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the last decade. New Zealand Post’s support of these awards reflects their deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the country. Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by the New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists in support of the annual Books in Homes programme.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New Zealand.

Key dates:

3 March         Children’s Choice Award voting opens

11-20 May     Festival week, finalists on tour nationwide

20 May           Winners announced

 Tuesday 3 March, 5.00pm, Grand Central, 126 Ponsonby Road (near corner of MacKelvie St just past the Richmond Rd intersection)

Our first After 5 Session for 2009 will put the spotlight on publicity and publicists. What do they do? Is it all glam and travel and meeting interesting authors?

 We want to find out so we’ve asked publicity hound, Jillian Ewart to lead a panel of three publicists who between them cover many years of promoting top authors both local and overseas. Hear what Sandra Noakes from HarperCollins, Christine O’Brien from Auckland University Press and Lorraine Steele, Auckland freelancer , have to tell us about their experiences, good and maybe not?

Invitation is open to all BPANZ members and the staff of member publishers. It’s informal, fun and a great chance to chat and catch up so please join us.

 A $10 cash charge is made for each event to cover costs and includes a first drink and nibbles.

31 March – Auckland

1 April – Wellington

2 April – Christchurch

Digital Publishing Seminar – Register Now

 A senior academic will lead the judging panel in the country’s most prestigious book awards this year.

Mark Williams, author and professor of English at Victoria University will judge the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards together with award-winning writer, reviewer and editor, Jane Westaway and literary critic, journalist and editor, Margo White.

This year’s judging panel say the field is rich with established and new writers and there is an especially large number of beautifully produced books to consider.

‘We are looking for excellence across the whole range of New Zealand books dealing with subjects as various as art, cooking, war, gardening, and gay lifestyles.

‘With around 215 books to read and 15 separate prizes to award, we have full reading schedules. We are advised by experts in each of the eight main categories: fiction, poetry, history, biography, reference and anthology, lifestyle and contemporary culture, illustrative, and environment…The judges’ responsibilities are collective and we shall all read and, together with our advisors, debate our judgments across the whole range of books submitted,’ says convenor, Mark Williams.

Professor Mark Williams has previously taught at the University of Tokyo and University of Canterbury. His publications on New Zealand and modern literature include Leaving the Highway: Six Contemporary New Zealand Novelists (Auckland University Press, 1990), Patrick White (Macmillan, 1993), and, with Jane Stafford, M?oriland: New Zealand Literature 1872-1914 (Victoria University Press, 2006). He has edited or co-edited numerous anthologies and collections and is on the editorial boards of several international literary journals.

Jane Westaway’s book, Reliable Friendly Girls (Longacre, 1996) won Best First Book at the 1997 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Love and Other Excuses (Longacre, 1999) was shortlisted for the same awards in 2000, and the novel, Good at Geography also appeared that year. She co-edited the anthology, It Looks Better on You – New Zealand Women Writers on Their Friendships (Longacre, 2003) and co-wrote Accusation – A Wife’s Story (Longacre, 2005). She reviews for Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon, and is co-editor of the review quarterly New Zealand Books. She lives in Wellington, and teaches judgment writing in New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Margo White has worked on several magazines, including the NZ Listener, where she first worked as a feature writer before becoming the magazine’s Arts and Books Editor, and Metro magazine, where she was Senior Writer and Books Editor. She is currently the deputy editor of New Zealand Geographic and also writes in a freelance capacity for a range of publications. She lives in Auckland.

In selecting finalists and winners, judges take into account each book’s enduring literary merit and overall authorship; quality of illustration and graphic presentation; production values, general design and the standard of editing and the impact of the book on the community, with emphasis on issues such as quality, topicality, public interest, entertainment, cultural and educational values and life span of the book.

