Prestigious editing prize and publishing internships cap 20th anniversary year of publishing course at Whitireia

The annual Andrew Mason Prize for Most Promising Editor was awarded to publishing graduate Abby Aitcheson today.

Also announced were three publishing internships which provide work contracts with local publishers for top graduates.

The prize and internships cap a year of celebration for the publishing programme, which has held its 20th anniversary in 2013.

The anniversary has been marked by co-publishing a children’s book, establishing a new website and hosting a celebration for graduates and industry supporters, where Daphne Brasell, who founded the course in 1993, was acknowledged.

The Diploma in Publishing at Whitireia is the recommended route to a publishing career in New Zealand, with over 80% of graduates employed in the industry within a few months of finishing. The course’s graduates populate the book trade and publication sector, in roles that span from book publishing, editing and marketing to web editing and digital content management. Many graduates run their own publishing companies.

The 2013 graduates completed their course today, and over half of them have already been employed in new publishing roles.

Andrew Mason Prize for Most Promising Editor 2013

The prize is offered by the Mason Publishing Trust each year to a graduate of the Diploma in Publishing (Applied) at Whitireia. Abby Aitcheson was selected as the graduate in 2013 who showed the most promise and consistency across the full range of editorial skills, including communication, judgement and attention to detail. Aitcheson has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Literature. After completing her degree, says Aitcheson, ‘I quickly realised I did not want to be a lawyer’ but has ‘found a profession that fits me perfectly’ through undertaking the publishing course this year.

Publishing Intern Programme 2013

The Publishing Intern Programme is a joint initiative between Whitireia Publishing and the Publishers Association of New Zealand, supported with Creative New Zealand funding. Three graduates from the Whitireia Publishing Programme are offered six month internships at local publishing houses each year. Announced this week are the 2013 interns:

Rachel Nobilo, who takes up a role as sales and publicity assistant at Allen & Unwin, Auckland.

Barbara Graham, editorial and production assistant at Wellington’s Bridget Williams Books.

Matariki Williams, sales, marketing and publicity intern at Gecko Press, another independent Wellington publisher.

A Book is a Book by Jenny Bornholdt and Sarah Wilkins, co-published with Gecko Press

The publishing programme celebrated its 20th anniversary by publishing a children’s book about books, A Book is a Book, released this month.

Writer and children’s book commentator Kate de Goldi launched the book at a packed event in Wellington, describing it as ‘something approaching perfection . . . a thing of beauty, a delicious object in every way’.

Since then the book has been on the children’s and independent bookstores’ bestseller lists and the New Zealand Listener’s Top 50 Children’s Books of 2013.