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WELCOME TO PANZ NEWS
13 July issue
We're thrilled to reveal the finalists for this year's PANZ Book Design Awards. The judges faced a difficult decision reaching their shortlist and were floored by the quality of this year's entries.
The latest New Zealand Publishing Market Size Report is now available and we have a warning about a new scam targeting publishers. We share news of Amazon's push into the NZ market, plus have programme announcments from both the WORD Christchurch and Going West festivals. Plus, we congratulate Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand on their 100 year anniversary.
In International News we have a bumper update from the IPA, with some must-read copyright developments and troubling freedom of expression developments in Hungary. We also look at the IPA's recent statement to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Head down to notices for some important reminders on upcoming deadlines, and an invite from Gecko Press to drinks before the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Plus if you make it all the way down to Meet the Members you will get to know the new commissioning editor at Upstart Press a little better.
Happy reading!
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 FEATURE
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PANZ Book Design Awards shortlist announced
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There’s nothing like the irresistible allure of a beautifully made book, and entries for the 2021 PANZ Book Design Awards show New Zealanders have never had so many to choose from.
With nearly 150 submissions received for this year’s awards, the four judges faced a real challenge when it came to settling on a shortlist.
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The increase in entries was especially evident in the submissions for the Allen & Unwin Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults and the Upstart Press Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book, both of which attracted a significant increase in entries, showcasing a range of books from the minimalist to the extravagant.
A fair amount of type-spotting went on, with judges considering everything from binding methods and cloth choices to illustrative styles and visual rhythm.
The panel of experts tasked with judging the 2021 awards are Simon Waterfield, Senior Designer at Lift Education (convenor); Fay McAlpine, graphic designer and lecturer in Visual Communication Design at Ngā Pae Mahutonga, Wellington School of Design, Massey University; James Goggin, graphic designer and founder of graphic design studio Practice, and award-winning graphic novelist and illustrator Ant Sang.
The extremely high standard of entries made for some robust discussions and difficult decisions, but ultimately the judges agreed on the clear stand-out titles for this year’s shortlist, even if reaching a verdict meant they had to reschedule their flights home as discussion raged into the night. Convening judge Simon Waterfield said: “Designers lavished a high level of care and detail in service of these beautiful books – with the level of collaboration from editorial and design through to print and print-finishing clearly evident.”
Click here to see the shortlist.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 23 September and will be followed by the PANZ Book design Workshop on the following Friday. Tickets for the event will go on sale soon.
For images of all the shortlisted books check out the PANZ Book Design Awards website.
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NATIONAL NEWS
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Letter to Minister Tinetti
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Yesterday we sent you an update on the National Library’s plan to send hundreds of thousands of books from their collection to the Internet Archive in the US, which will digitise the content and make it freely available online. This is of concern to PANZ and we are currently liaising with the NZ Society of Authors to push back against the proposal.
The formal announcement of the National Library’s plans were made yesterday and you can read more on that here. Background on the situation can be found here and here.
The letter we sent to the National Library expressing our concern is here and there is also a letter attached here that we sent to Minister Minister Chris Faafoi in 2018 outlining our worries about the Internet Archive.
We remain concerned about this proposal and will continue to monitor the situation.
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Alert: scam email targeting publishers
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PANZ members have been receiving emails purporting to be from Mr. Jianlong Wang of the Hubei Xinhua Bookstore Group, China, requesting very large orders of books. The emails mention actual titles, and the Xinhua Group is an established Chinese bookseller — only the email address is fake, and there is no Jianlong Wang in the Xinhua Group.
The scam appears to work by hitting up publishers for legal and other fees before delivery of the ‘order’, and has snared more than one victim overseas.
Any emails from etjbooks@yeah. net or with any of the details above belong in the junk email folder.
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Report shows Kiwis took solace in books in 2020
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The latest New Zealand Publishing Market Size Report 2020, completed by Nielsen Book Research for the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ)/ Te Rau o Tākapu shows publishers have proved remarkably buoyant, despite the turmoil of bookstore closures, shipping delays and cancelled author events.
