Story by ROB STOCK - Sunday Star Times - 05/08/2012
The publishing industry in New Zealand is anticipating a multi-year economic gain from its guest of honour status at the world's largest book fair. But the president of the Book Publishers Association is frustrated Kiwis haven't cottoned on to the magnitude of the opportunity.
It's been a tough few years for New Zealand publishing, so being named guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in a two-horse race with Australia has brought welcome excitement. But association president Kevin Chapman said the New Zealand media and public don't seem to understand what a marvellous showcase it is for the country.
The last few years has seen publishers facing up to competition from online booksellers unencumbered by GST such as Amazon, the rise of ebooks, and a drop-off in book-buying. Also they have had to absorb bad debts from the collapse of Red Group, the former owner of Whitcoulls.
Despite the challenges, Chapman said the industry remains in good health, and in the run-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair ran a measuring tape to gauge the industry's size and success in preparation to front the German press.
It was a task that was easier said than done.
The association estimates annual total book sales to New Zealanders to be running at about $350 million, but that is an estimate because giant retailer Whitcoulls, now owned by the Norman family, keeps its sales close to its chest and many books are imported via the likes of Amazon and the Book Depository, which also do not share their figures, though Kiwi online retailer Fishpond does.
Similarly, there are no comprehensive figures on how much foreign earnings the publishing industry generates for New Zealand, though the export value of books and rights is probably in the vicinity of $100m, Chapman says. Last year alone, the rights to an estimated 600 titles were sold abroad.
It's a number the industry feels pretty good about, Chapman said, but the Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs for five days from October 10 to October 14, offers the chance for a multi-year improvement on that.
About 60 New Zealand authors will be heading to the show, and Chapman is hoping that the spotlight in Germany will result in greater notice of Kiwi talent from surrounding nations and set up a ripple effect that will be felt for a few years.
But he says it is wrong to think of the book fair as being a purely literary event, especially for the guest of honour.
"One of the challenges has been to get New Zealanders to understand this is not just a book industry show," Chapman (left) said.
Not only is the show one of Europe's biggest cultural events, it is now a place where books and film meet, and for the guest of honour it goes wider than that.
New Zealand is using it as a platform to demonstrate its talents in a number of areas including film, tourism, performing arts, as well as wine and food. The country will have a prominent place at other festivals, which are being colonised as part of a programme of events to capitalise on the book fair.
In August, New Zealand will have booked out about 100 metres of the food and stage strip running along the embankment of Frankfurt's river Main as part of its annual museum festival, said Chapman. It'll also have a big presence in film festivals in Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt.
Germans have something of an idealised view of this country, Chapman said.
It seems a place where Germans imagine they could come and kick back, and that space New Zealand fills in the German collective psyche was a big part of why it is this year's guest of honour.
The full story at stuff.co.nz
Popular Posts
-
All memoirs have common themes. And some of those from this year, including books by Jack Straw, Kris Jenner and R Kelly, take us effortle...
-
SWIRLY WORLD SAILS SOUTH Book Signing with Author Andrew Fagan Where: Voyager NZ Maritime Museum, Quay Street, Auckland When: Saturday 9 Jun...
-
8:15 Lawrence Krauss: the plausible universe 9:05 Chris Szekely: rāhui and libraries 9:45 Art with Mary Kisler: Angelica Garnett 10:05 Playi...
-
Tonight is the night when all will be revealed. The judges' decisions will become known with some authors elated and others disappointed...
-
OUT OF RESPECT TO THE LATE GREAT WONDERFUL MARGARET MAHY NOTHING FURTHER WILL BE POSTED ON THIS BLOG UNTIL LATER THIS MORNING
-
In today's excerpt from Delanceyplace - in an interview with Franklyn Ajaye, Jerry Seinfeld states that the key to his com...
-
How about the TOP 100 BESTSELLING CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF ALL TIME ! (compiled by Publisher's Weekly : based on sales in the U.S., the ...
-
Have you ever wondered what those "Four Calling Birds" are all about? (Explanation to follow...) Are these calling birds? Defini...
-
I wrote about this very special collection back on 13 March and now I note that publication date is tomorrow so here for your pleasure are ...
-
Cover of a Swedish school reader, Vill du läsa ? ( Do You Want to Read? ) Autumn is officially here, and what better illustration to post ...
Blogroll
Archives
-
▼
2012
(6553)
-
▼
August
(724)
- Arthouse - Art for the New Ronald McDonald House
- Book Review: Schulz on Zadie Smith's NW
- LONDON'S LEADING LADY: ZADIE SMITH
- Zadie Smith "owes life" to libraries
- Museum Treasures Tell Their Stories
- E-Books And Libraries
- First Look: Marilyn Monroe in Bed and Sticking Her...
