Receiving a note from us in the springtime is strange! And there’s no way to sugarcoat it: Hingston & Olsen Publishing is officially folding and we’re clearing out our remaining inventory at 75% off.

When we first formed H&O back in 2015, we were just two freelancers coming together to make something fun: a short story advent calendar. It was an experiment involving scissors and stickers and glue. We were in over our heads, and we certainly didn’t anticipate we’d still be at it a decade later.

What happened in those 10 years adds up to:

• 324 authors

• 23 ISBNs

• 11 commissioned artworks

• 10 #SSAC hashtags

• 7 different printers

• 6 book fairs

• 5 awards

• 3 book parties

• 2 literary festivals

• 365 bananas

• *a few* typos

• and just 2 people behind it all.

After the inaugural calendar we made another 22 books together. We numbered hundreds of special editions. We dabbled in crazy things like risograph printing and non-fiction. We stayed up all night prepping for our book launches. We made something for the kids. We watched one of our books get turned into a movie. We sometimes packed orders by hand and drove them across the border ourselves for our favourite US-based readers. We shipped books to places like Armenia, Australia, Tunisia, and Japan.

We collaborated with brilliant editors like Alberto Manguel, Patton Oswalt, Rebecca Romney, and Kevin Wilson. We sent messages to writers and artists we admired asking for contributions—and more people said yes than we could have ever imagined. We did our best to handle their world-class work with creativity and care.

Unfortunately, the realities of making books—especially the kind of books we like to make—have become a lot more real in 2026. The cost of paper has more than doubled. (The colourful paper featured in our Permanent Record Series is no longer even available.) Our alternative publishing model and two-person staff can’t keep up with present-day storage, shipping, and distribution challenges. Social media, which was essential for spreading the word in those early years, got less effective (and way less fun). The numbers don’t make sense anymore. We tinkered with things to see if we could find a new formula, but ultimately we refuse to concede on our high production values or our rogue mentality. We remain stubborn, true believers in the power of the physical book—perhaps too stubborn?

Whether you own a single H&O title, or a full run of all 10 SSACs (hi!), we hope that our books will continue to earn their showcase spots on your shelves for years to come. If you’re missing any H&O titles, now is the time. As mentioned, we are running a full-on fire sale. Everything is 75% off for the month of May, after which point… well, let’s not think about that just yet. Please clear us out so that we don’t have to overload every Little Free Library in Alberta.

And don’t worry, we aren’t falling off the face of the planet entirely.

If you ever find yourself up in Edmonton, please drop by Michael’s bookshop, Porch Light Books. He’ll be the one trying to queue up the perfect “Bird Song” on the speakers, and he’d love to see you.

And next time you’re in any bookshop, period, look out for Natalie’s latest design work. Chances are you won’t have to look far. (Find her full, ever-expanding portfolio here.) She’s always looking for new projects and collaborators—maybe that’s you, reading this right now.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll work together again on something else in the future. We had so much fun with H&O that it would be foolish to close that door all the way.

Really, the main thing we want to say is: thank you for reading with us.

—Michael and Natalie

H&O Titles Still Available:

• Kevin Wilson’s 12 Days of Stories, edited by Kevin Wilson (H&O 023)

• Ghost Box IV, edited by Patton Oswalt (H&O 022)

• The 2024 Short Story Advent Calendar (H&O 021)

• The Hollowing of the Calgary Herald, by Jeremy Klaszus (H&O 020)

• The Curious Case of Gina Adams, by Michelle Cyca (H&O 019)

• The 2023 Short Story Advent Calendar (H&O 018)

• The 2022 Short Story Advent Calendar (H&O 017)

• Kids’ Short Story Advent Calendar (H&O 015)

• High Profile (H&O 014)

• Projections, edited by Rebecca Romney (H&O 011)

• Jerry and Marge Go Large, by Jason Fagone (H&O 010)