2011 is slinking out the doors and may be remembered as the 'year that wasn't' in the publishing world.
It got off to a rocky start with the demise of Key Porter, a publishing subsidiary of H.B. Fenn and Company. Key Porter was a long-time and well-respected name in the Canadian publishing world and it signaled the decline of the parent company. A couple of months later, H.B. Fenn filed for bankruptcy sending shock waves through the industry. For authors and readers...this was not good news.
Late in the spring, south of the border, Borders also filed for bankruptcy. That's the one that started this entire big box bookselling fiasco. It left in its wake way too many smaller independents that had closed over the years. However, this was also a blow to publishers as there was one fewer(with thousands of outlets)place to sell books.
However, there was a bright side to year 2011. There were smiles all around when Napoleon/RendezVous Publishing became part of the Dundurn fold. The RendezVous crime imprint has fostered many a successful Canadian crime writer over the years and its legacy continues within its new home.
And, a new venue (2010) for Canadian mystery and crime writers grew into a highly-respected imprint. Orca Books' Rapid Reads, books for the reluctant reader, has published novels by Gail Bowen, Barbara Fradkin, Brenda Chapman, Rick Blechta and Lou Allin, to name just a few.
Okay, so maybe it was more the year that got off to a shaky start. Have things in the publishing world improved? Let's just say, they're changing. E-books have taken their place alongside (so to speak) the printed novel. On-line shopping is becoming as popular as the brick and mortar style. Change is supposed to be good? Right?
Let's see what 2012 brings us!
Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime
www.erikachase.com
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