Have to say 2010 was likely the best year to date. There were no serious problems. Our wee enterprise (both divisions) realized significant, positive growth. Our publishing arm expanded distribution into Kindle, Kobo and Apple, with sales now appearing not only in Canada, the US and UK, but Australia. I think that’s something to crow about, especially for a microscopic, indie press. Some of our titles continue to receive four and five star ratings from readers, and now are beginning to attract positive attention from a few critical reviewers.

All of that’s a very good foundation on which to build in 2011. This year we’ll be releasing three new titles:

1. Crystal Death: Methamphetamine, North America’s #1 Killer Drug, by Nate Hendley. Originally published by now defunct Altitude Publishing under the title of Crystal Meth, we decided to pick up the book when Nate offered it to us in 2009. Nate went back to the computer and completely revised, updated and reworked the book to reflect Canadian as well as American statistics, adding new interviews with addicts, case workers and health and law enforcement officials. The result of that is a book we feel very strongly about, one we’d suggest is required reading for parents, educators, adolescents and anyone dealing with the problems of substance abuse and its prevention.
2. The Organic Home Gardener, by Patrick Lima and John Scanlan. We’re positive this book, won’t get lost in that wall of glossy, expensive gardening books. It’s going to stand out. And once you have it in your dirt-stained hands, as either print or digital book, we’re sure you’re going to find this the one gardening book that’s referenced again and again.
3. The Insistence of Memory, by Simon Rose. A young adult novel targeted for the 14 to 16 age group, Simon Rose’s new offering is an action-packed speculative fiction starting in present day Canada and ending up in the dark machinations of the Cold War Era between the US and Soviet Union.

Depending how the year goes, we may have another two debut novels released, but that may be a bit ambitious.

As always we’re looking to expand our distribution reach, although with our titles available online in both print and digital formats through all the major global book retailers, that expansion will likely have to focus on print books in bricks and mortar stores. I’m still not convinced that’s the most effective means for an indie press to pursue, given shrinking square footage allocated to print, and especially to print from indie presses. There does remain the avenue of indie booksellers, but, again, with the exception of a very few, stalwart and visionary booksellers, indie booksellers are not keen to support indie presses.

That leaves the Espresso Channel, which, again, seems to have stalled. (See the blog post from October 2010.)

In my opinion, and the avenue Five Rivers will pursue in 2011, is to concentrate further on effective promotion. That is, create a buzz, as my guru PR son is wont to say. And so we’ll seek out more reviews, as well as appearances both virtual and actual. It’s a long view we’re taking, rather than the six week smash hit and then anonymity.

All things considered, I’m looking forward to this next year, to the challenges, the gains we’ll make, the roads we’ll travel. Hope you’ll come along with us on this amazing journey.