Canadian book publishing is, of necessity, full of curious and inventive strategems, but this one is unusual.
My old friend Silver Donald Cameron has a new book Sailing Away from Winter, a memoir of a long southward cruise he and his wife and dog took in the ketch Magnus. I've read enough of SDC to expect it will be an excellent book. But his publisher, the estimable Doug Gibson, has decided to launch it when the book mart is less crowded and there will be prospects for more critical attention and bookstore space. So it's to be a Spring 2007 launch.
Fair enough, except SDC, an indefatigable promoter, has made his forthcoming work well known, particularly in Nova Scotia, and there is demand: SDC's people want this book, or they want to give this book for Christmas. So it's out in in the bookstores -- but only in the Maritimes. (Well, you can order online from www.capebretonbooks.com, actually.)
Actually I like this idea. Flexibility is always a good idea in publishing. But mostly I'm just noting this to plug what's sure to be a good book by a good writer. There's a story about the book and its origins at The Halifax Herald website.
