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Industry veterans fund Yale Publishing Scholarship for Kiwis

By News

Yale Publishing CourseIn a touching bequest from former publishing identities Margaret and Ted Forde, an annual scholarship from 2016-2019 will enable New Zealand publishers to further their careers by attending the annual Yale Publishing course.

Woodhurst E Forde (Ted) and his wife, Margaret came to New Zealand from Glasgow where they had both worked at William Collins & Sons. Ted was in charge of publishing in the Bible Department and Margaret was secretary to Ian Collins, the Vice-Chairman of the company. They decided they wanted a change and contacted the New Zealand branch of the company. On their arrival in the late 1950s Ted was employed by the company to produce non-fiction books and Margaret was secretary to the Managing Director.

When Ted retired, Margaret did too, but they continued to publish for William Collins on a freelance basis. After Ted’s death, Margaret continued editing and proof-reading for David Bateman Ltd, the publishers in Auckland. On her death in 2014, she left a legacy to fund the scholarship. With a value of NZ $13,000 per annum the W.E and M.L Forde Publishing Scholarship is available to one publisher per year for the next 3 years to attend the Yale Book Publishing course held in mid-July on the Yale University Campus.

Sam Elworthy attended the course when he was based in the US. “I’d been in publishing more than a decade when I did the Yale Publishing Course and I learned a whole lot—from outstanding Yale Business School lecturers; from major figures, young and old, from US publishing who were the presenters; and from other participants in the course. You live in, you talk publishing 24/7, you gain a bigger vision,” he says.

David Bateman’s Associate Publisher Tracey Borgfeldt attended the Yale course earlier this year and says she would highly recommend the programme for anyone in middle or senior levels in publishing, across all areas including finance, editorial, marketing or sales.

“The valuable aspect of the YPC is the calibre of the participants. There were around 68 on this course, the majority overseas, with maybe 25 to 30 from the US. There was a lot of sharing of information and contact details and I would feel comfortable contacting them, or the speakers, in the future. If the person attending was wanting to extend their international network, this is the place to do it,” Tracey believes.  Read Tracey’s full report from Yale here.

Applications are open now to PANZ members and they close on 30th October. To download a copy of the application form go to the  training page of the PANZ website.
Any queries contact katherine@publishers.org.nz

A Kiwi publisher in Germany – Pania Tahau-Hodges is at Fischer Verlage

By News
Pania Tahau-Hodges in Fischer verlage office in Germany

Pania Tahau-Hodges in the Fischer verlage office in Germany

Herzliche Grüße aus Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland!

Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou mai i Frankfurt, Tiamana!

Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany!

I am now in to my third week here in Frankfurt on a work placement with Fischer Verlage, one of the biggest publishing houses in Germany. The placement is an initiative that has been established through the collaborative efforts of PANZ and the Frankfurt Book Fair and funding from Creative New Zealand. My first couple of weeks here have been an extreme learning curve to say the least – with a slope so steep in fact, I have at times wondered if I was going to fall off the proverbial slope just from pure sensory overload!

I arrived here in Germany thrilled and excited for lots of reasons: it is my first time in Europe, the fact that Frankfurt is so close to some of the countries that are on my bucket list to visit, and my love for European shoes are but a few. However, it was the opportunity for personal growth and professional development, and the chance to gather knowledge and information to benefit my team at Huia Publishers and the wider New Zealand publishing industry that really had the butterflies in my belly doing the loop-di-loop.

To be honest, before embarking on this trip I also felt slightly terrified. It’s my first time travelling alone, I didn’t know any German language whatsoever before I left New Zealand, nor did I know a single soul in Germany. The thought of looming loneliness and cultural isolation threatened to bring the whole trip to a halt even before it had started. Thank goodness I had the sense to pop on my big-girl-knickers, have a drink of concrete and listen to my husband’s advice to ‘Suck it up!’ For it has indeed turned in to an unforgettable experience, beyond anything I could have ever imagined – and I’m only halfway through the trip!

