Green shoots in NZ publishing

Scoop announces that journalist and author Paul Little has set up his own publishing company:

After several years as a ghost writer of best-selling autobiographies – Willie Apiata VC, Ray Avery: Rebel with a Cause and Paul Henry: What Was I Thinking - he has launched his own imprint, Paul Little Books. [. . .] 

Little believes there are two key factors that will enable books to thrive. The first is a scaled-down, low-overhead approach that is made for the likes of electronic publishing and social media marketing. This also enables a much more generous writer’s royalty than traditional publishing. “Money should go to authors not office furniture and company cars,” says Little.

The second key factor is distribution. “Books have to be available as widely and in as many formats as possible,” says Little, whose books will be available as ebooks with bonus content. “Whether it’s in stores, on a publisher’s website or through ebook retailers – books need to be everywhere people buy them.

“Today’s publishers – and authors – have to accept the reality of innovation and make it work for them rather than ignoring or resisting it.”

Good. He is a very bright guy and should make this work. I know of one other new publishing company in the works – there will be a lot more of this. It’s called creative destruction – very hard on those like the people at Hachette and Pearson whose jobs have gone, but there is still a market for New Zealand books, whether print or digital. That means there are opportunities for those with ability and agility.

UPDATE
More information at Paul Little’s website.