Publishers and Serial Publications
Dunedin enjoys a rich heritage in publishing, having sustained the longest-running daily newspaper in the country, the Otago Daily Times, and supporting a series of major New Zealand publishers. Whitcoulls, for example, now New Zealand’s largest publisher and retail vendor, can trace it’s origins to Dunedin from 1872; and A H Reed, who became the most significant publisher of New Zealand books for most of the twentieth century. You will find present day publishers and some of our current regular publications below.
ALLIED PRESS
Allied Press Ltd is an Otago-owned media company with interests in daily and community newspapers, regional television stations and commercial printing operations. Based in Dunedin, Allied Press controls newspapers in Canterbury, Westland, Otago, and Southland, with television stations in Christchurch Dunedin, and printing operations in Alexandra and Greymouth. Their flagship publication is the Otago Daily Times which was founded in 1861, with the longest daily publication record in New Zealand, it is also the only remaining New Zealand owned morning daily papers. Allied Press is dedicated to providing comprehensive news and advertising coverage, while also supporting a wide range of community projects and services.
CRITIC
Launched in 1925, published during term time by the University of Otago and currently read by 18,000 students every week, Critic is New Zealand’s longest running student newspaper. Although content varies year to year, generally the publication covers a wide variety of local, nation and international news; as well as weekly features, columnists, comics, poetry, letters and photography. Well known as an incubator for talent, the Otago University Student Association magazine has won numerous awards, including the 2012 Coverjunkie "Best Of" Publication for Art Direction, standing alongside some of the world's most leading titles, such as TIME, Esquire, The New Yorker, Vogue, Sports Illustrated and lift-outs from the New York Times and United Kingdom weekly The Sunday Times.
DEEP SOUTH
Deep South is an electronic literary journal from the English Department of the University of Otago. It invites submissions from anywhere in the world, provided they are in English. Deep South welcomes creative non-fiction stories up to 5000 words, short fiction stories up to 5000 words, flash fiction works up to 500 words, and poems (excluding epics). The journal’s first issue was released in February 1995 and featured work by graduates of the English Department from around the world. The editorial in that first issue stated the desire for Deep South to be a lively, opinionated, various and accommodating journal, that played the role of a new international Forum for English Studies among graduates, as only then would it reveal “the full richness of the hidden life to be found in the Deep South.” The most recent issue was published in 2013.
DOWN IN EDIN MAGAZINE
Down In Edin Magazine is a quarterly arts, culture, and lifestyle journal sharing and highlighting the brilliant people and places of Dunedin and Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. The image driven magazine is not only for residents, but also travellers to this beautiful region of Aotearoa.
DUTYBOUND BOOKBINDER
Dutybound is the premises and bindery of David Stedman, a Bookbinder, designer and restorer of books and print related materials. Based in the original John McIndoe Printers bindery at 57 Crawford Street, where David served his apprenticeship, Dutybound is home to intriguing old printing and binding equipment which is still used to hand craft books and items today. One of the very few Intertype machines left in the South Island is proudly displayed in the front window; its mysterious appearance has attracted a lot of attention recently, it’s not widely known that the machine revolutionised printing. Purchase from the unique range of handmade blank journals, notebooks and albums and experience the working bindery.
Phone: 03-4777224
Email: dutyboundbookbinder@gmail.com
EXISLE PUBLISHING
Exisle Publishing, now based in Dunedin, is a New Zealand-born company with a sister office in Australia. Exisle has been publishing books with passion and purpose for over 25 years. A global operation, with titles distributed in all major English-language markets, Exisle primarily focuses on non-fiction books written by experts in language that is easily accessible. Exisle also includes an award-winning children’s picture book imprint: EK Books. Engaging and creative, these are ‘books with heart on issues that matter’, with their aim being to assist children in coping with issues from self-esteem and building friendships to the death of a pet or the illness of a grandparent. Their goal is to leave parents and kids feeling reassured, uplifted and inspired.”
KATSURA
Katsura was established over 20 years ago as a publishing and an environmental practice. Moving to Dunedin four years ago Katsura focused mainly on the publishing side of the business. Lesley Smith has an arts and graphic design background and has designed and published books for more than thirty years in both the UK and in NZ. In her role as director of Lopdell House Gallery (renamed Te Uru) for ten years, she established the gallery as a ‘name’ in New Zealand publishing; publishing and distributing numerous art books and catalogues including two award winners: Len Castle – Making the Molecules Dance and To the Harbour by Stanley Palmer.
KILMOG PRESS / DEAD SOULS BOOKSHOP
Dead Souls Bookshop is a small Dunedin based bookshop selling second-hand books.
'We have around 20,000 books in stock at our premises, 393 Princes Street. We cover most subjects and genres and price points. We hope to stock our website with desirable titles that are difficult to find and or which are not generally sought after here in our small city, Dunedin, New Zealand.
'Our shop is named after a satirical novel by the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol.
'We hope you enjoy your online experience and also hope that you can one day pop into the store and get the same pleasure from our books that we do.'
LANDFALL MAGAZINE
Landfall, first published in 1947 by Caxton Press, is 'the most important and long-lasting journal in New Zealand's literature' – Oxford History of New Zealand Literature.
