Book Industry Lifetime Achievement Award winners honoured

Kevin Chapman was honoured with the Publishers Association of NZ Lifetime Achievement Award. Carole Beu, Wendy Tighe-Umbers and David Cameron were each presented with Booksellers Association of Aotearoa New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Carole, Wendy and David have owned remarkable bookshops for many years that Kiwi people rely on, building legacies in their communities and ensuring good books are always available.

Kevin Chapman has been at the forefront of New Zealand publishing for over 30 years. Currently he is publisher at Upstart Press, publishing non-fiction and fiction.

Kete asked each award-winner to tell us how they felt at the ceremony when their award was announced and their name was called. As their answers were typically self-effusing and short, we’ve also included an extract from the speech given at the awards that celebrated and illuminated their achievement.

Kevin Chapman, current publisher at Upstart Press

‘Who would think I would remember anything? It was probably “I hope I don’t cock it up.”’

Ed note: The word on the street is that Kevin’s speech was moving and reflective, delivered with humility: ‘My only regret is that this is an individual award, and I feel it should have a whole lot more names on it.’

Melanie Laville-Moore and Sam Elworthy said this on the night about Kevin and his legacy:

Pai tū, pai hinga might be the motto of the New Zealander we’re celebrating tonight – a publisher who created some of the biggest bestsellers in OUR history, a leader who orchestrated the biggest stage ever for New Zealand books internationally, a curmudgeon, a wit, a reader, and a friend – Kevin Chapman. Pai tū, pai hinga e hoa.

The difference Kevin’s made to the wider sector is significant. One of only two people to serve twice as President of the Publishers Association, Kevin cared greatly that our local industry remained robust and healthy, from small independent publishers right through to the multinationals. He understood strong governance and was, at times, a pedant for upholding the PANZ constitution — an affliction he still carries today.

Busy at home, Kevin was perhaps even busier abroad – getting a spring in his step every time he would jump on board the old 747 to take New Zealand Writers and books to the word, in particular to the 200,000 publishers who get together every year at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Relationship builder, diplomat, a man with a plan, the king of Frankfurt, it would take all of those qualities to persuade Chris Finlayson, Creative New Zealand and the industry itself to pull together $5m in order to feature New Zealand as guest of honour at the biggest book fair in the world – and then do the same in Taipei a couple of years later.

Across almost 30 years, Kevin has always recruited well, with some of the best in the industry — many here in this room — mentored through their first publishing opportunity. He is the go-to whenever wise, sage advice is required, and the answer is guaranteed to be delivered with all traces of sugar-coating removed. A calculated risk-taker and respected colleague to countless publishers, booksellers and writers across the industry.

Carole Beu MNZM, The Women’s Bookshop

‘I was totally surprised! My wonderful staff had prepared a speech about the whole history of me and my bookshop, while managing to keep it completely secret from me. So I felt quite tearful when I got up to make my impromptu response.

I'm passionate about what I do, so it feels slightly odd to be rewarded for simply doing a job I love. It is a wonderful industry to work in and I am honoured to be recognised by my colleagues.’

Rachel Cooper and Tania Gribben had this to say about Carole:

Carole is almost supernaturally hardworking and passionate about her shop. She has constantly adapted the way the shop works - from microfiche and fax machines to computers and a social media presence - adapted the stock the shop carries - for example adding a gay men’s section when she moved to Ponsonby in 1999 and is never afraid of a challenge.

But she’s done so much more. For most of us, juggling a small business with being a single parent would be enough. But Carole is Carole.

Through the 1990s Carole was the Auckland Co-ordinator of the Listener Women’s Books Festival – an enormous task. The Festival ran annually from 1988 to 1997. Women flocked to these events, which were often packed out and sometimes over-subscribed (rumour has it one woman made her way into a Marilyn Waring talk by brandishing knitting needles) and when it ended Carole might have taken a break. Instead, she sat at the kitchen table with Stephanie Johnson and Peter Wells and helped to formulate a plan for what would become the Auckland Writers Festival in 1999. Carole was a founding trustee of the Auckland Writers Festival, and has been the bookseller at the Festival for 27 years - sometimes alongside Time Out and Unity, and later alone.

