5 questions with Caitlin Press

In this new instalment of our 5 questions with series, we interview Sarah Vasu, the marketing and promotions coordinator from Caitlin Press.

1. Tell us about Caitlin Press. Where are you located and what kinds of books do you publish?

Caitlin Press is located in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, on the unceded traditional territory of the Qualicum First Nation. Caitlin Press publishes books that reflect the diverse cultures, histories, and concerns of BC, bridging the gap between the urban and the rural. Caitlin Press also remains committed to its feminist origins by publishing bold works by and about BC women for a local and national readership. In 2016, Caitlin Press launched Dagger Editions, publishing literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by and about queer women (those who identify as queer women, including trans women or trans men, or anyone who includes this in their personal history).

2. What’s the single best thing you’ve done to promote your books to readers?

The single best thing that we do to promote our books is to work closely with the authors. We combine our experience with their expertise to create the winning combination. The research makes the promotion. Ensuring that every pitch is relevant and has some sort of hook for a potential reviewer or interviewer opens doors. We also make sure to include previous interviews or reviews in the pitch to make ourselves memorable. It is also important to keep trying, even when success is not immediate. Playing the long game is essential because everyone you pitch to has a million emails to get through and can take time to respond.

3. What makes your publishing house different from others?

Caitlin Press is primarily interested in the identity of British Columbia. We do this by publishing books by rural, under-served, and marginalized communities with a focus on women writers. As Vici Johnstone, our publisher, put it in an interview with BC Creates, “The problem has always been that women’s stories haven’t been well documented. So much has been written about men, but I’m more interested in what lies in the trunks of our grandmothers’ attics.”

4. What do you wish you had known about publishing when you were starting out?

The amount of time, dedication, and love that goes into publishing a single book is not to be underestimated. It truly takes a community to publish a book. Every book reflects the collaborative work of the author, the editor, the publishing house, and our industry partners from distributors to sales reps and booksellers.

5. What’s next for Caitlin Press?

We are always committed to being a part of current societal conversations. We have and continue to publish feminist and queer writing alongside books about rural BC; on occasion, these themes come together. In the fall, we have a fascinating anthology about growing up queer in rural Canada as well as a deep and personal examination of the impact of the Vietnam War as told by the war resisters who came to Canada. We have also announced a collection of works by feminist thinkers including a range of topics from girlhood to postpartum depression.

BONUS: What topics would you like to see more often in the books you publish?

In the current political climate, we are happy to be able to contribute stories that improve our ability to understand how we work and live together and that the individual stories help create larger community. For example, we have published books on history that's often overlooked, such as the stories of the Doukhobors in BC: Our Backs Warmed by the Sun: Memories of a Doukhobor Life by Vera Maloff 🍁 and They Called Him a Radical: The Memoirs of Pete Maloff and the Making of a Doukhobor Pacifist by Pete Maloff 🍁 and Vera Maloff 🍁. Additionally, we are proud of our queer-focused imprint, Dagger Editions, through which we have published titles like Sunrise Over Half-Built Houses by Erin Steele 🍁, which is an authentic, humble, and ultimately inspiring story about love, addiction, and learning. We would like to see ongoing submissions from authors that help us contribute to the current discourse.

Thank you Sarah for answering our questionnaire! Read more instalments of our 5 questions with series here.

Are you an independent bookseller, small publisher, or library staffer interested in being featured in our 5 questions with blog series? Send us an email!