Invisible Publishing

Leigh Nash: Book publisher and lapsed poet Picton, Ontario

How has the pandemic affected you?

In so many ways! We’re a household with two still-full-time employed adults and one very sociable three-year-old. Every day is a juggling act between work and work meetings and playtime and childcare. Our response to the lack of sleep was to use our daycare savings to buy an espresso maker. It was the right decision. I wish I had time to read more, to write, or to even stare at a wall. We’ve only delayed two books so far, and as we’re set up to work remotely, Invisible’s been business as usual – which is even stranger when everything else is not.

Leigh Nash

Photo by Johnny C.Y. Lam

What has brought you joy during this time?

Aside from the espresso maker? Despite the pandemic, we sent our first full-colour cookbook off to the printer in mid-May. The title is County Heirlooms: Recipes and Reflections from Prince Edward County. It was Nat Wollenberg’s (of 555 Brewing & The County Canteen in Picton) idea; she did all the interviews and took all the photos. Food stylist Ruth Gangbar gussied up the food photos, and I wrangled it all into book form. It’s a true labour of love. We’ll have copies in early July, and royalties from all book sales are going to support Food to Share, a PEC-based organization addressing food insecurity.

What professional opportunities are you seeing for the future?

There’s so much uncertainty about what the publishing industry will look like when everything has reopened permanently. Will Indigo still be around? Will Amazon scoop up even more market share? Or will people who’ve turned to their local bookstores stay loyal, resulting in a renaissance of thriving independent bookstores? Who will be reading, and what will they be reading? It’s like the reset button has been hit, and I’m trying to remain optimistic that this could be really good for us as a small Canadian publisher — people seem much more interested in shopping/reading local right now, which is amazing.

If you have been involved in a collaboration, how did you manage that?

We’re working with artisanal soda company The County Bounty on POP FICTION: We’ve paired up our books with their soda to give you a perfect small-batch drink to go with a perfect small-batch book. Sodas are sold in a four-pack with their paired book. It was super fun to sort out the pairings, and they’re available for delivery across Ontario.

POP FICTION

How have you made technology work for you?

The day Ontario declared a state of emergency was my birthday: March 17. That day, we pulled some levers on our website and switched all of our ebook sales over to a paywhat-you-choose model, with all money received going to our authors instead of our standard royalty. We knew artists were going be among the worst-hit, and wanted to do something tangible to help.

How has this experience affected your perception of the importance of art and artists?

At the start of the pandemic hitting here, it was heartening to watch people flock to bookstores for entertainment and comfort; now, I’m watching in awe as people flock to bookstores for writing to help them understand racism and the Black experience. That pretty much says it all: books are vital as conduits for both art and knowledge.

invisiblepublishing.com