The report highlights the $302.2 million contribution the publishing industry makes to New Zealand’s creative economy, an increase of 3% on 2019. That growth came from several sectors―all New Zealand-published content sold domestically grew 13% year-on-year, digital formats for the general consumer market grew 15% by volume, and the online sales channel experienced an uplift of 60% by value.
This growth in digital revenue was accelerated by both bookstore and library closures during the pandemic affecting access to new print titles. But despite the market evolving to meet conditions and the gains seen in digital formats, Kiwis still have a strong preference for physical print books. In 2020, print book sales increased 6% to $135.3m, accounting for a 90% volume share of the total market.
Both children’s books and the fiction category experienced value growth around 10%, but Kiwis clearly wanted the comfort and escape of fantasy worlds, as non-fiction recorded a slight value decline of 1%. There was continuing growth in Māori-language publishing, with the data showing a 24% increase in unit sales on 2019.
The figures are not as rosy in the export sector, with a 13% decline in earnings from New Zealand content as access to international markets, rights fairs and other routes to market were curtailed during the pandemic. This drop was particularly felt in the educational publishing sector which faced a reduction in exports to the US and UK, however exports to other markets grew in 2020, with content sent to Australia up 12% and Asia increasing by a significant 39%.
Read more here.
We’d like to express particular thanks to ex-PANZ Council stalwart Peter Dowling who has been closely involved in helping to shape the Market Survey Report over the past couple of years, and who’s advice, knowledge and patience throughout the process has been invaluable. Now that Peter has stepped off Council he’s clearly putting his mind to other literary endeavours and you can read more about that here.
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Amazon Australia opens to NZ customers
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Kiwi consumers can now buy directly from Amazon’s Australian website. Until now, they had to purchase via the US online store.
The development means shipping will be faster and cheaper. Standard delivery for NZ customers is expected to start at NZ$3.20 while expedited delivery for certain parts of Auckland and Christchurch will be around $7.49.
Amazon has four fulfillment centres in Australia - Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane - with a second planned centre for both Melbourne and Sydney.
We’ll be exploring what all of this means for local publishers at PANZ Conference next month. In the meantime, there is further information here.
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WORD Christchurch programme revealed
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WORD Christchurch has launched its 2021 festival programme, with an array of events to challenge, excite and entertain the city from 25 to 29 August. This year’s events tackle both the near and the far – with an intensely local flavour and an innovative international component.
Programme co-directors Nic Low (Ngāi Tahu) and Rachael King have worked together to create an exciting schedule of more than 80 events featuring over 150 speakers and performers.
Hard-hitting global issues will be at the forefront: Helen Clark appears in conversation about her work as co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and will also appear alongside former Tampa refugee, Abbas Nazari, as his book looks at 20 years since New Zealand welcomed 150 of its refugees, including Nazari, who was a child at the time.
International writers will appear via digital link, but this is no ordinary Zoom call. In The Faraway Near, WORD has created a custom-built venue and bar inside Tūranga that brings the speakers to the audience’s tables via digital display, creating an intimate and more personal atmosphere.
In an exciting cross-festival and cross-oceans link-up, Scotland’s crime master Ian Rankin will beam in live from the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which is happening at the same time (4–30 August).
In a royal first for the festival and in a New Zealand exclusive, WORD will beam in Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York from her home in Windsor, to talk with Nicky Pellegrino about the new romance novel based on her story and that of her ancestor.
Tickets are on sale now. For more information and to view the full programme visit wordchristchurch.co.nz
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Fresh format for Going West Festival’s 2021 Live Season
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Going West Festival’s 26th season will offer four multi-media Saturday evening events featuring Aotearoa’s finest writers of prose, poetry and music once a month from August.
Launching on Saturday 14 August, the richly layered new-format offers something for everyone with a love of reading and ideas.
“Going West Festival is 25 years old this year. We want to demonstrate our commitment to the next quarter century with a fresh programming approach. There will be live music, oratory, performance and kōrero taking place, as well as pop up performances and installations, on multiple stages, with refreshments available throughout the evening," says director James Littlewood.
Award-winning writer and associate professor of creative writing at the University of Auckland Paula Morris is a mentor to the Festival’s fresh approach. Together with literary advisors Angelique Kasmara, Amy McDaid, Jack Cottrell and Sonya Wilson, Dr Morris has curated a programme that celebrates Aotearoa as a Pacific nation of increasing diversity under the theme ‘Stranded in Paradise.’
