GODWIT LIST LEADS NEW ZEALAND FINE PUBLISHINGI suspect it will be some years before we again see a list as long and impressive as Random House's astonishing 2008 Godwit list. With the declining economic situation and the falling value of the New Zealand dollar I'm picking it will not be possible for publishers like Godwit to publish books of this high international standard and get them to the market at competitive prices as they have done this year. In spades!
Random House are my NZ publisher of the year both for the quantity and the quality of their publishing which ranges across all genres. Bloody impressive by any standard you care to apply.
Listed below is the Godwit 2008 list which illustrates why I am so impressed.
My congratulations to Publisher Nicola Legat and all the Random House NZ staff who have contributed to this result.
100 Best Native Plants for New Zealand Gardens, Fiona Eadie. $44.99 (rev ed)
The Artful Gardener, Gil Hanly and Rose Thodey, $59.99
The Cultivation of NZ Native Grasses, rev ed. Lawrie Metcalfe, $34.99
Swings and Roundabouts, ed. Emma Neale $36.99
Moonlight, ed. Andrew Johnston $36.99
A Short History of Photography, Harvey Benge, $44.99
Saffron: Food from the Central Otago Heartland, Pete Gawron $90
The Painted Garden in New Zealand Art, Christopher Johnstone, $75
Into the Wider World, A Back Country Miscellany, Brian Turner, $44.99
Architecture Uncooked: The New Zealand Holiday House Through an Architect’s Eye, Pip Cheshire and Patrick Reynolds, $70
Listed below is the Godwit 2008 list which illustrates why I am so impressed.
My congratulations to Publisher Nicola Legat and all the Random House NZ staff who have contributed to this result.
100 Best Native Plants for New Zealand Gardens, Fiona Eadie. $44.99 (rev ed)The Artful Gardener, Gil Hanly and Rose Thodey, $59.99
The Cultivation of NZ Native Grasses, rev ed. Lawrie Metcalfe, $34.99
Swings and Roundabouts, ed. Emma Neale $36.99
Moonlight, ed. Andrew Johnston $36.99
A Short History of Photography, Harvey Benge, $44.99
Saffron: Food from the Central Otago Heartland, Pete Gawron $90
The Painted Garden in New Zealand Art, Christopher Johnstone, $75
Into the Wider World, A Back Country Miscellany, Brian Turner, $44.99
Architecture Uncooked: The New Zealand Holiday House Through an Architect’s Eye, Pip Cheshire and Patrick Reynolds, $70
In Search of Paradise, Graeme Lay, $90.00Certain Words Drawn, John Reynolds, $70
Between Tides: Jewellery by Alan Preston, Damian Skinner, $39.99
The Celluloid Circus: The Heyday of the New Zealand Picture Theatre. Wayne Brittenden, $49.99
A New Zealand Christmas: Three Centuries of Kiwi Christmas Celebrations From The Alexander Turnbull Library, Sarah Ell, $49.99
Mates and Lovers, A History of Gay New Zealand, Chris Brickell, $49.99
Random House bought Godwit from previous owners Jane Connor and Brian Phillips about 10 years ago. The previous owners must be delighted with the way the quality of their publishing has been maintained and expanded by Random House who in turn must be very happy with their investment.
I asked Nicola Legat how she decided what she published under Godwit as opposed to the Random House imprint and she said that while it was something of a moveable feast Godwit included all poetry and gardening, almost all art and design books, some very high end food books ( Saffron and last year’s The French Café Cookbook for example), and.
some social history. I reckon she has it pretty right.
The Celluloid Circus: The Heyday of the New Zealand Picture Theatre. Wayne Brittenden, $49.99
A New Zealand Christmas: Three Centuries of Kiwi Christmas Celebrations From The Alexander Turnbull Library, Sarah Ell, $49.99
Mates and Lovers, A History of Gay New Zealand, Chris Brickell, $49.99
Random House bought Godwit from previous owners Jane Connor and Brian Phillips about 10 years ago. The previous owners must be delighted with the way the quality of their publishing has been maintained and expanded by Random House who in turn must be very happy with their investment.
I asked Nicola Legat how she decided what she published under Godwit as opposed to the Random House imprint and she said that while it was something of a moveable feast Godwit included all poetry and gardening, almost all art and design books, some very high end food books ( Saffron and last year’s The French Café Cookbook for example), and.some social history. I reckon she has it pretty right.
FOOTNOTE:
During my days at Penguin Books NZ when we first started local publishing in new Zealand my boss in London was the mercurial and internationally rated publisher Peter Mayer. He often said to me that to be an outstanding publisher you had to take risks with a reasonable amount of your publishing. I think one of the key's to Legat's notable success in her move from magazine publishing to book publishing is that she has been prepared to take risks. Quite a number of her titles have been dominant on the best-sellers lists but on the other hand many are not seen there. Peter Mayer would be happy with her programme.
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