There is a rich history of literature in Germany and the staff here at Fischer are extremely proud of the contribution that German writers make to the literary world. I have been placed in the Rights Department here at Fischer for the duration of my placement. This has given me the chance to learn about Fischer Verlage as a publishing house: their programmes, their practices, and their vision. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with staff from a number of different teams and everyone has been extremely generous with their time, knowledge and kindness. I have also been able to start building my understanding of the German publishing industry and what it looks like at its various levels.

I have visited libraries and interviewed librarians, hunted out bookshops, read a couple of books by German writers that have been translated in to English, attended readings with authors, pestered staff here at Fischer with a million and one questions, and taken every opportunity available to me to learn about what makes Fischer Verlage ‘tick’.

While I have tried to make myself an open receptacle to capture all of this learning, I am conscious that an important part of this placement is to not only ‘take’, but to ‘give’. Fortunately the work that I am doing here in the Rights Department has made this possible. The tasks I have been given to date have included proofing their English language autumn catalogue (which is due for release in time for the Frankfurt Book Fair), preparing English language information sheets for their upcoming titles (and yes, they have a lot!), and helping the Rights Department research potential clients in preparation for the fair. All of these tasks have also been a great learning opportunity for me to see how Fischer works and about the international publishing scene. So I’m glad to be making a positive contribution to the Fischer work programme, even though it feels like a pittance in exchange for the wealth of knowledge I am gaining from the staff here.

While there are limits to the meetings and conversations I can participate in due to the language barrier, I am doing everything I can to learn, learn, learn – and retain! With three weeks to go, I know that there will be lots more to soak up before I come home, particularly as Fischer moves in to hyper-drive in preparation for the looming Frankfurt Book Fair. Despite the pressure of this impending event (that is the single most important entry in the calendars of all Fischer staff), the team here continue to make time for me and are happy to answer my multitude of questions.

I look forward to whatever the next two-and-a-half weeks has in store, and to returning to New Zealand a little wiser, a little more worldly, a lot more brave, and ready to share what I have learned.

Für jetzt auf Wiedersehen

Hei konā

Farewell for now!

Pania Tahau-Hodges is in Frankfurt as part of the Frankfurt Book Fair legacy project publisher exchange 2015 funded by Creative New Zealand.

Publishers Association of New Zealand Condemns Book Banning

By Media Releases, News

PANZ logo

The Publishers Association of New Zealand condemns the ban on the sale and distribution of Ted Dawe’s Into the River.

As an Association we stand behind the right of Ted Dawe to assert his freedom of expression through his prize-winning words, the right of his publisher Penguin Random House to sell and distribute them, and especially the right of readers to access and enjoy his much-lauded novel.

PANZ President, Melanie Laville-Moore stated, “Into the River is a highly regarded piece of literature, charged with influencing and changing the lives of many of its teenage male readers. This is an unprecedented and extreme action by the Film and Literature Board of Review. Banning books is not the New Zealand way.”

The Association applauds the New Zealand writing, library and bookseller communities for standing firm on this most important of issues. PANZ calls for a review of current legislation and encourages others to request the same.

Ends

 

For media enquiries please contact PANZ Association Director Anne de Lautour

Email: anne@publishers.org.nz

Ph: +64 9 280 3212

Mob: +64 21 646 311

Ockham Book Awards logo

 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges announced

By Media Releases, News

MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Ockham Book Awards logoThe 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards will be judged by 12 eminent academics, writers, journalist, commentators, former publishers and booksellers from around New Zealand; a three-fold increase on the number of judges in previous years which reflects the Awards’ new judging structure.

Each of the Awards’ four categories – Fiction, Poetry, General Non-Fiction and Illustrated Non-Fiction – and the awards for Best First Book  in those categories, will be judged by a panel of three judges, all specialists in their fields. A Maori language adviser will judge the Maori Language Award.

The judges will announce their longlist finalists on November 25, 2015, and their shortlist on March 8, 2016.

New Zealand Book Awards Trust chairwoman, Nicola Legat, says the judges selected for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are second-to-none.

“Authors and publishers can expect to receive the rigour and respect from this year’s line-up that their books deserve. Rather than four judges reading 150 or more books, as has been the case previously, these specialists will read only the books in their category, allowing for a more detailed examination of the works,” she says.

