Alberta book publishers get $300,000 provincial boost

Local people get help telling local stories through annual funding, says minister

Book publishers in Alberta learned Friday they are getting more than a quarter-milliondollars in annual funding from the province.

Ricardo Miranda, Alberta minister of culture and tourism, was joined by Alexander Finbow, president of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, to make the announcement to a crowd of authors and publishers at Hotel Arts in downtown Calgary.

Miranda said the province is committing $300,000 in annual funding over the next four years for Alberta book publishers and stressed the importance of supporting arts industries.

He said the funding will help local publishers share Albertan content with the world and create jobs and “diversify our economy.”

“It is certainly our desire, as a government, to create these opportunities ... to build a strong economy together,” Miranda said on Friday.

“As one of our cultural industries, book publishing is invaluable to our economy and we recognize how important your industry is in preserving and sharing Alberta’s culture with the world and ensuring our stories continue to be told by us,” he said.

Finbow, an Alberta-based author and publisher at Canmore’s Renegade Arts Entertainment, joined forces with Winnipeg illustrator Nyco Rudolph in 2017 for the book When Big Bears Invade.

The story revolves around a number of enraged giant bears levelling cities and towns in Canada, including Calgary, as a response to the environmental destruction to their habitat.

The funding is from the Capital Investment Tax Credit “to boost support to the industry” and provide growth opportunities “by helping organizations employ talented professionals, develop intellectual property and create quality products,” the province said in a release.

“The quality and diversity of Alberta published books provides tremendous value to Alberta by sharing stories of and from our province, and this additional funding is a great support for the industry,” Finbow said in a release.

Founded in 1975, the Book Publishers Association of Alberta represents nearly 30 publishers across the province from postsecondary institutions to private businesses. The association also holds workshops and programs for aspiring authors and publishers, as well as the annual Alberta Book Awards, celebrating excellence in publishing in the province.

The province said the bookpublishing industry contributed more than $18 million to the provincial GDP in 2016 and accounted for more than 170 jobs in Alberta.