News

Heading into Christmas, sales of New Zealand-published children’s books are on a roll —helping the domestic publishing industry to reach more readers with local stories in 2018.

In the 11 months to the end of November, sales of New Zealand books were up +1.6% by volume compared to the same period last year.

Children’s books account for much of that dynamism, with volume sales up +16.7% and value sales +18.8% compared to 2017.

Data from industry analyst Nielsen BookScan points to a surge in sales of children’s and young adult non-fiction books, which spiked +77.9% over the past year.

Unusually for a segment dominated by fiction and picture books, three of the top ten children’s books in the Christmas selling period to date are non-fiction titles.

Picture book The Wonky Donkey, given global prominence from a viral Facebook video, has galloped to the top of the sales charts.

Growth is not limited to children’s, however, with New Zealand fiction for adults seeing a sales boost of almost +2% by volume.

“New Zealand publishing is in good heart and proving the value of quality, locally authored work to readers here and around the world,” commented Peter Dowling, President of the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ).

Children’s book sales globally are booming, evidenced by rights and distribution activity at industry fairs attended by PANZ in 2018 including the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair and Guadalajara International Book Fair.

“That trend is being reflected here with new publishers and bookstores opening, and a growing range of gorgeous and engaging books by New Zealand authors and illustrators,” Dowling said.

“Christmas shoppers should head to their local bookstores to see what the excitement is about — the summer readers in their lives will thank them.”

ENDS

About the Publishers Association of New Zealand

PANZ represents book, educational and digital publishers in New Zealand, from large international publishers to local independent presses. The book publishing industry publishes over 2,000 New Zealand titles each year and turns over an estimated $330 million a year. 

Contact: Sandra Noakes,Councillor

Email:sandra.noakes@harpercollins.co.nz   Tel:027 576 7675

About Nielsen Book

Nielsen Book is the leading provider of book-related data services to more than 100 countries worldwide. Its Auckland office works with booksellers, distributors, libraries and publishers to collate sales data and support decision-making in New Zealand’s vibrant book sector.

Contact: Nevena Nikolic, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager

Email: nevena.nikolic@nielsen.com Tel: 021 942 618
http://www.nielsenbookdata.co.nz

To celebrate a bumper year of publishing we asked our members to pick a favourite child and tell us about the book they were most thrilled to publish. We also flipped the coin and asked which other publisher’s title they wished they’d commissioned.

There were definitely some common themes in the books that inspired envy, with Birdstories, Dear Donald Trump and Sh*t Towns of New Zealand topping the list of titles  that turned rival publishers a tad green.

Claire Murdoch, Head of Publishing New Zealand, Penguin Random House New Zealand
What a cruel question, PANZ! Luckily I’m new in the Penguin Random House NZ saddle so – while I can’t take credit for any of it – I can feel hugely proud of all the great books the team has published this year. I still get excited about My Life, My Fight, the Steven Adams biography originally signed by Debra Millar and written by the very brilliant Madeleine Chapman. She’s such a fierce talent and her point of view is fresh and urgent and right for our times.

As for the green-eyed-monster question, I can’t lie – I wish I had published Sh*t Towns of New Zealand. Instead, Allen &Unwin did. Kudos! It’s also great to see Sean Mallon’s Tatau out – and so, so beautifully – from Te Papa Press.

Also from the PRH team, Catherine O’Loughlin, Children’s Publisher, could not pick a favourite among her many wonderful 2018 books, but admires Dear Donald Trump by Sophie Siers and illustrated by Anne Villeneuve (Millwood Press).

Jeremy Sherlock, Senior Non-Fiction Publisher is most thrilled to have published Health Your Self by Dr Nic Gill. He would most like to have published: Topp Country: A Culinary Journey by the Topp Twins (Diva Productions) – “a no-brainer, in a way. A beautiful heartland cookbook that celebrates New Zealand, its people

and produce, from our beloved Topp Twins. I’ve bought multiple copies as Christmas gifts already.”

