Writing & Language

From learning about curious English words and phrases to how to write like a pro, we have you covered with guides for writing family histories, journalling and fun ways to test your vocabulary and more.

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  • 978-1-921966-27-9

    Creative Writer’s Sourcebook

    $39.99 Tax Included

    50 Great Authors & 175 Writing Exercises

    Avaliable now (ANZ only)


    A fascinating guide to the style and technique of the world’s great writers. From Roald Dahl to Katherine Mansfield, each author profile includes details of the writer’s career, key works and significance of their writing style. Writing exercises then guide the reader to experiment with this style, honing their craft as they play with perspective, perfect characterisation, and craft opening lines like the greats. Perfect for aspiring fiction writers and literature lovers alike!

    Specifications: Hardback | 230 x 172mm  | 224 Pages

  • Untethered

    Untethered

    $34.99 Tax Included

    Living the digital nomad life in an uncertain world


    “Untethered is a must-read… The book is packed with advice, support and guidance from a writer who clearly loves this way of life – and believes everyone has a chance to make it work.”Freelancer Magazine

    Digital nomads work online from anywhere in the world. If you’ve ever wanted to live like this, but don’t know where to start, Untethered is for you. Let a veteran digital nomad take you by the hand and lead you through this new territory. Learn exactly what it takes to engineer a digital nomad lifestyle in a post-pandemic world. With travel stories and case studies interlaced with clear, real-world guidance, you’ll equip yourself with the tools to create your own location-independent life.


    SPECIFICATIONS: 229mm x 152mm | Paperback | 232 Pages | Exisle Publishing

  • The Creative SEED

    The Creative SEED

    $24.99 Tax Included

    How to enrich your life through creativity

    Skills, Experimentation, Evaluation and Discovery: SEED — an original approach empowering beginners and established creators to clearly understand the nature of the creative process. Whether you are already involved in some form of creative expression, think you don’t have an ounce of creative flair, are a raw beginner or well established, you can discover and nurture new, exciting dimensions in your life with The Creative SEED to keep you inspired and on track in living your creative dream. 

    SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 198 x 129 mm / 7.75 x 5 inches | 200 Pages | Empower

  • The Journal Writer's Companion

    The Journal Writer’s Companion

    $34.99 Tax Included

    Achieve Your Goals • Express Your Creativity • Realize your Potential

    Numerous studies show that effective journal writing can significantly impact your life. Designed to be a clear, practical guide to using journaling to help you succeed in any area of life, The Journal Writer’s Companion is also a comprehensive reference to all of the different types of journaling techniques, from gratitude journals to bullet journals, legacy journals to art journals. The result is the only guide you’ll ever need to achieving personal and professional success the journaling way!

    SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925820041 | Hardback | 210 x 152 mm / 8.25 x 6 inches |272 Pages

  • The Godzone Dictionary of favourite New Zealand words and phrases (2nd Edition)

    The Godzone Dictionary of favourite New Zealand words and phrases (2nd Edition)

    $29.99 Tax Included

    This concise A–Z dictionary, now updated in a new edition, is a quick and easy reference to understanding the words and phrases that make New Zealand English unique. Language expert Max Cryer provides helpful definitions for the various entries, and also sheds light on their origins. Slang words feature heavily, while a key feature is the large number of Māori words that have become part of the language. Popular names of sports teams are included as well as an appendix of New Zealand acronyms

    SPECIFICATIONS: 9781775594000 | Paperback | 210 x 135 mm / 8.25 x 5.25 inches | 248 Pages

  • Curious English Words and Phrases (2nd edition)

    Curious English Words and Phrases (2nd edition)

    $24.99 Tax Included

    The truth behind the expressions we use.

    ‘Cloud nine’, ‘at the drop of a hat’, ‘spitting image’, ‘mollycoddle’, ‘rigmarole’, ‘round robin’, ‘spill the beans’, ‘kick the bucket’, ‘balderdash’ and ‘touch wood’. There are so many curious words and phrases that we often use and yet haven’t you ever wondered why we say them, where they come from and what they mean?

