CBC News reported today Raincoast president/CEO Allan MacDougall’s announcement to close B.C. based Raincoast Books publishing division, thereby marooning several Canadian authors such as Cynthia Nugent (Francesca and the Magic Bike).

Nugent is quoted as saying: “Everything I have will cease to be in print, once the ones they have are sold out and the current project has been cancelled.”

Raincoast Books were the Canadian printer and distributor of the massive retail phenomenon Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and after the release of Rowling’s final installment, there had been considerable speculation in the publishing world what Raincoast would do once that cash-cow dried up.

It would appear ditch and run. While Raincoast will concentrate on its wholesale and distribution business, MacDougall et al have demonstrated not only an enormous lack of faith in the Canadian reading public, but a complete lack of vision regarding the publishing revolution occurring not only in printing technologies (print on demand and the Espresso Printing Press), but the increasing trend of authors refusing to play the elitist game controlled by publishers and agents.

One need only look to the increasing number of self-publishing businesses such as Lulu (236,000 books since 2002), Infinity, iUniverse and even Amazon through its CreateSpace, to realize authors are no longer willing to see their books out of print, have their contracts sold-off or made null and void by publishers addicted to the time-sensitive mega sale instead of the sensible diet of moderate, consistent, long-term sales.

Even Ingram, one of the world’s largest book distributors, were savvy enough to predict the future of publishing by expanding its printing division, Lightning Source (LSI) so that authors can set up their own imprint, using their own ISBNs, and print one to thousands of copies, and have those publications filtered into Ingram’s massive distribution network.

What that means is authors who choose to go their own way are able to have their books listed in the online catalogues of retail giants globally, such as Amazon, Chapters/Indigo, W.H. Smith, Barnes and Noble and more, right along side books from the once vibrant Raincoast Books, and current giants like Random House, Penguin and Doubleday. And what’s more, those books will never be out of print until the author chooses.

It would appear Raincoast Books remains clinging to what is becoming an obsolete model of publishing. Pity. There was an opportunity there for them to join in this remarkable evolution.