Gould steps down as Booksellers NZ CEO

Booksellers NZ CEO Lincoln Gould is stepping down after 10 years in the role.

Gould will work through to October, with the board aiming to choose a new CEO by the end of August.

Booksellers NZ chair Juliet Blyth praised Gould for his contribution to the association. ‘Lincoln has been a true champion for our members and for the wider book industry,’ Blyth said. ‘Notably, Lincoln was a key driver in lobbying successive governments to implement the charging of GST on international online purchases, and this will be in place from October 1 this year.’

Blyth also listed the establishment of the Winter Institute Scholarship and NZ Bookshop Day, as well as his founding membership of the English Language Booksellers Association among Gould’s achievements. ‘Tough as it will be to see Lincoln go, with membership numbers on the rise and Booksellers NZ safely ensconced in its new premises across from Book House in Boulcott St, the Association is well positioned to engage in a new future,’ said Blyth. ‘Lincoln came into Booksellers NZ from a background in change management and leaves with a demonstrable passion for the industry in the form of Messines Bookshop, his own bookshop in Featherston. Once again, the magic of bookselling does its thing.’

Gould said New Zealand bookselling has changed a great deal in the past 10 years, adding he was fortunate to have been able to contribute to ‘such an important part of the cultural fabric of the country’.

‘The financial crisis of 2009, the year I started, also saw the beginning of the ebook phenomenon, which some predicted would be the end of printed books,’ said Gould, adding it was ‘also the time when Amazon was attacking bricks and mortar bookshops around the world with cut-priced online selling’.

‘However, New Zealand booksellers rose to the challenge, with our agreement with Kobo offering the opportunity for member bookshops to sell ereaders, and by also consolidating their positions as important social and cultural hubs within their communities,’ said Gould. ‘The e-market has now plateaued, new bookshops are opening in communities across the country and real-book sales are increasing.’

Category: Local news