Piwaiwaka Press has been publishing New Zealand and international authors since 2020. We were set up by established and new authors with strongly held beliefs:
- Books covers should be beautiful and unique. No stock art, no bland covers. We use real artists and commission art for each cover.
- Writers should be rewarded for their writing so cover artist and designs, as fellow creatives, should too. So, not AI covers.
- The author should have input into the design and look of a book.
- Editors can and do help with editing but they should not censor works.
- Writers work collaboratively with one another to support each other.
The piwaiwaka/fantail is a nimble, nosy, lively little bird whose fluttering tail fans to maneuver swiftly when flying. It flits about from one place to another and won't be pinned down. Despite its flighty appearance it is a skillful hunter catching small insects in the New Zealand bush.
Piwaiwaka Press has been publishing great writers who don't shy away from controversial subjects and who will not be pinned down. We also have a thousand thoughts a minute and appear to flit from one idea to another, but ultimately we too are skillful at hunting down new (and established) authors and illustrators worthy of publication.
Piwaiwaka Press has been publishing great writers who don't shy away from controversial subjects and who will not be pinned down. We also have a thousand thoughts a minute and appear to flit from one idea to another, but ultimately we too are skillful at hunting down new (and established) authors and illustrators worthy of publication.
NEWS
Making Maths Add Up by Maggie Tu.
Maggie's second book in her series Making Maths Add Up should be available soon! We are currently editing it and it's just as good as the first book! Watch out for it in 2026!
Booksellers Trade Day
We will have a stall at the Bookseller trade day in Wellington this year. It gives us an opportunity to meet and greet bookshop owners to see which books they think customers will like, meet other publishers and writers, and generally be around people who love reading and looking at new books. We always find "book people" such creative, encouraging, and friendly people, so we are really looking forward to it.
More warblish from Helen Mae Innes
We are publishing the second edition of Helen Mae Innes' book Warblish, Chirpish, Ticktocklish, & Animalopoeia in September. The new edition is larger in size (240x170mm) and adds another 24 pages of content including rare examples from Zulu. For those not yet in the know, warblish is the use of intelligible yet onomatopoeia words to mimic birdsong. Helen also invented the terms ticktocklish and animalopoeia to describe the same phenomenon for objects and animals, respectively. A lovely example for birdsong includes the Yellowhammer saying, "A little bit of bread, but no cheese, please," and the train saying "I think I can, I think I can".
Jasper Davidoff from the esteemed Audobon Magazine in the USA recently interviewed Helen about her research into warblish.
Jasper Davidoff from the esteemed Audobon Magazine in the USA recently interviewed Helen about her research into warblish.
Two new children's books by Philip Martin
Philip Martin, a primary school teacher from the Kapiti Coast, has been very busy! He has not one, but two children's books coming out in 2025. He illustrated The Henhouse himself, and enlisted homeschooled Isabella Adie to illustrate her first book: Learning is Like Riding a Bicycle. Philip's love for learning is clearly evident in this book which uses simile to make the abstract concept of learning come alive and be relatable by comparing it to riding a bicycle.
MORE ABOUT PIWAIWAKA PRESS
What kind of books do you publish?
Our main focus is on good-quality literary and general fiction, and on wholesome books for children. Our books may not always fit neatly into categories but good books deserve to be published even if they cross genre boundaries.
What are your social values?
We do not print our books in countries with lax labour laws. We print in the country of purchase where possible and believe in supporting local, family-owned or independently-owned businesses.
We welcome submissions from authors who are great writers but who may be overlooked by other publishers due to dyslexia affecting spelling and the look of a manuscript, hand or type-written rather than computer processed manuscripts, and/or extreme financial hardship preventing employing an editor before submission.
We use a dyslexia-friendly font as default on all our children's books so that all children are able to access the same learning materials without being singled out. We also price these books the same normal books, as schools and parents shouldn't be financially disadvantaged when seeking out such materials.
We love working with working-class authors who find navigating the largely middle-class publishing world daunting.
We welcome submissions from authors who are great writers but who may be overlooked by other publishers due to dyslexia affecting spelling and the look of a manuscript, hand or type-written rather than computer processed manuscripts, and/or extreme financial hardship preventing employing an editor before submission.
We use a dyslexia-friendly font as default on all our children's books so that all children are able to access the same learning materials without being singled out. We also price these books the same normal books, as schools and parents shouldn't be financially disadvantaged when seeking out such materials.
We love working with working-class authors who find navigating the largely middle-class publishing world daunting.
Are books environmentally friendly?
Yes, we believe printing books is a great way to support the environment as paper books can last many decades, even hundreds of years, whereas the e-readers are obsolete in a few short years and the readers are made of plastic and mined materials.
Where possible we print our books on sustainably managed renewable stock. We use local printers so as to minimise shipping distances. This means books bought in Europe are printed in Europe, those bought in the USA are printed in the USA, and books bought in New Zealand or Australia and printed in New Zealand or Australia.
We actively support the Innes Bush Sanctuary - a 30 hectare area of regenerating bush in Wainuiomata which has been fenced off from feral deer and pigs in order to grow the trees native birds love but which are currently being destroyed by pests. For every copy of Into the Woods sold we will plant a native tree inside the QE2 covenanted area.
