Yesterday I had the good fortune to attend the 5th instalment of Book Camp Toronto, an annual gathering of book/reading lovers designed to give voice to the opportunities and challenges that are affecting the Canadian publishing industry. Each year Book Camp attracts writers, authors, editors, publishers, book bloggers, readers, librarians and designers. With this eclectic mix, it often acts as a bellwether for trends in publishing. I have attended the last four events (you can read about them here, here, and here) and have noticed a distinct evolution. In my first book camp back in 2010, many of the sessions dealt with the production issues surrounding the shift from print to digital publishing as we prepared to bring our first e-books to our readers. The focus the next year evolved into discussions about digital business models and pricing. The evolution continued last year when many of the sessions focused on the art of discovery as e-books looked to become more popular than their print counterparts and the bookstores that sell them. This year we have evolved once again. The industry has grappled with the shift from print to digital leaving room for more theoretical challenges and opportunities, such as how can we now leverage technology to better enable our individual and collective voices to be heard? This morning as I look through my notes from yesterday, this is the thread that weaves through many of the sessions I attended and it is the one that I will pull at today in this post. My thanks to WH Auden for lending his apt quote in the post title above from his poem September 1, 1939.

My Book Camp Toronto adventure started off early with a lovely walk through the campus of The University of Toronto. I was so early in fact that I had time to pull out my camera and take some snaps of the fantastic architecture around campus. I could not resist taking a picture of the book-holding gargoyle from the front of Trinity College (a nod to the day to come). The second photo is the ornate ceiling of one of the walkways surrounding beautiful Hart House.Why have I not taken a photo walk around the magical U of T campus before??? I soon had to stow my awe and my trusty Canon and head to the iSchool next to Robart’s Library for BookCampTO Five: Alive! Surviving and Thriving.

The schedule for the day included 20 sessions spread across 4 rooms, 3 floors and 5 hours. I know from attending prior camps that other wordsmiths will add their perspective on the day. I will add them to this post as they are published. Mine represents the 4 sessions I had the good fortune to attend.

My first session, called Digital Publicity, looked at the variety of social platforms and strategies available to marketers today. The panel was led by Chandra Rooney of the Indigo Teen Blog, Lindsey Reeder of Random House Canada, and Amy Smith of Penguin Canada. The use of social media as a marketing channel is still in its infancy in most houses but these three pioneers graciously shared their experiences to date and helped a room of curious neophytes feel more confident about taking the plunge and harnessing Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and the rest to engage their readers. Indeed these social media tools have allowed those working behind the scenes in publishing, from marketers to authors, to share their voices easily and broadly. More importantly, social media has given readers a voice in the development and enjoyment of new books as they move from production to publication. This open dialogue can only help bring better and better books to readers.

Ashleigh Gardner from Canada’s own Wattpad joined us to talk about new platforms in publishing. I have written about Wattpad before here. Wattpad is an on-line reading and writing platform that effectively removes the barrier between writer and reader. It has been named by VentureBeat as one of 20 fastest growing mobile start-ups. In Ashleigh’s session we learned how the platform has given voice to a new breed of writer who writes for the love of writing while unafraid of bringing their talent to the public stage throughout the writing process. I love the fact that many writer’s works are serialized, allowing for fans to comment on their progress and anticipate the crowd-sourced outcome. You can even find Margaret Atwood on Wattpad! If you like to explore writing, or have a pent-up desire to get your story out into the wild, visit Wattpad, join and let your voice be heard!

Natalie Zed and Emily Keeler next led a session on Critical Culture. Both Natalie and Emily write for a variety of national magazines and newspapers across Canada, their focus on literary criticism and book reviews. The room was packed as many in the industry are entrusted with acquiring reviews as a way of getting the word out about their new book during and after publication. Both spoke openly and honestly about the importance of their role in ensuring that great literature reaches the right audience. As Natalie stated: “literary criticism is directing traffic toward art.” Again voice is important to both the critic and the writer. As book blogs and reviews take on a greater role in new book discovery, the role of the literary critic as a harbinger of great reading will become more instrumental in the book production and promotion process. Again the result will be better books read by more readers.

Alana Wilcox of Coach House Books and Erin Creasey of ECW Press led our last session on Cultural Advocacy. Both Alana and Erin are part of a network of independent Canadian publishers across Canada under the banner of The Association of Canadian Publishers (I have written about the ACP here and here). There are well over 50 independent publishers producing works across Canada that reflect the culture and heritage of the communities in which they operate. These houses, unlike the larger multi-nationals, have small staff who wear many hats yet produce a wide variety of literature each year thanks to the support of such cultural and government organizations as The Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, The Writer’s Trust of Canada and the Writer’s Union of Canada among others. Each year the ACP along with the Literary Press Group advocate for sustained funding for Canada’s independent publishers who are collectively one of the strongest voices of Canadian culture. Alana and Erin shared their passion for harnessing this collective voice to bring more Canadian writers to more Canadian readers. Just this weekend the National Post carried an article that suggested 10 “must-read” Canadian authors. I would urge you to check out this list but do not stop there!  Please pay a visit to our independent Canadian  presses listed here. You will find many unexpected gems for your bookshelf or e-reader! Perhaps it is time to build a new list of Canadian “must-reads.” A new canon with a new, perhaps less-familiar but equally potent and compelling voice. What do you think?

I want to thank the organizers, presenters and sponsors for Book Camp Toronto 2013. You brought together a group of passionate, thoughtful and creative bibliophiles and gave them a voice for a day. It is our job to amplify this voice throughout the year where we work. Our voice is, after all, all we have.