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Writers invited to apply for prestigious residency

By News Archive

 

Media release
18 September 2012

Active established writers are invited to apply for the sought after University of Auckland

Residency at the Michael King Writers’ Centre.

Co-hosted by the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts, the Residency enables a writer to spend six months from July to December 2013 at the Michael King Writers’ Centre, an historic villa in Devonport. The writer also receives an office in the English Department and is supported by a $30,000 stipend.

The Residency is for established authors to devote themselves to a major project.  Writers must be working on a specific project within a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. (Scripts for film, television or radio are not eligible.) Applicants should have a substantial publishing record of proven merit.

Current resident, novelist Eleanor Catton urges fellow New Zealand writers to apply.

"Virginia Woolf insisted that a writer needs only two things to be able to write: money, and a room of her own. The recipient of the University of Auckland Michael King Writers’ Residency receives both: an office in beautiful Devonport and a generous stipend on which to live. As the 2012 resident I have done great work here, working much longer hours than I could ordinarily manage at home. The Michael King Writers' Centre, the first institution of its kind in New Zealand, is a lovely and peaceful place to live. This is a wonderful residency," says Eleanor Catton.

The University of Auckland Residency is also an opportunity for an author to benefit from an academic environment, and to contribute to teaching and creative mentoring in the Department of English. It coincides with the University’s second semester.

The writer selected for the Residency will receive free accommodation at the Michael King Writers’ Centre, use of the writer’s studio and the stipend of $30,000. The Residency is a partnership between the Centre, The University of Auckland and Creative New Zealand.

Eleanor Catton is author of the award-winning novel The Rehearsal (2008). She is working on a series of novels for young adults, which will read as “fantastical thrillers”.

Application forms and further information are available on the Centre’s website www.writerscentre.org.nz. Applications close on Friday October 12, 2012, and the selections are expected to be made in November.

Media contact:

Tanya Trower. Senior Communications Adviser
Phone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 87698
Mobile: +64 (0)21 926 408

Maja Moritz photographs Frankfurt-bound Kiwi authors

By News Archive


German photographer Maja Moritz has lived and worked in New Zealand since 2004. After completing a recent assignment from Germany photo agency DPA Picture Alliance, she received a request from them to photograph the New Zealand authors as a preview for the Frankfurt Book Fair 2012.

“This came pretty much the same day the list of authors who would be in Germany was published,” Maja told PANZ News. “I had only four weeks until I left for my yearly visit to family and friends in Germany, so I started straight away to contact everyone I could get hold of from that list. It got frantically hectic from that day contacting people, scheduling appointments, making travel arrangements more or less nonstop. Two weeks of photo production followed in Wellington, Dunedin, Rotorua, Wellington again, Christchurch, and Auckland.”
 
So why did Maja feel so connected to our literature to put in this effort?
 
“I was blown away by the friendliness and cooperation of everyone involved, appointments fell into place and it felt truly exciting to meet all these different interesting people and to be able to contribute to spread the word about Kiwi literary spirit.
 
“It also was a superb opportunity for me to have a proper go at portrait photography as such and I somehow knew that this was a sort of ‘once in a lifetime chance’ which needed my fullest attention.”
 
“I had set the frame for my work with each author with a one hour time limit for each session, and basically aiming at three different situations to photograph (classic head portrait, a situation with books, and the author in a place he or she is somehow connected to). The most challenging thing for me was to try to develop some sort of personal connection to a total stranger within this one hour which would offer the chance to release a beautiful meaningful visual moment which talks about the special character of the particular author.”
 
Visit Maja’s website to see these distinctive and lively author shots: http://majamoritz.photoshelter.com/
 
So does Maja have a favourite shot from among the many shots taken of the 29 Kiwi authors photographed? For her it is the portrait of poet Courtney Sina Meredith – find it here.

For Maja, “the most special situation was when I had finished photographing Patricia Grace and she asked me as a favour to photograph her together with her husband. It was an honour to do so and felt like a very moving moment.”

