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Summer is traditionally the time for catching up on books, but there's been a bit of difficult reading for the local publishing industry.
Book sales for the year just gone were $140 million, which was down by more than 5 percent on the previous year.
Total copies sold nationwide were also down 7.5 percent. Booksellers seem to have some reason for optimism in 2024, however, with potentially big ticket items in the works by a number of Māori authors, along with a potential blockbuster, perhaps, from former prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
Allen & Unwin local managing director Melanie Laville-Moore spoke to Corin Dann.