PUB 371: The Structure of the Book Publishing Industry in Canada

The Sincere Practice of Zine Making, and the Garbage We Share: An Interview with Sarah Thompson

David Cowling — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

A short interview with Sarah Thompson (Paper Innards Distro.) hosted by David Cowling, investigating the boundaries of print and zine production in Vancouver's DIY publishing scene.

Self publishing in the 21st century

Nipun Tiwari — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

With literary content becoming increasingly accessible through various online sources one needs to question if traditional forms of publishing are on their last legs. For my book project I would like to discuss traditional forms of book publishing and newer forms of publishing. What brought this topic to mind was the Aikiwenzi-Damm article on indigenous versus non-indigenous editors in the publishing industry, which led me to the question of the amount of autonomy that indigenous writers have in telling their stories when having the looming possibility of those stories not being considered marketable to an editor. Various platforms online such as blogging platforms that we use in this class offer aspiring writers autonomy to develop their own platforms for their stories that were unheard of to previous generations of writers. I would like to explore what this means for the future of traditional forms of publishing through the use of an interactive website. The reason I’ve chosen this particular format is because it fits the theme of the argument being made, which is that online forms of self publishing are becoming more popular and may potentially end up overshadowing traditional publishing, particularly for marginalized communities. To do this I will outline a number of basic points. The first will be the history of the publishing industry and its propensity to privilege certain groups of writers over others. The second will be the rise of new forms of online based publishing and how online forms carry the potential of being empowering to marginalized groups (indigenous communities, colored communities, etc). Lastly, I will discuss where the two stand in respect to each other. The goal of this project is to take a comprehensive look at where the publishing industry has failed in regards to representing marginalized groups and how the use of new media is used by those communities to remedy that failure.

Reflections on Publishing in Canada

Emily Watt — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

These brief entries provide a summary of different weeks of this class. I've written each using different genres and tones that hopefully shine through in my writing. It is meant to be a creative and interesting take on each topic.

Creative Canada: Publishing Content vs. Publishing Culture

Emily Woehrle — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Pack it up Massey, there’s a new cultural policy in town. Creative Canada is Heritage Canada’s answer to the digital takeover of the creative industries. In the past, Canadian cultural policy has been to the tune of the betterment of the people. Creative Canada is singing a different song, one that fully acknowledges the creation of culture as an economic driving force. This new policy framework also works to enhance recognition for local artists on a global scale, a stark change in direction from past policy initiatives. Is this change to be seen as a disservice to the Canadian people and their cultivation of culture or is it a chance at launching Canada into a new age of digital innovation and creativity? How does this new framework effect book publishers and authors and how will a renewed focus on a digital future implicate the printed word? In this paper I will discuss the possible answers to these questions by first providing a brief history of past cultural policies, the opportunities and limitations that a digital ecosystem brings, as well as discuss the relationship between production of culture and Canada’s political economy. Canada’s cultural narrative has been shaped by post-colonial policies that have placed the onus on Canadian publishers to establish and promote Canadian culture; that Canadian books should be for cultivating better citizens and reflect the qualities and values that make up our society. Creative Canada aims to disrupt that narrative into one that is centered around technology, creative entrepreneurs, and partnerships with foreign entities.

Canadian Publishing Industry Policies and the Big Five (Timeline)

Jeffrey Chan — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

This timeline provides an in-depth analysis of Canadian Publishing Industry policies introduced within the last 50 years, and how its growth and evolution indirectly supported oligopolistic dominance, as with the case of the “Big Five”. As such, there will be a particular focus on Penguin Random House and their exceptional path in becoming an increasingly threatening multinational publisher.

The Magazine Publishing and Book Publishing Industries

Rachel Fung — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Both the magazine publishing and book publishing industries date back hundreds of years. Through these times, they have both been pushed to adapt and evolve in order to remain relevant in an ever changing world. Addressed in this paper is a brief history of each of the industires and the changes in the business models both industries have had to make, including what strategies were used to combat their biggest threat to date, the Internet. Although fundamentally different, several similarities exist within the two models in their attempts to vy for the attention of the reader in a economically feesible way.

Is Canada's Literary Scene Worth Staying For?