Wed 5 Sepember 2012 

New PANZ Publications Out Now

By News Archive

A Great New Zealand Story – PANZ advocacy

Be loud and proud about your Kiwi publishing industry. PANZ have just printed a good-looking, easy to follow 12-page booklet that talks about us in the best possible way … by telling our publishing stories.
 
A striking yellow cover and blue pages for the interior were the attention-seeking colours chosen by Awa Press Young Designer of the Year Megan van Staden. A very big thank you to Random House and Megan for this stunning design.

We've sent out a copy of this to our members and to the wider industry. This is a great resource for promoting the industry to government and the community. Further copies wanted – please email admin@publishers.org.nz. 

PDF version available for download here.

An Introduction to New Zealand Publishing

We also have a revised third edition now available of An Introduction to New Zealand Publishing. Thanks to Whitireia students Suzanne Blackwell and her team for updating the material and producing a current version of important information.
 
This is a great resource for the industry and an ideal publication for authors as it explains the publishing process and the various roles within it.

RRP $15 including postage (within NZ): more info here.

PANZ Metadata Workshops – Auckland and Wellington

By News Archive


The demand for ebooks continues to grow across all markets and for many New Zealand publishers it presents new opportunities for taking their publications out to a global readership. But connecting with these new readers is largely dependent on discoverability. Maintaining effective metadata is the most critical way to ensure this.

Over the course of three hours, workshop convenor Gavin King will analyse approaches to metadata workflows, and more importantly, guide participants through best practices for the creation and management of optimum title metadata.

Gavin King is the Chief Technologist of Sydney-based Grobeltech. Gavin has worked in the IT industry for 15 years and in the publishing industry for 5 years. During this time he has learnt the operation of the publishing business inside and out, and he has used this in-depth knowledge and experience of the industry to develop innovative, up-to-the-minute technology solutions for publishers. These solutions range from file and system management to establishing digital workflows and introducing ebook publishing programs. He is an expert in managing content and providing data analysis from accounting, distribution and publishing systems to uncover real business intelligence.

PANZ is delighted that Gavin is able to travel to NZ to present this workshop and we encourage members to register now. We have kept costs to a minimum and are able to offer a special members rate of $150 plus GST. Registration form is attached and please complete and send to Carolin: training@publishers.org.nz

Dates:
Auckland: Thursday 13 September. 10.00 am to 1.00 pm (morning tea included). At NZTE, Level 6, 139 Quay Street.
Wellington: Friday 14 September. 9.00 am to 12.00 pm (morning tea included). At NZTE, Level 15, Majestic Centre, 100 Willis Street.

Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) Contributes over $1 Million to NZ Non-Fiction

By News Archive

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

Since the CLNZ Writers’ Awards first began in 2001, Copyright Licensing New Zealand has contributed over $1 million dollars to assist budding kiwi non- fiction writers.  It is one of the largest monetary prize offerings of its kind in New Zealand. Every year, the two winners each receive $35,000 to devote their time to a specific non-fiction project.

Paula Browning, CEO of Copyright Licensing New Zealand said “the selection panel had their work cut out for them this year. We had a record 72 applications that were of an extremely high standard.”

Last year’s winners were Dr Malcolm McKinnon and Melissa Williams.  In a recent progress update Malcolm commented that he is “very grateful to CLNZ for giving me the opportunity to work on this project more or less full time since uplifting the grant”.  His book, titled The 1930s depression in New Zealand is progressing as planned and should be published sometime in 2013.

Williams’ project titled Te Rarawa in the City: Maori urban migrations from North Hokianga to Auckland, 1930-1970 is also on track and “is going very well” says Williams, “community consultation has been a little more time consuming than I expected; nevertheless, I am very close to completing my first draft.”

The 2012 CLNZ Writers’ Awards are to be held at the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber on Thursday 6 September 2012.  Finlay MacDonald is the MC for the evening. Before the winners are announced, the 5 finalists will first be invited on the stage to participate in an open discussion about their project. “It is always an interesting insight into the research and writing process”, says Browning.