The 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards category advisors are:

• Fiction: Tina Shaw is a novelist, short story writer, editor and reviewer
• Poetry: Bernadette Hall is an award-winning poet, essayist, editor, reviewer and creative writing tutor.
• Biography: Philip Norman is a freelance composer, author and biography category winner (2007) in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
• Environment: Geoff Chapple is a writer, editor, former Montana New Zealand Book Awards judge and former winner of the award’s environment category.
• Reference and Anthology: Anna Rogers is a freelance book editor and writer.
• History: Tim Beaglehole Emeritus Professor, MA PhD. Chancellor, Victoria University and published writer.
• Lifestyle and Contemporary Culture: Charmian Smith is feature writer and food and wine editor at the Otago Daily Times.
• Illustrative: Dr T L Rodney Wilson is recently retired director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and a former Montana New Zealand Book Awards judge.
• Te Reo Advisor: Hone Apanui is a widely respected Maori linguist, teacher and publisher.

The skills and experience of the panel and category advisors ensures the judging of the 13^th Montana New Zealand Book Awards will be robust.

This year’s finalists will be announced on Tuesday, 2 June.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Monday 27 July.  

The winner of the poetry category will be announced on Montana Poetry Day, Friday 24 July.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand.  The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

AUCKLAND, 8 December 2008. The book, a cultural staple for centuries, is about to receive a digital makeover. The Digital Publishing Forum, formed by book publishers, authors and their copyright agency CLL, this week embarks on an ambitious programme to ensure that New Zealand is ready for the challenge.

“The shift in how we buy and consume books is going to have a major impact on New Zealand, both culturally and economically,” says Forum director Martin Taylor. Books rank as New Zealanders’ favourite cultural activity, according to the 2002 Cultural Experiences Survey. Buying books and going to the library are more than twice as popular as any other cultural activity, including buying music, visiting museums, or going to concerts or movies.

“Based on what’s happening overseas, there’s plenty of evidence that we’re about to see a big rise in the market for so-called ‘ebooks’. These are digital editions of books that are read on screens, smart mobile gadgets like Apple’s iPhone and, increasingly, on dedicated readers like Amazon’s Kindle that emulate the experience of ink on paper.”

According to Taylor, this presents great opportunities for publishers and authors to expand the overall market for books and reading. But along the way, there are issues publishers will have to navigate as technology changes the economics of the book industry and the behaviour of consumers, he says.

To this end, the Forum’s first goal is to get New Zealand’s publishing community working together as they begin creating and selling ebooks and other digital publications. Publishers and authors will meet at a series of workshops and conferences around the country, starting in March 2009, to develop the skills, business networks, technology and sales and marketing initiatives needed to jumpstart the industry here. Publishers and others can register their interest in these workshops at digitalpublishing.org.nz.

“New Zealand won’t succeed if every publisher tries to work as an island,” says Taylor. “Expect to see some innovative and far-reaching initiatives from us both within New Zealand and internationally.”

“New Zealand already has a substantial book export industry with up to 20% of its turnover coming from exports, much of this in educational markets. The digital opportunities can greatly expand this,” says Taylor. “At the same time, it’s important that we build a strong domestic industry so that our unique culture and voice isn’t swamped as technology lowers barriers even further to imported content.”

A book publisher and former publisher of technology magazines and websites in New Zealand and the US, Taylor has already seen a lot of technology-driven changes first-hand. Books have come late to the party largely, he says, because of some unique technology problems that needed to be solved first.

“We’re starting to see reading devices that can support the thoughtful, immersive experience that people enjoy with books,” he says. Amazon’s Kindle, launched a year ago in the US, and Sony’s Reader are at the vanguard of this trend, as are smart mobile devices like Apple’s iPhone or those that will use a new system from Google called Android.

Ebook readers are not yet available in New Zealand but, “part of our plan is to encourage companies like Sony and Amazon to enter the New Zealand market early and help to grow it,” he says. “We’ll be very proactive in assisting them.” As a small market, this can be challenging as big companies’ investment decisions favour larger, more profitable markets, says Taylor. “But we don’t want to wait for years and then find we have an immature publishing industry trying to compete with large, seasoned overseas players.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Digital Publishing Forum

CONTACT: Martin Taylor, Director,
phone +64-21-936-950,
email: martin@digitalstrategies.co.nz
website: digitalpublishing.org.nz

