Key Porter Books, one of the last independent Canadian publishers of any size, underwent a second round of death throes this week that left it without a spring list and no plans to continue publishing books in the future.
But despite some reports, the company is not dead yet, according to Key Porter publisher Jordan Fenn, who issued a statement on Friday saying the company had “temporarily suspended publishing operations while it pursues a restructuring of its business.”
The company made the announcement in response to news that it had closed down after halting scheduled publication of The Fog of War by Ottawa writer Mark Bourrie, one of the last new titles left on an already small list it began paring in the fall, when corporate parent H.B. Fenn and Co. laid off most Key Porter staff and removed the remainder – including one editor – from downtown Toronto to its headquarters in Bolton, Ont.
“Key Porter Books has played a leading role in giving a voice to the Canadian story and we will do everything possible to ensure that voice continues to be heard,” Mr. Fenn said in the statement.
Since moving to Bolton, the scaled-down company successfully arranged with at least two other publishers to take over ongoing projects, according to former Key Porter editor Linda Pruessen, who survived the fall cuts but was laid off in early December. Mr. Bourrie, who discovered his press-ready book was “on hold” only this week, is also negotiating with other publishers interested in bringing it out.
“I had no clue,” Mr. Bourrie said. “They had contacted me just before the Christmas holidays to get a photo credit for the dust jacket.”
Mr. Fenn’s statement said Key Porter “is considering a number of restructuring options, including the sale of certain titles in its valuable catalogue of Canadian works.” Key Porter books already in print, including novelist Rebecca Eckler’s The Lucky Sperm Club and diplomat Paul Heinbecker’s Getting Back in the Game, will continue to be distributed by HB Fenn.
The company’s decision to cancel its spring list was no surprise, according to Carolyn Wood, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. “I think the news was in the fall,” she said. “It didn’t seem very likely they would continue publishing beyond this spring. It turns out they’re closing it down even sooner than that.”
Key Porter enjoyed considerable prestige and published a wide variety of original non-fiction under founder Anna Porter. But its list took a more populist bent, including a new specialty in books on hockey, after the company was sold in 2005 to H.B. Fenn, a book distributor.
“I think this is one outcome that might be expected when a business that’s not primarily a publisher takes on publishing as an ancillary business,” Ms. Wood commented. “If not inevitable, this was always a not-unlikely result of that business relationship.”
