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Fantasy and Science Fiction on the Canadian Market
Faculty Member's Name: Matthew Bucemi
Faculty Member's Email Address: mbucemi@yorku.ca
Department/School: The Writing Department
Project Title: Fantasy and Science Fiction on the Canadian Market
Description of Research Project
This project focuses on researching and implementing the distribution, publicity, and creative business decisions that will take original fantasy and science fiction novels to the Canadian mass market. What are the optimal networks for selling genre fiction in Canada? How much should the books cost? What are the logistics of doing ebooks and audiobooks next to physical releases? What are the best practices for fantasy and science fiction cover art, promotional campaigns, and sales initiatives?
This project is the third step in a long-term initiative to create an indie publishing press that is connected to York's Professional Writing and Creative Writing programs. It is a follow-up to two previously awarded DARE projects; in those projects, we laid down the funding and budgetary groundwork for this press, and we also met with Canadian authors and decided on our creative direction. This new project will put into motion the practical steps to bring this press to life.
Our research here will have several outcomes and knowledge uptakes, including business practice (how books are sold and distributed), creative practice (how acquired manuscripts are styled and packaged), industry practices (best practices for discounts, deals with indie bookstores, etc.), and government grants (how the Canada Book Fund contributes to distribution costs and how to work with the Canada Council for the Arts to change its mandate re: fantasy and sci-fi).
The awarded student will make a lasting impact on a large creative project and will get to meet and work alongside major Canadian publishing professionals and authors. They will have the chance to flex their creativity and literary imagination, while gaining new insights into business and the financial considerations of producing art. This is a unique opportunity for a student who is interested in a career in writing and publishing to immerse themselves in the book industry, to meet and familiarize themselves with Canadian publishing staff and authors, and to gain research, business, and marketing skills that will be a huge boon to their career.
Undergraduate Student Responsibilities
- Meet with Canadian publicity agents, distribution centres, and sales firms, accompanied by project supervisor
- Read, review, and critique a small selection of manuscript proposals from a slush pile of author submissions
- Research federal grant policy at Canada Council for the Arts (especially for fantasy, sci-fi, and genre titles) and work with project supervisor to encourage Canada Council staff to create new guidelines
- Propose and analyze unique approaches to promoting and distributing science fiction and fantasy in Canada
- Spend day at a Canadian independent publishing house to understand the inner-workings of a modern press
- Attend meetings alongside project supervisor with Canadian authors
- Research new and upcoming trends in genre publishing, and present findings with an eye to how we can capitalize on these trends
- Read and discuss the latest work in sci-fi and fantasy with project supervisor
Qualifications Required
- Major in a field that is related to writing, books, or publishing (Professional Writing, English, Creative Writing, Humanities, etc.) is preferred, though eager, knowledgeable students from any major are encouraged to apply
- Interest in a potential future career in Canadian publishing (whether as an author or at a publishing press as an editor, publicist, etc.) or media
- Strong project management skills (note taking; scheduling; hitting deadlines, etc.)
- Strong writing and research skills (clear and compelling argumentation; ability to notice, consider, and hypothesize; independent thinking, etc.)
- Creativity and imagination, in terms of both books and business
- Willingness to ask questions at meetings and join in on research/industry discussions
- Have – or be willing to cultivate – an opinion and personal point-of-view on books, fantasy and sci-fi, Canadian publishing, etc.
- Personal interest in books is vital - interest in and familiarity with contemporary science-fiction and fantasy is even better
- General curiosity and enthusiasm
Interested in this project posting?
Submit your resumé and unique cover letter for this projects to the faculty supervisor. Deadline: February 6, 2026 by 4 p.m.