If you’re an author in New Zealand who wants to publish a book the traditional way, without the need for a literary agent, this post is just for you.
Below you will find 21 top New Zealand Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts.
1. HarperCollins
Are you looking to get your works published by a company that has worked with iconic authors like HG Wells, CS Lewis and Agatha Christie? If your answer is yes, HarperCollins is exactly where you need to go. Established in 1819 by William Collins & Sons, this publication has a rich heritage that dates back to more than 200 years. In 1888, the makers decided to form a new branch in New Zealand due to the growing demand of educational texts. Within the next two decades, their business was already booming, and by 1960, they ended up publishing best-selling titles like ‘New Zealand’ by Captain Cook and ‘Colin Meads’ by Alex Veysey. As of now, HarperCollins publishes hundreds of titles every year ranging from fiction to children’s novels; art books to educational texts. In case you’re looking to get your works published by them, send a short synopsis and a sample chapter of your book via email. You can contact them here. Do note that HarperCollins New Zealand is not accepting submissions for fiction, poetry, short stories, and children’s books at the moment.
2. Penguin Random House, NZ
Penguin stands as one of the biggest pioneers in the publishing industry and luckily the company has their offices in New Zealand as well. Formed in 2013 by Bertelsman and Pearson, Penguin Random House has published more than 15,000 titles till date. Although they primarily focus on adult and children’s fiction, you can also contact them for publishing your non-fiction titles. Penguin was created to celebrate stories that truly entertain, and going by the rave reviews, they’ve certainly achieved their goal. The company is currently accepting hard copies of your literary pieces. So if you think your book can make the cut, check out the submission guidelines here and send in your copies right away!
3. Allen & Unwin
If you’re looking to collaborate with a leading publishing house in New Zealand- Allen & Unwin is your answer. Formed in 1914 in the United Kingdom, the company came up with their NZ subsidiary by the late nineties. And guess what? Within the next couple of years, they had already won 13 prestigious ‘Publisher of the year’ awards. The company partnered with Bloomsbury and Orion Publishing House to distribute their books in New Zealand; and as of now, they publish around 250 new titles every year. While Allen & Unwin specializes in literary and children’s fiction, they also publish quite a few academic and non-fiction titles. The company accepts submissions through their unique submissions system, ‘The Friday Pitch’. You can find more details about their submissions policy for the different genres on this page.
4. Victoria University Press
Are you proud of your non-fiction texts? Do you think your poetry pieces are truly out of the world? In either case, Victoria University Press is one of the best companies for you. Established in 1970 by the singlehanded efforts of Fergus Barrowman, this Wellington based publishing house has worked with notable authors like Barbara Anderson, Hera Lindsay Bird and Bruce Mason. The company is currently open for submissions and you can send in your non-fiction, fiction and poetry pieces here. Do note that for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction submissions, the company gives precedence to authors living in (or strongly connected with) Aotearoa, New Zealand.
5. Auckland University Press
If you think your historical fiction, poetry pieces or science fiction can make it to the top; Auckland University Press is certainly an ideal company for you. Established in 1966, this publishing house has published quite a few best-selling titles like ‘Early Yet Days’ by Allen Curnow, ‘Fast Talking PI’ by Selina Marsh, ‘Chiefs of Industry’ by Hazel Petrie and the likes of it. The company publishes around 20 books every year and they’re currently accepting unsolicited submissions from authors based in New Zealand. You can find out more details about the submission guidelines here.
6. Canterbury University Press
Located in Christchurch, New Zealand Christchurch University Press was first created as a publishing committee in 1964. In 1991, it started operating as a full-time publisher. Canterbury University Press publishes around six titles every year, covering important topics on biography, natural history, general titles, and the environment. The company also publishes books on New Zealand and the Pacific Region. Some of their best titles include ‘A Canoe in Midstream: Poems Old and New’ by Apirana Taylor, ‘Akaroa Cocksfoot: King of Grasses’ by Vaughan Wood and ‘A Stroll Through Brown Trout County’ by Les Hill and Graeme Marshall. Canterbury University Press is currently open for submissions and can be reached out here. Do note that they are not accepting fiction or poetry titles at the moment.
7. Hachette New Zealand
Located in Auckland, Hachette New Zealand is a subsidiary of the Hachette Book Group, that is headquartered in New York, United States. Over the last few years, the company has collaborated with some of the most iconic authors of New Zealand. Primarily focusing on titles for young adults and children, Hachette has published best-selling titles such as ‘Stories For Kids Who Dare To Be Different’ by Ben Brooks, ‘The Lion In The Meadow’ by Margaret Mahy and ‘The Red Daughter’ by John Burnham Schwartz. Hachette New Zealand has an open submissions policy and they are now actively seeking submissions for children’s books. You can reach out to them on this page.