The Fiction category, whose $50,000 prize is now known as The Acorn Foundation Literary Award, will be judged by distinguished writer Owen Marshall CNZM; Wellington bookseller and reviewer Tilly Lloyd, and former Director of the Auckland Writers Festival and Creative New Zealand senior literature adviser Jill Rawnsley.

The Poetry Prize will be judged by former Auckland University Press publisher Elizabeth Caffin MNZM; James K Baxter expert Dr Paul Millar, of the University of Canterbury, and poet and University of Auckland academic Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh.

The General Non-Fiction Prize will be judged by Metro Editor-At-Large Simon Wilson; Professor Lydia Wevers, literary historian, critic and director of the Stout Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington, and Dr Jarrod Gilbert, a former Book Awards winner for Patched: A History of Gangs in New Zealand, of the University of Canterbury.

The Illustrated Non-Fiction Prize will be judged by former publisher Jane Connor, publisher of the magisterial The Trees of New Zealand, which won the Book of the Year award in 2012; Associate Professor Linda Tyler, Director of the Centre for Art Studies at The University of Auckland, and Leonie Hayden, the editor of Mana magazine.

“It’s always an honour to be invited to judge these prestigious and important awards but also a major commitment of time.” says Ms Legat. “So we are enormously grateful that these very busy and skilled people are happy to demonstrate their support for the awards by diving in to months of reading and debate. We very much look forward to their final longlist, shortlist and winner selections.”

The winners will be announced on May 10, 2016, at an event at the Auckland Writers Festival.

Entries to the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards can be made via http://booksellers.co.nz/awards/new-zealand-book-awards/submissions . Books published between June 1, 2014 and December 21, 2015 are eligible for entry.

The New Zealand Book Awards is enormously grateful to the generosity of its partners: Ockham Residential, The Acorn Foundation and enduring funder Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

For interview opportunities and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

 

Editor’s Notes:

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works written by New Zealanders. After a one year hiatus, the awards will return in 2016 thanks to sponsorship from Auckland property development company, Ockham Residential. The partnership, along with news of the awards’ new structure was announced last month. In July this year, the awards received a $50,000 windfall, earmarked for the top fiction work, from Tauranga community organisation, The Acorn Foundation, on behalf of one of its donors.

First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The honours, now given for Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction, General Non-Fiction and Poetry, as well as for Best First Book and Māori language, are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity).  Members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Karen Ferns, Paula Morris, Kyle Mewburn, Stella Chrysostomou, David Bowles and Julia Marshall. Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards.

The Trust also administers the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and National Poetry Day.

 

Nielsen Book Services – why MORE information counts

By News

Neilsen Book logoWe have never had so much information and entertainment at our fingertips thanks to the Internet. So how do you get exposure for your books in the clutter of cyberspace? Easy – contact Nielsen Book!

Nielsen Book thought it timely to let you know why it is important to list your titles on the Nielsen Book database. In a nutshell, to gain access to thousands of customers worldwide. Publishers who supply Nielsen with new product information immediately gain visibility for their books on the international market. Nielsen Book licenses the book records that have been supplied to them via a range of BookData services to all major retailers in NZ, AUS, UK, Ireland and worldwide, including Amazon and Waterstones plus wholesalers, library suppliers and libraries so that your books are made available to the key book buyers in over 100 countries.

There are two main ways in which your titles gain exposure via Nielsen Book.  Our first key service is Record Supply, all the major online retailers in New Zealand and worldwide subscribe to Nielsen data to populate their websites. We provide your book information to these online retailers allowing the reading public to find and purchase your books. Secondly, Nielsen helps your title with discoverability via BookData Online, our flagship database of books and related products currently holding over 26 million titles. This service offers bookstore and library subscribers fast and efficient search and discovery of up-to-date, comprehensive and content-rich book information. All the key retailers, libraries and library suppliers in New Zealand such as Paper Plus, Whitcoulls, Fishpond, and Wheelers et cetera, subscribe to this service to find their book information.

