As your graduating Arts and Culture Editor, I find myself faced with the looming question of what the hell I will be doing this time next year. High on my radar is a future in writing, in which I am not alone. Interested in getting published? Not sure where to start? Feeling constantly out of the loop and vaguely ashamed for not living in such arts hotspots as Toronto/Vancouver? Here are The Argosy’s suggestions on where to share your writing right here in New Brunswick.

Sometimes called ‘the traditional route,’ publishing houses collaborate with authors to produce completed books of all kinds, for all audiences—including the NB crowd. The province (and beyond it, Atlantic Canada) boasts publishers specializing in diverse subjects, from poetry and short stories to fantasy, sci-fi, children’s lit, autobiographies and memoirs, historical content, and more. To begin, I suggest the following companies, most of which have set periods throughout the year where authors can submit book proposals with complete or partial manuscripts:
Galleon Books (“Putting the ‘tic’ in Eclectic”): Unique Atlantic Canadian fiction and poetry. I had the pleasure of previously working with Lee Thompson, their editor and book designer. Galleon has a print-on-demand order model, and subscription options to receive bulk collections of their releases.
Merlin Star Press: Based in Moncton, Merlin Star’s collaborative writers-and-an-artist founders bring years of experience to the scene. Currently open for fiction and general interest submissions (completed manuscripts only!). Several founders are familiar names in the Moncton and NB writing scene, and all of my experiences with them have been pleasant.
Goose Lane Editions: Based in Fredericton, Goose Lane is Canada’s oldest independent publisher and specializes in: Canadian literary fiction, creative nonfiction (history, pop culture, nature, travel, politics, etc), poetry, and “the big ideas of our time.” Previous Goose Lane books have received Governor General Awards, Commonwealth Book Prizes, and more.
Monster House Publishing: Also based in Fredericton, Monster House accepts children’s literature by Maritime authors that inspires the next generation of readers. Submissions are currently closed, but they are looking for artists and illustrators!
Bouton d’or Acadie: Francophone youth publishing based in Moncton. With pillars of accessibility, inclusion, and diversity, Bouton d’or publishes French Atlantic and Acadian stories for primarily young readers of all kinds.
Partridge Island Press is located in Saint John and currently soliciting poetry and prose submissions for their sixth fiction anthology, Strangers in the Fog. They also recently announced their upcoming book store/cafe in SJ’s Market square, The Write Cup! Beyond that, they publish fiction novels and novellas.
Close to home, Tantramar hosts Hardscrabble Press, High Marsh Press (annually producing a poetry chapbook competition), and Mt. A’s literary/arts journal 7 Mondays. More broadly, you can also find publishing houses open to writing from across the Maritime provinces, such as Nimbus Publishing, their imprint Vagrant Press, and Formac— as well as a strong community of Atlantic Canadian literary magazines looking for short-form content, such as short stories and poetry, such as The Fiddlehead, which may suit your authorly needs.
Getting your writing into the world can be a daunting process, but remember you are not alone! There are also many professional and creative development resources and communities here in the Maritimes ready to get you on your feet. The Writers Federation of New Brunswick, for example, hosts writing retreats, workshops, contests, events, and more in-province. Their monthly newsletter Inkspot sends literary news right to your inbox! A tech-savvy storyteller can also find lots of valuable information on the internet about publishing/writing, such as acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s free lecture videos on YouTube about professional fantasy/sci-fi writing.
Publishing is just one way to share writing, but if it suits you, good luck getting your story into the world!