    Written by language expert Max Cryer, Curious Words and Phrases has all the answers behind some of the most interesting and perplexing words and expressions in the English language. Bulging with information, it’s a useful reference book and the ideal gift for anyone curious about the words and phrases we use.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 210 x 135 mm / 8.25 x 5.25 Inches | 432 Pages |

  • Happiness is a Red Teapot

    Happiness is a Red Teapot

    $29.99 Tax Included

    NZ Customers Special Sale (Limited Time Offer as shown)

    ‘When you have nobody you can make a cup of tea for… that’s when life is over.’ So said Audrey Hepburn, and we quite agree. Tea has a valued place in cultures worldwide. From the ritual of a Japanese tea ceremony to the cosy informality of an English cuppa, it soothes, grounds and comforts us.

    This beautiful collection of quotes and photographs features words from people as diverse as Mick Jagger, Thich Nat Hahn, Rod Stewart, Billy Connolly and Bear Grylls. It’s a testament to the universal appeal of tea, perfect for reading whilst sipping a mug or two. ‘Tea makes everything better’, after all.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 225 x 203 mm / 8¾  x 8 Inches | Colour | 160 Pages |

  • Preposterous Proverbs

    Preposterous Proverbs

    $22.99 Tax Included

    Why fine words butter no parsnips

    From our earliest years we have heard proverbs, and many of them are repeated without much thought. In ‘Preposterous Proverbs’, Max Cryer looks at a vast array of proverbs from around the world. Proverbs on birth, food, women and love rub shoulders with others on money, animals, sin and death. He has chosen some of the most interesting and perplexing, and with his characteristic wry wit he analyses their meaning and truth. A great book to dip into.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 198 x 126 mm | 272 Pages |

  • Everyone Can Write

    Everyone Can Write

    $19.99 Tax Included

    Everyone Can Write is an easy-to-understand, practical, ‘how to write’ book that is accessible to everyone from a business executive wanting to polish his reports to a retiree wanting to chronicle her family history. It solves the problems that beginning writers struggle with by giving them an easy-to-follow and simple set of rules that allows them to write rapidly and clearly.

    The book outlines the three forms of non-fiction writing: report, narrative and essay. Each one is dissected and a set of rules applied to each structure. The rules are easily put into practice and vary for each structure. For example, in report writing, two easy-to-apply rules are: 25 words to a sentence and 3 or 4 sentences in a paragraph.

    The author has also developed a foolproof method of structuring your writing, so that you make effective use of your time. It’s based on the easy-to-remember three-step formula: Pre-write, Free-write, Re-write. Pre-write refers to researching the necessary information. Free-write refers to getting the information onto the computer screen. Re-write refers to the essential task of editing the writing into clear readable text. This technique allows writers to become the editors of their own writing, thereby dramatically improve its quality.

    The essentials of grammar and punctuation, easily confused words and other useful tips for writers are also covered.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 162 mm x 125 mm | 176 Pages |

  • Illuminating Wisdom: Words of Wisdom, Works of Art

    Illuminating Wisdom: Words of Wisdom, Works of Art

    $44.99 Tax Included

    NZ Customers Special Sale (Limited Time Offer as shown)

    Illuminating Wisdom brings art and wisdom together in a beautiful celebration of some of the world’s most inspiring philosophical, spiritual and literary quotes.

    Approximately 80 quotes have been drawn from some of the great wisdom and literary traditions of both East and West, as well as from inspiring people throughout history noted for their practical wisdom. These quotes have been set to exquisite calligraphy by Deirdre Hassed, a leading professional calligrapher, in a range of styles — from the traditional to the contemporary, and making use of many and varied techniques such as gilding, collage, work on glass, letterpress and linoprinting.

    Accompanying each artwork is text by Craig Hassed, an international expert in mindfulness, that provides background on the quote’s author, explores the wisdom tradition to which it belongs, and offers deep insight into the meaning of the quote. The result is a book that is both a work of art and a collection of wisdom that will educate and inspire.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback, Case with Jacket | 225 x 203 mm / 8 ¾ x 8 Inches | 160 Pages |

  • The Essential Lingo Dictionary: of Australian Words and Phrases

    The Essential Lingo Dictionary: of Australian Words and Phrases

    $14.99 Tax Included

    The Essential Lingo Dictionary is a warts-and-all look at the notoriously hilarious (and occasionally a little bit naughty) canon of Australian slang words and phrases, casting light on the quirky, intriguing and often bizarre Australian Aussie language. A must-have for every bookshelf!
    If you have wondered why his girlfriend is a ‘Sheila’ even though her name is Sophia, or why your colleagues in Melbourne’s suburbs are said to live ‘beyond the black stump’, then this book is for you.

    SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | 210 x 135 mm / 8 ⅓ x 5 ⅓ Inches | 208 Pages |