Fiction Publisher Harriet Allan says, “it was a rare pleasure this year to venture into poetry with Owen Marshall’s View from the South, a selection from his past three poetry books along with many more new works. She would have liked to have published Sia Figiel’s Freelove, published by Little Island Press. “Hers is a unique uncompromising voice and her laughter fills an entire room.”

Jenny Hellen, Publisher, Allen & Unwin
I was absolutely thrilled to publish Women, Equality, Power: Selected Speeches from a Life of Leadership – it was exciting to see the huge response from the media, booksellers and the general public who flocked to hear Helen Clark speak at various events. When I first contacted Helen about the book, she wasn’t so keen as she couldn’t imagine that anyone would want to buy it. But she gradually came on board and was delighted by the way it turned out and the interest it generated and by the admiration

shown to her by many.

Birdstories: A History of the Birds of New Zealand by Geoff Norman (Potton & Burton) is a book I’d have loved to publish. Such a great idea and it looks beautifully put together, with an excellent jacket.

Alex Hedley, New Zealand Publisher HarperCollins Publishers NZ
The book I was most thrilled to publish in 2018 was Sam Hunt: Off the Road by Colin Hogg. I’m a huge fan of Sam, and I’m always in awe of Colin Hogg’s artful turn of phrase. Neither are afraid to speak their mind – this is an extremely honest and revealing book!

The book I wish I’d published is The Colour of Time by Dan Jones & Marina Amaral (Head of Zeus), an extraordinary collection of colourised photographs from 1850-1960. Truly startling.  But on a local level, I have to say I’d have been most pleased to publish the Steven Adams story (Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight, Penguin). Also – Hillary’s Antarctica by Jane Ussher and Nigel Watson (Allen & Unwin) is a very fine bit of publishing.

Alison Shucksmith, Product and Publishing Manager, Hachette NZ
I am most proud of publishing Shhh! Don’t Wake the Baby, celebrating the birth of Neve, a brilliant moment for New Zealand and the world.

I wish we had published Granny McFlitter Champion Knitter by Heather Haylock and Lael Chisholm (Puffin), a beautiful book that is both a delight for grown-ups and children to admire and read.

Bridget Williams, Director and Publisher BWB
I’m thrilled with In Ko Taranaki Te Maunga, Rachel Buchanan writes a very personal narrative about Parihaka, weaving together whakapapa, history, contemporary politics and her own vivid experience. And what we love about this book is the impact it has had – racing out the bookshop door, popular on Facebook, and so many people gathering at the National Library to hear Buchanan speak with Mahara Okeroa. So, yes, we’ve reprinted, and our great distributors at Batemans are continuing to pack it out of the warehouse.

Birdstories: A History of the Birds in New Zealand by Geoff Norman (Potton & Burton) is right off the BWB publishing patch – but here we are up at the top of the Botanic Gardens, with kererū literally at the window, tūī and kākā flapping their way past. So this stunning publication is a must-have for the BWB office in 2019!

Carolyn Lagahetau, Editorial Director, Oratia Books
I’m really thrilled that in 2018 we published Nanny Mihi and the Bellbird by Melanie Drewery and Tracy Duncan. Nanny Mihi has been in my publishing life for a couple of decades; she’s had a bit of a holiday and has been treated like some of our real life nannies; I didn’t visit her or call her as much as I should have! So, here she is, revitalised and sharing her smart, funny and delicious ways with her mokopuna.

I would have liked to have published the David Riley title Fānene Peter Maivia, Son of Samoa in his Reading Legends series, in Samoan and English (published by Reading Warrior). Alongside books in his Pasifika Heroes series, David writes about historical and contemporary figures from the different islands, providing Pasifika children an impetus to read as they see themselves reflected in the books. He also gives them the message that their lives can include achieving things they might not think are possible.

Kevin Chapman, Director Upstart Press
I am proud of How Māui Fished Up The North Island, by Donovan Bixley. I have wanted for a long time to publish in more than one of New Zealand’s official languages, and Donovan’s different, and cheeky, take on this great story was the obvious candidate.

I wish I had published Past Tense by Lee Child (Penguin Random House). Would love the sales!