8. HUIA Publishers
HUIA Publication is an independent publishing house that was formed with the goal of preserving and disseminating historical/biographical texts on Maori and Pacific. This Wellington based company was established almost two decades back by the collaborative efforts of Brian Morris and Eboni Waitere, and as of now, they stand as one of the leading players in the NZ publishing industry. Since 1991, this company has published several children’s texts, biographies, political titles, and historical pieces. They’re currently open for submissions and once you send in your copy, they’ll get back to you within three months (if your work is selected). You can always contact them here for more details.
9. Awa Press
Formed in 2003, Awa press is an independent publishing house operating from Northland, New Zealand. The company was primarily established to publish the contemporary non-fiction pieces of talented newbie authors, and going by their sales, they’ve definitely achieved their goal. In terms of genres, they cover everything from literature to gardening; history to philosophy; and popular science to politics. The company is currently accepting non-fiction works of writers based in New Zealand. So in case you’re interested, you can always visit this page to find out more details about the submission guidelines. Do note that Awa doesn’t accept fiction, poetry, or children’s titles.
10. Auckland University Press
Established in 1966 and formally recognized in 1977, Auckland University Press is one of the leading scholarly publishers in New Zealand. This press has published some critically acclaimed titles such as ‘Blue Smoke’ by Chris Bourke, ‘Early Days Yet’ by Allen Curnow and ‘Fast Talking PI’ by Selina Tusitala Marsh. The company currently publishes around 25 titles every year covering a wide range of topics like history, art, architecture, literature, poetry, Maori, Pacific, and Asian Studies, science, health, and business. The company accepts book proposals throughout the year and can be reached out on this page.
11. Bateman Publishing
Established around 30 years back by talented author David Bateman, Bateman Publishing stands as one of the largest publishing houses in NZ. Over the last three decades, this Auckland based company has managed to publish more than 600 local and international titles covering a wide range of non-fiction titles pertaining to historical fiction and biographies. The company is currently welcoming submissions, and you can always contact them with your manuscript here. Do note that Bateman doesn’t accept submissions for fiction, poetry, and short stories.
12. Massey University Press
Established by Massey University in 2015, Massey University Press doesn’t merely publish books written by the university’s alumni, but also works with authors who aren’t associated with the Massey University. Like most other University Presses, this Auckland based publishing house primarily covers academic titles on agricultural science, public health, food research, psychology, history, military studies, and Maori studies to name a few. Some of their recent titles include ‘Tumeke’ by Michael Petherick, ‘Three Kiwi Tales’ by Janet Hunt, and ‘Promises Promises’ by Claire Robinson. The publishing house is currently seeking submissions. You can check out their submission guidelines on this page.
13. Makaro Press
Based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Makaro Press is an independent publisher of fiction, poetry and children’s titles. The company was established in 2013 by Mary Mccallum and Paul Stewart. Mary is currently the publishing director of the company. Makaro Press has three imprints, namely, Makaro, Hoopla, and Submarine. Both Makaro and Hoopla support traditional publishing. While the former publishes children’s books, fiction, and selected non-fiction titles, Hoopla is entirely dedicated to poetry. Some of their best titles include ‘A Surfeit of Sunsets’ by Dulcie Castree, ‘Aukati’ by Michalia Arathimos, and ‘Cancer and All The Other Shit’ by Lauren Wepa. Makaro only accepts submissions between 1 March and 31 May. You can check this page for more details about the submissions process.
14. Your Books
Established in 2010, Your Books is one of the premier self-publishing companies in New Zealand. The company is led by Lawrence Evans, the Managing Director, Symon Yendoll, the Chief Operations Officer, and a team of talented editors, proof readers, book consultants, and online solutions consultants. Your Books has an extensive range of services including print on demand, book design (starts from $700), copy design (starts from $400), editing, proofreading, and illustrations, to name a few. They print perfect bound books, case bound books, spiral bound books, and saddle strapped books. Your Books also covers almost every relevant genre including poetry books, history books, sporting books, novels, self-help books, children’s books, recipe books, and educational titles. Over the last nine years, the company has published excellent titles like ‘No Ordinary Goat’ by Alison Sutherland, ‘Navigator’ by Anne Moir, ‘Germ Warfare Agents in New Zealand: A Legal and Moral Issue’ by Donald Beswick. The consultants at Your Books are always willing to work with new authors and can be contacted here.
