With some Canadian readers trying to support Canadians authors, I was asked if I use an American publisher. Am I Canadian? Are my works Canadian?
Jean Oram is a Canadian author. I am a romance author who was born and raised in a sleepy Canadian town just east of the Rockies.
You might be wondering where my books are made and printed. Are they 100% Canadian from start to finish?
That’s a great question that will take us around the world!
But the short answer is this–I am what is called an independent author. That means I publish my books on my own, without the use of a publisher (such a Penguin, etc), from my home here in Canada. That means that the majority of what is earned on a book sale typically goes to me so I can cover the myriad of expenses, as well as donate to various charities around the world. (And hopefully put a bit away so I can retire one day!)
There are a lot of people involved in the publishing/creating of a book. As an indie (or independent artist, if you prefer), I handle everything directly. Here’s a breakdown of where each book part happens:
Writing and drafting of the book: Done by Jean in her western Canadian home.
Developmental Edits: A rough draft of the book goes to Jean’s editor in Eastern Canada where she helps Jean see what is working and what could use some strengthening in the story.
More drafting and revising: Done by Jean at home.
Beta Readers: A group of readers from Canada, the US and Australia who read an early version of Jean’s book, and provide feedback from a reader’s perspective. They may also catch inconsistencies.
Revisions: Done by Jean.
Line edits: Back to Jean’s editor in Eastern Canada for line-by-line nitpicks that are typically centred around grammar, but can include other things.
Final Draft: Back to Jean for the final revision. Almost.
Formatting: Time for an ePub file. Jean formats the digital file at home.
Proofreading: Jean distributes a drafted, early ebook version of the book to a group of fabulous readers from all over the world who read for any remaining errors and flag them.
Final pass!: Jean makes any final tweaks to the completed book! She then prepares it for release on her store as well as through retailers.
Book covers: Jean has created some of her book covers, and others have been hired out to other artists. Currently, her covers have either been created by herself, an artist in the Middle East, or one of two American artists.
Other bits: Jean writes her own book descriptions, researches her own keyword and category metadata to help readers find her books, created her storefront on her own using Shopify. She creates her own ads, sends her own newsletters, creates her own graphics, etc. There’s a lot to do!
EBOOKS
I upload the cover and interior files for my books to retailers or my own online store. I work directly with retailers or my store customers to resolve issues, deliver files, etc. Retailers take a cut typically around the 30% mark, but it can be as high as 70% (or more–especially in the case of paperbacks), and those proceeds stay with the retailer.
PAPERBACKS
I upload the book and cover files to retailers or distributors. Paperbacks are then printed and shipped— typically from the country in which they are ordered. For example, if you are in Canada and order a paperback from me on Amazon Canada, it will print and ship from Canada. If you order from Chapters/Indigo online that book will be printed by a distributor, IngramSpark. They have print facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Sharjah, but not in Canada. Books ordered from Amazon US are printed and shipped within the US. I believe the UK has its own printer and shipping for paperbacks ordered from Amazon UK.
AUDIOBOOKS
I either hire a narrator (both have been American artists thus far), or I use a machine voice from Google or Apple to create the audio files. The narrator records and edits the files and delivers them to me upon payment. I then upload the cover and interior files to retailers or my online store. Like with other book formats, I work directly with retailers or my store customers to resolve issues, update book descriptions, etc.
Retailers or distributors do take a 30% or higher fee for every product I sell on their store. So depending where that store is located, that fee will stay in that country/main company. (There are fees with selling my products directly from my store as well, of course! Shopify (my store’s software), and the checkout banking systems haven’t found it in their heart to offer their services to me for free yet. 😉 Same with my accountant and the tax collection programs…)
I hope that helps you understand how books are made a little bit better. But short answer, yes, Jean’s books are Canadian–especially her The Summer Sisters series as it is set in Ontario, Canada.
