The Perilous Trade: Publishing Canada's Writers

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Most of us give little thought to who publishes the books we read. And
yet, as Roy MacSkimming points out, publishers are the gatekeepers who
decide which books make their way into readers’ hands, which is why in
Canada it is crucially important to have a healthy group of publishers
working on behalf of Canadian writers.

A little over a half a century ago, hardly any publishers existed, at
least in English Canada, which is the focus of this book. Since then,
many publishers have come and gone—victims of takeovers or
bankruptcies. In The Perilous Trade, MacSkimming provides snapshot
histories of those he considers to be the most important firms, paying
particular attention to the personalities involved, many of whom he
interviewed.

The interviews were supplemented by wide reading of the extant
literature as well as the author’s own experiences as a publisher,
book reviewer, and publishing bureaucrat. MacSkimming is himself a
Canadian author who has worked with five Canadian publishers. Macfarlane
Walter & Ross was to have been his sixth publisher, but that firm went
out of business in between delivery of the manuscript and publication,
prompting McClelland & Stewart to step into the breech. Perilous trade,
indeed.

Still, MacSkimming’s own evidence would seem to suggest that the
book’s title is somewhat misleading. In the area of children’s
literature, Kids Can Press has proved remarkably successful, and there
are many other success stories. One of them, Dundurn Press (the largest
privately owned publisher of academic titles in Canada), rates only a
brief mention, not the extended analysis it would seem to deserve.

Caveat aside, MacSkimming has produced a fast-paced, well-written text
that should encourage readers to pay more attention to the publishers of
the books they pick up.