Nicola Legat, Publisher Massey University Press & Te Papa Press
For Massey University Press I was thrilled to publish Damian Skinner’s Theo Schoon: A Biography. Collectors know about him but for the public Schoon has been in the shadows for too long. Damian shines a long-overdue light on a remarkable, extraordinarily complex and influential figure in this country’s art history.

For Te Papa Press I am very proud of Sean Mallon and Sebastien Galliot’s Tatau: A History of Samoan Tattooing. The scope of the authors’ research is so impressive, it’s full of superb images, and InHouse has backed it up with outstanding design.

I don’t publish fiction but if I did I’d have loved to have published Kate Duignan’s superb The New Ships (Victoria University Press).  Well done VUP!

Quentin Wilson, Quentin Wilson Publishing
The title I was most thrilled to publish in 2018 was Province of Danger, by Ray Grover. Province of Danger is the most extensively researched and well-written novel about WW II and the surrounding times I have ever read. Kevin Ireland’s Foreword to this book sums it up better than I am able: “No New Zealand novel about the harrowing experience of our growth towards nationhood has a broader sweep and more detailed grasp of events. It is a masterpiece of times that must never be forgotten”.

I would most like to have published Fight for the Forests: The pivotal campaigns that saved New Zealand’s forests by Paul Bensemann (Potton & Burton). This book recounts inspiring actions by inspiring individuals. I wish I had been there and I wish I had known the people involved. This book makes getting to know and understand those people and their actions possible.

Rachel Lawson, Associate Publisher, Gecko Press
As a way to choose just one book from our 2018 list, I’ll regress to the age of 10, when the magic of reading felt strongest for me. For that 10-year-old I’ll choose The 

Mapmakers’ Race by Eirlys Hunter—a quintessential adventure novel with tramping! Narrow escapes, family, resourcefulness and maps in a landscape reminiscent of the Southern Alps. This book was a treat to work on and to watch becoming a favourite of indie booksellers and readers—in the UK and Australia as well as New Zealand.

For the book I’d have loved to publish in the same age range, Kate De Camillo’s Louisiana’s Way Home (Walker Books) —a gorgeous lively and distinctive voice, a tough story told with lots lightness, and beautifully published with a cracker of a cover.

Sally Greer, Publisher, Beatnik Publishing
I was most thrilled to publish RIPE RECIPES: A Third Helping by Angela Redfern and the Ripe Deli team. Beatnik has had huge success with the first two RIPE RECIPE books, and there has been so much demand for a third book. This all-new collection of recipes celebrates 15 years of business for the Ripe Deli crew and includes all-time favourites as well as exciting new dishes.

The book I wish I’d published is Dear Donald Trump by Sophie Siers (Millwood Press). I love that this book has done so well with international rights, and that Sophie had lots of help from fellow publishers that contributed to its success. That is the experience I’ve had with attending the Frankfurt Book Fair too, and that’s the lovely thing about our industry is that we support and help each other. It’s completely opposite to Trump’s wall building approach!

Sam Elworthy, Director, Auckland University Press
At AUP, the game changer book for us was Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and Wharehuia Milroy’s He Kupu Tuku Iho: Ko te Reo Māori te Tatau ki te Ao. Completely in te reo, our expectations were modest but we sold out our first print run in a week and are rapidly selling through a second printing. We’ll be rolling out big plans next year for Kotahi Rau Pukapuka, 100 Book in Te Reo, so this book was an exciting start.

Other publishers’ books? Phew. I reckon Sh*t Towns of New Zealand (Allen & Unwin) if I could get it through the AUP board. But seriously, A&U are doing great publishing (though I still resent Mel for edging out AUP for publisher of the year).

Here are some other wonderful books our publishers are proud of:

Charyn Jones, Managing Editor, Wendy Pye Publishing
One of our authors wrote a text about mindfulness, Staying Still by Samantha Montgomerie. She planned this so that students could focus on the doing words of listening, looking, thinking and breathing. She started with a reference to how much fun it is to run and skip and be busy. She then went on to demonstrate ways of staying still and being in your surroundings and aware of your emotions. Those of us working on the book felt “softened” by the message.

