In Atlantic Canada, it is said we speak in poetry and know how to spin a good yarn. Today, there is a real sense of momentum in publishing here, due to the rising wave of the read-local movement, the renaissance of independent publishers and bookstores, and the recent influx, in Nova Scotia, of increased funding for publishers.
Nimbus has been at the forefront of this growth and evolution of Atlantic Canada’s publishing scene. Now on the cusp of our 40th anniversary, we are publishing more books than ever—50 new books annually, up from 30 last year—and, most importantly, we are publishing better, smarter, and more comprehensively.
This past year has been one of many new beginnings for us. It all started when we moved our 16 staff into new offices and a 12,000-sq.-ft. warehouse (from which we distribute our own books as well as those of over a dozen other publishers), which is also home to a flexible event space for author workshops, launches, and even a Nimbus-focused book-and-coffee shop, Open Book Coffee.
We’ve also been hard at work on a brand-new audiobook program, Nimbus Audio, with a half dozen audiobooks completed and now available online—including the Leacock Medal–longlisted novel Mary, Mary, by bestselling author Lesley Crewe, and two thrilling (and theatrical) mysteries from celebrated writer Linda Moore, Foul Deeds and The Fundy Vault—and plenty more to come, as part of the larger Atlantic Audio Collection project.
Then there are the books and we’ve got some fantastic projects on the docket. This fall sees the U.S. release of EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street, a rollicking poem about difference and mental health issues, by the beloved children’s author Sheree Fitch. We recently published Be Prepared! The Frankie MacDonald Guide to Life, the Weather, and Everything, the inspiring story of YouTube celebrity and weather enthusiast extraordinaire Frankie MacDonald, who is autistic. In Canada this fall (and in spring 2019 in the U.S.), our adult fiction imprint, Vagrant, is thrilled to publish a new novel by one of our country’s master storytellers, Carol Bruneau. Set in 1943 in a fictional seaside Nova Scotia village, A Circle on the Surface is an empathetic portrayal of a marriage unravelling amid the paranoia of war. This powerful swell of a novel has already been hailed as “quietly brilliant” (by Quill & Quire). We are also excited to be releasing our 10th novel with the beloved Lesley Crewe, whose legions of fans anxiously anticipate Beholden, a tender, epic story of “a nest of wonderful women” set in the sweet wildness of Cape Breton.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nimbus is poised to continue bringing Atlantic stories and creators to a world stage, to challenge and exceed expectations, and to offer our writers and illustrators a place they can call home.
We hope you’ll join us on this journey. Cheers to another 40 years, and more.
Whitney Moran is managing editor of Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press.