- Don Donovan's World
- INFOGRAPHIC: ‘Imagery rules across social media’
- The Arts on Sunday for 2 September 2012 - Radio Ne...
- The Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize for...
- Chore list of champions By Kurt Vonnegut
- 19th Century Writers Who Are Even More Relevant Today
- Amazon Publishing buys 1,000 titles from defunct D...
- Why Google Bought Frommer’s? The Metadata, Baby
- 50 Shades Drives "Record Operating Profits" At Ran...
- The Press Christchurch Writers Festival gets under...
- Talking shop with an indy bookseller
- Guardian first book award: the longlist 2012
- Sarah Forster interviews the phenomenal Fleur Beale
- WRITERS ON MONDAYS
- A Stadium of 4 Million
- Amazon NY signs deal to sell its ebooks through ot...
- Publisher Takes On Amazon With Australian-based Site
- Self-published authors react with anger to 'lazine...
- Publishing Perspectives
- 10 Contemporary Politicians’ Favorite Books
- Three Settling Publishers Agree to Pay Consumers $...
- Stand Firm | Two Tickets: Two Americas
- Reconstruction of Canterbury: Canterbury Archaeol...
- Hostility to Religion in U.S. at "All-Time-High"
- Phil Ashely: "Look Not to the Episcopal Church" (N...
- TEC Bishop Notes TEC-Seminary Graduates Deficient ...
- GAFCON to Crown Commissioners: Concerning Archbis...
- Mere Anglicanism: 24-26 Jan 2013
- Anglican TV: ABP Duncan Discusses AMiA Crisis
- Sugu Pillay interview
- Poetry for sale in Edinburgh
- Off to Christchurch for The Press Christchurch Wri...
- Eighty Year Old Writer and Stroke Survivor Honoure...
- Don Donovan's World
- Suzanne Collins Hits Bestseller List with 8 Year O...
- Printer in Residence programme 2012
- Jack Reacher's latest adventure now on sale
- Big news for Margaret Mahy Fans
- American Metal Company Produce Weird And Wonderful...
- Want a good night's sleep? Read a book
- Kobo to Help Independent Bookstores Sell eBooks
- Barbara Else, Gecko Press and The Children’s Books...
- Navy SEAL Book To Come Out Early
- Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s spell can’t save ...
- Six-figure pre-empt for Century
- Shortlist for 2012 Toronto Book Awards
- PublishersLunch
- When Authors Disown Their Work, Should Readers Care?
- A house fit for a hobbit: Home of Tolkien publishe...
- 'Best of prize' for James Tait Black book awards
- Browsing the best 'book nooks'
- Publishing Perspectives
- Two Rockwell works on paper lead Christie's sale o...
- BABY WHISPERING
- The Trouble With Fire by Fiona Kidman
- New Artistic Director for Sydney Writers' Festival
- Don Donovan's World
- Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop advises it is closin...
- Free Pass for Dads
- The Press Christchurch Writers’ Festival opens aft...
- What’s Your Favorite Reading Position?
- John Frame: "Backgrounds to My Thought"
- Maggie Rainey-Smith on her holiday reading - real ...
- Will Paid Reviews Bite Amazon Back?
- We all want to believe in James Bond
- The Boston Book Festival is going to the movies th...
- FOR KIDS WHO LOVE A CHALLENGE...
- The First Edition Covers of 25 Classic Books
- Don Donovan's World
- Orhan Pamuk on His Museum of Innocence in Istanbul
- Nook's First UK Partner Is Electronics Retailer Jo...
- Turretin: The Church Obscure, Church Asunder, Chur...
- Howard Jacobson attacks the dearth of 'good readers'
- Fiona MacCarthy and Padgett Powell win James Tait ...
- Publishing Perspectives
- Poster Auctions International to offer some of the...
- A lavishly illustrated catalogue of record for the...
- Problems with blog
- Moving the impossible over the impassable
- GOLF - a course in life
- New York Times public editor: Progressive worldvie...
- Book love - a men's book club
- Christianity Today Liveblog: Wheaton College's HHS...
- You Know You’re From Christchurch When.........
- Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) Contributes...
- Victoria Barnsley: 'We can't think of ourselves as...
- The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy
- How to write a novel and get it published
- Three new picture books from NZ authors/illustrators
- Don Donovan's World
- Wendyl Nissen's supermarket companion
- Zadie Smith returns to her native London for her f...
- Against Acknowledgments
-
▼
August
(724)