Beyond Boundaries: Examining the publishing process of Simon and Schuster Canada's diverse fiction titles

Studies released in 2018 and 2021 by BookNet Canada that explored the "demand of diversity" show that 58% of all respondents agreed that the Canadian readership would benefit from more diverse books. This increase in demand reflects the collective belief of the young, diverse readership that "books by immigrants, foreigners and minorities don't diminish the 'classic' curriculum, they enhance it." Since 2013, Simon and Schuster Canada has successfully launched diverse authors like Jesse Thistle and Zarqa Nawaz and in 2022, with the establishment of Scribner Canada, initiated a publishing strategy aimed at producing and acquiring titles that brought in global, multidimensional perspectives and met the needs of a diverse readership. This project report examines the publishing processes—from acquisition to editing to production—of five such titles. Through a case-by-case study, this report explains the parameters taken into consideration when acquiring international, diaspora and translated fiction titles, estimating sales potential, how the acquisition and editing of a book written in English differs from a translated literary work, the role of editorial in the marketing and positioning of such titles, and finally, the design treatment for both the interior and jacket of such titles, and how this differs from the Canadian-centric works written by Canadian authors.