New publisher at Red Deer Press

Robert J. Sawyer Books is an imprint of Red Deer Press. Long-time publisher Dennis Johnson has moved on to greener pastures, and Richard Dionne will be the new publisher starting September 1, 2007. Red Deer Press was bought two years ago by Toronto's Fitzhenry & Whiteside, and Richard has been a mainstay there.

My profound thanks to Dennis for taking a chance on me as an editor, and for giving Robert J. Sawyer Books such a great start.

Richard, Sharon Fitzhenry, and Red Deer Managing Editor Kirstin Morrell have all vigorously confirmed their commitment to Robert J. Sawyer Books. Our next title, Matthew Hughes's The Commons, comes out this fall.

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New Publisher Announced for Red Deer Press in Calgary

Calgary, AB. -- Sharon Fitzhenry, President and CEO of Fitzhenry and Whiteside Publishing in Markham, Ont. is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Dionne, Senior Editor at Fitzhenry and Whiteside Publishing, to the position of Publisher of Red Deer Press in Calgary effective September 1st, 2007.

"Richard comes to his new position with extensive experience in publishing and has connections to a great many western Canadian authors and illustrators that will further strengthen our ties and commitment to creating best-selling, award-winning books from the western provinces." said Ms. Fitzhenry.

Richard has already produced a fine selection of books by western Canadians, including titles by Murphy Shewchuk, Lorna Vanderhaeghe, John Wilson, and Scott Wooding. He was also general editor of Canadian Facts & Dates, a landmark chronology of Canadian history, and lead editor on the groundbreaking Canadian Thesaurus, the first of its kind produced for and by Canadians.

Richard is excited about the opportunity to take Red Deer Press to the next step in its long and lustrous history. "Red Deer Press is a small publisher that has made a significant mark on the national publishing scene." says Dionne. "I am looking forward to working with the talented Red Deer family to take this publishing house to new heights nationally."

Richard was born in Montreal and received a graduate degree in History from York University in Toronto. He is looking forward to dividing his time between Calgary and head office in Markham. "Calgary is a terrific city -- I am very familiar with it and have always enjoyed my time spent there."

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site