When publishing people get together, we always talk about the same thing. Sure, we might start off with an analysis of world events or a friendly argument about what we’re going to order for dinner. But sooner or later, we always get around to that one really important question: what’s your favourite stage in the process of making a book?

Editors might tell people that the very best part comes early. It could be the “made your day” moment of telling an author that her book is going to be published, or the first glimpse of rough sketches that makes a picture book seem finally real. But, honestly, everyone who works in publishing agrees that nothing, simply nothing, can compare to the first time you hold a finished book in your hands. To help you experience that feeling for yourselves, here is a sneak peek of a fall 2013 title that had people in our office jumping up and down (for real!) last Friday. I’m only sorry that I can’t figure out how to share that new-book smell with you via cyberspace.

— Sheila Barry, Publisher of Groundwood Books

(Psst: for more behind-the-scenes photos, check out Groundwood on Instagram. Anansi is on Instagram too.)