When supplying Nielsen with information about your titles ensure that you have given the data the best chance to sell your books – don’t just send a one sentence description for example – make it a complete and full book description.  Our research shows that publishers that provide Nielsen Book with enriched metadata (a buzzword that means ‘data that describes other data’) for their title records will increase their sales up to sevenfold. In the digital world, metadata determines whether your book is found and by extension whether your book is bought. Up to 55% of a book’s sales could depend on having all the key enhanced metadata elements in place. Metadata is especially important for ebooks, because sales depend almost entirely on the discoverability that it enables.

Nevena Nikolic Sales & Marketing Manager - New Zealand Nielsen Book

Nevena Nikolic
Sales & Marketing Manager – New Zealand
Nielsen Book

The benefits of supplying Nielsen Book with rich content is self-evident and by doing so you ensure thousands of book buyers worldwide can find and purchase your books easily. So what constitutes good metadata for books? Here is a comprehensive list to help you when supplying us with information about your books:  title, cover, word count, page count, weight, format, blurb, tagline, keywords attached to those (e.g. which words summarise the book best?), retail price (RRP), publication date, review quotes, sales points, territorial rights, BIC code, ISBN and of course, the author’s name.

Listing your titles with Nielsen Book is free and the service is available to all publishers, small or large.  As soon as you have all the key metadata elements in place: ISBN, cover jpeg, book description, author biography, availability and RRP, get in touch with us.  It is never too early to list with Nielsen Book − in fact the sooner the better − as many retailers receive ‘forthcoming’ title information to populate their websites for pre-orders. You can always supply any changes or updates closer to publication date.  A little time spent planning and writing good book metadata now will repay you with increased discoverability and sales over the life of the book.

To list your titles with Nielsen Book, contact us in one of the following ways:

  • Email Georgina.Main@nielsen.com – you will need to fill in a form about your titles and supply a cover jpeg(s). This option is only available for very small publishers.
  • Register for Nielsen TitleEditor – go to nielsentitleeditor.com. For queries contact: pubanz@nielsen.com
  • For larger publishers: please supply an ONIX feed, contact info@nielsenbookdata.co.nz
  • If you are not sure, call 0800 447 029

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults at Government House venue

By News

A formal maroon and gilt viceregal setting contrasted with the ebullience of writing for children and teens at the presentation of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults last Thursday, 13 August, in Wellington.

SingingHomeTheWhaleThe star book of the night was Mandy Hager’s Singing Home the Whale, which first won the Awards’ Young Adult Fiction category and later the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award. The story of young Will and an orca called Min which he befriends while rowing also addresses ecological concerns. “This novel should be compulsory reading in any country that still hunts whales. The alternating narrative by Will and Min is captivating and believable, as well as easy to read,” said judging convenor Bob Docherty.

Mandy Hager received $7,500 for each of her awards. Singing Home the Whale is published by Penguin Random House NZ.

Also on the judging panel were author Annemarie Florian and teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie with the assistance of Te Reo Māori language adviser, Stephanie Pohe-Tibble.

Guests at the event were appreciative that an awards ceremony was possible, despite the lack of sponsorship this year. The theatre style presentation of the awards was followed by drinks – and a chance to view reception rooms at the Wellington residence of Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae and Lady Mateparae.

Best Picture Book (prize $7,500) was awarded to Jim’s Letters, by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper. Based on the relationship between two brothers and their correspondence during World War 1, this book is a heart-wrenching story, testament to the pre-internet written word as a means of recording and retelling history. Publisher; Penguin Random House NZ.

Rotorua author Donovan Bixley won the Junior Fiction award (prize $7,500) with Monkey Boy. A ‘rollicking read’ say the judges as Monkey Boy has mixed history with the supernatural and scatological. Publisher; Scholastic NZ.

The Non-Fiction category winner is Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill, (prize $7,500) by Debbie McCauley and Tamati Waaka. Using narrative devices and compelling design, this book tells the story in both English and Māori of little blue penguin Mōtītī Blue’s struggle after being trapped in the Rena oil spill. Publisher; Mauāo Press.

