September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters, and we wanted to take a minute to share a curated list of resources we have accumulated over the years that support and relate to Indigenous publishing.
Reconciliation in book publishing
- In our blog post, What it means to talk about reconciliation, we discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 10 reconciliation principles that underpin its calls to action and how Canadians can take active steps towards reconciliation.
- This is followed by the second post in this pair, Taking action towards reconciliation in the book industry, where we go over how these calls to action can be honoured and followed in the Canadian publishing industry. Here, we try to answer a few fundamental questions that Canadian publishers might be asking: How do these calls apply to the book industry or individuals specifically? What actions can we, individually and collectively, take to move towards reconciliation? In this post, we talk about and share resources for everything, starting with how we can get these books into the hands of readers, how best we can champion indigenous languages and cultures, build and strengthen our relationships, and make sure that we leave ignorance behind.
Some resources to help support an education in reconciliation include:
- Reconciliation Education;
- University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course;
- First Nations University of Canada’s Certificate in Reconciliation Studies;
- CBC’s Beyond 94: Truth and Reconciliation in Canada;
- Witness Blanket;
- Circles for Reconciliation;
- Settlers Take Action; and
- Association of Canadian Publishers’ PD Subsidy Program and Anti-Racism and Equity Training Subsidy Programs.
Metadata as a tool to support and uplift books by or about Indigenous peoples
- Listen to our January 2020 podcast episode, where we had Elizabeth Barker and Tom Richardson go over the BISAC subject codes announced in 2019, what they meant for Indigenous books in Canada, and asked publishers Theytus Books, Second Story Press, and Kegedonce to share their thoughts.
- Read Indigenous books in Canada: Subjects, sales, and more to learn about the 24 indigenous subject categories that were introduced in BISAC’s 2021 edition.
- To get a better sense of how you, as a publisher, can best support Indigenous authors and books read Best Practices relating to product metadata standards to support the discoverability of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis publishing and books by Indigenous authors. This blog post, in collaboration with la Société de gestion de la BTLF (BTLF), discusses the release of two bibliographic standards Best Practices documents published by EDItEUR and produced in association with BookNet, BTLF, and the Australian Publishers Association. These documents are further discussed in our our Tech Forum sessions on what ONIX and Thema can do to support the discoverability of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis books. The combination of these documents and these sessions will help you familiarize yourself with how you can best outline and highlight Indigenous content and contributors using ONIX & Thema.
Editing books by or about Indigenous peoples with care
- Listen to our podcast on Editing Indigenous voices with care, where Mélanie Ritchot joined us to talk about the Indigenous Editors Circle and how it’s influenced her approach to editing. Whether you’re an editor, a publisher, or just interested in how the industry is evolving to better support Indigenous voices, this episode is for you.
- In Elements of Indigenous Style: Insights and applications for the book industry, led by Warren Cariou, Lead Editor of the second edition of Gregory Younging’s Elements of Indigenous Style, is for book industry professionals eager to learn and apply Indigenous teachings to their work. Here, Warren provides actionable recommendations and best practices for publishers working on literary projects by or about Indigenous authors, which can be applied more broadly to other underrepresented communities. Kaitlin Littlechild from the Indigenous Editors Association brings her expertise to the discussion as the moderator.
Some more resources on editing Indigenous voices are:
- Indigenous Editors Circle
- Indigenous Editors Association
- Elements of Indigenous Style by Gregory Younging
- Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel
Indigenous voices in the publishing space
- Hear directly from an Indigenous publisher in 5 questions with WaveMaker Press, where Christer Bonner from WaveMaker Press Ltd, an Algonquin-owned and -operated press, located on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, British Columbia, Canada tells us about WaveMaker Press and its vision, practices and books.
- Read our interview with the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society and Spirit Bear Books, a nonprofit organization with the mission to “[p]rovide reconciliation-based public education, research and support to promote the safety and wellbeing of First Nations children, young people, families and Nations” to learn about their approach to publishing and reconciliation education.
- In 5 questions with Turtle’s Back Publishing, hear from Alexandra Rosetta from Turtle’s Back Publishing, a division of the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, a publishing house dedicated to publishing Indigenous works that strengthen and amplify Indigenous knowledge.
To learn more about Indigenous publishing, browse our collection of blogs and podcasts. Have questions or ideas? Reach out to us!
