Ottawa author launches free online festival for Canadian writers

Most people assume authors are rolling in money like J.K. Rowling. N.P. Thompson hears it constantly. She laughs it off—she works as a web designer and UX/UI specialist to pay the bills.

"For an author, it's usually more than two jobs," Thompson said. "You've got the job that pays your bills and keeps your children from starving to death; that's critically important. You've got your other job, which is trying to fit writing around whatever time you can steal from other parts of your life. And then, you also have to do the website and the marketing and figuring out how to get your book noticed."

Thompson is the author of *The Arcanium Saga*, an award-winning fantasy series for middle-graders. But like most Canadian authors—the vast majority have at least one day job—she's learned that writing, publishing, and promoting are three separate professions collapsed into one person's life.

And it's gotten harder. Ten years ago, publishing houses invested heavily in marketing debut and mid-list authors. That money has largely disappeared. Publishers now concentrate marketing budgets on known sellers and celebrity projects, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

"Book advances were much higher than they are now," Thompson said. "What my traditionally published friends are telling me is that there is really not a lot of marketing dollars being spent on debut authors or even mid-list authors."

So Thompson decided to build her own platform.

She created *Canadian Fiction Fest*, a free nationwide virtual book fair launching this summer. The event features 121 authors from 11 provinces and territories. Beyond a virtual showcase where attendees can browse Canadian novels across all fiction genres and age groups, the festival includes 36 live online events—panel discussions, readings, author conversations.

All of it is free. That matters to Thompson. She knows many authors are priced out of larger industry events, and she wanted to remove that barrier.

"The publishing industry has traditionally charged authors to participate in festivals and conferences," Thompson explained. "That's a significant financial burden for people who are already stretched thin."

Thompson came to this project through a winding career path. She holds degrees in cognitive science, education, and interactive media design. She worked for the federal government, where she gained project management experience. Those skills—combined with her understanding of what writers actually need—inform the festival's design.

"I've worked in a variety of fields," she said. "But every single one of those backgrounds is useful here. The project management, the understanding of design, the ability to think about user experience—it all comes together."

The festival is her answer to a system that's quietly squeezed Canadian authors out of the spotlight. Publishers aren't marketing them. Industry events are expensive. Social media algorithms favour viral content over literary fiction. And most writers lack the time, money, or expertise to launch their own PR campaigns.

*Canadian Fiction Fest* launches this summer. Registration opens soon. For Thompson, it's an experiment in what authors can do when they stop waiting for the industry to support them and build the platform themselves.