BookNet Canada

An unexpected entanglement between Heated Rivalry breakout star Hudson Williams and Playwrights Canada Press’ Yaga has led the Canadian independent press to its busiest season since it started operations in 1984. We talked to Annie Gibson about how they’ve handled the increase in sales, how they reach readers beyond Canadian borders, their plans for the future, and more. Find the transcript here:...

Listen in as we give you some of the highlights from our forthcoming report, Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2025, releasing May 5. We also see if some recent reading trends that have made headlines are true for Canadians. We’ve even included some data we didn’t get to use in the study. Further reading/listening - Study Finds 20-Year Drop in Reading for Pleasure: https://www.publishersweekly.com/...

Founder of Tandem Collective, Naomi Bacon, talks to us about the various ways in which publishers and booksellers can utilize social media to market books and how online book communities operate.

This month’s episode features an interview with Vanessa Gomez, a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University’s Master of Publishing program, about how she’s breaking into the industry, and The Publishing Guide, an online platform she created where young professionals can find relevant information about the industry.

This month’s episode features a conversation with Jen Gauthier, Publisher at Greystone Books, about how to approach changes to distribution as an independent publisher.

In this month’s podcast, we’re sharing some mid-year market data from an excerpt of the Tech Forum presentation, Ready, set, go: Pre-fall sales trends and data-driven insights. Links: - Ready, set, go: Pre-fall sales trends and data-driven insights: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/ready-set-go-pre-fall-sales-trends-and-data-driven-insights/ - BookNet eNews weekly newsletter: https://www.booknetca...

This month we talked with Evelyn Elgie, the assistant publisher at Inanna Publications about what it’s like to run a feminist press in today’s landscape, the challenges facing small presses, and why prioritizing marginalized voices and building community is so important to upholding the values of the company.

This month’s episode features a conversation with Sophie Wu, a Master's candidate in Digital Humanities at McGill University, about AI and one of its potential applications in the publishing industry: storytelling analysis.

In this month’s podcast episode, we dive into the data on Canadian book borrowers, their library visitorship, book borrowing by format, and more. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/10/1/podcast-libraries-and-canadian-readers

Mélanie Ritchot joins us this episode to talk about the Indigenous Editors Circle and how it's influenced her approach to editing. Whether you're an editor, a publisher, or just interested in how the industry is evolving to better support Indigenous voices, this episode is for you. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/6/24/podcast-editing-indigenous-v...

This month’s podcast episode is a continuation of the conversation from the Tech Forum webinar: Canadian book publishing: Insights from the latest salary survey. Saffron Beckwith, President at Ampersand Inc., joins us to chat about pay equity, inclusion, and more. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/5/27/podcast-beyond-the-survey-more-on-salary-equit...

This month we’re talking with Chandler Jolliffe, owner of Cedar Canoe Books in Huntsville, who pioneered the idea of a Canadian flag bookmark as a way to easily identify which books in his store were Canadian-authored. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/4/29/canadian-bookmark-project

In this podcast episode, we talk to Cassie Smyth about AI integration into audiobooks, accessible audiobooks, supporting the Canadian audiobook ecosystem, and more. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/3/25/podcast-canadian-audiobooks-in-2025

Listen to a sneak peek of BookNet Canada’s upcoming research reports, The Canadian Book Market and The Canadian Book Consumer. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/2/25/a-research-sneak-peek

In this podcast episode, we share some snippets from last year’s Tech Forum sessions on AI in the book industry. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2025/1/28/podcast-ai-in-the-book-industry

In this month’s podcast episode, we talk to Simon Crump, Environmental Consultant for BIC, to discuss the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and its impact on the book industry. Simon offers insights on how the EUDR affects the book supply chain, practical steps for Canadian publishers to align with the regulation, and resources for non-European publishers aiming to understand complian...

In this episode of the BookNet Canada podcast, we share valuable tips and strategies for independent booksellers gearing up for the holiday season. From planning business hours and fulfillment options to creating engaging themed promotions and leveraging social media, this episode covers content that will help you increase sales and connect with your community. Find the transcript and relevant lin...

We share some highlights from our newest study, Turning Pages: Print Book Use in Canada 2023, all about print books: who’s buying them, borrowing them, and reading them. And what did we learn about their book acquisition and reading behaviours? Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/10/29/podcast-who-is-the-print-book-reader

This month, we invited Wendy Reid, the Accessibility and Publishing Standards Lead at Rakuten Kobo and the co-chair of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Advisory Board to talk about the W3C, the EPUB Fixed Layout Accessibility document, and more. Find the transcript and relevant links here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/9/26/podcast-the-w3c-and-digital-publishing

In this month’s podcast episode, we talk to Nick Maturo, Interim Executive Director at the English Language Arts Network (ELAN), to delve into the aftermath of a cybersecurity incident that ELAN faced a few years ago. Nick offers valuable insights into the incident's repercussions, the invaluable lessons learned from the experience, as well as the implementation of best practices and procedures in...

This month, we invited Janis Nostbakken, the Project Director for Accessible Books for Young Readers at the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) to talk about their services. Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/5/28/podcast-accessible-canadian-childrens-books

We invited Jarin Pintana, speaker at the first Swiftposium, to come and talk to us about Taylor Swift and her impact on the book industry. Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/4/30/podcast-taylor-swifts-impact-on-the-book-industry Further reading: - MPub alumnus Jarin Pintana presents at the first-ever 'Swiftposium': https://www.sfu.ca/publishing/news/news-announcements...

In this month’s podcast episode, cybersecurity expert Francis Syms joins us to discuss the evolving landscape of digital security. In our conversation, we explore key insights and best practices to safeguard digital assets against cyber threats. Find the transcript and additional resources here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/3/26/podcast-navigating-cybersecurity-insights-for-the-publishin...

This month we’re bringing you a small taste of a Tech Forum presentation with booksellers from Little Ghosts Books, Cross & Crows Books, Cedar Canoe Books, and Analog Books Inc. where they share insights into their bookselling journeys, collaborative strategies with various partners, and their approach to online vs. in-person bookselling. Find the transcript here:https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/...

In this podcast episode we share some high-level data for what was going on with the print book market in Canada last year and share some highlights from the BookNet research and education channels. Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2024/1/30/podcast-looking-back-at-2023 Show notes: - BNC SalesData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/salesdata - Canada's population estimates: h...