Children's Titles Acquired in Aftermath of Sono Nis Fire

The aftermath of the Sono Nis fire. | Image: Sono Nis Press.

The BC Alliance reported back in 2016 that Sono Nis, one of the oldest small publishing companies in Canada, was forced to close following a fire that destroyed its warehouse and office in the Slocan Valley. While Sono Nis owner Diane Morriss is unfortunately still dealing with the aftermath of the fire, we're happy to provide a positive update about some of the authors whose works were left in limbo.

Morriss approached Melanie Jeffs, owner of the recently launched independent small press Crwth Press, who agreed to take on Sono Nis's unpublished children’s titles.

Growing Up in Wild Horse Canyon, a narrative nonfiction picture book by Karen Autio and illustrated by Loraine Kemp and Isobel’s Stanley Cup, a historical novel for ages 7–10 by Kristin Butcher will be published this October by Crwth Press. Sophie Trophy, a humorous novel for young readers by Eileen Holland, is scheduled for publication in March 2019.

“I’m thrilled to be able to launch Crwth Press with these titles,” says Jeffs. “As soon as I read them, I knew I had to help get them out into the world. And helping out Sono Nis in the process was a great bonus.”

Sono Nis is still operational, but Morriss is hoping to sell part of the business, a robust backlist of about 125 titles by Canadian authors. She would continue to operate on a much smaller scale under her parent company Morriss Publishing.

Crwth Press is an independent small press that offers profit sharing to contributors. In addition to children’s books, Crwth Press is publishing journals/blank books with covers that feature the work of B.C. visual artists. Two fine art journals will be available in September.