Sharing New Brunswick’s Stories: 3 Questions for Julie Scriver of Goose Lane Editions
New Brunswick has a history as a province full of stories and storytellers.
And when it comes to selling and sharing those stories, few can do it better than Goose Lane Editions, Canada’s oldest independent publishing house.
Creative director Julie Scriver works alongside a small but mighty team, including her long-time business partner of 28 years Susanne Alexander, Goose Lane Edition’s publisher.
We asked Scriver three questions:
1) Where does New Brunswick fit in Canada’s literary scene?
While central Canada certainly has a higher number of publishers per capita, we like to think that we make up for density with longevity. Our business is one of a handful of publishing houses in NB, and our 60-year legacy in publishing gives Goose Lane Editions the distinction of being Canada’s oldest independent publisher. The storytelling tradition runs deep in NB, and we revel in sharing stories of all kinds and engaging readers with fresh perspectives and challenging ideas.
We thrive on making challenging and exciting Canadian writing public. Goose Lane has carved out a strong reputation as a literary publisher; as a creator of sumptuous art books; as a bastion of poetry publishing; and our collection of outdoor guides cover atlantic Canada, Montreal, and Ottawa. Our francophone colleagues at Bouton d’or d’Acadie are producing lively illustrated books for children and young adult readers and continue to expand their Wabanaki series in Mi’kmaq, French and English. The writers whose work we publish are engaged in ideas and imaginings that reach far beyond the delineation of New Brunswick. Goose Lane has launched the careers of many successful writers and we enjoy partnerships with art galleries and museums across the country.
We choose to work and live here. Life is good here. The scale is so human. We are engaged in the stories and the history of this place. Doing business from here can be challenging, when the epicentre of business and national media is over 1000 kms away, but we’ve got maritime grit on our side. We face that perceptual barrier with gumption and confidence in the quality of our work, and try to make face-to-face meetings as often as we can. As in all things, communication is at the heart of it, and publishing is truly all about relationships between writer, editor, designer, publicist, sales rep, bookseller, reader… We’re building community.
So where do we fit? On the stage, with colleagues from across the country.
2) In your view, how can New Brunswick writers better market themselves?
Because the market is so competitive and because there is so little media available for review of books, we look for authors who understand the necessity of cultivating an audience and who are willing and able to run with us once their book is in print. Before we even get to signing an author, though, we look at the quality of the writing, how the work fits into our own publishing program and what we can do for that writer/what that writer can do for us. Having some profile is an asset: find opportunities for publication in magazines, journals, etc.; build your audience with a blog, speaking engagements, etc.; build a social media profile that supports your writing endeavours.
I have great admiration for writers: they are determined, self-disciplined, and frankly, they have to be willing to lay themselves bare: to the editorial process, to the reader, to the reviewer… It’s not for the faint of heart. A writer’s work doesn’t end when the last word is written, either. It goes on through many phases of editing and proofing, and once the book is published there are high expectations for the writer to be “on” and available for interviews, readings, online events.
Authors everywhere face the challenge of making their work public. That is a publisher’s mission, so understanding what individual publishers are up to and identifying a good fit is a good strategy. Literary agents are valuable partners for both writers and publishers. As a publisher we cherish them as scouts. An agent will have a good grasp on what different publishers are up to and can advocate and negotiate a contract on behalf of an author.
3) How is technology changing the publishing business?
I’ve been in the publishing business long enough that I’ve seen massive change with technology. We’ve moved the majority of our processes to electronic media rather than paper. I’d like to think that we’re consuming less.
At the other end of the business, we produce the majority of our titles in eBook as well as in print. Most titles then are published in three editions: print and two editions of eBook. We’ve done our best to encourage libraries to purchase multiple copies of eBooks for their patrons. We cherish the valiant and passionate independent booksellers. Westminster Books in Fredericton is one of those. The big box booksellers are suffering a bit of an identity crisis.
Technology has likely had the greatest impact in eroding out attention span. As a publisher we constantly face the challenge of engaging readers. The information overload of email, text, tweet, phone, Facebook, etc., makes for a lot of disruption and runs counter to the whole notion of dedicating yourself to a book… So, we’re facing that cultural shift every day and considering how we adapt our practices as a publisher. We’re producing short form pieces, engaging audience on multiple platforms, and constantly revisiting how we bring the work of our writers to the public.
I hold fast to the belief that surrendering to a good book, encountering a new world view through someone’s prose, is a wonderful thing and a great antidote to the cacophony of these times, via whatever medium. Although, I do love the smell of a freshly printed book.