Bridget Williams Books is a New Zealand

book publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, established in 1990 by

Bridget Williams Bridget Rosamund Williams (born 1948) is a New Zealand publisher and founder of two independent publishing companies: Port Nicholson Press and Bridget Williams Books. Early life and family Born in 1948, Williams was the daughter of Mary Willia ...

Establishment

Williams established the company in 1990 when the company she was working for,

Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...

, was sold. She purchased the titles which she had developed as Allen & Unwin's managing director and started her own publishing company. Williams' vision for the company was for it to publish "good books that sell" – books with significant messages. Her personal interests in women's and Māori history, and New Zealand general history, have influenced the books that the company publishes. From 1995 to 1998, the company published under a joint imprint with

Auckland University Press Auckland University Press is a New Zealand publisher that produces creative and scholarly work for a general audience. Founded in 1966 and formally recognised as Auckland University Press in 1972, it is an independent publisher based within The ...

, before returning to independent publisher status in 1998.

Development

In 2006, the company established the Bridget Williams Publishing Trust, which applies for grants from philanthropic organisations to support publication of specific titles. For example, in 2013 the J.R. McKenzie Trust provided funding towards the publication and promotion of ''Inequality – A New Zealand Crisis.'' In 2011, Tom Rennie was hired as associate editor, and began to develop a digital publishing strategy for the company. As a result, in 2013, ''BWB Texts'' were released – a series of short texts on topics of New Zealand interest, published first as e-books and later than paperbacks. Certain titles in the series are funded by

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

, and others are funded through the Bridget Williams Books Publishing Trust.

Awards

*In 1996, ''Redemption Songs'' won Book of the Year at the

Montana New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...

*In 1997, ''The Story of Suzanne Aubert'' won Book of the Year at the

. *In 2010, ''Encircled Lands: Te Urewera 1820–1921'' won the NZ Post Book of the Year Award. *In 2015, ''Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History'' won the

Royal Society of New Zealand Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

Science Book Prize, and the Kōrero o Mua (History) category of the Ngā Kupu Ora Aotearoa Māori Book Awards *In 2015, Bridget Williams Books won the NZ Book Industry Special Award, for the innovative publishing list and the expansion into digital publishing.

References

{{Reflist Book publishing companies of New Zealand Publishing companies established in 1990