Dear Reader,

The new year is a time of renewal. We reflect on the past and plan for the future. Many people set resolutions.

At Siretona Creative, we have wonderful plans for 2024. We will be working with more committed authors to create compelling books and expand our collaborative community. This year is bound to be full of joy.

I’m Molly Layton, the Marketing Assistant at Siretona Creative. Today, I want to look at our accomplishments for the year that just ended. This is a sample of all the things we have done. I hope this inspires you to accomplish your dreams, whatever they may be.

Published over eight books in print, e-book, and audiobook formats

Naturally, as a publisher, our business is putting books into the world. We published several books this year, including Ashley Michell’s picture book Mindy Sue Makes a Pie, Lisa LeBlanc’s memoir The Ninth Child, and Marion Grace’s guide to spiritual growth Drop Your Sword: Letting God Fight Your Battles. We released new editions of books, including French translations of Journey with Joseph through Advent (Un Voyage avec Joseph dans le temps de l'Avent) by Samuel Shaefer and The Dog Who Wanted to Play (Le chien qui voulait jouer) by Fred Ash.

The last one was a surprise to me. We submitted it to the distributor in the last week of December. Depending on who’s counting, it’s either our last book of 2023 or our first book of 2024.

Sold books in over six countries

Where did these books go? Without readers, books are paper prisms. When I compiled the data for the social media version of this newsletter (IG, FB), I was looking at IngramSpark’s data. I said that we had sold books in six countries. One of our authors, Connie Inglis, pointed out that she had sold copies of Rewriting Adam in Thailand, so that's seven! My apologies to Connie.

Grew the team and the tools

Last year, the team grew and changed. Several interns applied unique talents and perspectives to the company’s projects. We hired freelancers to help with tasks we couldn’t do on our own.

Our toolkit changed too. One of the most useful changes was a new royalty reporting system. That simplified organizing monthly reports and allowed authors to check their royalty information.

Received recognition

One of the proudest moments of the year was in October. The Spectrum Advantage employment agency gave us the Small Diverse Business Award. We have been working with Spectrum Advantage for years. Several of the interns we have worked with have become long-term employees.

Author recognition

Our authors received recognition too. The Word Awards featured Marcia Laycock and Fred Ash as two of their 2023 finalists. The judges recognized their work in creating compelling stories that touched reader’s hearts: Merrigold's Very Best Home and The Dog Who Wanted to Play. Seeing our authors on the list was an honour.

Connected with communities in person and online

Community makes us stronger. In 2023, we went to several book events, connecting with readers from 3 to 103. Colleen and Charity went to writing conferences. Each in-person meeting allowed us to expand our horizons and form direct bonds.

We made connections online too. Connie Inglis started the Born on a Bridge podcast. Lisa May LeBlanc appeared on several podcasts, including Bleeding Daylight. (Both of those are available wherever you get your podcasts.) Siretona Creative hosted several Publishing Primer courses to discuss the art of publishing.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Yes, you, Reader! Whether you are an author, a reader, or a friend, your involvement helped us in 2023. Thank you so much. We hope to bring you even more happiness in the new year.

Sincerely,

Molly Layton

Marketing Assistant

Siretona Creative

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