As an independent Canadian publisher, Siretona Creative always works on new projects. Each committed author and compelling book opens a world of opportunities. We barely have time to take a break with all that excitement, let alone write a blog post.
I'm Molly Layton, the Marketing Assistant at Siretona Creative. Today, I want to take you through some of the things we did in 2023. These facts reflect the stories that we create on and off the page.
Published over eight books in print, e-book, and audiobook formats
As a publisher, our business is putting books into the world. We published several books this year, including Ashley Michell’s picture book Mindy Sue Makes a Pie, Lisa LeBlanc’s memoir The Ninth Child, and Marion Grace’s guide to spiritual growth Drop Your Sword: Letting God Fight Your Battles. We released new editions of books, including French translations of Journey with Joseph through Advent (Un Voyage avec Joseph dans le temps de l'Avent) by Samuel Shaefer and The Dog Who Wanted to Play (Le chien qui voulait jouer) by Fred Ash.
The last one was a surprise to me. We submitted it to our distributor in the last week of December. Depending on where you look, it’s either our last book of 2023 or our first book of 2024. A New Year's Book, if you will.
Sold books in at least seven countries
Where did these books go? Without readers, books cannot go anywhere. Siretona Creative authors sold books in at least seven countries in 2023. That includes Canada, the United States, Germany, and Thailand.
When I compiled the data for the social media version of this newsletter (IG, FB), I was looking at IngramSpark’s data. I said that we had sold books in six countries. One of our authors, Connie Inglis, pointed out that she had sold copies of her novel Rewriting Adam in Thailand, so we sold in seven countries! I apologize to Connie.
Grew the team and the tools
Last year, the team grew and changed. Several interns applied unique talents and perspectives to the company’s projects. We hired freelancers whose expertise helped our books shine.
Our toolkit changed too. One of the most useful changes was a new royalty reporting system. That simplified organizing monthly reports and allowed authors to check their royalty information.
Received recognition
One of the proudest moments of the year was in October. The Calgary-based Spectrum Advantage employment agency gave us the Small Diverse Business Award. We have been working with Spectrum Advantage for years. Several of the interns we have worked with have become long-term employees.
Author recognition
Our authors received recognition too. The Word Awards featured Marcia Laycock and Fred Ash as two of their 2023 finalists. The judges recognized their work in creating compelling stories that touched readers’ hearts: Merrigold's Very Best Home and Jesse and the Elves. Seeing our authors on the list was an honour.
Connected with communities in person and online
Community makes us stronger. In 2023, we went to several book events, connecting with readers from 3 to 103. Colleen and Charity went to writing conferences. Each in-person meeting allowed us to expand our horizons and form direct bonds with readers, authors, and community members.
We made connections online too. Connie Inglis started the Born on a Bridge podcast, where she discusses her experiences caring for her son with bipolar disorder. Lisa May LeBlanc appeared on several podcasts, including Can We Ask You This and Bleeding Daylight with Randy Olsen, to discuss how she found hope after experiencing religious legalism and abuse. (All of those are available wherever you get your podcasts.) Siretona Creative hosted several Publishing Primer courses to discuss the art of publishing.
Thank you!
We are almost a month into 2024 as I write this post. 2024 is already providing the Siretona Creative team with more thrilling discoveries. We couldn't do any of this without people like you: authors, readers, leaders, and supporters,
From all of us at Siretona, may 2024 be your best year yet!