‘Our range is bigger, but our heart is the same’: Latitude 46 owner Heather Campbell hoping to expand publisher’s readership
Latitude 46 Publishing celebrated a milestone this past year — a decade in business.
It was back in 2015 that Sudbury’s Heather Campbell, accompanied by her then-business partner, local journalist Laura Stradiotto, opened the company, with a mandate to publish Northern Ontario authors and Northern Ontario stories.
They were filling the void left when Laurentian University professor Laurence Steven, who for 20 years ran a publishing company called Scrivener Press, decided to close his company following his retirement and move to southern Ontario.
Appropriately for a Northern Ontario company, the publisher’s name refers to the latitude upon which Sudbury sits.
While Stradiotto left Latitude 46 before the pandemic, Campbell has persisted in the book biz, having published around 50 books, with another six set to come out this year.
It has been a steep learning curve, and not necessarily lucrative, but Campbell said she loves it.
With a decade of experience now behind her, Campbell is expanding Latitude 46’s mandate. She will now entertain publishing authors from across Canada, although Northern Ontario stories still get first priority.
An email blast from the publishing house said it is “now actively seeking to publish exceptional works from authors across Canada whose stories resonate with our core values of resilience, identity and community.
“Stories that ask meaningful questions, reflect lived experience, and linger with readers long after the final page. Our range is bigger, but our heart is the same.”
Campbell explained that she’s always received submissions from authors who didn’t fit Latitude 46’s Northern Ontario mandate, and she couldn’t entertain publishing their works. “So this allows us the opportunities to do that,” she said.
Latitude 46 owner Heather Campbell shared this photo of herself with a Livres Canada Books staffer at the London Book Fair back in March 2024. Supplied
In expanding Latitude 46’s reach, she’s hoping to strengthen the publisher’s list and readership.
“You know, my dream was always that it would live past me,” said Campbell. “I have colleagues in the publishing industry that have been around for 50-60 or more years. It was never a short term project. It was always meant to last. So expanding in this way considers our long-term sustainability as a press.”
With this year’s publishing list already set, Campbell said authors brought in through Latitude 46’s expanded mandate will likely be published starting in 2027 and 2028.
If you’re interested in submitting a book to Latitude 46, you can do so through their website.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.