Our story
Callaei Books (pronounced “KAL-LAY” Books) is a small independent publishing business in New Zealand. It was founded in late February 2019 by Kiwi indie author Renee Nielsen after the release of her debut novel, The Case of Kindall, K..
NZBN: 9429047337688
Callaei Books’ beginning
It was the second edition of The Case of Kindall, K. that brought Callaei Books into existence. After navigating issues experienced in the books’ first release, Renee made the call to republish the book as a revised second edition of the novel. With this came the opportunity to publish this time under an imprint – and to open up a potential for a long-term opportunity to help other indie writers publish their stories.
Thus, Callaei Books was created, and the decision to turn the imprint into an independent publishing company followed soon after.
Wherefore the name “Callaei”?
Callaei Books was named after the Callaeidae family of wattle birds, consisting of the kōkako, tieke / saddleback, and the extinct huia. These birds are endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, and are among Renee’s most favourite birds.
The North Island kōkako (pictured below) was the inspiration for Callaei Books’ logo.
The kōkako’s song is a haunting flute-like song, and Renee’s experience listening to it resonated with her experiences of reading, watching and imaging emotionally-captivating stories.
Thus, the kōkako illustrates Callaei Books’ desire to publish emotionally-captivating stories.
Our mission & visions
Callaei Books seeks to support indie writers and independent publishing. This includes:
- Increasing the opportunities for indie writers to pursue their original novel publishing visions
- Diversifying the fictional book market with new and original stories from independent writers, particularly those whose stories might otherwise not have the opportunity to be published
- Creating a network and a platform for indie writers to have more chance of being seen, thus also giving their stories a greater chance of being found and loved by readers
Our core values
- Embracing diversity: intercultural, cross-cultural, sociocultural. We believe in appreciating diversity and engaging in deepening understanding of diversity by publishing stories involving ethnically, culturally and socially diverse characters and storylines.
- Integrity and authenticity of authors’ voices. Throughout the publishing process, and post-publication, the author’s voice matters. We believe in recognising the author’s vision for their work and in upholding this throughout the editing, publication and marketing process.
Publishing with Callaei Books
As Callaei Books is a small business and is still developing, we are not commissioning or accepting manuscripts for submission at this stage. However, this is one of our long-term goals for the future!
If you are an indie writer currently working on an original novel, and you are thinking you might like to publish with us in the future, thank you! It may be a few years yet before we are ready to take onboard other writers’ work, but in the meantime, keep working on your novel and we wish you good vibes with your writing!
Updated 2024
Callaei Books - Independent publisher 