The Māori Language award (prize $1,000) went to Ngā Kī, by Sacha Cotter, translated by Kawata Teepa and illustrated by Josh Morgan. Beautifully capturing a child’s voice, Ngā Kī conveys the special relationship between a father and his daughter. Publisher; Huia Publishers.

Winner of the Best First Book Award (prize $2,000) is Julie Noanoa, for Māori Art for Kids. The judges commended this book for its combination of excellent production values and outstanding content. Publisher; Potton & Burton.

PANZ Book Design Awards 2015 “It is rewarding to be acknowledged”

By News
Design Awards judges 2015

Pictured above l-r: Judges Vincent Heeringa, Kalee Jackson, Miriam Rosenbloom, and Cameron Gibb.

Kiwi book design talents were celebrated for the 18th time last Thursday at the PANZ Book Design Awards presented at Auckland’s Sapphire Room.

The supreme award winner was quite fittingly Janson Chau of Alt Group for his inspiring treatment of Cardboard Cathedral, Andrew Barrie’s book on Shigeru Ban’s designs for the Christchurch Anglican cathedral’s temporary replacement.

Janson Chau - smallAccepting the Gerard Reid Best Book award, Janson (left) told the awards audience “It is rewarding to be acknowledged.”

The Auckland University Press Cardboard Cathedral won awards for best illustrated and best typography categories before being declared the overall winner.

Judges Cameron Gibb, international guest judge Miriam Rosenbloom, Kalee Jackson and Vincent Heeringa were all highly complimentary about the quality of all finalist books.

Young designer - CarlaPANZ Young Designer of the Year was added to the awards six years ago. Judged between finalists Anna Egan-Reid, Carla Sy and Jessica Gommers the quality and breadth of design talent shown was outstanding over all three portfolios. For 2015 Carla Sy was announced the winner and received the unexpected prize of four days experience with the HarperCollins design studio  in Sydney.

Read the full press release here.
See all our winners and finalists on the Book Design website.

Congratulations to all our winners

New Zealand Book Awards Return with Major Fiction Prize

By Media Releases, News

NZ Book Awards TrustAfter a 12-month hiatus, the country’s premier book awards will return in 2016 with a new structure, a new judging process and a significant, annual fiction prize of $50,000.

The New Zealand Book Awards winners will be announced at an event during the country’s largest literary gathering – the Auckland Writers Festival – in May 2016.

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust chair, Nicola Legat, says she is delighted to announce the changes, and in particular the major fiction award, which is provided by the Acorn Foundation, through the generosity of one of its donors.

“It creates a tremendous and lasting literary legacy. The sum of $50,000 will be awarded to the top fiction work annually, in perpetuity. This will make a difference not only to the receiving writer, but also to the literary fabric of New Zealand. It is a huge gift for us all.”

The Acorn Foundation is a Western Bay of Plenty-based community foundation that encourages people to leave bequests in their wills, or gifts during their lifetimes.

Acorn Foundation’s Operation’s Manager, Margot McCool, says it is humbling to witness such generosity.

“Since 2003 we have been encouraging generosity, so that people who really care about their community can fulfil their wish of enabling organisations and causes they believe in. We are so pleased that this award will make such a difference to New Zealand novelists’ careers,” says Mrs McCool.

In addition to an annual fiction winner, there will be a poetry, a general non-fiction and an illustrated non-fiction winner and, should there be sufficient entries, a Māori language award. The three Best First Book Awards will also continue.

Ms Legat added that including the awards in the Auckland Writers Festival programme ensures they reach more people.

“The New Zealand Book Awards will be the first public event in the festival’s line-up. With the festival growing exponentially year-on-year (55 percent in 2014 and a further 17 percent in 2015), we are taking New Zealand writers to a huge reading audience.”

Auckland Writers Festival director Anne O’Brien says embracing the New Zealand Book Awards was a natural fit.

“The festival is committed to sharing a love of books and reading and to championing and supporting New Zealand writers through exposure to thousands of festival-goers each year.  The New Zealand Book Awards are a celebration of writing excellence and we’re delighted to offer them a home in the festival’s programme,” says Ms O’Brien.

