The authors involved in "House in the Fog." Image: Submitted
A group of Saint John writers who have created Partridge Island Publishing Company launched their first book at the Kent Theatre uptown last Sunday.
“Houses In The Fog” is the first book of the publishing company’s “In The Fog” series, which includes stories set in Saint John or related to the city through various genres.
Amanda Evans, author and president of the publishing company, said the group of writers that gathered in February couldn’t find the right publisher with whom to launch their book.
“We thought it would be a good idea for Saint John to have a publishing company and we can help the people that were having a problem finding a place to publish,” she said.
The company is set up as a non-profit organization “so that we can work with the people rather than the financial side of it,” Evans said.
“We’re going to try to make some money, but getting the stories out and getting the [writers’] community growing is the most important part,” she added.
The company wants to cater to Canadian writers in general, but more specifically writers from New Brunswick and indigenous communities, starting with St. Mary’s First Nation and Oromocto First Nation, said author and team member Shannon Dykens.
“We’re centered in New Brunswick but we’re also open to Canadian authors because we think that Canadian authors have a unique perspective on things and we would like them to have a voice,” Dykens said.
For now, the company is relying on grants to get going but plans to be sustained by book sales.
“We’re hoping to get the books out and they can sustain us,” Evans explained. “We’re also looking at in the further future to have an office and space where we can bring in people and get them employed. Something like a coffee shop, where people can sit down and write. The writing that you do there will be put towards the book if you want.”
The first book from the “In The Fog” series was launched in November. Image: Submitted
The company plans to publish one or two books a year from the “In the Fog” series, including possibly a cookbook called “Taste in the Fog.” The next book to launch will be called “Memories in the Fog” in 2020.
“They’re all Saint John-based and they all have context in Saint John, so especially our local readers will enjoy reading about the spots they know and having a fiction twist on the city they live in,” said Greg Abrams, one of the authors.
The group plans to get more work published by local authors by approaching existing writers group in Saint John and other parts of New Brunswick, as well as through online channels.
Evans, Dykens and Abrams said having a writer’s group helps them focus, stay motivated and share.
“We have a core group, but as we grow, we want to bring in as many authors as we can and try to get their names out there as much as we’re getting our names out there. So we’re probably going to do a campaign on social media to draw in some local talent as well,” Abrams said.
A version of this story was published in Huddle, an online business news publication based in Saint John. Huddle is an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
