Writer-centric publisher aims for passion, not prizes – though they’ve collected both

Since 1986, Signature Editions has been busily discovering and promoting new voices in Canadian literature. While much has changed since the press’s conception, its commitment to publishing a variety of quality writing has never wavered.

Signature, originally called Nuage Editions, was founded as a publishing collective by 16 students attending a publishing class at Concordia University. The press soon coalesced into a core of three visionaries, and in 1992 Karen Haughian became the sole owner and publisher.

In 1995, Haughian married Manitoba publisher Gordon Shillingford and the press moved from Montreal to Winnipeg, where it is currently based. The name was changed to Signature Editions soon afterwards. As of today, the press has over 200 titles in their active backlist – what Haughian considers “an embarrassment of riches” resulting from her publishing house having become firmly established in the Canadian literary scene.

“Because I came at publishing from the writing side, the press has always been very writer-centric,” says Haughian. Through Signature Editions, she is committed to presenting both new and established writers, with a focus on helping authors develop their craft and expand their careers. Supporting her locally are editor Douglas Whiteway, marketing assistant Ashley Brekelmans, and design firm Doowah Design, as well as other freelance and contract workers.

The results speak for themselves: titles from Signature Editions have won and been shortlisted for Canadian and international awards alike, including all of the Manitoba Book Awards, the Governor General’s, and the Giller. Most recently, Joel Robert Ferguson’s The Lost Cafeteria received the 2022 Lansdowne Prize for Poetry, while Lori Cayer’s poetry collection Searching for Signal was a finalist for the 2022 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award.

But Haughian is quick to point out that awards aren’t a definitive metric for success; writers don’t write for awards – “they write because they are compelled to.” And likewise, Signature Editions “publishes them because we are irresistibly drawn into their stories.”

Signature’s 2022 releases come from authors from authors across the country. Fiction titles include the third Roxanne Calloway mystery from Gimli’s Raye Anderson, a novel from Vancouver’s Paul Headrick, and a stand-alone mystery from Montreal’s Louise Carson. Poetry from Genni Gunn (Vancouver) and Carolyn Marie Souaid (Montreal), and non-fiction by Saskatoon’s Karin Martel will round out their offerings this year.

With the onset of COVID-19, Signature Editions was forced to adapt to a quickly changing book industry. Supply chain issues, ballooning shipping rates, and the shift to virtual events were at the forefront of a slate of global challenges, but Haughian believes a solution can only be found at the grassroots level.

“What I’d really like to see is people shopping local,” she says. The unrestricted activity of large multinational companies – both publishers and booksellers – represents, to Haughian, the biggest threat to independent Canadian publishers, authors, and retailers. “At the end of the day,” she says, “the multinationals’ profits are spirited out of the country.”

Advocating for independent Canadian publishing is nothing new to Haughian. Throughout her career, she has served on boards and committees of publishing organizations ranging from the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers to the Literary Press Group of Canada, and views such service as both an immense privilege and an essential duty. “This work,” she says, “introduces you to ideas, approaches, and practices that you would not otherwise be exposed to.”

Haughian highly recommends that young people in the publishing industry become involved in these local associations, noting the many mutually beneficial results. For her part, it is her goal to bring more young people on board at Signature Editions to join their talented team and help “keep things fresh.”

Naturally, this ethos of advocacy extends into her vision for Signature Editions. An early adopter of digital technology, the press is now working to convert much of their backlist to accessible ebooks with the help of federally funded conversion projects. “I am really happy to see the focus on the issue of accessibility in the last number of years,” says Haughian. Having experienced struggles in helping her father find accessible reading materials in his later years, she has “a kind of personal investment in making this happen.”

Earlier in the pandemic when many people were experiencing financial stress, Haughian offered Signature Editions ebooks free of charge. This 2020 initiative saw 80 Signature titles made available to help alleviate social isolation.

In adopting accessible technology, advocating for local involvement, and challenging globalism with high-quality Canadian literature, Signature Editions represents the best of forward-thinking Prairie publishing. But in navigating these ambitions, Haughian is careful to remember the passion that drives it all. “Working with talented authors remains the central joy.”