Independent publishing house D&M Publishers Inc. says it is filing for bankruptcy protection.

The Vancouver-based publisher says it is working to locate an investor or purchaser for its assets.

D&M, which includes Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, says it plans to continue operations while it restructures.

It says its subsidiary New Society Publishers Inc. is a separate legal entity, is not included in the bankruptcy filing and will continue business as usual.

D&M identifies itself as "Canada's pre-eminent independent publisher, with over forty years of success."

It has published books that include the non-fiction work Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre, novels like Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony and art books such as The Art of Emily Carr.

The company, originally J.J. Douglas Ltd., was founded in 1970 in Vancouver and published its first book in 1971.

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