Brigitte Leong-Chung, Elvira Chan, Samuel Bellgam — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

A research essay unfolding the complexity of Canada's new yet growing literary industry. Major cities around the world, including the US, UK, and parts of Europe have well-established publishing companies and very appealing opportunities for our local writing talent. In the 1960's, many Canadian felt that in order to find greater success in writing, moving away was a necessary step. This paper looks into examples of writers who have left, those who have returned, and the driving forces behind this movement. However, as the Canadian literary scene continues to grow and thrive, we also explore the current views of these authors to understand if there still is that same motivation to leave.

Brigitte Leong-Chung
Elvira Chan
Samuel Bellgam

Publishing Harlequin

Mikaela Jordan Harris — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

This imformative video told by muppets, is one that explains the importance of Harlequin Publishers in Canadian history, including a brief history of Harlequin romance novels and their origins. This short video follows Olive, a Harlequin publishing advocate, and Eli, who isn't so sure about the publishers place in Canadian history as they try to explain in the simplist way possible, without losing their muppet charm.

Map of B.C. Book Fund Recipients

Allison Chen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Reading Akiwenzie Damm’s “Editing as a Cultural Practice in Canada” and Elaine Dewar’s “How Canada Sold out Its Publishing Industry” makes me wonder how many Canadian and First Nation owned and operated publishing companies there are. Our exercises in class indicate that there are a lot of Canadian publishing companies. But how many of these are actually making a good percentage of the market share? I want to explore this topic as an interactive map. I believe it will visually represent the problems in the publishing industry within Canada.

Cultural Protection Policies and New Changes in Canadian Book Publishing Industry

Yuan Li — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

In recent years, in order to promote the development of Canadian book publishing industry, the Canadian government has adopted a series of new policies. The government is no longer strictly limit foreign investment, and do not only rely on the policy to protect and support the Canadian domestic book publishing industry. Instead, it has embraced foreign investment in a more open and flexible manner and relaxed existing policies for foreign investment in the Canadian book publishing industry. This paper introduces the cultural protection policies and new changes of Canada's book publishing industry and discusses its impact on the Canadian book publishing industry. At the same time, these cultural protection policies also derive some problems and difficulties.

Massey’s Impact on Canadian Culture Today

Amneet Dhillon — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

The Canada Council for the Arts is important because it gives funding to those institutions and establishments it deems integral to Canadian culture, this is based on Massey’s somewhat narrow definition of what Canadian culture is. This essay will explore how Massey’s definition of Canadian culture in The Royal Commission for the National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences has negatively impacted Canadian culture today by arguing that the highbrow themes present in the definition of Canadian Culture do not allow for mainstream culture to flourish.

White Voices

Kara Locke — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

An analysis of the past winners of Canada's three largest English-language fiction awards, as well as the the non-fiction award with the largest monetary prize. This article examines the ratio of white authors to those of visible racial minority, and considers the cultural and economic impacts of awarding primarily white authors in a racially diverse country.

Dialogue: A Short Story

Jaiden Dembo — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

An Indigenous author is working with her non-Indigenous editor on the mauscript for her novel. This piece deals with cultural ignorance, dealing with the colonial past, and moving towards a more promising future of open dialogue and the validation of the Indigenous voice.

Unethnical Literature

Stacy Kim — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

An exploration of the underrepresentation of Asian-American publishers in the Canadian book publishing industry through a Podcast format.

Lack of Ethnic Diversity in Canadian Publishing

Sarah McNeil — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

I will be looking at the obvious and systematic lack of ethnic diversity in Canadian publishing through the writers in the industry and their personal accounts. I will be focusing specifically on the article, "On Glibness And Diversity In Canadian Media" by Saachi Koul, and the chapter "Editing Indigenous Texts as an Indigenous Editor" by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm among the research I do to reflect on how the lack of diversity is systematically being ignored in Canada.

Publishing Experiences for Indigenous Authors and Authors of Colour in Canada

Wai Lam (Claudia) Tam — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

The Canadian publishing industry presents certain challenges for Indigenous authors and Authors of colour. This visual story along with some commentary aims to touch upon some of the struggles such as having their work edited to fit mainstream ideals which robs a part of their identity, being rejected for telling their own stories because of their identity, and feeling out of place in a white dominated industry. While there are Indigenous authors and Authors of colour getting published, the mentioned issues still remain and more, and is seen amongst other minority groups as well. However, it is important to remember that while they all face struggles within and outside the publishing industry, communities and individuals of minority communities have their unique stories and would require more learning, researching, and listening to understand their unique perspective and experiences of their struggles.

