July 19, 2022 (Toronto) – Today Penguin Random House Canada announces a new chapter in the long and proud history of McClelland & Stewart. After six years as publisher, Jared Bland is stepping down from his role to move into the newly created position of Vice President, Communications and Community, working across Penguin Random House Canada. He will be succeeded in the role by literary agent Stephanie Sinclair, who will assume the role of Publisher, McClelland & Stewart and Hazlitt, Vice President, Penguin Random House Canada.
Stephanie Sinclair (she/her), currently a literary agent at CookeMcDermid Literary Management, is one of the country’s most important and successful agents. Sinclair, who identifies as Cree, Ojibwe, and German/Jewish settler, has worked for more than twenty years in the performing and creative arts, and began her agenting career at Transatlantic Literary Agency in 2012. She has represented such world-class authors as Billy-Ray Belcourt, Joshua Whitehead, Jessica Johns, Shashi Bhat, Eternity Martis, Lee Maracle, Harriet Alida Lye, Murray Sinclair, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jordan Abel, and Sharon Bala. Her authors have been acknowledged by virtually every awards jury in the country, including the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Governor General's Awards, the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Lambda Awards, the Toronto Book Award, and many others. She is currently ranked the #1 agent in Canada for both fiction and non-fiction by Publishers Marketplace, which tracks deal transactions.
Kristin Cochrane, CEO of Penguin Random House Canada, said: “The last six years at McClelland & Stewart have been a time of remarkable creative, critical, and commercial success, and while I was surprised by Jared’s decision to step down, I respect his thinking and look forward to close partnership with him in his new role. And I am absolutely delighted to name as his successor the extraordinary Stephanie Sinclair. Stephanie is, to put it simply, a transformational figure, who has been at the centre of so many exciting developments in the last decade of our shared literary and societal culture. I’ve long admired the ways in which Stephanie’s agenting, and her incredible author list, have impacted the breadth and depth of the Canadian publishing landscape. In our many conversations about this role in particular, it became clear that Stephanie’s ambitions for her publishing work—her desire to do meaningful work on an even larger canvas—are well matched with our own deeply held desire to grow and invest in this storied imprint. While Stephanie inherits an M&S that is in an incredibly healthy position, I know she will continue to build, shape, and expand its footprint in Canada and internationally, with an acute sense of the positive change the written word can make in the world. Her historic appointment is a proud moment for the country’s oldest and most celebrated publisher.”
Jared Bland, outgoing McClelland & Stewart publisher, said: “Leading this incredibly talented group for six years has been the greatest honour of my career. I’m grateful to the countless colleagues at M&S and across Penguin Random House Canada who’ve contributed to our shared accomplishments, and to the authors who have trusted us with their profound and world-changing work. Stephanie Sinclair—my colleague, friend, and frequent collaborator—has been central to so much of the success we’ve had as a group that it feels entirely fitting that she is the one chosen to lead the house into an even more consequential future. Her appointment is enormously meaningful for me personally, but even more so for our shared literary culture, and by extension our shared civic life. I am proud to see the long tradition of McClelland & Stewart entrusted to her singularly capable hands.”
Stephanie Sinclair, new McClelland & Stewart publisher, said: “Over the last six years, I have found myself continually inspired by Jared’s intentionality, allyship, and exquisite and brave literary taste. He is a wonderful friend, true champion of writers, and celebrated leader. My own list has taken shape with significant influence from Jared and the editorial partners I have found in the M&S team, who astound me with their talent, integrity, and fierce commitment to the art of publishing. Joining this team and becoming part of the long and storied history of M&S is a true honour. I am also excited to continue to build on the close relationships I have across Penguin Random House Canada, and by the opportunity to work with and learn from the brilliant Kristin Cochrane, one of Canada’s most inspiring female leaders. It has been one of my life’s greatest gifts to have the trust of the many wonderful writers on my agent list, and I step into this role in service of them, and the thousands of talented writers we haven’t yet found, in communities we haven’t yet reached, for narratives we haven’t yet heard, to find readers longing to be seen, and to contribute to creating a more empathetic understanding of how to be in today’s world through the power of the page.”
Sinclair begins her new role on October 3, with Bland overseeing M&S in addition to his new responsibilities until that date, after which he will continue to work with a small list of authors as an editor-at-large for M&S.
More about Stephanie Sinclair:
Stephanie Sinclair is a Cree, Ojibwe, and German/Jewish settler, with over twenty years of professional experience in the performing and creative arts. From the Ryerson publishing program, Stephanie joined the Transatlantic Agency, ascending the ranks to senior agent, representing literary fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on Indigenous representation. Her list was curated with political leanings, and proudly included Journey Prize winner Sharon Bala, Griffin Prize winner Billy-Ray Belcourt, Joshua Whitehead, Lee Maracle, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Murray Sinclair, and Harriet Alida Lye. In 2020, Stephanie joined CookeMcDermid Agency as a senior literary agent. Stephanie is also a fierce advocate and activist, organizing events central to understanding the colonial aspects of the publishing industry. She has been a celebrated mentor, curator, and panelist in this space.
More about McClelland & Stewart:
For more than 100 years, McClelland & Stewart has helped to shape and champion Canada’s cultural conversation. We continue to assert our independent spirit by taking bold risks that push the boundaries of literary excellence, challenging the status quo, and reflecting the rich and diverse range of voices in our country and from around the world.
Penguin Random House Canada aims to nourish a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company publishes over 800 books in various formats each year in the North American market across nineteen distinct imprints and distributes another 10,000 titles in Canada on behalf of Penguin Random House publishers in the U.S. and the U.K., and many clients. It has also developed its own internationally recognized Toronto-based audiobook program, and runs an in-house recording studio. Visit penguinrandomhouse.ca for more information and follow us at @PenguinRandomCA. |
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For further information, please contact:Beth Lockley, Vice-President, Marketing 647-500-2709 blockley@penguinrandomhouse.com |