Booksellers across Canada receive funding to help expand their online book sales

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

MONTRÉAL, November 9, 2022

Books are a way for us to be connected to our stories, explore, learn, and contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of our communities. Canadian Heritage is committed to helping the Canadian book sector continue to be adaptative and innovative in reaching readers across Canada. Today, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez, along with Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont, announced $12 million in funding to help Canadian booksellers increase their ability to sell books online.

Funding will go to 180 booksellers that operate 467 bookstores across Canada. This funding will reach a wide range of businesses, including bookstores owned by or serving members of equity-deserving communities across the country, as well as those located in rural and remote communities. This is the first time funding has been distributed through the new Support for Booksellers component of the Government of Canada’s Canada Book Fund. This new component will provide Canadian booksellers with two years of support to improve their online business models where it will be the most effective and to grow their online sales of printed Canadian books. Funding amounts were based on past sales of Canadian-authored books.

The COVID-19 pandemic fuelled a sharp increase in demand for online book sales, resulting in logistical challenges and extra labour, technology and shipping costs. Investments will help Canadian booksellers continue to get more Canadian books into the hands of readers, wherever they are located. Online Canadian book sales benefit the entire book industry, from authors to publishers to booksellers.

In the recent 2022 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada highlighted its plan to continue its sound stewardship of the economy and to be there for Canadians.

For further details and a full list of recipients, please see the backgrounder.

Quotes

“Local bookstores are an important link connecting Canadians to our stories. Supporting our booksellers in expanding their online sales is an investment in our cultural outreach, but also in the future of our authors and publishers. They will be able to reach more readers across Canada, wherever they are located, so they have access to a wide range of Canadian books.”

—Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

“Bookstores play a fundamental role in our communities. They introduce us to emerging authors, showcase our stories, and contribute to our cultural and economic vitality. They are also key places to gather and meet – they are often located in the heart of our neighbourhoods. They are, in many ways, the heart of our neighbourhoods. This additional federal funding will help ensure our local bookstores continue to thrive and reach even more Canadian readers… what could be better than that?”

—Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont

Quick facts

  • The Canada Book Fund ensures access to a diverse range of Canadian-authored books nationally and internationally, by investing in a strong book industry that publishes and markets Canadian books.

  • Each year, the Canada Book Fund helps publishers produce around 6,500 new Canadian-authored books, employ close to 2,500 people and generate $400 million in sales, of which $125 million are export sales to nearly 100 international markets.

  • Budget 2021 announced an investment of $32.1 million over two years to help bookstores increase online sales. This funding will be delivered in 2022–23 and 2023–24. 

  • The new Support for Booksellers component of the Canada Book Fund was launched in March 2022. It is a two-year program component that will provide support in 2022–23 and 2023–24 to help Canadian booksellers increase their online sales for Canadian-authored print books and improve their business model for online sales.

  • Support for Booksellers funds are attributed based on past sales of Canadian-authored print books for a set reference year. This will direct more funding to booksellers with a proven track record of bringing Canadian authors to Canadian readers. 

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Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Laura Scaffidi
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
laura.scaffidi@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

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