The five finalists for 2012 are:

  • Hazel Petrie: Into the Darkness
  • David Veart: Hello Boys and Girls
  • Michael Corballis: The Wandering Mind
  • Vincent O’Malley: The Waikato War 1863-64
  • Geoff Chapple: Terrain: North Island

This year, the selection panel felt the finalists “presented exciting proposals which demonstrated their own enthusiasm for their project.” Interestingly, even though there were a record number of applications, there was a notable lack of biographical content.”

Since the first award winners were announced in 2001, a total of 9 projects have been successfully published and an additional 3 are well on their way to being completed, including Steve Braunias' book New Zealand: The Biography which is due for release in a matter of weeks.

The awards are funded through the CLNZ ‘Culture Fund’. Two research grants, provided in conjunction with the NZ Society of Authors, will also be awarded at the event on 6 September 2012.

If you would like to attend the 2012 Writers’ Awards event, please email ann@copyright.co.nz

ENDS

Boilerplate

Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) provides print licenses to education facilities, government departments and businesses to enable them to copy, scan and share from copyright protected print material.  CLNZ is a not for profit organisation that is jointly owned by the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ).  Revenue generated from licenses (after operating costs) is redistributed back to the owners of the work being copied.

Media Contact
Jackie Hayward
Communications Manager
Copyright Licensing New Zealand
jackie@copyright.co.nz

Media Resources

www.copyright.co.nz

LANDMARK WORK WINS NEW ZEALAND POST BOOK OF THE YEAR

By News Archive

MEDIA RELEASE – for immediate release

A landmark book – New Zealand’s Native Trees by John Dawson and Rob Lucas – has won the country’s supreme publishing accolade, The New Zealand Post Book of the Year.

The book  which took seven years, more than 100,000 four-wheel-drive kilometres and countless hours’ walking in dense forest to complete  was presented with the honour by the Hon. Christopher Finlayson, Minister for Arts, Culture & Heritage at a gala dinner ceremony in Auckland.

New Zealand Post Book Awards judges convenor, Chris Bourke said on behalf of the judging panel that New Zealand’s Native Trees is a masterly example of publishing of the kind that is seen only once in a generation.

“From the detailed and authoritative research, accessible and comprehensive writing, detailed yet expansive photography, near flawless editing, design and layout this is a quality book from start to finish. Its impact on the community and on generations to come is self-evident.”

The book contains more than 2,300 photographs, many of which took photographer Rob Lucas several visits to some of the country’s most inaccessible areas to capture. The book also won the Illustrated Non-Fiction Category.

Internationally recognised novelist and creative writing teacher, Paula Morris (Ngati Wai) is this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards Fiction Category winner for her work, Rangatira.

The historical novel which is based on Morris’ tupuna (ancestor), Paratene Te Manu’s 1863 visit to England, was exhaustively researched.

Mr Bourke said the judges were impressed by the refreshing purity of purpose to Morris’ story-telling.

“It never seems jaded or cynical or calculating; instead the struggle to comprehend otherness is rendered perceptively, directly, consistently  and compellingly.”

Sue Orr, former speechwriter to Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, took this year’s People’s Choice Award for her short story collection, From Under the Overcoat. The award is much-coveted by authors as a reflection of their book’s popularity.

Journalist, playwright, author and producer Chris Winitana (Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngai Tuhoe) was presented with the New Zealand Post Māori Language Award for his book, Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho: My Language, My Inspiration;  a book that explores the struggle to save the Māori language over the last 40 years.

New Zealand Post Book Awards judge and Māori language advisor, Paora Tibble said that as a te reo Māori publication, Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho is groundbreaking.

“Chris Winitana mixes traditional language with modern metaphors. He shows te reo Māori as a living language; creating new contexts for words and phrases buried in our not too distant past. His knowledge of te reo is remarkable.

“With this book, Chris Winitana takes us on the adventure of a lifetime. For 40 years, Māori have fought to revitalise their language. This is their story.”

Rhian Gallagher's second collection, Shift, which encompasses a departure from London where she lived for 18 years, and a return to New Zealand, her country of birth, won the Poetry Category Award.

Mr Bourke commented that Rhian Gallagher’s collection was an example of lyrical poetry at its very best.

“The poems offer elegance, mysteriousness, musical harmonies, satisfying quietness and subtle emotions. Sounds and themes stitch the collection with an assured and unifying touch. You fall upon little autobiographical traces in the shadows, traces that are both moving and intense.”

