craig potton publishing

Craig Potton Publishing is New Zealand's largest independent publishing house. It was started in 1987 by photographer and conservationist Craig Potton, whose original motivation was to create a vehicle to publish high-quality photographic books. In 1990 Robbie Burton, who now co-owns the company with Craig Potton, joined Craig Potton Publishing as Managing Director and Publisher. In the past twenty years the company has grown to the point where it now publishes around 15-20 new titles per year, maintains a strong backlist of New Zealand books, and also publishes around 20 calendars annually. The company remains based in Nelson.

Craig Potton Publishing now has a diverse list of New Zealand-focussed non-fiction publishing, all produced within a strong ethos of quality and care. Landscape photography remains a key part of the publishing programme, featuring the work of the pre-eminent photographers in this field, including Andris Apse, Rob Brown and Craig Potton. This focus on the outdoors has also led to an emphasis on outdoor recreation, and notably many best-selling books on walking and tramping, especially the Bird's Eye series, and the sister volumes, Classic Walks in New Zealand, and Classic Tramping in New Zealand. Natural history is also a longstanding focus and a key part of the Craig Potton Publishing list. This has been built around such classic titles as George Gibbs' Ghosts of Gondwana, Les Molloy and Craig Potton's New Zealand's Wilderness Heritage, and in 2011 the landmark publication from John Dawson and Rob Lucas, New Zealand's Native Trees.

Craig Potton Publishing has always published an eclectic range of books on New Zealand culture, ranging from the poetry of Sam Hunt, the paintings of Colin McCahon and the songs of Dave Dobbyn to the biography of Ian Mune and the imagery of film-maker Vincent Ward. An important offshoot of that has been an interest in contemporary issues, with perhaps most prominent being the work of investigative writer Nicky Hager, including the acclaimed The Hollow Men and, in 2011, Other People's Wars.

From the beginning Craig Potton Publishing has controlled its own sales and distribution, and that remains a key component of the company's success. This has also enabled Craig Potton Publishing to provide distribution services to other publishers, currently including Lonely Planet and Hema products.

Craig Potton Publishing is proudly independent, and actively values the freedom to publish books that inspire and that matter to the publishing team, and to maintain a committed and hands-on involvement in every book that is published.