Book Publishing
Sector
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News
BC Arts Council Project Assistance: Literary Arts
Project Assistance: Literary Arts supports professional literary arts organizations in British Columbia to develop and promote Canadian literature and Canadian writers through publishing, presentation, and dissemination of works of literary, artistic, or cultural...
Creative Industries Week 2022 | #BCCreates Stars of Tomorrow
The seventh annual Creative Industries Week is bringing industry associations, stakeholders and creators together to showcase and celebrate B.C.’s dynamic creative sector the week of May 16, 2022. The diverse creators from the book publishing, interactive + digital...
Support for Publishers: Publishing Support – Canada Book Fund
The Publishing Support sub-component of the Canada Book Fund (CBF) assists the ongoing production, marketing and distribution of Canadian-authored books. Supplementary funding based on export sales is also available as part of Publishing Support. Learn more and apply...



British Columbia is home to the second largest English-language book publishing sector in Canada. The nucleus of the province’s publishing industry is comprised of 26 member publishers of the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. (ABPBC). These publishers make corporate financial investments into the cultural output they produce and share profit from that creative content from commercial sales.
More broadly in the province, there are an additional 20 businesses that include self-publishers, hybrid publishers and chapbook presses. These bring B.C.’s total publishing business count to 48. See a list of book publishing and related businesses on the Book Manager Directory. B.C. represents 18% of the English-language Canadian owned publishing industry according to the ABPBC, and recipients of the Canada Book Fund in B.C. indicate 15% of their revenues come from export.
Read the most recent industry insight in our annual Impact Reports. Learn about the Creative Industries Economic Results Assessment (CIERA).
Recent Impacts
CIERA™ 2020
Total GDP in B.C.
Direct Output in B.C.
Est. people incl. gig workers
Research + Reports
Recent industry insights and impacts of B.C.’s creative industries.
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CIERA™ | Creative Industries Economic Results Assessment
Bringing public datasets into our story
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View Creative BC funding programs
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Associations
Association of Book Publishers of BC
The Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC) is a trade association, founded in 1974, whose aims are to foster an environment in which our members will flourish and to expand an awareness of the value of books in all our lives. The organization is a regional affiliate of the Association of Canadian Publishers.
Resources
Read Local BC
Launched in 2015 by the Association of Book Publishers of BC, Read Local BC is a project that celebrates the vibrant community of authors, publishers, bookstores, and libraries that make up our province’s literary landscape.
BC Book World
BC Bookworld is British Columbia’s author and publishing newspaper. Since 1987 the publication has been published four times per year, as Canada’s largest-circulation independent publication about literature.
The newspaper is available via more than 675 non-virtual distributors, or by subscription.
Funding
BC Arts Council Funding Programs
The British Columbia Arts Council (BCAC) nurtures and supports arts and cultural activity in communities across British Columbia. From community arts in rural and urban centres, to individual artists, professional performing arts companies, Indigenous artists and cultural organizations, art galleries, local museums and music festivals – BCAC supports a range of activities while engaging with artists and communities to inform policies and programs.
B.C. Book Publishing Tax Credit
The book publishing tax credit program applies to book publishing corporations that carry out business primarily in B.C.
You can claim this refundable tax credit if:
- You’ re a Canadian-controlled corporation carrying on business primarily through a permanent establishment in B.C. with book publishing as your principal business, and
- You receive a base amount of Support for Publishers contributions under the federal Canada Book Fund (CBF) before April 1, 2021.
On March 10, 2021, the government proposed extending the B.C. book publishing tax credit by five years to include the base amount of Support for Publishers contributions under the federal Canada Book Fund (CBF) received before April 1, 2026.
Eligible book publishers may receive a credit of up to 90% of the base amount of Support for Publishers contributions received in the tax year.
Access Copyright Foundation
The Access Copyright Foundation promotes and supports Canadian culture by providing grants intended to encourage the development and dissemination of publishable Canadian works.
#ReadLocalBC | #ReadBC