ABOUT COPYRIGHT LICENSING LIMITED

CLL is a non-profit copyright collective that provides centralised licensing services for the reproduction of extracts from published works and looks after the interests of publishers and authors in New Zealand.
CONTACT: Kathy Sheat: (09) 486 6250; 021 480 271; ksheat@copyright.co.nz

ABOUT THE BOOK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND, INC

BPANZ is the trade association of book publishers and distributors in New Zealand.  It represents the interests of the industry to government and other agencies; it serves as a professional organisation, providing a range of services including training; and it protects copyright and promotes trade by its members in domestic and export markets.
CONTACT: Anne de Lautour: (09) 442 7426; anne@bpanz.org.nz

The Royal Society of New Zealand, our national science academy, has established a popular science book prize; the winner is to be announced at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival on Friday 15 May.The prize is $10,000 for the (New Zealand resident) author/s and $2500 for the publisher.  Submissions close on Thursday 5 February 2009.  A simple application form will be available on www.royalsociety.org.nz shortly. 

The judges are: Professor Jean Fleming, University of Otago; Associate Professor Harry Ricketts, Victoria University of Wellington; and Professor Brian Boyd, The University of Auckland.  The shortlist will be announced at the end of March.

The definition of popular science books, for the purpose of this prize, is: books about science which do not require a specialist knowledge in the subject of the book in order to be read, enjoyed and understood.”  

Works of fiction, books which are essentially illustrative, reference and children’s books will not be eligible for the prize. 

For further information, please contact Faith Atkins, Royal Society of New Zealand, faith.atkins@royalsociety.org.nz    DDI 04 470 5781

   

The judges for the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards have positioned their deck chairs, turned off their phones and slapped on the sunscreen as they embark on what will be a wonderful summer of reading. 

Writer and former children’s librarian Bill Nagelkerke, Children’s Literature Consultant Rosemary Tisdall, and children’s editor and career bookseller Jenni Keestra, are the three people who have been chosen to judge the Awards in 2009. In search of the very best, they will each read and assess over 130 books for Children and Young Adults published in New Zealand in 2008. From picture books by iconic authors and illustrators, to exciting junior and young adult fiction and a huge variety of non-fiction titles, the judges will read them all.

Judges’ convenor, Bill Nagelkerke says “Books are an incredibly important part of childhood.”

 “Those dog-eared pages of much-loved favourites become a part of who we are, and often shape our view of the world.

“In the past it has been Hairy Maclary’s curious adventures, Maui’s heroic acts, and Margaret Mahy’s stories about tentative steps into teens, that have taken on a life of their own in the imaginations of young readers. We’re looking for stories that the current generation of young New Zealanders, and their parents, will fall in love with.”
Jenni Keestra says “the Awards promote excellence in children’s literature.

“It’s vital that we celebrate and acknowledge great writing, illustration and publishing in New Zealand,” says judge and bookseller Jenni Keestra.  “The standard of publishing here is very high, and these awards are a real boost for authors and publishers, resulting in many of our award-winning books becoming extremely popular, both at home and internationally.”
Rosemary Tisdall is passionate about books that encourage young people to read.

“A really good book will resonate with a child, and either transport them to another world, or make them see their own world differently. The use of language, storyline, illustration, factual information and an opportunity to use their own imagination are the key ingredients we’ll be looking for as we read all these books over summer.”
The 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists will be announced on 3 March, 2009, and winners announced at an Awards Ceremony in Auckland on 20 May, 2009. Children and teenagers will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite book, selecting from the finalist titles, for the popular Children’s Choice Award.  Voting begins online at http://www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz/, and via voting cards available in bookshops and libraries nationwide, when the finalists are announced on 3 March, 2009.

New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for more than 10 years. Their partnership has seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the last decade. New Zealand Post’s support of these awards reflects their deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the country. Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealand children to read and enjoy books.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New Zealand.

BPANZ and the Whitireia publishing programme are delighted to announce the successful applicants for the 2009 Publishing Intern Programme.

Jane Arthur will be working with Gecko Press, Alexandra Bishop with Random House, and Kate Stockman with Penguin.

We trust both publishers and interns will have a rewarding six months.