Historian and novelist, Joan Druett won the General Non-Fiction Category Award for her work, Tupaia: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator.

“Tupaia’s richly detailed drawings and paintings are a precious legacy and are stunningly reproduced in a book which will intrigue and inspire. Everything about Tupaia reflects Druett’s careful research and passion for her subject.

“This is a wonderful book.”

The full list of 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards winners is as follows:

New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner:

New Zealand’s Native Trees by John Dawson & Rob Lucas (Craig Potton Publishing)

Fiction Award winner:

Rangatira by Paula Morris (Penguin Group, NZ)

Poetry Award winner:

Shift by Rhian Gallagher (Auckland University Press)

General Non-Fiction Award winner:

Tupaia: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator by Joan Druett (Random House NZ)

Illustrated Non-Fiction Award winner:

New Zealand’s Native Trees by John Dawson & Rob Lucas (Craig Potton Publishing)

Māori Language Award winner:

Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho: My Language, My Inspiration by Chris  Winitana (Huia Publishers)

People’s Choice Award winner:

From Under the Overcoat by Sue Orr (Vintage, Random House NZ)

The New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner received $15,000. The Māori Language Award winner and the winners of the four Category Awards each received $10,000 and the People’s Choice Award winner $5,000.

The winners of the 2012 New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards  announced earlier this year  were also honoured tonight. They are:

NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction:  Hamish Clayton for Wulf (Penguin Group, NZ).

NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry: John Adams for his collection Briefcase (Auckland University Press).

NZSA E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction:  Michael Smythe for New Zealand by Design (Random House, NZ).

Each NZSA Best First Book Awards category winner received $2,500.

New Zealand Post’s sponsorship of the national book awards reflects their long-standing support for literacy and education. They maintain that focus throughout the year with initiatives such as ReadWriteGrow.co.nz, creative writing contests for school students, and the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards which they have sponsored for the past 16 years. That commitment to promoting literacy, excellence in writing and the joy of reading sees New Zealand Post play a key role in supporting other champions of literature, such as Booksellers NZ, to promote and reward local literary talent.

The 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards are also funded by Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by the Book Awards Governance Group administered by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

ENDS

  • Winners are available for interview
  • Awards convenor, Chris Bourke is available for interview
  • Review copies of winners books are available
  • Author images and book jacket images are available for reproduction

www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz

FOR INTERVIEW, FILMING, PHOTOGRAPHY OPPORTUNITIES PLEASE CONTACT: PENNY HARTILL, HARTILL COMMUNICATIONS LTD, 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, PHARTILL@XTRA.CO.NZ

 

 

New Zealand gets going with International Standard Text Code

By News Archive


In 2011 Nielsen published an article that sent shivers down most publishers’ spines. It was called Order out of chaos – Get ready for the ISTC and it concluded with the admonition to “keep calm and carry on”.

Since then a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes and Nielsen are very proud to announce that they have allocated the first ISTC for a New Zealand publication, A Happy Feat by Gareth Morgan and John McCrystal.

To refresh your memory an ISTC is allocated to the content of a publication rather than the edition, and it links different editions of one particular piece of work. So in this instance the ISTC links the print paperback edition, the e-book inetPub format, and the e-book in the .mobi edition.

 
Nielsen are currently working on our system and users of BookData Online will soon be able to see ISTCs (when available) as part of the bibliographic information provided for each title record, regardless of edition or format. This information will also be included in the feeds they send to most New Zealand online booksellers.
 
This will mean that searching for books online will be much easier for the public, as all different editions of a book (HB, PB, audio, large print, ePub, .mobi, etc) will all be linkable by a single ISTC and displayed on one single screen. In these difficult times anything that makes discovery straight-forward for the book-buying public must surely result in more sales.
 
The international ISTC database now stands at over 64,000 ISTC records, including over 60,000 English language works, and growing daily.
 
So what happens now? Nielsen suggests you start requesting ISTCs for all new titles published in e-book formats as well as print format. As long as you have already advised them of your forthcoming and new publications in the normal manner, all you need to do is email them a spreadsheet with the ISBN, title, author and format, and they will do the rest.
 
