Peer pressure works! The Sentimentalist publisher makes deal to print more copies

Peer pressure works! The Sentimentalist publisher makes deal to print more copies

Boutique Nova Scotia publisher Gaspereau Press has come to an agreement with Vancouver publisher Douglas and McIntyre to print 30,000 copies of Johanna Skibsrud‘s Giller-winning novel, The Sentimentalists. The deal comes in the wake of an outcry over Gaspereau’s initial refusal to outsource printing of the book, which was printed in an original run of only 800; Gaspereau can print a maximum of 1,000 books a week, far less than the demand a Giller win will generate.

Gaspereau co-owner Andrew Steeves initially announced there was no way he would let anyone else print the book, but has since reversed that decision, likely in response to major media attention over an attitude some found antiquated and snobbish.

Steeves told CBC this morning that they’ve found a publisher up to their rigorous standards. “If Gaspereau wanted to be big, they’d be like Douglas and MacIntrye. They’re our kind of people.” Guaranteed Skibsrud is breathing a sigh of relief: the new books should be on shelves in about a week, just in time for the holiday gift-buying season.

Vancouver publisher to print The Sentimentalists [CBC]