| Founded | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Bridget Williams |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Headquarters location | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Distribution | David Bateman Ltd |
| Nonfiction topics |
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| Imprints | BWB Texts |
| Official website | www |
Bridget Williams Books is a New Zealand book publisher, established in 1990 by Bridget Williams.
Williams established the company in 1990 when the company she was working for, Allen & Unwin, was sold. She purchased the titles which she had developed as Allen & Unwin's managing director and started her own publishing company.[1] Williams' vision for the company was for it to publish "good books that sell" – books with significant messages. Her personal interests in women's and Māori history, and New Zealand general history, have influenced the books that the company publishes.[2]
From 1995 to 1998, the company published under a joint imprint with Auckland University Press,[3] before returning to independent publisher status in 1998.[citation needed]
In 2006, the company established the Bridget Williams Publishing Trust, which applies for grants from philanthropic organisations to support publication of specific titles.[1] For example, in 2013 the J.R. McKenzie Trust provided funding towards the publication and promotion of Inequality – A New Zealand Crisis.[4]
In 2011, Tom Rennie was hired as associate editor, and began to develop a digital publishing strategy for the company.[5] As a result, in 2013, BWB Texts were released – a series of short texts on topics of New Zealand interest, published first as e-books and later than paperbacks.[6] Certain titles in the series are funded by Creative New Zealand, and others are funded through the Bridget Williams Books Publishing Trust.[6]