When Canada's largest independent publisher, D&M Publishers, went into creditor protection last year, it shocked many authors and book lovers.

Eventually, Heritage House bought the assets of D&M's Greystone Books, and the owners of Harbour Publishing acquired the Douglas & McIntyre imprint, but it left some D&M employees looking for ways to stay in the industry.

Two of them, former chief operating officer Jesse Finkelstein and former publisher Trena White, have opened a new agency to help nonfiction authors find a home for their books, whether through self-publishing or in a more traditional context.

Their new company, Page Two Strategies Inc., has announced that it will work with Toronto-based Transatlantic Agency, which works with co-agents in 28 "foreign language territories". Page Two Strategies is also offering its services to corporate clients interested in publishing.

Consulting for authors of self-published books appears to be a growth industry in this town.

Others in this business include veteran literary agent Robert Mackwood, editor Patricia Anderson, and former Georgia Straight assistant editor Naomi Pauls.