Find out more about the programme here
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Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand celebrates 100 years
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Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is celebrating its 100 year anniversary.
"We are thrilled to be celebrating our centenary and are so very proud of all our members and our achievements," says Chief Executive Dan Slevin. "The centenary has been a time for reflecting on the past as well as looking to the future. Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is focused on the changing world of books and is committed to the continued success of bookselling in New Zealand."
Over the last 100 years, Booksellers have seen many changes and the association has adapted over the years. The original version of the association 100 years ago was incredibly conservative and restrictive. It was all about keeping people out of the business to preserve sales for the existing booksellers rather than inviting people into the industry.
Today Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand see themselves as having a much bigger remit in terms of the sector as a whole.
Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is thinking ambitiously and imaginatively about what the job of a trade association such as theirs will look like in the 21st century and how they can continue to evolve and stay relevant.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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There's lots to read in the IPA's June newsletter. On 7 June, IPA held a webinar under the theme “Protecting the book market: strategies, challenges & best practices on copyright enforcement”. The webinar featured as part of the BBPlus Gateway programme. Read more here.
Later in the month, the International Authors Forum and IFRRO organised a panel called ‘Creating a Living: Exceptions & Limitations to Copyright Balanced by Licensing’, IPA Secretary General spoke about exceptions and limitations to copyright and why, sometimes, they are not the right solution. Read more here.
Ahead of the European General Affairs Council meeting on 22 June, and following the adoption of a new amendment in Hungary threatening freedom of expression, the IPA, the FEP and the EIBF reaffirmed their support for Hungarian publishers. Read more here.
Bodour Al Qasimi, IPA President, has emphasised the power of literacy to change lives while making a clarion call for closing gaps in accessibility of books for children around the world. Read more here.
Finally, for the second year in a row, the IPA is supporting Nielsen on an important and ambitious industry-wide survey to investigate the international landscape and perception of book prizes. All participants of the survey will receive a summary of the findings. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and the deadline for responses is Friday 30 July. Get started here.
For more June IPA news, click here.
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Publishing Perspectives reports:
International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) secretary-general José Borghino has told the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) that the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that ‘publishers need a clear legal framework with appropriate exclusive rights and effective enforcement’ in copyright.
Four days of meetings of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights have just concluded and Publishing Perspectives looks at Borghino's statement and the issues the pandemic has created in regards copyright.
Click here to read more.
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NOTICES
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NZCYA Pre-Awards drinks invitation
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Gecko Press will be hosting pre-drinks before the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Because the ceremony is being held at the National Library this year, the pre-drinks are taking place at a bar on that side of town, Huxley's, rather than at the Gecko Press offices.
Gecko Press would love to invite all publishers who are attending the awards to join them.
When: 11 August from 4.30pm
Where: Huxley's, 34 Bowen Street, Pipitea, Wellington
RSVP to office@geckopress.com for catering purposes.
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PANZ Membership survey reminder
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A reminder that the biennial PANZ Membership survey was sent out last week to heads of houses. We have had a large number of responses already and our thanks those who have already taken the time to fill it in. If you haven't yet had a chance to take a look we would really appreciate your responses by Friday 23 July. The survey will help us to get a sense of the priorities you’d like PANZ to focus on, what we’re getting right and what we might be missing from our programme. It’s all vital information that will help to make us a more effective and productive organisation, and able to support you in a way that’s valuable and relevant for your business.
If you didn't receive the e-mail and think you should have please contact Katherine at PANZ for the link.
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Diversity and Inclusion follow-up Workshop
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A reminder that the follow-up Diversity and Publishing online workshop, hosted by Anton Blank, is being held next week.
From Anton: Now that we are beginning to implement our diversity and inclusion strategies, it is time for a check in. This workshop is an opportunity for you to explain what you have done, since we met as a group, and ask questions. We’ll dive deeper into the commercial benefits of diversity and inclusion as well, and explore the concept of intersectionality.
When: Tuesday 20 July 2021 at 10-11am
Where: via Zoom – link has been sent separately to those previously registered.
This webinar is free of charge for those who participated last year and no need to re-register. If you have not received the link please contact PANZ.