London, Sydney, New York:  12^th November 2008:  HarperCollins today announced that Michael Moynahan will be the new Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand moving from his current post as Managing Director, Random House India and Chairman, Random House, New Zealand.   He will take up his post in the New Year. President and Chief Executive Officer HarperCollins, Worldwide, Brian Murray said:  “I am excited to have Michael return to HarperCollins as CEO of Australia and New Zealand.  Michael’s leadership and international experience will add to our strong executive team to position HarperCollins for continued growth.”

Victoria Barnsley, Chief Executive Officer and Publisher, HarperCollins UK and International, to whom Michael will report, said:  “We are delighted to have lured Michael back to HarperCollins.  His extensive publishing background and management experience, along with an impressive track record in growing Random House’s business in both India and New Zealand, make him a perfect choice to take our business to the next level in Australia and New Zealand.”

Michael Moynahan said: “I can’t wait to get to Sydney and to start working with such a highly talented group of people.  HarperCollins ANZ rightly enjoys an enviable position in the market and I am looking forward to working with the team to build on a really strong base and find new opportunities to grow.” 

With over 15 years senior-level publishing experience, Michael started his publishing career with HarperCollins in New Zealand in 1988 and then moved to Random House before eventually becoming Managing Director in New Zealand and, earlier this year, Managing Director, India and Chairman, New Zealand.    

During the last five years, HarperCollins ANZ has experienced significant growth and strong profits, developed an award-winning local publishing programme and was Publisher of the Year in 2005.  With a staff of 300, the key imprints are Angus & Robertson, Fourth Estate, Collins and Voyager.  Best selling authors include Donna Hay, Geraldine Brooks and Peter Fitzsimons.

Commenting on his departure, Brian Davies, Random House Group’s managing director overseas companies, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Michael and he takes with him all our best wishes for the future. One of his greatest legacies will be the strong teams he leaves in place at both Random House India and Random House New Zealand. We will be announcing Michael’s replacement shortly.”

The rights of copyright owners to authorise use of their works have been reinforced by the proposed settlement of the class action brought against Google three years ago.  Out-of-print books and works no longer commercially available were scanned and made available online in America by Google without permission.  These works were from 213 countries around the world.

The $US125 million settlement was announced at the Annual General Meeting of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisation in Jamaica last week and copyright collectives looking after the interests of publishers and authors around the world are likely to be involved in the notice programme for the settlement.  The Court requires that all members of the class action whose works were illegally copied by Google be given due notice of the settlement so that they can claim compensation for the scanning of their work and opt in or out of the Google Book Search Project in the future.

Some of the settlement funds will be used to establish a Book Rights Registry which will handle all claims. A minimum of $US45 million ($US60 per book) has been allocated for copyright owners whose works have already been digitised by Google. 

Copyright owners of books that have been scanned can claim remuneration for the scanning of their work and can decide whether or not Google may provide online access to their works in the future and to what extent.  Copyright owners don’t have to buy into the settlement of the class action if they don’t wish to.

Google will continue to develop an electronic books database and to sell subscriptions to the database to educational and other institutions.  It will also provide online access to the books to consumers in the USA.  Rightsholders involved will be paid through a Book Rights Registry to be set up to settle claims for scanning to date and to distribute revenues earned from future use.  Where books have been scanned and made available and rightsholders do not wish them to be included in the database, rightsholders can make a claim for past use and ask that the work be withdrawn and not used in the future.  They do not have to be involved in the settlement for past scanning if they want to take their own action.

It is important that rightsholders consider their options and are aware that by including their works in the Google Project, they can receive revenue for the use of books that are no longer available in the marketplace.

New Zealand publishers and authors will be able to log into the settlement website http://books.google.com/booksrightsholders/ to see whether any of their works were scanned by Google and seek compensation for the unauthorised use.  A list of out of print works scanned will be available in January 2009.

As the copyright collective acting on behalf of publishers and authors in New Zealand, Copyright Licensing Ltd will be participating in the notice programme for the Google Book Search Copyright Settlement to ensure that New Zealand copyright holders are fully informed of the settlement process.

For further information, contact: Kathy Sheat, CEO, Copyright Licensing Ltd, 09 486 6250, 021 480 271, ksheat@copyright.co.nz