It’s been a long time coming, but it seems as though something has shifted recently in the world of Canadian letters. With the rise of Canada’s new patriotism has come a subsequent shift in focus to all things by and from Canadians. That, in turn, has led to an unexpected bonus for Canadian authors: people are looking for them. 

Canadians Don’t Read Canadian, eh?

Unlike our counterparts in other countries, Canadian readers consume very few Canadian books. In fact, at a recent Writer’s Union of Canada seminar on this very topic, I learned that only about 13% of books consumed in Canada are Canadian of origin (authored by and/or published by Canadian presses). 

That’s approximately 20 to 25 per cent less than the readerships in the U.K. and Australia; while in the U.S., the majority of books bought and sold are by Americans. 

Challenges for the Industry 

Part of the story of Canada’s dearth of CanLitCon is our country’s lack of distribution. Publishing is expensive for a country like Canada, and our publishing network is not well supported by the government, despite the fact that we all know Canadian literature is essential.

Yet another component is a lack of visibility for Canadian books (Indigo can do better). But while the first problem is not easily solved, the second is undergoing a bit of a startling revolution. 

Media Revolution

Thanks to social media, the Canadian book business is suddenly everywhere visible. On Instagram, TikTok and Threads, there are active #CanadianBook trends, where industrious content creators have been busy compiling and profiling CanLitCon, one author, one book at a time. Check out @canadian.booklibrary @bergamotbookreviews and @thecanadianromancewriters, to name a few. 

These exciting developments also tackle yet another systemic challenge in bringing Canadian authors to Canadian readers: they by-pass the ‘high lit’ system altogether. 

The footprint of CanLitCon is also growing on the ground, with the opening of new book stores: there’s Hopeless Romantic in Toronto, Joie de livres opening shortly in Montreal; and even a new indie bookshop in Grimsby, Ontario, @grimsbybooks. 

Add to the pot a number of newsletters. There is HEA Canada, A Can LIt Romance Hub, for instance, which now counts a substantial community following. New bookish events are also popping up, such as Love & Romance in Toronto (just enjoyed their 2^nd ever event!) and the debut of Reader’s Harvest, to be held in Brockville this fall. (There are so many more! Please drop them in the comments for others if you know of one!).

This is all exciting—really—and it adds to the marvellous momentum that our public broadcaster CBC has been building as they raise the profile of Canadian literature among Canadians (ie. Canada Reads competition). 

Genre & Indie Love, CanCon Style

But these exciting developments also tackle yet another systemic challenge in bringing Canadian authors to Canadian readers: they by-pass the ‘high lit’ system altogether. 

Canadian Bookstagrammers, TikTok-influencers and bookish events promote much more than the Canadian canon. They’ve opened their doors to Indie authors and the wide array of genre writers out there. They are, in fact, tapping into what many Canadian readers want to read: Canadian books that straddle genres (or just full-on target them) and which may not be produced by a traditional or conventional press. That means Canadian Romantasy; Canadian cozy mysteries; Canadian dystopian sci-fi; Canadian YA. 

It can also mean giving profile to authors like me, who are published by American presses (listen: there just aren’t very many genre presses in Canada, my friends) who, for that reason, don’t enjoy the same visibility as authors published by the Big 5 or a Canadian press.

The new indie bookstores are stocking these titles for readers; they’re hosting events by these authors. We are promoting our own and growing as a large and diverse community. This is good news—no, great news. I want these trends continue. 

At the same time, I hope this also becomes a moment of reflection for conventional Canadian publishing. Readers are looking for genre CanCon and indie CanCon. Why don’t we have an exclusive Romance or Romantasy press? The majority of readers in Canada, like everywhere else, are consuming ROMANCE titles.

Why don’t we have more bookstores like Hopeless Romantic and Joie de Livres (and the longstanding Bakka Phoenix books in Toronto, whom I adore)? Why isn’t there a Canada Reads competition for genre books? 

At any rate, a door is opening; the page has been turned. And, best of all, everyone gains from these developments. 

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Images: Top: Joie de Livres, opening soon in Montreal; inset: Hopeless Romantic Bookstore (from their instagram feed).