Mary Varnham, Editor-in-chief, Awa Press
When Emma Gilkison, an IIML graduate, came to us with the manuscript for her extraordinary memoir, The Heart of Jesus Valentino, we were gripped from page one. Emma and her partner Roy Costilla had faced a situation that’s every parent’s nightmare – learning their unborn child was suffering from an unsurvivable medical condition. This sounds a sad story but in Emma’s hands it becomes a page-turner – beautifully written and starkly honest. For a revealing insight into how doctors and midwives view and treat such rare conditions, read this book.

Alex Collins, Chief Executive, Lift Education Tautai Ake
Lift Education E Tū published a series of 33 literacy books in gagana Tokelau for use in schools in Tokelau. They were developed in conjunction with Matāeke o Akoakoga a Tokelau (the Tokelau Department of Education), an editorial team in Tokelau, and Elaine Lameta from Massey University.

Jenny Haworth, Wily Publications
The book I was most thrilled to publish was Penguins Under the Porch by David Harbourne.  This is a study of Oamaru and is one of the best written non-fiction books I published this year. David was a Yorkshire man who came to New Zealand and fell in love with Oamaru and then returned for several months, interviewed everyone possible in Oamaru and then wrote the book.

Charlotte Gibbs, Toitoi Media
The Jillion is a collection of incredible work from Toitoi Issues 1-12. Written and illustrated by New Zealand’s young writers and artists ages 5-13, the Jillion is a celebration of their curiosity, courage and creativity.

PANZ is delighted to announce the successful recipients of the 2018 Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative.  Jasmine Sargent will intern with Victoria University Press, Jess Hubbard with Te Papa Press and Mish Wickremesekera with Lift Education.

Odessa Owens, Publishing Programme Leader, Whitireia Publishing said “Each of these interns were selected because they went the extra mile with their assessments, projects and research during the year. We’re thrilled to see them joining such highly regarded publishing houses.”

The Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative, administered by PANZ, provides internship opportunities each year for three new graduates of the Whitireia New Zealand publishing course to enter the industry. The programme has produced some impressive results in past years with many publishers choosing to offer the interns full-time positions at the end of the programme, and a number of former interns now hold senior positions in publishing companies.

Mish Wickremesekera

It is only in recent years that educational publishers who meet the criteria have been eligible to apply for the internships and we are delighted that Lift Education has been selected.   PANZ encourages other educational publishers to consider this opportunity in the future.

Matt Comeskey, Publisher Lift Education and himself a former Whitireia intern said “We are delighted to welcome Mishalee Wickremesekera to Lift Education as an intern in 2019. Thank you to Creative New Zealand, PANZ and Whitireia for this opportunity. We look forward to seeing you in February, Mish!”

For more details on the Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative click here.

Jasmine Sargent

Jess Hubbard

PANZ is delighted to announce the successful recipients of the 2018 Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative.  Jasmine Sargent will intern with Victoria University Press, Jess Hubbard with Te Papa Press and Mish Wickremesekera with Lift Education.

Odessa Owens, Publishing Programme Leader, Whitireia Publishing said “Each of these interns were selected because they went the extra mile with their assessments, projects and research during the year. We’re thrilled to see them joining such highly regarded publishing houses.”

The Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative, administered by PANZ, provides internship opportunities each year for three new graduates of the Whitireia New Zealand publishing course to enter the industry. The programme has produced some impressive results in past years with many publishers choosing to offer the interns full-time positions at the end of the programme, and a number of former interns now hold senior positions in publishing companies.

Mish Wickremesekera

It is only in recent years that educational publishers who meet the criteria have been eligible to apply for the internships and we are delighted that Lift Education has been selected.   PANZ encourages other educational publishers to consider this opportunity in the future.

Matt Comeskey, Publisher Lift Education and himself a former Whitireia intern said “We are delighted to welcome Mishalee Wickremesekera to Lift Education as an intern in 2019. Thank you to Creative New Zealand, PANZ and Whitireia for this opportunity. We look forward to seeing you in February, Mish!”

For more details on the Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative click here.

