Clare Jones, now Assistant Editor at Brown University Digital Publications, reports on visiting the University of Toronto Press.

This residency took place in early 2023 when Jones was Associate Editor at Cornell University Press.

The AUPresses Week in Residency Program gave me the opportunity to learn new skills and procedures from colleagues in Toronto who have developed unique innovative programs. My goals in visiting the press fell into two interest categories: acquisitions and management.

My week included a variety of opportunities. A few were fortuitous events that occurred during my time in Canada. I joined representatives from editorial and marketing at a book launch on campus for university chancellor Rose M. Patten and her book Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart. I also attended the Ontario Library Association conference, where I had the opportunity to learn and network with a wide array of publishing professionals from across Ontario.

I was able to have one-on-one meetings with numerous staff throughout the week. Jason Farrell, Vice President of Distribution, gave me and my Toronto host Jennifer DiDomenico a tour of the warehouse, explaining how the UTP Distribution Center works with more than 240 clients for distribution in Canada, the United States, and around the world. It was amazing to see all the warehouse in action. Vice President for Retail Lotta Lindblom also gave me a tour of the UTP bookstore in Toronto. Lotta and I discussed the close connection the store has with the university, and how she leverages that to advocate for and share knowledge with the press.

I wanted to find out how UP books are being sold around the city, so I organized a walking tour for myself of Toronto’s book community. I visited Indigo Books, ABC Books, BMV Books, Type, She Said Boom Books and Records, Ben McNally Books, the Toronto Public Library, and the gallery bookstores of the Royal Ontario Museum of Art, Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Textile Museum of Canada.

My week in residence was a rewarding and illuminating experience. I am grateful to Cornell for granting me time away; Toronto for hosting me; AUPresses for supporting my travel and logistics; and Johns Hopkins for financially supporting the program.