New Zealand literature boosted by new contract for international and national development

11 Oct 2015

The international profile and sales of New Zealand literature and the development of the national publishing sector will be boosted over the next three financial years by a new contract awarded by Creative New Zealand.

The Publishers’ Association of New Zealand (PANZ) has been contracted to deliver a range of initiatives to increase the international sales and profile of New Zealand literature and authors and to develop networks which will help to achieve these results.

It will administer translation and international travel funds, support New Zealand’s presence at major international book fairs, and host international publishers in New Zealand as part of Creative New Zealand’s international visitors’ programme, Te Manu Ka Tau.

“The development of international markets for New Zealand literature is crucial. We need to maximize and leverage the interest in our authors off-shore and PANZ is best placed to do this,” said Senior Manager for International Programmes Cath Cardiff.

“Our aim is to have one organisation developing and delivering an integrated programme so there is an overarching view and strategy for raising the profile and readership of our literature overseas. 

“This was one of the recommendations of our review of Creative New Zealand’s support for literature which was approved by the Arts Council in February this year,” she said.

PANZ has also been contracted to deliver a national publishing internship initiative to support and develop emerging practitioners who are aiming for a career in publishing. The initiative will support three internships, at a minimum of eight weeks, annually from the beginning of 2016.

Creative New Zealand will invest $540,000 in the international initiatives and $90,000 in the publishing internships over the next three years up to 2017/18.

Creative New Zealand’s Review of Literature was published in March 2015.

For media enquiries, please contact: 
Sarah Pomeroy
Senior Communications Adviser, Creative New Zealand
T +64 4 498 0725| M +64 27 677 8070
sarah.pomeroy@creativenz.govt.nz

 

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