In the 2019 New Years Honours List Carole received the MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to the literary industry and the LGBTQI+ community and in true Carole-style threw a party for friends, family and the book trade at the Long Room in Ponsonby Road.

The Spinoff quoted Dame Fiona Kidman in an article when we turned 30 and it is still true today…

'It takes courage to do what Carole did,' says celebrated author Dame Fiona Kidman. 'Setting up a shop that celebrates women’s writing, as she did, and turned into a giant success. More than that, she has created spaces where books can be celebrated by many people, of whatever gender, and whether they buy books or not. I regard Carole as an influential, tireless friend to the bookselling industry, to local writers, to women’s lives, and to me personally. Nothing ever seems too much trouble to her and her absolute belief and commitment to everything she undertakes is an inspiration.'

Wendy Tighe-Umbers, past owner of Time Out Bookshop

'I was totally shocked. I had no idea. Absolutely no idea.'

Jenna Todd, current owner of Time Out Bookshop, had this to say about Wendy:

She learned the ropes - working all hours of the day, night and weekends. She joined the Bookseller Board. She opened the store earlier to cash in on the school traffic, installed much more shelving to make a feature of the children’s room and - when it was possible - turned the upstairs accommodation into the famous community space it is today.

Wendy doubled the store’s income and won the Thorpe-Bowker bookshop of the year award in her second year of ownership.

Wendy is an open book. She’s known to pull out her famous spreadsheets at an event such as this. She’s a champion of sales reps (our free employees) and her biggest piece of advice is to hire people smarter than yourself. She’s nurtured many, many booksellers in their jobs who have gone on to be publishers, editors, publicists, a lot of teachers and a few bookstore owners.

She’s fiercely protective and infinitely generous. She says she knows nothing, but is always keeping an eye on things.

Wendy has lived a lot of lives and does genuinely have a life outside of the bookshop - she’s basically Forrest Gump and if you’ve sat upstairs with her you would have heard one or more of her wild stories - including being the last person to see Jennifer Beard alive, being held up in a bank robbery and fighting off an armed neighbour and was almost a casualty of the unfortunate experiment.

Dave Cameron, Scorpio Books

‘As I have not attended Conference for many years now, I was guaranteed to be absent without a "heads up". As it happens, I lay in bed sleepless one night and revisited my history in the book trade and that came to at least one hour. On learning that was out of the question I left it to the night before when I was inspired to credit my long-suffering partner, Jo. After listening to so many other winners I decided it would be appropriate to acknowledge our new manager, Bel. Neither Jo nor Bel knew. My nervousness about exposing my vanity was cured!’

Suzy Maddox had this to say about Dave:

Our person is quiet on the outside—maybe an introvert? Yet he is also someone who has inspired many through his dogged determination and sheer perseverance, often against the odds.

As many of you know, owning a bookshop is not for the faint-hearted. Still, dreams have to begin somewhere—and this one began not with a grand plan, but with a textbook.

Buying a specialist bookshop in Fendalton was unconventional, as was its range—but it suited him. Over the years it became known for the scarce, surprising and overlooked; books that were intelligent, independent and adventurous. Scorpio grew from the days of handwritten orders, adapting and finding opportunity at every turn.

As our industry underwent enormous change, Dave moved with it—embracing online selling, audiobooks and even romance and romantasy, always finding opportunity rather than resisting change.

We know what came next - the Canterbury earthquakes. The central-city shop became inaccessible, along with its stock and records. Yet, phoenix-like, Scorpio rose from the ashes—with a store in Riccarton and a shipping-container shop bringing books back into the city.

That recovery showed Dave’s practical resilience and the resilience he inspired in Jo and the Scorpio team. With their customers, they rebuilt and returned Scorpio to the heart of Ōtautahi, and kept growing with Inklings and even a travel book store!