Publisher submissions are now open for the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (SRG), and we’d love to have your titles in the mix. We’re looking for NZ and international titles published in the second half of 2026 (June-December). The Guide launches in October, timed with Bookshop Day on Saturday 10th.
ABOUT THE GUIDE
This is the biggest dedicated print marketing campaign in the Aotearoa book industry: a 16-page, full-colour A4 catalogue (c.100,000 copies), plus an 8-page Aotearoa Books Edition exclusive to the NZ Listener (30,000 copies), and an 8-page A5 Kids Reading Guide for our dedicated children’s bookstores. The SRG is essential Christmas and gifting season marketing spend, reaching readers right when they’re making their buying decisions. Last year’s edition featured almost 200 titles. Participating stores customise their own front/back footers and pricing, and are encouraged to stock at least 5 copies of half the listed titles and at least 1 copy of 80% of them — so your books are genuinely on the shelf, not just on paper.
A STRONG DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
Run by BookHub in collaboration with Booksellers NZ, the digital campaign builds on last year’s strong results and runs from October 13 (just after Bookshop Day) through to the end of the year — spanning BookHub homepage carousels and banners, EDMs, social media spotlights, bookseller reviews and promoted social posts. Bookstores will also receive a suite of assets they can own-brand for their own email, web and social channels, extending your reach even further.
OMNI-CHANNEL, NATIONWIDE
We’re the only omni-channel, nationwide book marketing campaign in NZ. Beyond bookshop displays and handsells, your titles reach readers through multiple newspaper inserts (including the ODT, Timaru Herald and Central Courier), The Listener, social media, email, ecommerce (BookHub and member stores) and podcasts — driving traffic to bookstores, lifting sales and reaching new audiences.
KEY DATES
June – end July: Submissions open
Early August: Title selection (Booksellers NZ member vote)
End August: Confirmations sent
September: Production; proofs sent for your sign-off
October: Guide live in stores for Bookshop Day (10th)
Late November: Insert in NZ Listener
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
This Guide represents what Aotearoa’s indie booksellers are recommending over the peak trading season. We’re keen on your heavy-hitters, but there’s also room to think outside the box — we’d encourage a genuine mix across genres and formats, not just your lead titles.
There’s no charge to submit. Once titles are selected, we’ll be in touch for high-res cover art, and you will be invoiced in August for confirmed titles only.
LISTING TYPES & RATES
Standard – $400: placement in the SRG plus inclusion in the digital campaign
Feature – $500: accented SRG listing plus extra digital focus (social spotlight and BookHub EDM inclusion)
Associate Members receive 15% off, all prices excl. GST. Final selections are invoiced in August after proof approval, for payment in September.
CATEGORIES
Fiction — General Fiction, Crime & Thriller, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Romance
Non-Fiction — General Non-Fiction, Cooking & Lifestyle, Home & Garden, Health & Wellness, Biography & Memoir, Travel & Sport
Kids & Young Adults — Baby & Toddler, Junior Readers, Middle Readers, Kids Non-Fiction, Young Adult
Not Books – Gift Ideas
Ockham, NZCYA and Ngaio Marsh Award winners are automatically included. Genre categories depend on submission volume — if there aren’t enough titles in a category, they’ll sit under General Fiction/Non-Fiction.
LOOKING AHEAD
We’ll run the Autumn Reading Guide again next year for titles released January–June 2027, launching in stores April 2027. Submissions for this will open in January 2027.
Email your completed template to renee@booksellers.co.nz by Fri 31 July 2026