The four main categories will be judged by specialist judges, three per category, plus a Māori language adviser for the Māori language awards.  The judges will select a long list of around eight books in each category. It will be announced in November 2015.

The shortlist of four books in each of the categories will be announced in early March 2016.

“The changes to the judging process are a direct result of the consultation process carried out by the Book Awards Trust in 2014. Having fewer books for each judge to read, and having more specialist depth in each genre, will allow a more detailed examination of the works,” says Ms Legat.

The call for entries in the awards is scheduled for August 1 this year.

ENDS

 

For interview opportunities and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

Margot McCool, Operations Manager Acorn Foundation Tel 07 579 9839, 027 2455 142, margot@acornfoundation.org.nz

 

Editor’s Notes:

The New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards, they have also been called New Zealand Post Book Awards (2010-2014) and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. The awards, now given for Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction, General Non-fiction and Poetry,  as well as for Best First Book and Māori language, are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity).  Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards.

The Acorn Foundation is a Community organisation based in the Western Bay of Plenty, which encourages people to leave a gift in their Will and/or their lifetime, to support their local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make donations to local charities, in accordance with the donors’ wishes. The capital remains intact.

Since it was established in 2003, Acorn has distributed over $2.4million, and this year expects to distribute a further $500,000. It currently has invested funds of $13million.

Donors may choose which organisations are to benefit each year, or they may decide to leave that to the trustees’ discretion. This will allow for the changing needs of the region in years to come.

Community Foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 13 community foundations throughout New Zealand.

To find out more go to www.acornfoundation.org.nz, or www.nzcommunityfoundations.org.nz

Book Trade Industry Awards prove a passion for books creates profits

By Media Releases, News

MEDIA RELEASE
SUNDAY, 21 JUNE 2015

Neilsen Book logoA renowned family of booksellers were honoured with a lifetime achievement award tonight at the annual Book Industry awards in Auckland, while individual publishers and booksellers were recognised as being the best in the New Zealand trade.

This year the lifetime achievement award was presented to the Parsons Family of Auckland and Wellington for the inter-generational contribution the family have made to the industry.

All of the winners of the Book Trade Industry Awards this year have been applauded by the judges for their dedication to quality – whether in publication, selling, or running events – and passion for the trade. There were six awards given, and for the first time this year, applicants were invited to self-nominate. This allowed some smaller bookstores who didn’t frequently see publishing reps to highlight their own efforts to improve sales for their stores. There were a large number of nominees in this category, making the prize even more desirable.

The judges of the awards were Karen Ferns, Jill Rawnsley, Carolyn Morgan, Graham Beattie and Karren Beanland.

The winners of each category are announced below:

2015 Young Book Retailer of the Year:
Jenna Todd, Time Out Books, Mt Eden
‘Jenna manages the shop, which had its best ever sales in 2014, in an exemplary manner. Not only does she run their media & social media effectively, the customer testimonials for her work were outstanding,’ said judge Karen Ferns.

2015 Sales Rep of the Year:
Tammy Ruffell, HarperCollins NZ Lower North Island rep
‘Tammy is tireless in seeking ways to inspire customers, and has shown great leadership and resilience in facing head-on, with those customers, the challenges of the past year (or few),’ said judge Jill Rawnsley.

Marketing Strategy of the Year:
Penguin Random House NZ, for Chelsea Winter’s Everyday Delicious
‘The winning marketing strategy for 2015 saw an impressive result for the publisher and Chelsea Winter, the author, whose input into the campaign is every bit as contributory to the results. It is a competitive area of publishing, but the team at PRH pulled it off beautifully,’ said Rawnsley.

NZ Book Industry Special Award:
Bridget Williams Books
‘Bridget Williams Books wins this for their innovative list, and how effectively they have embraced the new digital age. They have proven their commitment to quality non-fiction publishing, publishing the important Tangata Whenua, while launching their new imprint BWB Texts over 2014,’ said Morgan.