Nielsen will let you know what ISTC has been allocated to your publications and what you should start to consider is where you will store that information on your own system so it is easily retrievable. We would suggest discussing this with your software provider.
 
If you would like further details on ISTC please don’t hesitate to contact Nielsen:

Martine Poiree
National Manager, New Zealand
Nielsen Book
Ph: 09 360 3294

O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing

By News Archive

Conference videos: O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing

For six years, the O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference in New York has been the seminal event for professionals and companies engaged with the challenges and opportunities of new publishing technologies and business models. This sell-out conference brings together smart, highly motivated people from a wide range of companies and organizations to discuss innovative business models, share hard-won knowledge, and explore the strategic objectives of an ever-changing industry.

The Complete Video Compilation is available for purchase at the
but we've made a selection of recommended free views below. Enjoy!
 
 

 

www.toccon.com/toc2012/

New guide The Metadata Handbook is comprehensive

By News Archive

 

Karen Ferns, PANZ Councillor with the ebook portfolio, is impressed with new release The Metadata Handbook from authors Renee Register and Thad McIlroy.

The Metadata Handbook is a one-stop guide for professional publishers, large and small, who need to get a handle on how metadata for books operates in the real world, and who need to implement a strategy to master the development and transmission of comprehensive metadata for the books they publish.
 
The book’s 100 pages take the reader from metadata fundamentals through to the latest information on the use of ONIX 2.1 and 3.0. The glossary simplifies numerous technical terms, while a full listing of vendors and relevant industry organizations provides an annotated directory of resources available to publishers.
 
The Metadata Handbook is published this month, and available as a PDF (or epub or Mobi file) for immediate download for $95 (USD). The printed version retails for $125.
 
The online order form and additional information can be found at: www.themetadatahandbook.com

Sensitivity to Subject Matter Wins Book Designer Top Award

By News Archive

MEDIA RELEASE

5 July 2012

Megan van Staden was named Awa Press Young Designer of the Year at the PANZ Book Design Awards ceremony last night.

The award is a highlight of the annual event administered by the Publishers Association of New Zealand.

Advisory judge for the category Keely O’Shannessy commended the consistently high standard of van Staden’s portfolio and her ability to design with “a real sensitivity to subject matter”.

“We liked every book in Megan van Staden’s portfolio”, O’Shannessy said.

She noted the variety of van Staden’s work, from “the quirkiness of Q & Eh to the stately, sophisticated treatment of Te Hao Nui, the wistfulness of The Parihaka Woman and the blokey, masculine design of Untamed.”

Van Staden is an enthusiast for typography who uses hand-drawn type to bring an emotive quality to her designs. This is particularly evident in the designer’s personal favourite – Te Hao Nui – featuring typography that showcases images lifted from the book, on a dramatic black background.

Megan van Staden studied Visual Communications at Massey University, majoring in Graphic Design and graduating with honours. She currently works as a designer at Random House New Zealand, designing covers and layouts for a wide range of books.

The award is presented each year to a designer less than 35 years of age by the Publishers Association of New Zealand. The designers’ portfolios are judged on artistic merit, innovation of form and appropriateness to the intended market. The judges particularly look for consistent design across a whole portfolio.

The 2012 judges Jenny Nicholls, Roger Parsons and Gideon Keith were joined by a previous winner of the award,graphic designer and artist Keely O’Shannessy, to select this year’s Awa Press Young Designer of the Year.

Jenny Nicholls (convening judge) is Art Director for the national current affairs monthly North & South. Roger Parsons is former bookseller and owner of Parsons Bookshop in Auckland, and Gideon Keith is the Creative Partner at Strategy Design & Advertising and has worked as a graphic designer and creative director for over twenty-five years.

ENDS

For the full list of winning titles please visit:
and follow us on Twitter @PANZ_BDAwards
For further details and high-res images of all the winning books please contact:
Alice McDowell
Whitireia Publishing
Mobile: 027 3376377

 

Awa Press Young Designer of the Year 2012

Megan van Staden