Jasmine Sargent

Jess Hubbard

L-R: Peter Dowling, Catriona Ferguson, Indonesian Literary Agent Alda Trisda and IPA President Elect Hugo Setzer

PANZ Director Catriona Ferguson Reports from Frankfurt Book Fair 2018:

As usual it was all go on the PANZ stand in Hall 6.0 at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. Nine publishers spent three busy days in meetings with contacts from around the world; the general vibe at the fair was extremely positive. Kevin Chapman from Upstart Press noted that “It’s been a good fair and the proof will be in what happens next.”

Some reported that foot traffic in the halls felt lighter than it had been in previous years, but in fact this offered a welcome opportunity to focus on meetings without too much distraction. PANZ President Peter Dowling said that the fair had been, “Encouraging on a number of fronts, and there remains a growing interest in children’s and young adults books. Additionally there’s been enthusiasm for our design-led illustrated books.”

Beau Davidson from DHD Publishing attended the fair with his wife, writer Joy Davidson, for the first time. “It teaches you what the world of publishing is really all about; it’s a baptism by fire because you’re meeting all those involved in the industry – printers, online services, freight and packaging. It’s not until you get here that you realise how significant a gathering it really is.”

Sophie Siers from Millwood Press caused a bit of a stir with her delightful picture book Dear Donald Trump “What a fantastic fair, so much enthusiasm on the stand and around the exhibition halls. It was a highlight for Millwood Press to sign our title Dear Donald Trump on the stand to Czech Republic and Slovakia.”

And after busy days there was the usual round of evening stand parties to attend, which provided a host of networking opportunities. Of course the premium of these is the PANZ stand party, which was as successful as usual this year. A host of publishers, agents and VIPs showed up to enjoy some fine New Zealand wine and beer, great conversation and lots of laughs.

We continued to promote the Creative New Zealand/PANZ Translation Fund on the stand and also distributed copies of an Academy of NZ Literature produced anthology that provided enticing extracts of work from a range of Māori and Pasifika writers available for translation, and to participate in international events.

There were also some fresh initiatives happening at the book fair this year, including the first BookFest to be held in the new pavilion onsite at the Buchmesse. New Zealand writer Bridget Van Der Zjipp, who is based in Berlin, joined us in Frankfurt to discuss change and diversity with writers Amanda Lee Koe from Singapore and Min Jin Lee of Korea.

In International Publishers Association (IPA) news, Sam Elworthy and I attended the General Assembly and were delighted to vote enthusiastically in favour of Hugo Setzer’s nomination as President Elect of the IPA and Bodour Al Qasimi as Vice President Elect. They will both take up their positions on 1 January 2019. Read the press release from the IPA here.

We’d like to thank our supporters for helping us to have another successful Frankfurt: freight partner Book Systems and Education New Zealand and Creative New Zealand who contributed to stand costs and provided grants to publishers.

Pictured above the New Zealand Collective Stand (left) and Alexandra Smithyman, Deputy Head of Mission of the New Zealand Embassy in Berlin, with Gary Pengelly and Jan Kemp at the New Zealand stand party.

Sam Elworthy, Director, Auckland University Press reports:

I wore two hats at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year. Most of the time I was on the New Zealand stand rustling up international interest in our upcoming Auckland University Press titles. But for a couple of days I was talking about copyright, accessibility, the challenges of publishing in developing countries and under authoritarian regimes, in meetings of the International Publishers Association where I’m lucky enough to serve on the Executive Committee.

It’s a great group—publishers from Nigeria and Brazil, Spain and India, the UK and the UAE. Some are heads of associations but many of us are working publishers interested in the bigger picture. As an organisation the IPA is about the same size as AUP—ie it is small! So like many of our New Zealand organisations, including PANZ, it relies on people on committees actually doing stuff. And it means the organisation needs to be very focused on what it can (and can’t) do.

What is does well is focus internationally on copyright (in particular at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, whose treaties govern the intellectual property rights we all enjoy) and then jump into counties when those rights are under threat — most recently in Canada, South Africa, Ireland and the EU; at some point maybe New Zealand. And it does similarly good work around freedom to publish — engaging internationally and locally when publishers in places like Hong Kong and Turkey are thrown in jail or put out of business for publishing material critical of the government. And in a more recent thrust, it’s focused on what it can do to support the development of strong publishing in the developing world, working in places like Nigeria to support the growth of a robust publishing industry.