15. Upstart Press
Based in Auckland, Upstart Press was established in 2013 by Kevin and Pat Chapman, along with a group of talented publishers, editors, and book designers. Within the next two years, they also opened a distribution wing, that didn’t merely distribute the books of Upstart authors, but also the titles of other leading New Zealand based publishers. The company publishes both fiction and non-fiction titles, and their sports books are published under the imprint ‘Mower’. Some of their best works include ‘Machete and The Ghost’ by James Griffin and Oscar Knightley, ‘Whatever it Takes’ by Paul Cleave and ‘The Recipe’ by Josh Emett. Upstart Press is currently accepting submissions for non-fiction titles and can be reached out on this page.
16. Atuanui Press
If you’re fond of writing non-fiction titles, Atuanui Press might be an excellent option. Based in Wakaito, New Zealand, the company publishes titles on New Zealand and the Pacific region. Over the last couple of years, they have published several memoirs, critical and historical pieces. Brett Cross is the managing editor of the company and he oversees the entire process, thereby ensuring that only quality works are rolled out from this company. Some of the best titles from Atuanui include ‘Cocktails with Molotov and Tea with Mr. Lee’ by Bernard Brown, ‘Ghost South Road’ by Scott Hamilton and the ‘Gold Leaves’ by Edward Jenner. The company is now open for submissions and can be reached out here.
17. Potton & Burton
Potton & Burton is an award-winning publishing house based in Nelson, New Zealand. Created in 1987 by Craig Burton, this company initially focused on books pertaining to photography. Over the time, they covered a diverse range of non-fiction titles on environment, health, lifestyle, meditation and self-help. Quite recently, Potton & Burton also published a couple of best-selling children’s books like ‘Herbert the Brave Sea Dog’ that managed to sell 40,000 copies in New Zealand itself. As of now, the company is currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts by both new-comers and established authors. Visit this page for more details about the submission procedure.
18. The CopyPress
Located in Nelson, The CopyPress was established in 1983 by Kerry Walker. The company had a humble beginning, producing some simple memoirs for local authors. A decade later, it was acquired by Dave and Philippa MacManus who successfully transformed it to its current stage. Right now, CopyPress is one of the biggest self-publishing companies in New Zealand offering a wide range of services including manuscript assessment, editing, proofreading, typesetting, cover design, print, production, marketing, distribution, and sales. Some of their top titles are ‘Tails’ by WJ Scott, ‘I’m OK’ by Noel Shepherd and ‘Children of the Furnace’ by Brin Murray. Being a self-publishing company, The CopyPress charges fees for the services they offer. You can find out more about these fees and the publishing process on this page.
19. Mary Egan Publishing
Mary Egan Publishing is a small, family owned business operated by Mary Egan and her two daughters Anna Egan-Reid and Sophia Egan-Reid. With more than forty years’ experience in the publishing industry, Mary Egan came up with this venture to support newbie authors. The company offers a range of services including project management ($80/ hour), cover design ($1200 to $3200), internal design ($600 to $1800), proofreading ($40 to $60/hour), indexing ($6 to $8/ page), copy editing ($60 to $80), pre-press and print broking, branding, eBooks, publicity, and distribution. Some of the books published by Mary Egan Publishing are ‘Stardust’ by Ivana Mlinac, ‘Meltwater’ by Suzanne Ashmore, and ‘Ready Set Go’ by Beck Wheeler. This company is always open to consultation and can be reached out on this page.
20. PressGang
With a team of seasoned experts like Renee Lang, Julie McDermid, and Brian O’Flaherty, PressGang is a leading Auckland based self-publishing agency that’ll help you format, publish and distribute your book. The company can help you with editing, proof reading, cover design, indexing, illustrations, marketing and distributing your book. They also offer a host of other services. Do note, that being a self-publishing organisation, this company will charge fees for these services. Some of their published titles include ‘Flowers at Home’ by Sandra Kaminski, ‘William’ by Clyde Sutton, and ‘It’s Papa’s Truck’ by Emma Renata. PressGang is always looking to assist newbie and experienced authors and can be reached out on this page.
21. Otago University Press
Otago University Press happens to be the oldest academic press in New Zealand. It publishes mainly nonfiction books about New Zealand and the Pacific. Topics of its works include poetry, history, Māori and Pacific, natural history, biographies and memoirs and literature and arts. Publishing approximately 20-25 new books a year, you can find the submission guidelines for Otago University Press on this page, which also includes links to a house guide and a manuscript preparation guide.
Do you know of any other New Zealand publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Need a cover design for your book? One of these 21 top book cover designers in New Zealand might be able to help.
I am Ruposhree, a regular happy-go-lucky girl with not-so-regular (read extraordinary) dreams. I love reading, obsessing over random TV series, dreaming of unrealistic vacations, and most importantly, trying my hand at writing. I want to believe that I somehow have a way with words and maybe one day I’ll manage to see and be everything that I ever dreamt of!