Ever wanted to see yourself and your community in the pages of the books you read? To learn more about local history, people, and their accomplishments?
Two local companies in Collingwood share this sentiment and are proud to champion the work of talented authors and storytellers. Saunders Book Company and Beech Street Books have long championed literacy, supported local writers by helping their work reach a wider audience, and recognized key needs in the education market, starting their own imprint.
A new Read Local campaign, sponsored by the Ontario Book Publishers Organization, focuses on the importance of community. In Collingwood, they are shining a light on these proudly Canadian companies.
The Saunders family has lived and worked here for seven generations, and has deep roots in the community. They’ve served on local boards, participated in numerous service clubs, and employed many residents. The work they do benefits students and readers across the continent.
Saunders Book Company is an exclusive distributor of children’s books from over thirty publishers to libraries, schools, and classrooms in North America. Beech Street Books, their publishing company, releases 75 books a year on non-fiction topics of interest to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8. Their books, which strive to reflect the country’s rich diversity, are created for Canadian schools and libraries, supporting both new curriculum and student learning.
Publisher and Owner James Saunders was pretty much born into the role. “My family has been in the business for over sixty years,” he says. “I bought the company from my Uncle John Saunders, along with my two business partners, Sean Pearson and Ian Kerr, a few years ago. We were mainly a distributor that dabbled in publishing for many years and then in 2016 we added publishing into the mix by starting Beech Street Books.”
His interest in publishing began when he was just a child. “It probably started when I was in Grade 4 and I created a handwritten newspaper of sorts for kids in my class. I sold it to them for 25 cents each!” says Saunders. “I think I was attracted to the creative side of storytelling, especially real stories, combined with the business aspects of publishing.” The first book he ever helped to create was a history book when he was in high school, commemorating an anniversary of Collingwood Collegiate Institute.
Book publishing at the best of times is a challenging gambit. Saunders Book Company has been remarkably adept at evolving and pivoting to provide exactly what is needed. Changes over the years have included innovations like adopting a custom software system in 1988, starting the J. Appleseed line to serve Canadian school classrooms with levelled reading support in 2003, beginning to publish under its own imprint in 2008, adding online ordering in 2010, starting to publish French books in 2014 and launching Beech Street Books in 2016.
He has of course noted several changes over the last 30 years in publishing. “Reading levels and attention spans have come down somewhat, however it has challenged us to create exciting and more interesting layouts. Topics have gravitated to high-interest things like sports and biographies, but we still sneak in curriculum information to make the books informative and exciting to read. We have a lot of interest on books about diversity, Indigenous nations, and celebrations from around the world,” says the publisher.
There are definitely perks to working in this industry. “Getting to work with new authors so they can reach their potential on a subject matter they know about is exciting!” says Saunders. “It is sometimes very challenging as well, and many publishers in our industry are reluctant to take this approach because it does take longer to produce a book. However, the end result is interesting, informative, and unique.”
The work is fun, creative, and challenging all at once, dynamic and ever-changing. “It helps me make connections with people across Canada, the United States, and overseas that I would not have had a chance to make otherwise.”
Their authors are spread across the country, but here in the Collingwood area the following talents are definitely worth celebrating:
Greg Cowan
“Greg is a working sports journalist who writes our sports books. Greg is extremely knowledgeable and great at conveying all of the facts that make an athlete, sports team, or sport so great to watch,” says Saunders.
Abbie Saunders
“Abbie is a graduate of the Journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University and also works as our publishing coordinator. Abbie has written for online publications, magazines, and has been a social media intern. She is great at writing about diversity and the experiences of Generation Z. She has written 12 books and has a new one coming out in Spring 2025!”
Olivia Saunders
“Olivia is a current student of the Video Game Design and Animation program at Toronto Film School. Olivia writes about life experiences and helped come up with the series I Am… that shows how individuals of certain religions and diverse backgrounds identify. Olivia is autistic and likes to share her experiences so others may learn and benefit from her experience.”
Supporting creators who live and work in your own community is important for a number of reasons, says Saunders. “I think it is important to get their stories out especially as we play a small part in educating students today. The Saunders family has been in business in Collingwood since 1945 and my kids are the seventh generation of our family in the area. We have deep roots and care a lot about where we live. We have been raised to be involved in the town, sports, arts, and in the Rotary Club of Collingwood too. It is important to play a part, even a small one, in enhancing and promoting the creatives in our community.”
The current Read Local campaign from the Ontario Book Publishers Organization is inspiring. “I am excited that local authors and their books get some promotion in their local communities! Too often we don’t realize the talent we have in our own backyard,” says Saunders.
Stay tuned for many exciting developments in 2025. Beech Street will be launching 75 books in English and in French. They have branched out into the United States with their publishing program and hope to keep growing it. They will also begin to work with publishers overseas on rights projects.
Says Saunders, “We are working on books with our Indigenous partners, creating more books on soccer and the upcoming World Cup, as well as expanding some of our popular series on Canadian provinces, celebrations, and more.”
Support local writers and publishers through Read Local: Collingwood, Beech Street Books and Saunders Book Company.
This post was originally published on here
