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ccbc-net digest 22 Sep 1999 -Reply
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From: Ken Setterington <ksetterington>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 15:52:24 -0400
In response to the role the government plays in publishing, I thought I might be able to add some background. The Canada Council is a federal agency which does provide some funding for publishing houses. Most Canadian publishers (but not the branch operations of international publishing houses such as Penguin or Harpercollins) do receive some funding from the Canada Council and look to their provincial governments for additional support. I just picked up a new book, Tangled in Time from Ronsdale Press and noticed that in the acknowledgements it states, that thanks go to the Alberta(province) Foundation for the Arts. On the verso of the title page the publisher thanks The Canada Council, The Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council. Obviously there are a variety of programs that have been set up to assist publishers in Canada.
It would be very wrong to create the impression that there is lots of money to be had through government grants. The children's publishing industry in Canada has grown tremendously in the past thirty years in part due to the support of grants, but the grants are always hard to get. It seems that they are increasingly harder to get each year.
Publishing in Canada does rely on grants simply because the market is so small and the influence from American and British publishers is so great.
It hasn't been my experience to notice any publishing patterns that emerge because of grants - other than having the voices of Canadians being printed. Provincial grants in combination with federal grants provide the funds to create regionally important books. Hence the maritime provinces do produce different books than the prairies. We are very grateful for the support of the government grants to Canadian publishers simply because without them there wouldn't be the same strength in Canadian books.
Ken Setterington Children and Youth Advocate for Library Services Toronto Public Library 789 Yonge St Toronto M4W 2G8
(416) 393p37 fax (416) 393p83
Received on Wed 22 Sep 1999 02:52:24 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 15:52:24 -0400
In response to the role the government plays in publishing, I thought I might be able to add some background. The Canada Council is a federal agency which does provide some funding for publishing houses. Most Canadian publishers (but not the branch operations of international publishing houses such as Penguin or Harpercollins) do receive some funding from the Canada Council and look to their provincial governments for additional support. I just picked up a new book, Tangled in Time from Ronsdale Press and noticed that in the acknowledgements it states, that thanks go to the Alberta(province) Foundation for the Arts. On the verso of the title page the publisher thanks The Canada Council, The Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program, and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council. Obviously there are a variety of programs that have been set up to assist publishers in Canada.
It would be very wrong to create the impression that there is lots of money to be had through government grants. The children's publishing industry in Canada has grown tremendously in the past thirty years in part due to the support of grants, but the grants are always hard to get. It seems that they are increasingly harder to get each year.
Publishing in Canada does rely on grants simply because the market is so small and the influence from American and British publishers is so great.
It hasn't been my experience to notice any publishing patterns that emerge because of grants - other than having the voices of Canadians being printed. Provincial grants in combination with federal grants provide the funds to create regionally important books. Hence the maritime provinces do produce different books than the prairies. We are very grateful for the support of the government grants to Canadian publishers simply because without them there wouldn't be the same strength in Canadian books.
Ken Setterington Children and Youth Advocate for Library Services Toronto Public Library 789 Yonge St Toronto M4W 2G8
(416) 393p37 fax (416) 393p83
Received on Wed 22 Sep 1999 02:52:24 PM CDT