The room was very male, and NZ did our bit this year by helping to elect a woman publisher from Georgia to the executive committee and a UAE publisher, Bodour Al Qasimi, as vice president. When she becomes president it’ll be the first woman president of IPA in almost 30 years. Something to work on.

What can we bring back to New Zealand? I reckon there’s contributions we can make to the wider publishing landscape — working with WIPO/IPA on development of publishing in the parts of our region that aren’t as rich as we are; engaging with the Accessible Books Coalition to make sure our digital books are as accessible as possible to the visually impaired; and supporting our friends in South Africa and Canada, Hong Kong and Turkey when their intellectual property rights or freedom to publish are under threat. New Zealand may well need their support, and that of the IPA, in return some day.

Applications are now open for the Creative New Zealand National Publishing Internships Initiative 2019 which offers a Whitireia graduate the opportunity to work in a publishing company for six months. There will be three internships available which will run from February to July 2019. This a terrific opportunity to have a new graduate assisting you with your business.

The programme has produced some impressive results in past years with many publishers choosing to offer the interns full-time positions at the end of the programme and a number of interns now hold senior positions in publishing companies.   Last year’s successful applicants were Allen & Unwin, Bridget Williams Books and Victoria University Press.

“The intern programme allows us to expand our publication schedule and gives us valuable help during busy periods when we need all hands on deck. But more than this, it encourages us to listen to new ideas about publishing from a fresh perspective, and also to reconsider our own roles and tasks from a newcomer’s point of view, and consider how they may be done more effectively,” says Craig Gamble of  Victoria University Press.

Applications are open to trade publishers and also to educational publishers who produce a broad range of titles including picture books, early readers and junior fiction and/or books in te reo as well as Pasifika and Asian languages.

Applications close Friday 21 September and publishers will be advised whether or not they have been successful before 9 October to help with staff planning for the year ahead.  Click here for application form and further criteria.

Rachel Lawson, Associate Publisher, Gecko Press was the recipient of the 2018 W.E and M.L Scholarship to the Yale Book Publishing Course. Rachel attended the week-long intensive course which ran from 29 July to 3 August at the Yale School of Management in New Haven Connecticut and reports on her experience.

Yale School of Business building (glass walls represent transparency of good business practice)

The Yale Publishing Course was energising, absorbing, great fun. Forty percent of the participants were international, and I enjoyed being part of the antipodean contingent alongside five Australians. We discovered there was no need to get the giant semi-trailer-like black bus to lectures each morning but could stomp 15 minutes along the road and pick up a decent espresso on the way. And the stomping was important considering the quantity of (good!) food on offer at every break. Mornings were sessions from the charismatic staff from the business school, with heaps of useful material about how to make strong teams and good decisions, the culture of organisations. Afternoons were visitors from the publishing industry. In the spirit of the dozens of powerpoints we were shown, here are some of my bullet points.

Publishers catching the bus

Areas for putting energy mentioned by a number of different speakers

• Audio books are growing exponentially, and it’s a new market – audio listeners are not print readers
• ‘Facebook is dead’, not worth our energy (only 2% ‘pass-through rate’ to followers)
• We need to constantly feedback customers’ words into our message about the book (revise blurbs, media, metadata, ads)
• Every book needs visual content built for social media – ‘quote cards’, original photography and banners
• Special sales are just sales – they’re not special any more
• Multinationals are combining their marketing and publicity departments with little distinction now between the roles/tasks

Stats I found interesting

• Amazon has 46% of US print sales but books are around 4–5% of their business
• Audiobook sales have doubled in the past two years
• Online retail has led to a big shift to backlist: 59% of books sold online are over two years old

Useful tidbits

• The digital director of PRH told us they only deliver one ebook format (epub3) even to Amazon: ‘it’s not entirely easy but you too can do this!’
• Craig Mod says, ‘Amazon won’ so the only way to compete is to add value where they can’t, through voice and intimacy. He reckons this is through newsletters and email lists: they are all about voice and playfulness and have direct engagement – ‘the intimacy of the inbox’ (fantastic speaker and probably a great newsletter: craigmod.com)
• The PRH marketing and publicity department ran through the process of marketing a ‘make book’ and showed us everything we’re up against: five staff members; one year of work; media coaching, tour, website and social media platforms built for the author; three separate advance proofs (the third with a run of 5000 copies) and a total marketing spend of $200K… That’s how you get a book on the New York Times bestseller list.