Charles Brasch founded the literary publication Landfall in Dunedin in 1947 to provide a voice for New Zealand writers and has a well earned reputation as being New Zealand's foremost and longest-running arts and literary journal. It showcases new fiction and poetry, as well as biographical and critical essays, and cultural commentary. Each issue brims with a mix of vital new work by this country's best writers and features reviews of the latest books, art, film, drama and dance. Edited by award winning and well known New Zealand writer, David Eggleton, Landfall is a high-quality production, with artist portfolios in full colour.
www.otago.ac.nz/press/landfall
LIFELOGS
Lifelogs is a New Zealand Publisher producing books on digital photography, biking trails, children’s picture books and local history. The name ‘Lifelogs’ refers to portraying / recording the stories and experiences (‘a log’) of someone’s life. The publishers Brian and Diane Miller have an extensive background in bookselling, writing, publishing and photography. They operated Tapui Children’s Books for over twenty years before venturing into their own publishing business Lifelogs Ltd. Brian has been involved with photography for many decades and his topselling book Digital Cameras the easy way has sold over 10,000 copies.
MONDAY'S POEM, OTAGO DAILY TIMES
The Otago Daily Times, New Zealand’s first daily newspaper, is a strong supporter of literature in the City and every Saturday publishes “Monday’s Poem” in The Mix supplement. Highly regarded editors of this column have included the reputable and award winning Brian Turner, Emma Neale, and the current editor, poet Sue Wootton. Along with the much loved Monday’s Poem, the ODT also publishes independent book reviews and profiles of writers.
NATURAL HISTORY NEW ZEALAND
Dunedin-based Natural History New Zealand are producers of excellent environmental documentaries on a global scale, and are highly regarded as expert storytellers with state-of-the-art production facilities and a global distribution network. Every month the Dunedin Public Libraries run free film screenings to enable local audiences to view some of the city’s finest innovative films.
NB MAGAZINE
NB is Dunedin Public Libraries free, bi-monthly magazine and has been in print since October 2008 after taking over the reins from the libraries previous magazine - The Word. Inside each issue of NB you will find a mix of articles spanning current library events, exhibitions, lists of new and recommended books and more. Copies are available for free from all branches of the library network, in cafes and hot reading spots in the city and online.
www.dunedinlibraries.govt.nz/whats-on/nb-magazine
OTAGO DAILY TIMES
The Otago Daily Times is New Zealand’s last independent daily newspaper. The flagship of the [Allied Press] group is the highly regarded morning publication, the Otago Daily Times, which was founded in 1861 and boasts the longest daily publication record of any newspaper in New Zealand. The ODT is the only remaining New Zealand owned morning daily, and enjoys one of the highest market penetration rates in the nation for a paid daily. Its strength lies in its proud and faithful commitment to serving Otago and surrounding regions with a carefully selected menu of regional, national and international news and opinion.
OTAGO UNIVERSITY PRESS
New Zealand’s oldest academic publisher, Otago University Press publishes a wide range of non-fiction books on New Zealand and the Pacific, giving special emphasis to social history, natural history, biography, poetry and the arts. Otago University Press also publishes Landfall, New Zealand's leading journal of new art and writing. Otago publishes about 25 new titles a year and has a vibrant backlist of about 150 titles.
OTAKOU PRESS
The Otakou Press, at the University of Otago operates 19th-century handpresses and encourages creative collaborations between artists and writers through its Printer-in-Residence programme, as well as teaching senior students about the traditional processes of hand‐ printing. The Otakou Press specialises in poetry, hand-printed books and historical reprints. The Otakou Press Room contains an Albion press (1845), Columbian or ʺEagleʺ Press, Phoenix “platen press”, Vandercook #4 proofing press and an etching press
POEMS IN THE WAITING ROOM
Poems in the Waiting Room (NZ) is a Dunedin based arts in health charity, supplying free poetry cards every season to medical waiting room patients, rest home residents, hospice patients and prison inmates. The poetry cards, A4 sized three-fold cards, feature between eight and ten poems. New editions of the cards are printed and distributed every season. Poems include those from contemporary poets (especially New Zealand writers), older poems, a haiku, and poems for children. They are selected for readers’ enjoyment and are in no way a vehicle for delivering any social/health messages. The cards may be read and left on site or taken away for sharing or further reading.
www.waitingroompoems.wordpress.com
REO PĒPI
Reo Pēpi is an independent bilingual publishing company established in 2015 by Ōtēpoti māmā Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson. As mothers with new babies the pair were compelled to create beautiful, bilingual books, for those wishing to learn basic Te reo Māori in early childhood.
Reo Pēpi specialises in books appropriate for 0-6 year olds and those who read with them. They also develop additional resources based on their delightful signature illustrations, offering gift cards and prints. Founded on the gorgeously changable Ōtākou peninsula Reo Pēpi focuses on creating durable, well designed and engaging resources for the sharing and revitalisation of Aotearoa's first language.
ROSA MIRA BOOKS
Rosa Mira Books is New Zealand’s pioneering digital-first publisher, its principal Penelope Todd, author and editor. RMB hand-picks a few manuscripts each year, which, in collaboration with the authors, are edited, designed and marketed to the highest publishing standards.
Rosa Mira Books publishes fiction and non-fiction by NZ and international authors.
We look for writing that is smart, adventurous, emboldening and progressive — intelligent work with heart.
ROSEMARY MCBRYDE'S SHORT SHORT STORIES
This blog is a project inspired by the New Zealand Listener’s short short stories published in a January 2016 issue. Each month contributors are encouraged to write a very short story (300 - 500 words) inspired by a given starter idea. The idea is published on the 1st of the month and stories are uploaded in the final week of the month. The pool of contributors, largely family and friends of the founder, has grown over the year. Contributions are welcome from anyone who would like to write.
http://2016stories.blogspot.co.nz/
https://2018stories.blogspot.com/
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE PUBLICATIONS
Otago families commission Warrington writer, Naomi Miller, to record, transcribe and professionally write their personal histories and publish them in an individually crafted book. These books become a precious family heirloom which capture an individual’s voice, anecdotes, personal history and reflections for posterity.
www.waterunderthebridge.nz