Supporting Local Authors and Artists in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia produces a remarkable amount of writing and art for its size. None of it happens in a vacuum. Every book in this catalogue exists because of illustrators, editors, booksellers, and readers willing to take a chance on a small press from Canso. Here are a few concrete ways to support that ecosystem, starting with a project of our own.

FoxIsland Press's Eco Series, four books written and ready for young readers, is being illustrated by a local Nova Scotia artist. The books are done. The artwork is the last piece, and every dollar raised goes directly to paying her for the work.

WFNS runs on a simple idea: writers helping writers. Their programs include the Nova Writes competition for emerging writers, a manuscript review program pairing writers with working editors, the Writers In The Schools program that brings Nova Scotian authors into classrooms, and Booktoberfest, an annual literary festival at the Halifax Central Library. Membership and donations both help keep the programming running.

Independent bookstores are usually the first to stock a small press title, host a local author event, or hand-sell a book they believe in. A few worth knowing across the province: On The Same Page in Sydney, Bookmark and Woozles in Halifax, Tattletales in Dartmouth, Block Shop Books and Lunenburg Bound in Lunenburg, Mad Hatter Books in Annapolis Royal, and Good Dog Books in Bridgewater. Buying a Nova Scotia author's book from one of these shops supports two local businesses at once.