Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Councillor’s File: six months in the top seat for Graham Mitchell

PANZ NewsletterBecause so many people are caught up in all the frenetic activity around the preparations for Frankfurt, I got the job of contributing to this edition of PANZ News. It’s still relatively early days for me so I’ve been thinking about what I could contribute to the abundant body of knowledge that already exists in the NZ publishing industry. Because I thought my contribution pretty inadequate, I wondered if it would be of interest to hear something of my journey through the industry over the last six months since I took up my position as General Manager at HarperCollins – because it seems like there is always something happening!

The PANZ industry conference in March was a perfect opportunity to listen to the great and the good of NZ publishing, understanding all the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead. I also made sure I was introduced to Graham Beattie, an acquaintance I have been able to renew several times since.

Tony Fisk’s departure in April meant a change of office for me here at View Road and my abacus (from my time in the finance department) does not get nearly as much use – but I have plenty other things to keep me busy. I never knew we had so many meetings in our building but thankfully Bill Gates invented the Microsoft outlook calendar!

One of the most interesting things about this job is the great variety it offers. On one evening in June I was lucky enough to be among a party presented with a seven course meal from one of the international chefs that we publish. On the very next night I was at Ponsonby Rugby Club tucking into sausage rolls at a book launch. I guess that’s the rich tapestry of our industry.

August heralded a big week with the Booksellers Conference and associated award dinners. By Thursday of that week I think I was becoming a more regular face. It felt that way anyway, and many in the industry have made me feel very welcome. This was the week too that I became a member of the PANZ Council at the AGM.

Next on the calendar was the Christchurch Writers Festival. Having missed the Auckland festival in May, this was a great opportunity to mix and mingle with many people in the industry. I thoroughly enjoyed the couple of days in Christchurch and it helped to remind me about what our industry is about – the people who read and the authors that make that happen.

October is obviously all about Frankfurt and I have to acknowledge the huge amount of effort that the whole industry has put into the Guest of Honour preparations, which will undoubtedly be a huge success for NZ publishing.

As we batten down the hatches for the forthcoming Christmas season – I hope it is a successful period for us all!


Graham Mitchell

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