Accession 96-20 - Coteau Books

Coteau Books was established in 1975 as the book division of the Thunder Creek Publishing Co-operative. The other arm, Caragana Records, released three vinyl albums in the 1970s before discontinuing operation. Coteau Books was set up as a non-profit publishing co-operative whose key goal was to publish prairie and Canadian writing, poetry, fiction, songs, plays, and children's books. The name Coteau is taken from the Missouri Coteau, an elevation of land that exists to the north, west and south of Moose Jaw.

All originally from Moose Jaw, Coteau's four founding board members, Barbara Sapergia, Geoffrey Ursell, Robert Currie, and Gary Hyland, were responsible for editing and production, with the assistance of one person hired to handle orders. By 1983, Coteau had moved its main office to Regina, and hired a managing editor and two additional employees. The four original board members were joined by seven others in 1978 and 1983. In 1988, Gary Hyland quit the Co-operative to concentrate on his own writing. The Board of Directors still contains three of the original members of the Thunder Creek Publishing Co-operative: Sapergia, Ursell, and Currie. Other members of the Board have changed since 1983; the Board is self-appointing and has no fixed terms of service, with some members choosing to take leaves of absence, and others resigning after varying periods of time. Executive Board positions change every year.

These papers were generated and collected by Coteau Books and include files pertaining to authors and other artists, publishers, and professional and governmental organizations which maintained a relationship with Coteau. The papers also reflect the growth of Coteau Books from a small provincial co-operative operated by its members, to an established, staff-run, nation-wide book publisher. Of special note are the annual production of 14 to 16 new books, frequent award attention for its titles, and the large quantity of manuscripts in various stages of production.