Potential for exports seen in N.Z. books

Press, 18 October 1979, Page 23

Potential for exports seen in N.Z. books

By

KEN COATES

in London British and American interest in New Zealand books, particularly highquality specialist volumes, might lead to sales worth S 3 million, according to Mr Alister Taylor, a New Zealand publisher based at Martinborough. Mr Taylor was one of the few New Zealand publishers to attend the recent London Book Fair. He commended the New Zealand Government for sponsoring and organising the stand for New Zealand books, but said that nothing had been done to organise a New Zealand stand at the much bigger Frankfurt Book Fair, which would be held over six days and attended by publishers from throughout the world. Many New Zealand publishers did not seem to realise the potential market for books of a high standard, Mr Taylor said. The London Book Fair was intended to show ■what was offering in

books not yet published, but some New Zealand publishers had unfortunately sent books that were 10 years old. he said. Mr Taylor proposes to exhibit at Frankfurt at his own expense. He has concentrated on the production of fine books in high-quality binding, the first of which was on the life and paintings of C. F. Goldie. A United States firm was interested in 2000 copies of “Notable Americ a n Thoroughbreds.” which sold at between $4OO and $5OO a copy and represented exports of $1 million, Mr Taylor said. The book to be published in 1982, would come after similar volumes on Australian, Irish, and English thoroughbreds. A specialist team of writers, editors, and researchers from each country would be supervised from New Zealand. The printing would be done in Japan. Mr Taylor said that a

book of South 1-land photographs by Robin Morrison, to be published next April, had attracted keen interest at the fair, and between 500 to 600 copies could well be sold m Britain. “This is because photography is an international art form, and work by Morrison, who received an Arts Council grant for six months work in the South Island, is extremely good, he said. Similar interest had been expressed in a book to be published on the work of William Strutt, a British painter who went to New Zealand and Australia in the 1840 s. "New Zealand has the writing talent, rhe publishers, the photographers, and all the expertise to produce high-quality books of international standard,” Mr Taylor said. “Interest is even evident in smaller, much cheaper books on rugby and sports medicine. “It is an export market with enormous possibilities,” he said.