New Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month, every month

On 1 November, the Coalition for Books will launch Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month, a new nationwide campaign that will celebrate a single New Zealand book each month across bookshops, libraries, digital platforms and media.

The campaign aims to help New Zealand readers discover New Zealand books through their local libraries and bookstores. It is sponsored by Libby, the library reading app from OverDrive, used by library borrowers across the country.

Each month, one title will be promoted nationally through a suite of branded digital and printable materials, paid advertising, and book club questions. Booksellers, librarians and any other organisation that wants to take part can use the materials free of charge.

'Booksellers and librarians champion New Zealand books every day on the shop and library floor,' says Renee Rowland, Manager of Booksellers New Zealand and Deputy Chair of the Coalition for Books.

'This campaign brings all of that work together into something bigger than the sum of its parts - a campaign that unites the book industry to promote New Zealand books to New Zealand readers, which is a stepping stone to the rest of the world.'

Malcolm O’Brien, ANZ Manager for Overdrive, says OverDrive and Libby, the library reading app, are very proud to be the inaugural sponsors of the Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month campaign.

'NZ has a vibrant and successful publishing industry that deserves the support of companies that benefit from their work. Public libraries and their patrons are also at the heart of books and reading and by promoting unique and original NZ books each month we hope to vastly increase the reach and scope of the NZ authors and their books,' he says.

The books are chosen via a collaborative process with Coalition representatives. To be named Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month, a title must be readily available in print, ebook and audio, and its publisher must agree to take part. Picks will be deliberately varied, ranging across prize winners and new releases, backlist favourites, children’s books and non-fiction.

The Coalition will work with each publisher to ensure physical copies are available in libraries and bookstores, and with OverDrive, to ensure the ebook and audiobook can be borrowed continuously throughout the month. Libraries will have extra copies available, both on the shelf and on library platforms.

Retailers and libraries are encouraged to have fun with window displays, in-store and library book clubs, and their own creative ideas.

'We hope it will be good for sales and borrowing, but we’re playing the long game,' says Rowland. 'In an increasingly noisy world, it’s getting harder to get people to choose New Zealand books, or to choose books at all. We want this campaign to be a loud and clear national voice, supporting everyone in the sector – from rural librarians to urban booksellers, publishers big and small, and authors across the motu.'

The first Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month will be revealed on 1 November, with a new title announced on the first of every month after that. Kete will send a special newsletter to subscribers with a feature on the monthly book early in the month.