Publisher of the Year:
Potton & Burton, newly renamed from Craig Potton Publishers
‘Potton & Burton show exceptional commitment to quality in its publishing programme, its production values, its relationships with customers and authors alike, and in the delivery of an essential distribution service. As well as this, the company’s dedication to New Zealand stories shines through in their regularly award-winning books,’ said Rawnsley.

Bookseller of the Year:
Unity Books, Wellington
‘Unity Books runs 50 events per year, and their support of NZ publishing accounts for 18% of their sales. Unity has proven over the years a great training place for aspiring booksellers. Overall, they win this award for their general excellence, and the special place they occupy in the community,’ said Morgan.

The Book industry is well-served by the passionate booksellers and publishers that are continuing to inspire in a changing environment. The Book Industry Awards are sponsored by PANZ, Nielsen Book and Booksellers NZ, and were administered via Booksellers NZ, by the Book Trade Liaison Committee.

ENDS

For media enquiries, interviews, please contact:

Lincoln Gould, CEO, Booksellers NZ
ph: (021) 426 575

For images, please contact:

Sarah Forster, Web Editor, Booksellers NZ
ph: (04) 815 8367, sarah.forster@booksellers.co.nz

Background of the New Zealand Book Industry Lifetime Achievement Award
The New Zealand Book Trade Lifetime Achievement award was created by the Book Trade Liaison Committee three years ago as a means of recognising those that have made a long and out-of -the -ordinary contribution to both publishing and bookselling . Previous winners have been individuals, with Graham Beattie winning the inaugural award in 2013, and Michael Moynahan in 2014.

Great Richness and Diversity in This Year’s Finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

By Media Releases, News

NZ Book Awards ChildrensPirates, orcas and penguins leap from the pages of the 22 books picked as finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

In the 25th year of these venerable awards, New Zealand authors have once again produced beautifully written and illustrated books that are wonderful to hold and read, showing that publishing for New Zealand children is in very good heart.

One hundred and forty-nine books were submitted for the Awards. A panel of three judges (judging convenor and children’s book reviewer and literary consultant Bob Docherty; author and children’s bookshop owner, Annemarie Florian; and teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie), with the assistance of Te Reo Māori language adviser, freelance Māori writer and editor Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, have spent months reading, analysing and enjoying all entries.

The finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are selected across four categories: Picture Book, Non-Fiction, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction, and there is an additional award for books written in Māori, for which there are finalists for the first time.

Judging panel convenor Bob Docherty says the judges were very pleased with the high quality of this year’s writing. “We likened the process to a vintner looking forward to tasting this year’s vintage. Having tasted, we all were delighted with this year’s production of titles – not only in terms of the actual writing, but also the fantastic quality and style of the illustrations and the actual presentation of the books. It’s heartening to see that book production in New Zealand is getting better and better. We’re pleased that publishers continue to put as much emphasis on the look and feel – literally – of a book as well as its content.

“The Picture Book category gave the judges the most difficulty – in the best possible way. With a whopping 75 entries, there was fierce competition to pare these down to five finalists. This indicates that New Zealand is producing its fair share of wonderfully strong visual stories – stories with simple integrity yet with expressive characters, where both author and illustrator work together to capture our interest on every page,” says Bob.

“All books submitted in the Non-Fiction category were particularly impressive – almost in defiance of the trend for some libraries to dispense with their non-fiction collections in favour of online sources. The judging panel believed all the Non-Fiction entries contained material that was far superior to any online source, and all entries deserved to be finalists, says Bob.

There were 35 entries in Junior Fiction category. “All these books were a delight to read. This year’s finalists have combined comic book illustrations with the traditional novel format, and four of the five books have an historical connection. Fantasy and adventure also figure, and there is a strong anti-bullying link within the finalists’ titles in this category.

The judges agreed that all 21 entries in the Young Adult Fiction category were stunning. The high standard of writing reflects the calibre of New Zealand’s world-class writers. The human condition and teenage relationships were intimately discussed, and dialogue was a strong feature of all of these novels.

