TORONTO - Paperback copies of Johanna Skibsrud's Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning debut novel "The Sentimentalists" should be shipped to bookstores later this week.
The novel has been in high demand since Skibsrud won the $50,000 award last Tuesday night. Her small Nova Scotia publisher, which can only produce about 1,000 copies of the book a week, came under fire when it refused to outsource in order to produce more copies.
On Monday, Gaspereau announced it had sold Canadian paperback rights for "The Sentimentalists" to Douglas & McIntyre.
"This alliance will ensure that our author's accomplishment will be honoured, and that readers across the country will have ready access to well-made copies of the book," Gaspereau co-publisher Andrew Steeves said in a statement.
Douglas & McIntyre said 30,000 copies of a $19.95 paperback edition of "The Sentimentalists" will be shipped on Nov. 19.
A Giller win traditionally results in a huge boost in sales but Skibsrud -- whose book charts a daughter's quest to learn about her dying father's experiences in the Vietnam War -- has so far been unable to enjoy the spoils of her success.
Indigo Books & Music has thousands of copies of "The Sentimentalists" on order, but not a single book on store shelves.
Gaspereau's initial refusal to outsource the book touched off a debate about whether the publisher was doing a disservice to Skibsrud. Even Giller founder Jack Rabinovitch weighed in, urging the company to find a solution.
Skibsrud told The Canadian Press late last week that she's been blown away by the support she's received amid the controversy.
Gaspereau had repeatedly said it wanted to stick to its principles of manufacturing high-quality hand-crafted books. Scott McIntyre said Monday that he had "huge respect" for the values espoused by the company.
"With our sales, marketing and distribution system onside, an exceptional novel will quickly reach the wide audience it deserves," he added.
"Three proudly independent Canadian entities -- Gaspereau Press in Nova Scotia; Douglas & McIntyre in Vancouver and Toronto; and Friesens in Manitoba -- have combined forces to celebrate a remarkable writer, a wise and beautiful novel, and the gift (Giller founder) Jack Rabinovitch gave Canada when he launched the Giller Prize and dared us all to elevate our game."
The dearth of physical copies of Skibsrud's novel turned into a boon for Kobo Books, where the electronic version of the book became a hot seller.
Douglas & McIntyre plans to make the book available through other e-book retailers, including the Apple iBookstore, Amazon Kindle, Sony eBook store, eBooks.com and Barnes & Noble's NOOK Store.
