A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing
$22.99-
Scott McIntyre has lived the story of Canadian book publishing. Beginning his career at McClelland & Stewart in 1967, he went on to cofound his own publishing house, Douglas & McIntyre, in 1970 and made his mark on the industry amid the country’s exhilarating literary coming-of-age.
Becoming one of Canada’s largest and most respected publishing houses and among the first to embrace Indigenous issues, Douglas & McIntyre and its associated children’s publisher, Groundwood Books, published some 900 authors and 2,000 books in less than 50 years. For McIntyre, the authors always came first, and he worked closely with many important figures, including Doris Shadbolt, Wayson Choy, Richard Wagamese, Anna Porter, Will Ferguson, Doug Coupland, Hugh Brody, Robert Bringhurst, Wade Davis, and Farley Mowat.
Telling stories featuring a colorful array of characters who rebuilt the publishing world following WWII and anecdotes about how book publishing works, McIntyre touches upon the guiding philosophy and historic traditions still animating the industry today. More than the story of one publisher and his company, this is a first-person account of the buoyant period when writers, their books, and the companies who published them changed the nation.
Available September 9, 2025. PRE-ORDER NOW!
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Scott McIntyre has been influential in Canada’s fight for a better and more supportive publishing policy for over 40 years, serving on numerous cultural boards and helping shape a groundbreaking UNESCO treaty that enshrines the principle of cultural diversity within international law. A member of both the Order of Canada and British Columbia, he also holds an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University. He and his wife, Corky, live in Vancouver, BC.
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Published: September 2025
ISBN: 9781770418196
Dimensions: 6 x 9 in.
Pages: 304
Reviews
“Scott McIntyre’s memoir tells of a remarkable creative life, even while addressing in an engaging and deeply moving way the entire saga and struggle of Canadian publishing over the last half-century. It’s a story of astonishing grit, determination, risk, courage, and, above all, love of country, and faith in the integrity, uniqueness, and importance of its literary voice. This book, and especially at this time, is perhaps a moment for all Canadians to acknowledge with gratitude someone who is truly a national hero. Scott McIntyre gave us his all, mortgaged his life both literally and metaphorically, so that we might all come to see the glory of what it means to be born in such a place, to be children of such a land.” — Wade Davis, CM, author and anthropologist
“Filled with fascinating figures, A Precarious Enterprise handles the world of publishing so well, and Scott tells his story courageously. A fine read!” — David Staines, University of Ottawa, scholar and writer
“It’s a trenchant tale, wonderfully told: invigorating, enlightening, hilarious, and heartbreaking. Every student of Canadian history and everyone who thinks they have anything to do with Canadian culture should read it.” — Robert Bringhurst, poet and author
“Of all the things that Scott accomplished with D&M, of all the authors he has fostered, all the talented staff members he has mentored, all the books he has brought to Canada and the world, the contribution that I value most is this: he did more than any other person to transform Canadian publishing from a local to a national industry.” — Carolyn Wood, former executive director, Association of Canadian Publishers