The federal government is banking on online sales to encourage the Canadian book market and stand up to multinational platforms. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced Wednesday that 180 Canadian bookstores will receive $12 million to increase online sales, which he says will boost the sale of Canadian books.
“There has been a big increase in online book sales in recent years, especially since the pandemic, and big international players are taking advantage of it. Today, we want to help our gang,” says Mr. Rodriguez. He launched this aid program at the bookstore Le port de tête, in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, alongside bookstore owners and the Liberal MP for Outremont, Rachel Bendayan.
There has been a big increase in online book sales in recent years, especially since the pandemic, and big international players are taking advantage of it. Today, we want to help our gang.
Entitled Support for Bookstores, this component of the Canada Book Fund is made possible thanks to a federal investment of $32.1 million over two years. 12 million have therefore been announced for 2022-1923, and the rest should be paid following another call for funding requests, the following year.
“E-commerce is another way to reach the readership, but we cannot offer prices like those of Amazon or Renaud-Bray, which benefit from preferential rates with Canada Post. For us, it’s not profitable,” laments Laurence Monet, co-owner of the Monet bookstore in Montreal.
This is why she believes that the aid announced today is essential to the survival of independent bookstores. Éric Blackburn, co-owner of the bookstore Le port de tête, also says that online sales platforms are often “little nuanced as to the needs of readers, and particularly Quebec readers”, unlike independent bookstores like his.
Quebec, favorite of the program
Support for Booksellers funds “are allocated based on past sales of Canadian print books for a given reference year,” explains the Department of Canadian Heritage, in a press release. Thus, among the 180 recipients of the funds for the year 2022-23, 93 are Quebecers.
“It’s a national program, yet more than 50% of the funds went to Quebec. It’s huge, ”rejoices Pablo Rodriguez. “The industry is very structured in Quebec, it holds itself well enough to encourage books from here,” adds Mr. Blackburn.
Last August, The duty reported that sales of Quebec books have continued to grow since the start of 2022, after a spectacular increase during the pandemic. Last March, Radio-Canada reported that the trend was also observed among all French-Canadian books, with an increase of 5 to 10% in 2021, compared to 2020.
“We really hope that the program will continue in the years to come to maintain this pace,” said Mr. Blackburn, looking at Mr. Rodriguez out of the corner of his eye, with a smile.