Following the news last November that HarperCollins Canada is closing its distribution center, four Canadian publishers — Douglas & McIntyre, House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books, Greystone Books, and New Society Publishers — have announced they will move their distribution to University of Toronto Press (UTP).
All of those distribution deals will begin May 1, except for House of Anansi’s, which will begin July 2. According to Hamish Cameron, UTP’s v-p distribution, the distributor will add at least four full-time workers and several part-time staff to meet the demands of their increased volume from their new clients.
“The main reason they decided to come with us is because their lists are a very good fit with the other lists we distribute,” Cameron told PW. “We’re a major distributor of Canadian fiction and nonfiction and children’s books. And I think the prospect of increased order size, because of the fit with our other publishers, was a major contributing factor to why they decided to come with us.”
One publisher that had been distributed by HC that is not moving to UTP is ChiZine Publications, who will instead be distributed by Publishers Group Canada/Raincoast. “They were really looking for sales support, and that’s not something that we provide,” says Cameron. “Our client publishers have their own sales representation.”
According to press releases from Douglas & McIntyre, Greystone Books, and New Society Publishers, HarperCollins Canada will accept orders until April 23, ship books until April 30, and accept returns until July 29 at its current warehouse. House of Anansi’s statement says HarperCollins Canada will not ship any orders after June 26, and will accept returns until Sept. 25.