Favourite quotes

• Blog posts aren’t dead, they just became emails.
• Boring retail is dead but exciting retail is alive.
• Publishing is a terrible business to be in – most books fail!

Applications for the 2019 scholarship will open in October.  Details can be found here

Winning designer Aaron Beehre

Aaron Beehre definitely got his exercise at the PANZ Book Design Awards held on Thursday 26 July. The Canterbury University Press designer took to the stage four times to claim a series of awards and found himself running out of people to thank in his acceptance speeches.

New China Eyewitness: Roger Duff, Rewi Alley and the art of museum diplomacy edited by James Beattie and Richard Bullen (Canterbury University Press) was definitely the hot favourite on the night, with the judges praising the book as “a complete package”, declaring it exquisite and awarding it the Gerard Reid Award for Best Book Sponsored by Nielson Book.

The crowd agreed and it was also awarded the Hachette New Zealand People’s Choice Award, winning by a clear margin.

As if that wasn’t enough, it took out the Penguin Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book and the HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover.

This year’s awards were judged by David Coventon (convenor), Anna Brown, Janson Chau and Kiran Dass and were presented at a buzzy ceremony at the Fresh Factory in Eden Terrace.

The Upstart Press Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book was awarded to Sarah Maxey (cover design) and Katrina Duncan (interior design) for Allen Curnow Biography and Poems Slipcase edition by Terry Sturm (Auckland University Press). The book’s use of a single typography throughout captured the judges’ attention and they found the elegant design and classic typographic choices highly evocative of the life lived.

The sophisticated partnering of typography and illustration saw Aotearoa: The New Zealand Story by Gavin Bishop (Penguin Random House) receive the Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book. The book was designed by Vida and Luke Kelly of Kelly Design and illustrated by Gavin Bishop.

Shying away from the obvious primary colours in favour of a muted palette was a risk that paid off for designer Kate Barraclough (Kate Francis Design), who received the Edify Award for Best Educational Book for The New Zealand Art Activity Book by Helen Lloyd (Te Papa Press). The judges found the book fun for kids, user-friendly, practical and engaging.

A cookbook that successfully paired photos, text, stories and food, while delivering something “a little more” design- wise was awarded the 1010 Printing Award for Best Cookbook. Eat Up New Zealand by Al Brown (Allen & Unwin NZ) was designed by Gary Stewart of The Gas Project.

The Mary Egan Publishing Award for Best Typography was awarded to A Moral Truth by James Hollings (Massey University Press), cover design by Gideon Keith and interior design by Gideon Keith and Carla Sy. The judges delighted in the use of the ellipsis as a repeated device alongside the halftone dot illustrations, labelling this a small example of the wit demonstrated in the book.

The Allen & Unwin Young Designer of the Year Award saw two Penguin Random House colleagues battle it out for the top prize. Rachel Clark was declared the winner thanks to her well developed and varied portfolio, which demonstrated a nuanced understanding of the elements of book design.

The awards were followed by a workshop the next day which kicked off with a panel chaired by David Coventon which drew the judges out a little further on their decision-making process and touched on some of the books that they loved but had just missed out on winning the top prize.  Next up Gideon Keith and Spencer Levine got down to the nitty gritty of typography, discussing kerning and exploring whether or not there is such a thing as a bad font. The final session was led by Anna Brown and Kiran Dass and featured Andrew Long (Marketing and Sales Manager from Auckland University Press) and Sally Greer (Beatnik Publishing). The discussion focused on designing for your audience and the differences in approach between university presses and more commercial publishing houses.