Whilst the webinar will be most meaningful to those who have already taken part in the earlier sessions PANZ members who missed the previous series are still welcome to attend.
Cost for new registrants $30 plus gst. Click here to register as a new participant.
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Hops and dreams: Wellington industry drinks
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Whitireia Publishing students complete two work placements throughout the year. During our first placement this June, the students organised an Auckland Publishers pub night to celebrate the fabulous relationships between Whitireia and our placement hosts. We had so much fun getting to know each other that we’re doing it again in Wellington.
The Whitireia Publishing class of 2021 would like to invite the Wellington publishing crew to a mid-year meet & greet from 4pm on 23 July at Heyday Bar. We hope to see you there!
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IPEd seeks input to revision of editing standards
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The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) is seeking publishing industry input to a revision of its Australian standards for editing practice.
IPEd has requested submissions from its members and the industry more broadly, which can be made here, via the IPEd website. Submissions close on 31 August 2021.
IPEd Chair Ruth Davies AE said the Standards second edition was published in 2013 and, while the document was written to “withstand the test of time”, the revision process would reflect current practice in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
IPEd invites submissions for minor revisions, which should specifically identify:
• any standard that is no longer relevant and should be omitted
• any language that needs updating
• any new standard that should be included.
The Standards sets out core standards that professional editors should meet and tells employers what to expect from the editors they hire.
Read more on the IPEd website.
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2021 NZSA New Zealand Heritage Literary Awards entries close 1 August
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Entries for the New Zealand Society of Authors New Zealand Heritage Literary Awards close at midnight on the 1st August. Although coordinated by the Canterbury Branch of the NZSA it is open to entries from all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents based anywhere in the world, with works set anywhere in the country.
A frequently asked question is "What does 'Heritage' mean?" - think of it simply as an event from our yesterdays that affects our tomorrows.
Please pass this information on to any writer you think might be interested in submitting an entry.
More information can be found here and Terms and Conditions are here.
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South Auckland Writers Festival happening soon
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The Words Will Work South Auckland Writers Festival is coming up on Saturday 24 July.
Words Will Work is a joint effort by the Franklin Writers Group and the South Auckland Writers Group. It is a non-profit event organised by writers.
For programme details click here.
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Meet the Members
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For the next little while we're using our Meet the Members section to introduce you to some of the newer members of the industry or talk to people who are relatively new to their roles.
Name: Abby Aitcheson
Role: Commissioning Editor
Company: Upstart Press
My first job in publishing was: Editorial Assistant at PQ Blackwell (now Blackwell & Ruth). Glam books, gorgeous people – it made me feel pretty cool.
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I’m currently reading: Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes. I just finished Greta & Valdin and I can’t stop thinking about it. Ridiculously good!
My biggest career highlight in publishing has been: Afraid I’m going to have to do some name-dropping here... Receiving handwritten letters from childhood hero Jack Lasenby. Or having a kiki with Witi Ihimaera. Or when Dame Lynley Dodd agreed with me that an en dash would work better than a comma. Cheers, PRH! More recently: becoming a commissioning editor and getting the opportunity to champion new authors for Upstart Press. It’s an honour.
You can read through previous Meet the Member interviews here. If there's someone you think we should feature, please email admin@publishers.org.nz.
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PANZ Publishing Calendar 2021
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Make sure these key dates are in your diary and let us know if there's anything we should add.
JULY 2021
13 July: PANZ Book Design Awards shortlist announced
AUGUST 2021
11 August: PANZ Council and strategy meeting
11 August: NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults ceremony in Wellington
20 August: 2021 PANZ Conference
21 – 22 August: Booksellers NZ Conference
21 August: Industry Awards Dinner
27 August: Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day
25 – 29 August: WORD Christchurch Festival
25 – 29 August: Beijing International Book Fair
SEPTEMBER 2021
23 September: PANZ Book Design Awards ceremony
OCTOBER 2021
9 October: Bookshop Day
20 – 24 October: Frankfurt Book Fair
NOVEMBER 2021
16 November: PANZ Council meeting
19–21 November: China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF)
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If you have an announcement, a job or any news please let us know so we can share it.
Email admin@publishers.org.nz
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