press release

BRIDGET WILLIAMS BOOKS

Inequality and the West

Robert Wade
Published by Bridget Williams Books
This stunning sweep of western societies by New Zealander Robert Wade, professor at the London School of Economics, reveals why inequality has risen internationally, how its been justified, and the arguments against it. BWB Texts offer a new form of reading for New Zealanders. Commissioned as short digital-only works, BWB Texts unlock diverse stories, insights and analysis from the best of our past, present and future New Zealand writing. Public Lecture Robert Wade is currently visiting New Zealand, holding lectures on the topic of: Inequality and the West: Capitalism at a Tipping Point. A key part of Professor Wades approach is to explore the pre-distribution of wealth and the way that policy supports wealth concentration. Professor Wade will be speaking at Te Papa on Tuesday 16 July, 6pm, Soundings Theatre. Seats are limited so please arrive early to secure a spot. More information available at: www.bwb.co.nz/wade. Author information A professor of political economy at the London School of Economics, New Zealander Robert Wade is a leading international writer on globalisation, inequality and world financial systems. He is the author of the award-winning work Governing the Market. Professor Wade was awarded, with Jos Antonio Ocampo, the 2008 Leontief Prize by the Global Development and Environment Institute. Inequality and the West is Chapter 3 in Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, edited by Max Rashbrooke. Available in print or ebook at: http://www.bwb.co.nz/books/inequality
Publication: June 2013 RRP$4.99 24 pages ISBN 9781927247808 (EPUB), 9781927247815 (KINDLE) Available direct from www.bwb.co.nz and from major retailers including Amazon, Kobo and eBooks.com

Robert Wade is available for interview during the week of 1519 July. Media copies of Inequality and the West are available. For interviews or review copies, please contact Megan Simpson: megan@bwb.co.nz or 04 473 8128

Bridget Williams Books PO Box 12474 | Wellington 6144 | New Zealand info@bwb.co.nz | 04 473 8128

What are BWB Texts? A BWB Text is a short, digital-only piece of high-quality New Zealand writing, produced swiftly and distributed globally online. Read on smart phones and e-readers, tablets and desktop computers, BWB Texts connect an exploding online readership to some of New Zealands best authors, reading and ideas.
BWB Texts draw on the publishing expertise of Bridget Williams Books to bring readers an exciting mix of New Zealand reading: cutting edge commentary sits alongside reflective narrative, debate alongside history, articles follow memoir, and information precedes stories. Launching with Paul Callaghan: Luminous Moments, the first set of BWB Texts now includes: Maurice Gees Creeks & Kitchens: A Childhood Memoir, Rebecca Macfies Report from Christchurch (in association with the New Zealand Listener), and Kathleen Joness I think ... I am going to die.: Katherine Mansfield at Fontainebleau. More BWB Texts, including Hamish Campbells The Zealandia Drowning Hypothesis and Sir Tipene ORegans New Myths and Old Politics, will be released regularly throughout 2013.

How will BWB Texts work? The BWB Texts programme is inspired by emerging overseas publishing models focused on short form digital-only works, often referred to as e-singles. Sharing similar characteristics as these offshore initiatives, BWB Texts are short digital-only works, produced quickly to ensure topicality, retailed at low cost, and distributed to the widest range of devices possible. BWB Texts are crafted in-house at BWB using a digital production workflow powered by Infogrid Pacific, with covers from Base Two.
The strength of BWBs commissioning strategy based on providing excellent research and writing about New Zealand is widely recognised. BWB Texts build from this expertise, using the flexibility of this new approach to provide readers with a broad sweep of topics: New Zealand history; contemporary issues; biography and autobiography; other New Zealand narrative non-fiction (for example, travel writing and science). BWB Texts are available directly and DRM-free from our website (www.bwb.co.nz), in addition to a wide range of retailers including Amazon, Kobo and eBooks. com. Bundled sets of BWB Texts will also be made available. School, public and tertiary libraries in New Zealand and abroad will be able to purchase copies via distributors ebrary, EBL and Wheelers.

Why are BWB Texts important? Debate new readers, new thinking BWB Texts provide a new meeting space, connecting our histories, technologies, shifting readers, emerging and established authors, and our shared futures.
Quality serious writing amidst the online noise The internet is disrupting the quality and nature of our reading. BWB Texts help connect important ideas and a readership confronted with the noise of modern media. Silence the challenges facing media BWB Texts represent a response to these challenges, one that draws on these technological shifts to nurture great writing, both as BWB Texts and within the wider BWB publishing programme. Global immediate and crossing boundaries Produced within weeks and worldwide in distribution, BWB Texts broadcast New Zealand voices and stories across boundaries.

Who is behind BWB Texts? BWB Texts was instigated by publisher Tom Rennie and journalist Max Rashbrooke, in partnership with BWBs director Bridget Williams. The trio became a quartet with Geoff Walker bringing years of New Zealand publishing experience to the team as commissioning editor alongside Max Rashbrooke. Together, we have fashioned a contemporary vision drawing on many years of strong publishing experience. Acknowledgement We would like to acknowledge the funding support of the BWB Publishing Trust (www.bwbpublishingtrust. org.nz) that makes this new digital imprint possible.