Two finalists for the Māori language award

Seven books were submitted in the Māori language award, with two selected as finalists. Te Reo Māori language adviser, Stephanie Pohe-Tibble, says that all of this year’s entries had something for every reader – from beginning speakers of Māori to children and whānau involved in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori. The two finalists both stood out with their innovative approach to translation, wonderful text and illustrations, and creativity of storylines. Stephanie says, “I hope that all parents wishing to enrich their children’s lives with the Māori language will get to spend some special time with their children reading and enjoying these books.”

New Children’s Choice finalists’ list now decided by children

Children’s choices rule in the newly revamped Children’s Choice Awards in 2015. This year, more than 6,500 children and young adults from 106 schools from throughout the country have selected their own finalists from the 149 books submitted for the Awards. In previous years, the Children’s Choice was made from the judges’ finalist list, rather than from the full number of submitted books.

Nicola Legat, chair of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, says, ”We wanted to hand this section over to the children – for them to decide which books they engaged with and which books they loved, rather than making their choices based on the criteria the judges used to make their decisions. Of the 20 books chosen as Children’s Choice finalists, seven match those on the judges’ list, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing the results of round two of the children’s vote over the next seven weeks.”

Voting for the Children’s Choice opens on Tuesday, 9 June and closes on Friday, 31 July. This year there will be a winner in each category.

Prince George to receive Picture Book finalists

For the second year, the five Picture Book finalists books are about to be sent to Prince George of Cambridge and his newborn sister Princess Charlotte. Each of the five books has a personal message from its author to both children.

“Each year the New Zealand Book Awards Trust is sending Prince George, and now his little sister, specially signed books from the authors of the Picture Book finalists. As they grow older the Cambridge family will receive the Non-Fiction finalists, then the Junior Fiction. When George is 13, we’ll send the autographed Young Adult Fiction books. By the time the Cambridge children have grown up, they’ll have a wonderful collection of New Zealand children’s and young adult literature – all personally inscribed,” says Nicola Legat.

The finalists for the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Books

Construction, Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock, Walker Books Australia

I Am Not a Worm, Scott Tulloch, Scholastic New Zealand

Jim’s Letters, Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper, Penguin Random House

Keys, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers

Little Red Riding Hood . . . Not Quite, Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

Non-Fiction

Ghoulish Get-Ups: How to Create Your Own Freaky Costumes, Fifi Colston, Scholastic New Zealand

Māori Art for Kids, Julie Noanoa and Norm Heke, Craig Potton Publishing

Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill, Debbie McCauley and Sarah Elworthy, Mauao Publishing

The Book of Hat, Harriet Rowland, Makaro Press/Submarine

Under the Ocean: explore & discover New Zealand’s sea life, Gillian Chandler and Ned Barraud, Craig Potton Publishing

Junior Fiction

Conrad Cooper’s Last Stand, Leonie Agnew, Penguin Random House/Puffin

Dragon Knight: Fire!, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

Monkey Boy, Donovan Bixley, Scholastic New Zealand

The Island of Lost Horses, Stacy Gregg, HarperCollins

The Pirates and the Nightmaker, James Norcliffe, Penguin Random House/Longacre Child

Young Adults

I Am Rebecca, Fleur Beale, Penguin Random House

Night Vision, Ella West, Allen & Unwin

Recon Team Angel: Vengeance, Brian Falkner, Walker Books Australia

Singing Home the Whale, Mandy Hager, Penguin Random House

While We Run, Karen Healey, Allen & Unwin

Māori Language Award

Hoiho Paku, Stephanie Thatcher and Ngaere Roberts, Scholastic New Zealand

Nga Ki, Sasha Cotter and Joshua Morgan, Huia Publishers (translation of Keys, a finalist in the Picture Book category)

A Finalist Authors’ Tour will run from 3-7 August nationwide, with authors appearing in bookshops, libraries and schools.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is organised by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, and administered by Booksellers NZ. The Awards are sponsored by Creative NZ, Book Tokens Ltd, Copyright Licensing Limited New Zealand and Nielsen Book Services. Publishers have also supported the awards this year.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Thursday, 13 August at Government House in Wellington.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Adrienne Olsen                T    04 496 5513

Adroite Communications, Wellington     M 029 296 3650

Media Advisors, 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults E adrienne@adroite.co.nz