The holiday season is approaching, 2023 is on the horizon, and Rapido Books is getting ready to celebrate its 10th Christmas in good spirits.
Despite its share of unforeseen events and supply disruptions, 2022 was, once again, a decidedly positive year for Rapido: we improved our production records, completed more than 2,600 print projects, and welcomed several new employees to our fine team.
The only downside is that our production times were 13 working days at the height of the autumn season. That’s a very long time for Rapido’s standards! Fortunately, this anomaly lasted less than a month, and the workshop was quickly back in production in 4-5 days thanks to the great work of our operators.

After introducing you to some of our team members last year, this year we wanted to highlight a (small) part of our customers. We feel very privileged and proud to be able to collaborate with such partners and thank them warmly for their loyalty.

Table des matières

UBC Press

Sutherland House

Ronsdale Press

Carte Blanche / Del Busso

Performance Edition

Carmen Tiampo

The University of British Columbia Press (UBC Press) produces books integral to Canada’s cultural, political, and social fabric and is widely touted as the country’s pre-eminent social science publisher. Established in 1971 and now offering 900 titles in print and 65 to 70 new works per year, the Press publishes titles for readers with an interest in subjects that include: Canadian history, political science, the environment, Indigenous history and current issues, legal trends, social policy, sexuality studies, education, natural resources, communications, labour studies, historical geography, health policy, food studies, immigration, multiculturalism, and transnationalism.

What did you do the most during this year?
Reprints!
What are the two essential qualities to be an editor?
Care and passion.
My favourite part of my job is getting to work with such a wide variety of books and authors. And the best part of my everyday work is getting to spend so much time on the technical side of the production process, working with authors’ images to make sure they’re print quality.
Which title were you most proud of in 2022?

Our Long Struggle for Home: The Ipperwash Story, by the Aazhoodenaang Enjibaajig, was our most successful book. It’s a firsthand account of the Ipperwash crisis, and was published this year at a time of heightened interest in decolonization efforts. We’re thrilled to have this book on our list and looking forward to seeing it become part of Canada’s understanding of the Ipperwash story.

How would you describe the collaboration with Rapido Books?
EASY. Every step of the process with Rapido is so simple and quick!
Have you ever been disappointed by Rapido?

Yes. I once misheard Yann when he said that he was a Habs fan. I thought he had said “Avs” fan – my favourite team! I was thrilled! Later, when he wrote me an email saying “go Habs,” I finally realized what he had actually said. How disappointing…

What can we wish you for 2023?
Hopefully, we’ll see continued growth in sales and demand! And personally my new year’s resolution is to be more on top of note-taking and daily journaling.

Shalomi Ranasinghe

Founded in 2017 by Canadian author and publishing executive Kenneth Whyte, Sutherland House is a new Toronto-based publisher of non-fiction books for global English-language audiences.

They specialize in narrative works of biography, memoir, history, business, culture, and current affairs. Aiming for high-quality and broad appeal, They have published sixteen books in 2022. In their short life, they have already had books on legitimate bestseller lists and nominated for major prizes.

What do you think is the recipe for successful book publishing?
Attention to detail and organization.
There’s a lot that goes into publishing a book, it’s not simply preparing a manuscript. We have rounds and rounds of editing, from substantial story editing, to copyediting and proofreading, we want to make our books be the best version of themselves. This is why publishers have to have a keen eye for details.
Publishers also have to be organized. We are always working 1-2 seasons ahead of the current season, so you have to make sure there is adequate time for every aspect within the book production, and marketing schedule.
Which of your titles was the most successful in 2022?

One of the most successful titles we printed with Rapido in 2022, was Funeral for a Queen by John Fraser. This book is about the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the 10 days of official mourning which followed. Funeral for a Queen also marks the first edition of Sutherland House’s new series Sutherland Quarterly. Readers can subscribe online at www.sutherlandquarterly.com, where we publish captivating essays on current affairs by some of Canada’s best writers.

What do you think 2023 will hold for the publishing market?
This is a hard question! It really depends on the type of published material. Prior to COVID many people thought the publishing industry would move into a digital space with the evolutional of technology. But now, living in a post-COVID world, it seems like audiences have been reinvigorated to read physical books, as seen through TikTok’s community of Book-Tok. However, at the same time we are seeing more audiobook streaming services become readily available too.
The world is constantly moving, so there are many ways publishers can release their titles to cater to different audiences. So, I think in 2023, publishing industries will try to cater toward social media trends and adapt to the continuous growth in audiobooks.
What word would best describe Rapido Books’ way of working?

Accommodating! Working with Rapido has been great. The main person of contact I deal with is Alexis, and he is always ready and willing to help. No matter the print run, rush print, or print changes, Alexis is great with accommodating our needs and doing his best to help.

What will be your new year’s resolution?
Make time to read more physical books! This year I began listening to audiobooks more, but I would love to set time aside every day to read a physical book in my hands.

Kevin Welsh

Founded in 1987 in Burnaby, BC and originally named Canadadada Press, Ronsdale Press took its present name in 1995 under new owners Ronald Hatch and his wife Veronica. Ronsdale Press is now based in Vancouver and publishes fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature and poetry by Canadian authors.

