The Christmas cat returns

A new reprint of the moving Christmas tale, Holy Socks, is released today. It tells the story of a lost cat and the kindly man who saved it, seen through the eyes of a young girl, Christie.

One Christmas Eve, some years ago, a ginger kitten wandered along a street on the far side of town. 

He was hungry, and cold and wet.

Bertie McGinty finds the kitten and christens him Holy Socks. Soon the pair are inseparable. Even after Bertie’s death, Holy Socks sticks by his master and takes up home in the church near his grave. 

Captivated by Holy Socks as she sits in church, Christie calls out, ‘Can I keep the cat?’ Father John, by way of answer, tells everyone the story of Bertie and Socks.

With charming illustrations by Philip Webb, Dawn McMillan's story is a sweet tale for Christmas, with one irresistible cat at its heart.

Publication Date: 30 October 2017  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-44-5 |  RRP $19.99

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm, 32 pages colour

New book celebrates and profiles New Zealand's regions

When bringing up her children in New Zealand, Oratia's media director Alessandra Zecchini felt she could have used a book that introduced them to the country's regions. 

Having grown up in Italy, Alessandra couldn't answer some of their questions, so came up with the idea of a book that did - helping not only children but also adults new to New Zealand to understand its regional identities.

Oratia's publisher Peter Dowling and editorial director Carolyn Lagahetau set out to make the book – conceived as an easy guide that is suitable for children from age 10 up, and is in English simple enough for most immigrants and tourists to access. 

Regions of New Zealand is a colourful, large-format hardback that gives readers all the basics about the diverse geography and characteristics of the nation (see link, https://www.oratia.co.nz/product/regions-of-new-zealand/)

Through maps, photos, fact boxes and simple text, the book takes readers on a tour from Northland to Southland, Tokelau to Antarctica.

Each region features in a spread of the book, with a colour map showing towns and features, summary text, photos illustrating key locations and tourist destinations, fact boxes and key info. 

In addition are sections on Māori regional relationships, early provincial divisions, outlying territories and study links.

Peter authored the book under Carolyn's editorial direction, with design by Cheryl Smith and input from a range of experts, official sources, proofreaders and photographers.

German children's book publisher Katja Korintenberg (left) gets a preview
of Regions of New Zealand with Peter Dowling at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair

Sales and marketing consultant Belinda Cooke is promoting Regions of New Zealand and can be reached for publicity enquiries on belinda@oratia.co.nz

Publication Date: 24 October 2017  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-35-3 |  RRP $29.99

Hardback, 270 x 210 mm, 40 pages colour

Special launch of Charlie on NZ Bookshop Day

Special launch of Charlie on NZ Bookshop Day at Carson's Bookshop in Thames, Saturday 28th October at 11am. Meet the authors, Dawn McMilland and Ross Kinnaird, dress up your dog and bring it along to win a prize, and watch Ross draw cartoons live!

Saturday 28th October at 11am

Carson's Bookshop, 600 Pollen Street

Thames, New Zealand

Frankfurt balances the book

This year’s Frankfurt Book Fair was upbeat. Books are really in business, with an ebbing of hype about digital erosion and a brisk trade in rights and projects for many at the fair.

The New Zealand stand

On the New Zealand stand in Hall 6.0 there was a real buzz, and lots of fruitful discussion. The collegial feeling among the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) exhibitors, supported by Creative New Zealand, makes working in this busy fair so much more productive.

Poster listing countries in Hall 6.0

It goes without saying that Frankfurt is hectic, with 7,300 exhibitors from 102 countries spread across six multi-levelled halls. Having France as country of honour this year was a big deal.

There’s normally a percentage of appointments that turn into no shows — just getting around the many halls in the Frankfurter Messe can lead to big delays — but not this year.

We had around 50 meetings for Oratia, with rights interest strong for a number of new children’s and non-fiction books. 

Armando de Santiago (Guadalajara Book Fair), Catriona Ferguson,
and Frankfurt Book Fair organisers Hanife Içten and Grace Moss 

Distribution and coedition interest was strong for the two publishers I represented there, Massey University Press and Te Papa Press.

The fair enabled PANZ director Catriona Ferguson and me to network with fellow publishers associations (among them Ireland, Canada, Australia and Brazil) and other book fairs (especially Taipei and Guadalajara).

The main concern shared among publishers, distributors and agents was the challenges faced by book retailing. Rising commercial rents and bleeding of sales to online booksellers, many of whom avoid local taxes, are challenging a lot of our retail partners — making initiatives like NZ’s upcoming Bookshop Day on 28 October all the more important.

Still there is a palpable confidence in publishing just now, as Publishers Weekly reported in its round-up on Frankfurt – noting that overall visitor numbers were up on the past two years.

Meeting up at Frankfurt, clockwise from top left: Herwig Bitsche (NordSūd Verlag, Zurich) and Monika Osberghaus (Klett, Leipzig) with their German children's book award finalists; me with our Spanish publisher Carlos Arnanz of Ediciones Salamanca and translator Francisco Molina; selfie with Malaysian Book Publishers Association Honorary Secretary  Sheik Faisal and Lei Lim of Oyez Books; and in the company of our esteemed Italian agent Guido Lagormasino.