David Davidar laughs when asked how he managed to write his second novel while also serving as publisher of Penguin Canada. “Well, I don’t think I’m going to do that again,” he says, explaining that he wrote every day between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. “My wife would have a problem with it. We had no social life for 18 months.”

Not that he’s given up on the idea of writing more books. It’s just that he hasn’t yet figured out how he’ll balance work and family life with more writing. “I don’t see myself taking years off my job,” he says.

For now, worlds are colliding for Davidar. McClelland & Stewart will publish that aforementioned second novel, The Solitude of Emperors, this month in all English-language markets except for the U.S., even as Davidar heads into his first fall serving as both president and publisher of Penguin Canada (following former president Ed Carson’s departure last spring).

Which means Davidar prefers not to think about his impending publicity schedule. “I plan to dart in and out [of the Penguin offices],” he says, “and I’m being booked into a lot of weekend festivals to ensure that I don’t miss too much.” M&S president Doug Pepper says he has every confidence in Davidar’s ability to multitask. “I think he juggles [different roles] effortlessly,” says Pepper, adding that Davidar’s 10 p.m. bedtime and teetotalling lifestyle likely help.

Davidar will begin promotion of his book in late August, attending the Edinburgh International Book Festival and touring to London and several Indian cities. Ashley Dunn, Davidar’s M&S publicist, says he’s also lined up for two October events in Canada: the Vancouver International Writers Festival and the International Festival of Authors in Toronto.

Davidar’s first novel, The House of Blue Mangoes, was published in 2002 in 16 countries and written while he was publisher at Penguin India. (Davidar was named Penguin Canada’s new publisher in 2003 and arrived in Canada the following year.) “The first novel was a test,” he says. “I’ve spent my life publishing hundreds of books and advising others on how to make them better. I wanted to see if I could do it myself, and it was bloody hard.”

For the second novel, which he called another “feat of endurance,” Davidar did extensive planning and research in advance of writing, a lesson he learned from both writing his previous book and publishing the works of others. “A lot of writers tend to jump right in and then flounder later,” he says. The Solitude of Emperors, an account of the religious strife in early 1990s India, explores the confluence of religion and politics, and condemns fundamentalism. “It’s a very pressing issue at the moment, religious fundamentalism,” says Davidar. “A lot of people are concerned about the clash of Christians and Muslims, but this book is set in India, and there the clash is between Hindus and Muslims.”

Anna Porter, who also has a new book out in September, could probably give Davidar lots of advice about juggling the roles of writer and publisher. She wrote four books while running her own publishing firm, Key Porter Books, and then retired from Key Porter two years ago, partly to devote herself to writing. “When I was working full-time, that luxury didn’t exist,” she says. “If you spend your life immersing yourself in other people’s books, it’s hard to find the time to dedicate to your own.”

Now, though, Douglas & McIntyre is publishing Kasztner’s Train, Porter’s story of the “Hungarian Schindler.” D&M marketing manager Emiko Morita has planned an extensive fall tour that will include events in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Montreal. In addition, the film rights for Kasztner’s Train have been optioned by U.S.-based Barna-Alper Productions.

Davidar, though, still finds it necessary to divide personas. “You split yourself in half,” he explains. “As a publisher, you’re very aware of the pitfalls of being an author. So few books are published, and so many great books languish.” And both Davidar and Porter say their own writing created a shift in their dealings with other writers. “It makes me more empathetic to the plight of authors,” says Davidar. “[Writing] is really a very lonely task.”

It can be elusive, too. Ed Carson, who left Penguin in May and accepted a position as chief business officer and associate director with the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Education, found himself unable to write for close to 25 years – a period that coincides almost perfectly with his career in publishing, which he stepped into after releasing a poetry collection, Scenes, with The Porcupine’s Quill in 1977. Carson says his block lifted unexpectedly 14 months ago, and The Porcupine’s Quill is set to publish his second collection, Taking Shape, next spring, and he’s already working on another book. “The creative side of me was richly satisfied working in publishing,” Carson says, “and I was spending so much time and effort on other people’s books.”