What have you spent most time on this year?
Ironically, we spent a great deal of time searching for a new printer to work with going forward. We collected and compared quotes from numerous companies across Canada before being steered towards Rapido by a colleague. We’re very happy to be working with Rapido going forward.
What do you think are the keys to success for a publishing house?
As a small publisher, I’d say patience and time management are the two essential qualities. We find ourselves having to contribute to everything from editing to promoting/marketing to shipping/receiving and everything in between.
Which of your publications was the most successful this year?

Our most successful title so far is Out of Hiding: Holocaust Literature of British Columbia. We were fortunate on a few fronts. The author, Alan Twigg, was tireless in promoting the book when it came out in April and conducted many interviews with media. He was also asked to speak about Out of Hiding on the closing night of the JCC Jewish Book Festival, which is not only one of Vancouver’s largest literary events but one of the first live events to be held after the COVID pandemic.

What word best describes the impact Rapido Books has had on Ronsdale Press?
Liberating. Rapido has offered us exactly what we were looking for. Excellent rates, quality and turnaround time.
What do you think 2023 will bring us?
We’re hoping for the return of more live events.
And your new year’s resolution?
To stay on top of all our submissions!

Mélanie Rudel-Tessier

Since its founding in 1998, Carte Blanche has established itself as a reference in turnkey publishing in Quebec, publishing over the years some 1,000 books for clients such as Biscuits Leclerc, the Sûreté du Québec, Aliments Breton and the Montreal Police Department, as well as for various professional associations, including the Quebec Neurosurgery Association (ANCQ) and the Canadian Craft Guild.

Founded in 2009 by Antoine Del Busso, Del Busso publishes novels, poetry, essays and reference works. Over the years, several of his books have won awards, including Ce qu’on respire sur Tatouine by Jean-Christophe Réhel in 2019 (Prix des collègiens).

What have you spent most time on this year?
Reflect on the future.
What do you think 2023 will hold for the publishing market?
Printing costs will continue to increase and so will the books’ prices. This is not good news for the readers and for the small publishers using short run printing…
What was your star title in 2022?

Our title Ce que vous avez à dire n’intéresse personne (No One’s Interested in What You Have to Say) had to be reprinted urgently at Rapido to satisfy the bookstores’ needs. A nice surprise! Beyond the (very) catchy title, this book has a real relevance in our world of overabundance of information, ideas and opinions. How to better communicate? At the office – and even at home! -it’s important to know how to be convincing!

If you had to summarize your collaboration with Rapido in one word?
Confidence. Rapido is a friendly, honest and competent team. They provide you with a quality of printing that you can always rely on. As well as respect for deadlines.
The Rapido team has “saved” us several times because they carefully check the PDFs before printing. Which is surprisingly not the case everywhere! We thus avoided blunders that could have made people laugh… but not us!
What’s your new year’s resolution?
Sell books, lots of books! But that’s more of a wish than a resolution!

Marie-Josée Blanchard

Initiated by her parents who ran a pioneering and popular psychology publishing house in Quebec for 26 years, Marie-Josée Blanchard launched Performance Edition in 2011 with her optimistic and communicative energy: our mission is to publish books of inspiration and personal growth. Different collections allow readers to find the inspiration or entertainment they need: personal growth, life experiences, inspirational novels, helping relationships, sales & marketing.

How do you see the future for the book market?
The future is bright, people like paper books. They need them in their lives for all sorts of reasons, so the book business will continue to grow.
What are the two essential qualities to be an editor?
Discipline and perseverance are essential qualities to succed in the publishing world.
Which of your titles was the most successful in 2022?

Commencer par pourquoi (Begin With Why) by author Simon Sinek is a must-read book that has been on the road to success for about eight years. It is selling like hotcakes! The author is a very popular and well-known speaker on social networks, which greatly helps the sale of this book.

Why do you do business with Rapido Books?
At Rapido, we are served quickly and efficiently, and the quality is also there. All the employees are so kind and attentive. In addition, it’s a very family-oriented company and I LOVE THAT, because it’s similar to my company Performance Edition, and the way they treat us so well is in line with my values and my principles in life.
I have never felt like I was bothering anyone with my emails or calls. In addition, I often go to Rapido to pick up my books and they are always there to help me and put the dozens of boxes of books in my car, I am so well treated, I LOVE it! Thank you to the whole fabulous team.
Your new year’s resolution?
Keep having my books printed with the wonderful team at Rapido Books!

Conclusion

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most ambitious. The one that led to the creation of Rapido Books certainly had both of these characteristics: to offer the fastest, most efficient service in a long-established industry without making the slightest concession to the quality of the books produced.

Ten years have passed since Rapido started serving its first customers. Most of them still work with us. Many others have joined us in the meantime, and our team is proud to now ship orders across Canada, from sea to sea.

From university presses to renowned publishing houses to independent publishers, we have the privilege of working on a daily basis with a wide variety of players in the Canadian cultural sector. Their dynamism and passion for the transmission of ideas, so vital to the proper functioning of our society, are a true source of inspiration for us, and motivate us to constantly push back the level of standards with which we work. We sincerely thank them for that.

2023 is likely to be another year of change and challenges. The Rapido team has prepared for this and will continue to offer and develop its printing solutions to accompany you during this period. We will also continue to publish resources (video tutorials, technical or historical blog posts) to share our knowledge and expertise as much as possible.

We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.