Awards and Funding - a good place to start.

1. Funding New Zealand Culture
2. How to write a book - a nice logical article with extracts below:
3. New Zealand Publishing

"Publishers tend to specialise in only a few broad categories. Suitable publishers can be identified and addresses located through a public library with the help of a capable librarian.

A follow up letter is worthwhile if you do not hear back within a month. Even a negative reply is better than no reply.

If you cannot find a publisher interested in publishing your book, consider printing and publishing it yourself" New Zealand has a government document stating most of our publishing is not printed locally. NZTE PDF on the subject. Contact us and we can get you a list, tell us how many pages, the type of book, colour or black and white and the number of pictures, hard cover or paperback, and if you need a graphic artist for the design and marketing brand, do you also want a website - etc. Let us know - karen@hint.co.nz

Costs start from $6 for an A5 size paperback of about 200 pages black and white on a print run of 3000. (About 2.5 cents a page.) Now think about it, personally the last book I read had 1800 pages the current book I'm reading has 942 pages so around $20.00 may be realistic so lets say $30 per book including marketing budget. Personally I am starting to think a publishing house sounds better all the time - so long as the talent is available!

Costs of production are not deducted from royalties. Now that's a fantastic word.

Self publishing: http://www.authorhouse.com/ US$1400 will get you your ISDN, 10 paperbacks and 10 Hardcovers - see actual details. Here is the New Zealand info on this ISDN (International Standard Book Numbering Agency). An ISDN is a must.

"Most encouraging of all? Tom Clancy and John Grisham both sold their first books without agents." http://www.caderbooks.com has a free advice page - a short tidbit on the publisher not offering a novice the best deal has merit - but you have to start some where. Another lovely story, one of the guys who has done exceedingly well in my opinion - Michael Crichton - wrote a book during university breaks whilst studying to become a doctor. Going on to write many excellent books and of course the likes of the TV series ER, as well as many movies. A typical scenario about an exceptional man writing what he understands and stretching it to make it topical, threatening and entertaining - Jurassic Park, DNA gone chaotic, The Andromeda Strain.

You have to trust a publisher to a large degree regarding royalties. However you will know how many copies are printed, so when it comes to a reprint you should have been paid for about 95% of those copies.

If you are self-publishing you can sell your books through a book distributor — usually supplying them about 100 -150 copies at a time. 

Their normal profit margin, which allows for the shops' mark-up is retail price, less 60%. You are paid when the distributor has been paid by the retail shops, usually three months later.

Please note most of this page is about self publishing - here is a quote from publishamerica.com "There are no charges under any circumstances, ever." Maybe if your that good - you don't need to pay?

There are further websites with more free information: http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/howto/published/index.html

Topics include:

1. How To Write a Press Release
2. How To Run a Literary Event
3. How to Generate Publicity and Deal with the Media
4. How to Deal With a Visiting Writer
5. How to Organise a Writers in Schools Visit

The reference book New Zealand Books in Print , available in most public libraries, lists all New Zealand publishers and overseas publishers with New Zealand distributors. It gives each publisher’s contact details, and an indication of their areas of specialisationThere are publishers websites - but it seems publishers do not create websites with any sort of flair, or marketing finesse
- take a look at this:
http://www.thorpe.com.au/If you need to cut to the chase go to this page:

http://www.thorpe.com.au/forms/files/publish.pdf

Bottom right of the last link - HAS A PRICING GUIDE for publishing a book.

Select the type of binding -

1. A5 or Trade or Royal Black and White Perfect Bound (normal book)
2. Select the number of pages
3. Select the number of books
4. Select the currency (US, Euro's of Pounds)

Short story - approx most things the same size cost around the same US$ print run of 1 book US$19.33 740 pages A5 B&W
Print run of 25 books $485 (19.33 per unit)
Print run of 100 books $1933 (19.33 per unit all the way up to 3000 books)

Last link for the page goes to: http://www.lulu.com/en/products/paperback/