Afro Canadian Representation in Canadian Publishing

Omosigho Ibizugbe — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

My project looks into the world of Canadian publishing, and explores the presence of only a few voices for Afro Canadian publishers and writer in the Canadian publishing industry. My podcast guests and I will be unpacking the lack of representation, access, opportunities and what can be done to prolong the longevity of existing and new Afro Canadian publishers and writers. In my podcast I am having two guests on two different episodes.

Is Canadian Publishing Post-Queer?

Derek Bedry — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Canada’s queer literary history is not what you would call well documented. One key event usually shows up in the threadbare handful of existing historical accounts – the censorship of Jane Rule in the 1960s. Other accounts do not even mention the Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium battle with Canada customs in 1990, where Rule’s books were seized and the author defended the bookstore in court. Lack of discussion around the issue makes it appear on the surface that there is no homophobia in Canadian publshing. Can that be true?

The "It's Lit" Campaign

Linnea Dan Vy Vo — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Taking inspiration from programs like Canada Reads with the aim to get Canadians across the country to explore new works of literature, It's Lit is a book subscription box for Canadian Millennials. In partnership with Indigo, this campaign will release nine types of boxes based on genre, three times a year. Each box contains a book or eBook or audiobook, a magazine, and a personal note from a Canadian celebrity or influencer who either is in the line of work relating to the specific genre, or enjoys the book. The idea for this program was built on the basis of getting more Millennials to read new material and get excited about books.

Marketing Books in the Bookstagrammer Age

Kathryn Sawers — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

An analysis of the social media application Instagram as a forum by which 'Influencers', colloquially known as 'Bookstagrammers', and authors market literature.

Book Marketing in Canada

Cassidy Rossander — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

An interview and essay exploring the marketing of books in Canada, with a focus on the role of celebrity endorsements.

Canada Reads Throughout the Years

Zoe Goode — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

This timeline displays the progression and changes that Canada Reads has encountered over the years and is intended to visually represent at which points Canada Reads made changes in order to provoke thoughts as to why these changes occured.

Inventory Interview at Chapters Indigo

Louise Ho — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

This podcast lets us listen in on an interview about the inventory process at Chapters Indigo.

The Library Ghost and the Canadian Libraries Issue

Samantha Walters — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

This short comic explores the roles of libraries in promoting Canadian-published books via reading clubs.

The Structure of the Book Publishing Industry in Canada

Hannah McGregor — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Technology in the Classroom is Changing the Publishing Landscape

Jeffrey Tse — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

The education system in Canada is currently facing a difficult situation regarding the transformation of technology. There has been increasing support over recent years to have more technology implemented in classrooms, yet we have not seen many major changes being implemented. Is the education publishing industry trying to maintain their profits and neglecting our students? Or are there other reasons? Looking at the pros and cons of having a more digital environment in the classroom, this paper will identify the strengths and weaknesses of having a predominantly digital environment. Additionally, this paper will use the research done Rollans and de la Cheneliere (2010) to examine the position that education publisher takes and the challenges they face trying to implement a more digital environment. An analysis of potential solutions will be conducted to show K-12 education possible ways to tackle the issue.

The Boys Club: Academic Publishing and Barriers of Access

Nicole Payer — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Gendered, unequal access in academic publishing has become a pervasive system that operates on exclusionary principles. These principles privilege maleness - and whiteness - above all else. Men continue to be the gatekeepers of what is deemed "worthy" of academic publishing, resulting in the systemic silencing of women in academia.

Educational Textbooks and National Narratives: Myths and Distorted Interpretations of Canadian History and National Identity

Nicole Daylene Kestila — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0800

Educational book publishing continues to be one of Canada’s leading sources of information and communication pertaining to our history and interpretation of national identity; therefore, those of us entering the Canadian Publishing Industry need to be aware of past wrongs and misconceptions in our national narrative, in order to write and publish educational textbooks that are current, relevant, and inclusive.