News & Events
This is an enormously dynamic time in the history of book publishing. In News & Events, we will keep members and the public apprised of industry news, our advocacy efforts, and important upcoming events.
Our most recent reports
News & Events Listing
Save the Date! BC Book Publishing Conference 2024
February 28th, 2024
The BC Book Publishing Conference is back!
On May 8, 2024, the Association of Book Publishers of BC (Books BC) is organizing a day of in-person learning and connection at SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver.
There will be a diverse mix of professional development sessions on topics such as remote teams, AI, Indigenous approaches to publishing practices, and healthy author and illustrator relationships. Junior staff will be able to connect with each other at the New to Publishing roundtable. There will also be networking opportunities to foster community among the wider publishing industry in BC.
Speakers will be a mix of Books BC’s membership and individuals from the wider Canadian and international publishing communities to offer more varied perspectives.
Conference attendees will also be able to attend SFU Publishing’s Greg Younging Conversation, an annual tribute to the incredible life and work of Dr. Younging.
The conference will be followed by the Books BC Awards Night to celebrate the winners of our biannual publishing awards, the Jim Douglas Publisher of the Year Award and the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award.
Registration is now open for three fall professional development sessions on accessible publishing
August 23rd, 2023
Books BC invites you to three online fall professional development sessions to strategize and improve your accessibility metadata, content discoverability, and born-accessible workflows. Sessions will be delivered over Zoom and will include a 45 minute presentation from an eBOUND Canada facilitator, with 15 minutes for questions and discussion.
Publishers and their staff may register for a single or multiple sessions here.
Please note: Books BC Active, Associate Members and Friends receive one free ticket per membership.
Please contact Books BC at info@books.bc.ca to inquire about your company’s membership status if you are uncertain and to receive a member’s discount code.
Tickets for non-members and additional staff are $20.
ANNOUNCING OUR 2023/24 POETRY IN TRANSIT PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRANSLINK
July 28th, 2023
The Association of Book Publishers of BC (Books BC) is excited to announce the 2023/24 Poetry in Transit program.
The 2023/24 Poetry in Transit selected poets and featured books are:
Susan Braley, (Victoria) Tilling the Darkness (Caitlin Press & Dagger Editions)
P.W. Bridgman, (Vancouver) Idiolect (Ekstasis Editions)
Robert Bringhurst, (Heriot Bay) The Ridge (Harbour Publishing)
Edward Byrne, (Vancouver) Tracery (Talonbooks)
Megan Fennya Jones, (Vancouver) The Program (Goose Lane Editions)
Mark Leiren-Young, (Victoria) Big Sharks, Small World (Orca Book Publishers)
Emily Osborne, (Bowen Island) Safety Razor (Gordon Hill Press)
Kirsten Pendreigh, (Vancouver) Best Canadian Poetry 2021 (Biblioasis)
Sharon Thesen, (Prince George) Refabulations: Selected Longer Poems (Talonbooks)
Ian Thomas, (Vancouver) Green Islands: Poems from the Great Bear Rainforest (Rainbow Publishers & Raven Chapbooks)
Poetry in Transit has been running since 1996, making it the longest-running poetry on transit program in Canada. Poems eligible for the project must be by BC-based writers and published in book form by Canadian publishers. Poems are submitted by publishers and selected by a jury. The 2023/24 jury included poets Evelyn Lau and Rob Taylor.
Learn more about our annual Poetry in Transit campaign at poetryintransit.ca
We invite you to join us at “Poetry Bus!”, the campaign launch event at the Word Vancouver Reading and Writing Festival at UBC Robson Square on Saturday, September 16th at 12:45 p.m.
In addition, we invite you to share your sightings of the 2023/24 Poetry in Transit bus cards throughout Metro Vancouver and BC using the #PoetryInTransit hashtag on social media channels.
Download the full press release here.
CBC: Could the port strike impact your holiday reading list?
July 12th, 2023
Local book publishers expressed sympathy with dock workers as well as concern over supply chain delays’ impact in this July 7th CBC article.
Andrew Wooldridge of Orca Books and Howard White of Harbour Publishing shared their worries about the port strike in Vancouver effecting fall release dates and sales ahead of the busy back to school and holiday seasons. While hoping for a deal to be reached soon, Wooldridge said, “we’ll figure out how to get through, just like we did with the pandemic.”
JOB OPPORTUNITY-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MATERNITY LEAVE
June 21st, 2023
THE ASSOCIATION OF BOOK PUBLISHERS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (BOOKS BC) is seeking a dynamic leader with experience in not-for-profit management and publishing to serve as its interim Executive Director. This is a 14-month, full-time position, based in Vancouver, BC. All Books BC staff currently work a hybrid schedule (mix of in-person and remote).
See the full job post here for more details: https://books.bc.ca/contact/careers/
Email your cover letter and resume to CAREERS@BOOKS.BC.CA by August 1, 2023.
The Association of Book Publishers of BC unveils new logo and operating name: Books BC
June 9th, 2023
The Association of Book Publishers of BC is thrilled to announce a new logo and operational name, Books BC. The updated name and logo will serve for stronger communication visually and better communicate the organization’s orientation as a regional association of book publishers that strives to foster connections beyond publishers, to all book-related communities. The legal name remains as “The Association of Book Publishers of BC,” but “Books BC” will replace the former acronym “ABPBC” as the operational name.
Read the full press release here.
Books BC PD Session: “Author Care Tips with Chelene Knight”
May 10th, 2023
Date: June 8th, 1:30-3:00 PM (PDT) on Zoom
Please join us June 8th, 1:30-3:00pm (PDT) online over Zoom for a 90 minute session on supporting authors through all stages of book production with our facilitator, Chelene Knight.
The session will provide resources for how to develop an author’s kit, and how to support authors in discovering and communicating their unique non-negotiables, and time management strategies.
Publishers can expect to take away tips regarding: establishing expectations with authors, system and time hacks when working within limited resources, and communicating author care to funders.
The session is free for Books BC members, associates and friends. All participants must agree to abide by our code of conduct.
Books BC members and friends: free
Non-members: $25
Register here!
Provinces announces funding for book, magazine publishers
May 3rd, 2023
The Province announced on April 17, 2023 at BC Book Day that it is providing $600,000 over the next three years to B.C.’s book and magazine publishers to address immediate challenges and give the broader publishing industry the support it needs to thrive in the future.