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It was announced in Wellington yesterday that Massey
University Press will provide the publishing infrastructure for Te Papa
Press. This publishing partnership will benefit both organisations, and
will provide exciting opportunities for writers and quality outcomes for
readers. Importantly, it will help to sustain and develop New Zealand's
rich literary heritage.
Here at Massey University Press we’re enormously proud of
the faith and trust placed in us by the Te Papa board and management. Te
Papa Press is well known for its award-winning books, including Jill
Trevelyan’s biography of Peter McLeavey, which won the New Zealand Post
Book Awards Book of the Year award in 2014, and Audrey Eagles’ landmark Eagle’s Complete Trees and
Shrubs of New Zealand. And this year, as an indicator of the
high standard it sets, Te Papa Press had two finalists in the Ockham New
Zealand Book Awards.
Massey University Press is determined to honour the work
that’s been done by Te Papa Press to date, and to carry the mana of the
Press forward. Te Papa Press and Massey University Press books will
continue to be published under their respective imprints.
Te Papa chief executive Rick Ellis says the partnership is
an exciting evolution for the museum, which will retain an in-house
editor. “This partnership ensures a sustainable future for Te Papa Press.
We are delighted to partner with Massey University and to work with a
publisher of Nicola Legat’s calibre. Te Papa Press will continue its
proud legacy of scholarly, relevant and engaging publishing.”
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1 comment:
I must confess I am somewhat puzzled by this announcement. As I understand it Massey University Press is based in Palmerston North, Te Papa Press is based in Wellington and Ms Legat is based in Auckland. How does this work? Ms Legat is clearly one of a handful of outstanding publishers in New Zealand and both institutions must be delighted to have her on board. But does it not demean the importance of Te Papa Press to have a part-time publisher? Surely a concentrated focus on and close relationship with the museum itself should be a key part of this role? Or is Te Papa simply abdicating all of its publishing decisions to a University Press that has only recently been founded and has no history of excellence such as that of the other University Presses?
I further understand that the two imprints will be sold by different sales forces and distributed by different distributors. This is surely going to increase the workload of Ms Legat who as publisher will need to have close working relationships with these teams. It is of course very pleasing to see the Te Papa imprint retained. Their publishing has been magnificent. I do hope that the new structure will allow this magnificence to continue.
A Perplexed Bookseller.
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