Hachette to cease publishing in NZ, citing growth of e-books

Hachette to cease publishing in NZ, citing growth of e-books, imports

July 26 (BusinessDesk) – Hachette New Zealand, the local arm of the global publisher whose titles include biographies of Richie McCaw and Mark Todd, is to cease publishing locally with the loss of 12 jobs including its long-serving management team.

The New Zealand company, which publishes locally under the Hodder Moa imprint, will continue as a marketing and sales office for the group’s international titles and New Zealand backlist, according to a statement from Malcolm Edwards, chairman for Hachette Australia and New Zealand.

Local finance, administration and IT functions will be relocated to Australia and publishing will cease in New Zealand after the completion of its 2013 programme.

The New Zealand publishing business has shrunk largely because of “the increased sourcing of books from overseas, at the expenses of the local trade, and the rapid growth of e-books,” Edwards said.

NZ managing director Kevin Chapman, editorial director Warren Adler and financial controller Rick Groufsky will leave the company, the remains of which will be run by sales and marketing director Mel Winder, reporting to Hatchette Australia CEO Matt Richell, effective immediately.

The book trade has been one of the big casualties of online shopping and e-readers and the trend away from hard copy. In early 2011, the Whitcoulls and Borders chains were placed in voluntary administration.

Separately today, writer Paul Little announced he was becoming a publisher, using a scaled-down, low-overhead business model. Paul Little Books’ titles are to include a biography of Kim Dotcom.

(BusinessDesk)

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