Michele Powles
New Zealand Book Month Director Michele Powles describes how the festival has evolved since its inception in 2005, including ‘the change of focus towards a community participatory model’.
“If NZ Book Month grows, so too does the chance for all NZ authors including myself to have a sustainable writing career in this country.”
Powles has a Master of Creative Writing degree from Auckland University (2006) and became the Director of New Zealand Book Month in 2008. This year she published her first novel, Weathered Bones.
The festival, designed to celebrate the work of local writers and illustrators, runs for the month of October with more than 200 uniquely Kiwi events and thousands of participants.
When and why was NZ Book Month started?
Book Month started as an idea in 2005 and had its first month of public activities in 2006. It was seen as a marketing and PR event that could profile and support New Zealand Books and writing, so that more NZ books were sold, with the ultimate goal being to create more sustainable careers for NZ writers.
How has it evolved?
It has become more of a PR campaign with a real focus on getting grass roots participation in reading and celebrating NZ Books. But its core focus is still around generating sustainable careers for NZ writers.
How does NZ Book Month generate opportunities for New Zealand writers and illustrators?
There are lots of competitions, giveaways of NZ books and events which profile writers and illustrators in person. But there is also a huge PR campaign behind all of this to get all this activity into the public eye on all levels. For example, getting NZ books into the script with Shortland Street.
What combination of people and resources are required to put on a festival of this scale?
Well, that’s always a tough one. Funding has been hard to come by so we do tend to do things on a shoe string. It’s helped by the huge number of volunteers across the country, hundreds, who are putting together events of their own. We do have a core staff of part time contractors, five in total, spread across the country. And our partners, ASB, Buddle Findlay, TVNZ7, Fairfax, and Radioworks all have staff that put in lots of time and effort too.
What’s been the biggest impact or success to date for NZ Book Month?
The change of focus towards a community participatory model. The increase in people getting involved with reading means so much more visibility, and a wider spread of activity. This means we have a bigger story for media. Getting involvement from new partners also makes a huge difference, having guaranteed air time on TV and in print media is huge, as well as having committed staff from corporate companies profiling the month.
Describe your role as Director?
It’s a multi-faceted one that is all about communications and networking. In any one day I can be soliciting potential corporate partners or working with current ones to finalise their campaigns for the month; ringing publishers to find out which of their authors are available for events or publicity; doing interviews with media; doing accounts and paying bills; talking to celebrities; briefing creative agencies; working with venues and event staff; talking to the team about ideas for publicity or the website or new events…
How and when did you get involved? What keeps you involved?
I saw the position in the NZSA newsletter while I was in the UK. I was a writer with a background in communications and events and it seemed a perfect fit. It was an interesting decision though as I’d just been offered a job in London at the same time. In the end the lure of the arts was too strong, and it’s been great being back in NZ. It’s a cause I’m very passionate about, if NZ Book Month grows, so too does the chance for all NZ authors including myself to have a sustainable writing career in this country.
What is involved in the preparation for the festival?
Phone calls, emails, meetings. Gathering together the huge listings of events, working with media to get feature space, working with partners to get their campaigns together. It’s a team effort, and hopefully that shows.
What does your role include when it is on?
Interviews, running our Gala event and other media events. Checking advertising and media clippings. Public speaking. Going to LOTS of book launches and other events. Generally being very available all the time.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Man in the Shed, by Lloyd Jones
What are you writing at the moment?
A new novel – to be completed next year in Dunedin.
What’s the best way to read a book, and why?
In bed. It seems more magical somehow, and I’m more able to switch off and dive into the universe of the book’s characters.
Do we still need The Great New Zealand Novel?
I don’t know if we still need The Great New Zealand Novel. What we do need are great New Zealand novels. Ones that tell our stories, in our voice.
What is the theme and aim of NZ Book Month 2009?
Our stories, discover/explore/read/love them. It’s about making our voice our choice.
What are some of the highlights of this year’s book month – where can we find out more?
The NZ Book Month Good Word Debate – presented by TVNZ7 is going to be a great one. Tickets are only $10 from www.bacilounge.com but if you miss out on the live filming its playing on TVNZ7 on Saturday the 17th at 9.10pm and then again on demand.
The ASB Wordbank Competition is a fantastic way for kids to get involved.
The October Story – a continuing story written by anyone who wants to get involved on facebook is going to be hilarious, and the myriad of readings and quirky events from Kaitaia to Steward Island will be great. There’s literally something for everyone. Go to www.nzbookmonth.co.nz for more.
What are you personally most excited about?
The debate should be a laugh – the line up is great. And The Women’s Bookshop Ladies Literarti on the 11th is always a fantastic event – but always sells fast so if you haven’t got a ticket you might have already missed out. Oh and Kate De Goldi, celebrities, firemen and nurses, driving down Ponsonby Road on a fire engine on the 31st.
What are some of the professional development opportunities during book month?
Working with advertising agencies and media partners, seeing how others do it is always a great way to extend personal thinking. I’m also involved in an industry body looking at literature more generally, which is always insightful.
How do you ensure you have a good regional spread throughout New Zealand?
We have an amazing events coordinator Beth Davies, who has her fingers in many, many pies. We solicit ideas from people we call Book Activists across the country. We also utilise the Library and schools networks where ever we can.
How do you connect with other book festivals internationally?
I have spoken with my counterpart in Australia at Books Alive a bit, checking out what they do in comparison – its quite hard though as their budget is huge compared to ours, so its apples and oranges. When Book Month was initially scoped, quite a bit of research went into what else was out there, similarly, when we looked to change the focus recently we looked to what worked well overseas, especially in the UK and the States. But closer to home, I’m in Auckland, the team at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival are always supportive.
What impact, in your view, is the current economic climate having on writers and illustrators – and NZ Book Month?
For us it’s made it difficult to get charitable funding and increased government support. But actually we’ve had quite a bit of success with corporate partners, so it hasn’t really been the economic climate that made it difficult, more the usual issues with finding funding for the arts that makes it hard.
I know it’s been quite tough for many writers and illustrators though as many publishing houses are simply publishing less books, and big retail chains aren’t buying as many either. Small independent book stores are still doing well at the moment though, so that always helps the writers and illustrators that they sell and profile.
How do you approach this challenge and how does NZ Book Month help?
We try and bring a greater awareness of what options are out there to NZ readers, and bring NZ books into their front of mind. It’s also just about having a lot of fun around the month so that people don’t read NZ books just because they feel they should, but because they want to.
What are your hopes and passions for the future of NZ Book Month?
Improve the statistics around Kiwi books, so that a New Zealand book is a first choice in a variety of genres, rather than an after thought or something that is dismissed out of hand before it’s even read. If your secret reading pleasure is crime fiction, or chic-lit, try Paul Cleve and Vanda Symon or Nicky Pellegrino, Sarah-Kate Lynch and Kate Langdon.
