August 1 - 31, 2009. The Literary Press Group of Canada announces its national marketing campaign, Great Big Roots, for the month of August 2009. Great Big Roots features 12 of the Literary Press Group’s bestselling titles, from some of Canada’s best-known writers and independent publishers. The books will be sold nationwide in select participating independent bookstores, and will be supported by limited book bag giveaways, in-store promotions, and national advertising.

The campaign’s featured writers and books are:

David Bergen, Sitting Opposite My Brother;

Joseph Boyden, From Mushkegowuk to New Orleans: A Mixed Blood Highway;

Karen Connelly, Touch the Dragon: A Thai Journey;

Sean Costello, Here After;

Max Foran, The Madonna List;

Jonathan Goldstein, Lenny Bruce is Dead;

Kenneth J. Harvey, Skin Hound;

Elizabeth Hay, Captivity Tales: Canadians in New York;

Annette LaPointe, Stolen;

Russell Smith, Diana: A Diary in the Second Person;

Mary Swan, The Deep;

and Thomas Wharton, Icefields.

The idea for a Great Big Roots campaign emerged from a record awards year for LPG’s member publishers, as several presses won U.S. and Canadian book awards for their titles. “It became very clear that there were so many amazing writers who have their roots with Literary Press Group publishers,” says Petra Morin, National Sales and Marketing Director for the LPG. “We all felt it was a great hook to promote our members and their history of fostering some of Canada’s best talents. With the Great Big Roots campaign, we want to build a connection in our readers’ minds about the richness of Canadian literature and its roots in independent publishing.”

Please see the book of the month list for more details on each title.