Where possible we print our books on sustainably managed renewable stock. We use local printers so as to minimise shipping distances. This means books bought in Europe are printed in Europe, those bought in the USA are printed in the USA, and books bought in New Zealand or Australia and printed in New Zealand or Australia.
We actively support the Innes Bush Sanctuary - a 30 hectare area of regenerating bush in Wainuiomata which has been fenced off from feral deer and pigs in order to grow the trees native birds love but which are currently being destroyed by pests. For every copy of Into the Woods sold we will plant a native tree inside the QE2 covenanted area.
Why was Piwaiwaka Press created?
Piwaiwaka Press was set up by authors and readers who wanted to see great writing published even if it was controversial or untrendy. We give first time writers and illustrators who show talent the opportunity to be part of the publication process and to share their skills with others to help make being published more accessible.
Why was your company named Piwaiwaka Press?
The piwaiwaka flits around a lot, hopping from branch to branch, turning quickly in the air. We're similar. We read history, novels, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, true tales, flicking through the pages, picking up one book and then another, always on the look out for another great read.
Many people think fantail in te reo Māori should be spelt pīwakawaka: however, there are many different words and spellings for the fantail depending on one's iwi (tribal) affiliations such as tīrairaka, pīrairaka, pīwakawaka, and of course piwaiwaka. The "standard" spelling in any language reflects the dialect of those in charge of education and publishing. As we encourage writers to use their own dialects and ways of speaking/writing rather than those prescribed to them, we chose the spelling that reflects the usage in our own community.
Many people think fantail in te reo Māori should be spelt pīwakawaka: however, there are many different words and spellings for the fantail depending on one's iwi (tribal) affiliations such as tīrairaka, pīrairaka, pīwakawaka, and of course piwaiwaka. The "standard" spelling in any language reflects the dialect of those in charge of education and publishing. As we encourage writers to use their own dialects and ways of speaking/writing rather than those prescribed to them, we chose the spelling that reflects the usage in our own community.
Where is Piwaiwaka Press based?
We are currently based in Lower Hutt (near Wellington) but have also worked out of Wellington and Christchurch in the past.
Does Piwaiwaka Press accept submissions?
We welcome submissions but please read the following carefully before submitting.
We recommend that as a writer you explore all publishers first and decide which publisher is the best suited for your book. As we are small we do recommend writers approach the larger firms first who have a wider reach than we do. However, most of our authors come to us because we offer more support, more say, and more freedom in the publication process.
Please look at our range of titles, read some of them, and decide if your work would be a good fit. We publish books that are well-written and can be fiction, autofiction, non-fiction, or children's books. Our books often cross genre boundaries, for example literary + thriller, literary + horror, or literary + surrealist. As such, these titles are often difficult to pigeon hole and while being good books are sometimes considered too difficult to market by big publishers. However, we believe compelling and beautiful writing should always be made available to the reading public. Our aim is to publish cult classics not mass-produced future landfill.
We celebrate free speech and divergent views. This is a knife that cuts both ways so don't be surprised if you see books published containing opposing views. We celebrate diversity of opinions and points of view. Our writers collaborate with one another, sharing skills and time, to help one another in the publishing process. We do not accept any use of AI artwork for covers or illustration as artists should be supported in the same way that writers are.
We run our business in such a way that we do not profit unless we sell books to ensure that everyone involved is incentivised to sell your books.
We welcome submissions from unpublished as well as published authors. We also welcome artists who have limited experience but are talented and willing to learn, to send us their portfolios to be considered for future covers.
If this sounds like you please send us an email with your proposal. Please do a spell check of your work before sending it. If you have dyslexia and have great ideas and writing but trouble with spelling, editing etc. please still send us your manuscript as we can help with that!
We recommend that as a writer you explore all publishers first and decide which publisher is the best suited for your book. As we are small we do recommend writers approach the larger firms first who have a wider reach than we do. However, most of our authors come to us because we offer more support, more say, and more freedom in the publication process.
Please look at our range of titles, read some of them, and decide if your work would be a good fit. We publish books that are well-written and can be fiction, autofiction, non-fiction, or children's books. Our books often cross genre boundaries, for example literary + thriller, literary + horror, or literary + surrealist. As such, these titles are often difficult to pigeon hole and while being good books are sometimes considered too difficult to market by big publishers. However, we believe compelling and beautiful writing should always be made available to the reading public. Our aim is to publish cult classics not mass-produced future landfill.
We celebrate free speech and divergent views. This is a knife that cuts both ways so don't be surprised if you see books published containing opposing views. We celebrate diversity of opinions and points of view. Our writers collaborate with one another, sharing skills and time, to help one another in the publishing process. We do not accept any use of AI artwork for covers or illustration as artists should be supported in the same way that writers are.
We run our business in such a way that we do not profit unless we sell books to ensure that everyone involved is incentivised to sell your books.
We welcome submissions from unpublished as well as published authors. We also welcome artists who have limited experience but are talented and willing to learn, to send us their portfolios to be considered for future covers.
If this sounds like you please send us an email with your proposal. Please do a spell check of your work before sending it. If you have dyslexia and have great ideas and writing but trouble with spelling, editing etc. please still send us your manuscript as we can help with that!
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website Url
Piwaiwaka Press is published at www.piwaiwakapress.com.
Our former domain, www.piwaiwakapress.org, is no longer in use.
Our former domain, www.piwaiwakapress.org, is no longer in use.
