BC Government to Proclaim April 9 BC Book Day

On April 9 the BC Legislature will celebrate the achievements of BC’s publishing industry with a proclamation and an exhibition of BC-published books at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria.

BC Book Day will be an opportunity for MLAs and staff to meet the province’s publishers, authors, writers’ festivals directors, librarians and booksellers, and for all to mark the extent of the BC publishing industry’s contribution to BC’s economy and culture.

BC publishers estimate that 80% of their titles are authored by residents of the province indicating a strong cultural impact. BC books have won national and international recognition through awards such as the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards and the RBC Taylor Prize.

Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC) members are located all across the province and produce books in all genres that reflect their region, BC, Canada and the world back to their readers.

In recent years, the book industry has undergone enormous and sometimes challenging changes in the retail environment and in the digital realm. In the face of these changes the flexibility and tenacity of the industry and its leaders in BC have served the community well. BC publishers have grown export markets, found alternative sales venues and taken the lead in Canada in digital initiatives.

In the autumn of 2014, the ABPBC will launch a collection of 2,000 books in EPUB format for BC’s public libraries; the collection will be the first of its kind in Canada. Print and electronic editions from BC can be found across the world bringing BC literature and culture to millions.

The ABPBC expects that BC Book Day will be repeated in future years so that communities in all parts of our province may share in the celebration of BC books and authors.