Topp Twins Memoir Wins Book of the Year Award

Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins Story by Jools and Lynda Topp has taken out the Nielsen BookData NZ Award for the bestselling New Zealand title at the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards.

The prize was presented to The Topp Twins in person at a gala dinner ceremony emceed by Paddy Gower held at the Crowne Plaza, Auckland this evening.

The book’s publisher, Allen and Unwin NZ, won the Marketing and Publicity Strategy of the Year Award for the campaign that took the Topps to the top.

The judges say the team at Allen & Unwin rose to the occasion with their innovative campaign promoting The Topp Twins’ Untouchable Girls.

“The marketing and publicity strategy is the critical point where all the effort culminates. Fun, clever, eye-catching, and measurable, book lovers were captivated by every aspect of this outstanding campaign,” say the judges.

The awards were among 15 honours presented to booksellers, publishers and book trade stalwarts for excellence, success and innovation in work carried out in the industry between April 2023 and March 2024.

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker (Pan MacMillan) has won the Nielsen BookData NZ International Bestseller Award.

Petronella’s Bookstore in Tekapo and The Booklover in Milford, Auckland have jointly won Nielsen BookData NZ Bookshop of the Year.

The judges say they were impressed with all entries in this category which reflected the strategy and effort that sits behind selling books.

“The decision was difficult, but ultimately Petronella’s and The Booklover share the award for their business success, place in the community, inviting stores and for their outstanding knowledge of their respective markets,” say the judges.

Moa Press has won the Nielsen BookData NZ Publisher of the Year.

The judges say Moa Press demonstrated how nimble a small and innovative publisher can be.

“Moa Press impressed us with the range of material it seeks and how open it is to submissions, while also being very clear about what is needed to get a text across the line. Established in 2022, Moa Press has already brought several bestselling and diverse titles to the market - opening doors for local authors with books that stores enjoy selling,” say the judges.

BookHub, a new website that makes it easier for consumers to buy books from independent bookstores, has taken out the Innovation Award.

The judges say they were absolutely thrilled to recognise the efforts and the success of BookHub and look forward to its immense ongoing value to Aotearoa's publishing industry.

“It seems so simple: one platform to rule online sale space in an ethical way that supports local booksellers? And yet we know how much work it has taken to craft BookHub, surely one of the most exciting and impactful advances in bookselling at least in the last decade,” say the judges.

Penguin Random House New Zealand’s audiobook Māori Made Easy by Scotty Morrison has won the inaugural Libro.fm Audiobook of the Year Award.

“Māori Made Easy is an exemplar of audiobook production and it has been one of the bestselling audiobooks in Aotearoa NZ since it was released. It demonstrates, in spades, the value of this book medium when it comes to learning a language,” say the judges.

Penguin Random House New Zealand has won the Mana Māori Award.

“The mahi of this year’s Mana Māori winner has had a lasting influence on the book industry, finding new readers and celebrating old ones. The launch of their seven-month campaign last year was a timely celebration of a literary Kaumatua whose pioneering books and prose have been impactful for Māori, for Pakeha, and for readers and writers around the world,” say the judges.

Fungi of Aotearoa New Zealand by Liv Sisson (Penguin Random House NZ) and The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press) were announced the joint Booksellers’ Choice Winners.

The two titles won in a vote by booksellers across the motu as the local titles they most enjoyed selling.

Mike Hill and Susan Holmes, the founders of sales and distribution agency BookReps, have won the industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

From humble beginnings in 1996, when the duo literally started the business with one book sold from the back of car with a handwritten invoice, BookReps has grown to become one of the most respected book agencies in the country.

The Sales Professional of the Year Award was jointly won by HarperCollins NZ sales and marketing coordinator Laura Jager and Penguin Random House NZ sales representative Paula Pengelly.

“We are thrilled to present this award to Laura and Paula, two highly deserving individuals. Both have demonstrated an impressive depth of knowledge, a remarkable willingness to tackle and overcome challenges, and have earned immense respect from their colleagues,” say the judges.

The Emerging Bookseller of the Year Award was won by Melissa Oliver of Unity Books Wellington.

“Melissa was a clear standout among a group of standouts. We were so impressed by what she is doing to foster community and support local writers and publishers,” say the judges.

The Emerging Publisher of the Year Award went to Grace Wang, campaign manager at Allen and Unwin NZ.

“The work of the individual publisher is often invisible but their choices, their processes and their instincts are crucial to an expansive industry. The judges were deeply impressed by Grace Wang's passion and the potential shown in her impressive application,” say the judges.

The Paper Plus Book Retailer of the Year Award was presented to Gisborne Paper Plus.

The judges say that Gisborne’s Paper Plus demonstrated an understanding of community, and how books and associated material has a role to play in unifying a population.

“Being part of a national chain is not a guarantee for success, particularly in Gisborne which has been disrupted significantly in the past year and a half. Gisborne Paper Plus has cemented its place as a de-facto community hub as well as a great place to buy books,” say the judges.

Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand association manager Renee Rowland says she is delighted for each of this year’s winners in what has been a challenging year for booksellers.

“Booksellers, like most retailers, are impacted by the softening in sales across the motu. The winners celebrated this evening have all pushed the boat out, working extremely hard, as all our bookseller members do, to ensure success now and in the future. On behalf of the association, I thank and salute you all,” says Ms Rowland.

Publishers Association of New Zealand president Graeme Cosslett says he could not be more proud of the innovation and hard work demonstrated by each of this year’s winners.

“These award winners are among the very many significant achievers in an industry that understands what it takes to publish and sell winning books. Each year I think book production values can’t get any better, that we can’t possibly find authors that will outsell the last best books, but we do.

“By being laser focused on the market, and nurturing the immense writing talent we have here in New Zealand, we go one better each year. Huge congratulations to you all,” says Mr Cosslett.

The 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards were judged by Libro.fm co-founder Nick Johnson; The Spinoff book’s editor and author Claire Mabey; and poet, creative non-fiction author and academic Richard Pamatatau.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards have been recognising the best New Zealand publishers, booksellers and industry stalwarts who have been connecting Aotearoa books and readers for over 20 years.

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