In this month's podcast episode we’re talking about social media and its influence on bookselling, what the popularity of these online communities built around books mean for the industry, how backlist titles are having second chances thanks to TikTok, and more.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/7/27/podcast-beyond-booktok-when-social-media-and-publishing-collide)

Further reading/listening:

- BookNet’s Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2020: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/canadian-leisure-and-reading-study-2020

-BookNet’s Canadian Book Consumer Study 2020: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/canadian-book-consumer-2020

-Ryerson University’s Social Media Lab report The State of Social Media in Canada 2020: https://socialmedialab.ca/2020/07/13/the-state-of-social-media-in-canada-2020-a-new-survey-report-from-the-ryerson-social-media-lab/

-Bookstagrammer @spinesandvines: https://www.instagram.com/spinesvines/?hl=en

-Buzzfeed's 24 Black Bookstagrammers list: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/black-bookstagram-authors-book-lovers-to-follow

-Shereads' BookTubers' to watch in 2021 list: https://shereads.com/best-booktubers-2021/

-Popsugar's TikTok accounts for book lovers list: https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-book-tiktok-accounts-47761943

This month we’re talking about Thema and exploring how you can use this international book classification for describing diverse books. Join BookNet Canada’s Marketing Associate Aline Zara, with appearances by EDItEUR’s Chris Saynor and BookNet Canada’s Bibliographic Manager Tom Richardson, alongside a worked example of Tanya Boteju’s book Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens, just in time to wrap up Pride month.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/6/29/podcast-describing-diverse-books-with-thema)

Further reading/listening:

- Thema version 1.4: https://www.editeur.org/151/Thema-v1.4/

- Chris Saynor’s Tech Forum presentation Using Thema and ONIX to boost discoverability: https://youtu.be/hCDdN_CSlNg

- Tom Richardson’s webinar Thema Refresher: https://youtu.be/KXDlX4fsokA

- Thema worked examples: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog?tag=Thema%20worked%20examples

Last month we shared highlights from Tech Forum 2021. This month we’re sharing one thought-provoking panel in particular. The idea for this panel was inspired by an essay from Annahid Dashtgard a renowned author, changemaker, and co-founder of Anima Leadership, a boutique consulting company specializing in issues of diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This essay, called Foreign Object in the House of Canadian Literature, was about her experience as an author of colour and her reception in Canadian publishing. Annahid was joined by Chelene Knight and Léonicka Valcius to discuss author care and creating safe spaces for BIPOC authors.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/6/1/podcast-foreign-object-in-the-house-of-canadian-literature)

Links

- Foreign Object in the House of Canadian Literature essay by Annahid Dastgard: https://rungh.org/foreign-object-in-the-house-of-canadian-literature/

-Foreign object in the house of Canadian literature Tech Forum presentation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe-1yxT1O3k&list=PLRthkZj3fAc3XJln6vHSoQZ5BzFgTS38d&index=13&t=1012s

- Léonicka Valcius on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonicka_/

- Tech Forum: https://techforum.booknetcanada.ca/

- Podcast: Tech Forum 2021 highlights: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/4/26/podcast-tech-forum-2021-highlights

In this month’s podcast episode, we’re bringing you some highlights from some of our fantastic sessions. This year’s programming had a mix of topics that ranged from crisis management, the impact of the pandemic on booksellers and publishers, bibliographic standards, diversity, equity and inclusion, and much more. The recordings from the sessions we’ll be talking about today are available on our YouTube channel — you can find the link in the episode notes.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/4/26/podcast-tech-forum-2021-highlights)

Further Reading:

- Session 1: Come taste the difference good management can make in your crisis!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJBXso5h_lw

- Moving pieces: Industry initiatives you don't want to miss: https://youtu.be/ZeyvmAid4Pg

- Serving communities in crisis: The bookseller’s role: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hP2G2nZkLA

- If we knew then what we know now: COVID-driven initiatives with staying power: https://youtu.be/t03YfhqE95Q

- How to combat racial gaslighting in the workplace: https://youtu.be/4LZCN78SysQ

- Tech Forum 2021 YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmi7jFTuors&list=PLRthkZj3fAc3XJln6vHSoQZ5BzFgTS38d

- Sign up for the Tech Forum newsletter: https://us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4576b1cb7fdce43af498937a5&id=a705168569

The newly formed Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA) is hitting the ground running. In this podcast episode, we sat down to talk to Doug Minett, the Executive Director, to learn how it came about, what initiatives they’re tackling in their first year, what they see for the future post-COVID, and what they’ll need to do to be successful.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/3/29/podcast-all-about-the-canadian-independent-booksellers-association)

Further reading:

- Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA): https://cibabooks.ca/

- What’s in Store: The State of Independent Bookselling in Canada: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/whats-in-store

Join BookNet Product Coordinator Hannah Johnston and Marketing Associate Nataly Alarcón as they share sales data for print books about anti-racism and social justice in 2020, a brief overview of the efforts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion made in the Canadian book industry, as well as a number of resources available to you — from research reports to Tech Forum presentations — that touch on these topics.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/2/22/podcast-diversity-books-about-anti-racism-and-the-canadian-book-industry)

Further reading/listening

- Blog post covering the updates made to BISAC subject codes: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/12/21/2020-bisac-subject-codes-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new

-BookNet YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv62canXJChXqjegPv9H9-A

-BookNet Canada podcast: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/podcast

-Research by BookNet: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/bnc-research

-Blog posts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog?tag=diversity

-Demand for Diversity study: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/demand-for-diversity

-Tech Forum 2021 website: https://techforum.booknetcanada.ca/

-Subscribe to receive Tech Forum updates: https://us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4576b1cb7fdce43af498937a5&id=a705168569

-Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/newsletter-sign-up#enews

A look at book sales and reader behaviour in the Canadian market in 2020.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/1/26/podcast-a-look-at-the-canadian-book-market-in-2020)

Show notes:

eNews sign up: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/newsletter-sign-up#enews

BookNet blog: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/

Niche subject explorations on the BookNet blog:

Signs & Spells: Astrology, crystals, tarot, and witchcraft in the Canadian book market: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/5/11/signs-amp-spells-astrology-crystals-tarot-and-witchcraft-in-the-canadian-book-market

Get that bread: The cooking subcategories that are selling like hotcakes: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/5/19/get-that-bread-the-cooking-subcategories-that-are-selling-like-hotcakes

Stars and stanzas: Social media, stardom, and poetry in 2020: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/1/7/stars-and-stanzas-social-media-stardom-and-poetry-in-2020

Checkmate: How the popularity of a TV show is impacting book sales in Canada: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/12/8/checkmate-how-the-popularity-of-a-tv-show-is-impacting-book-sales-in-canada

Consumer survey results:

Canadian readers in 2020, half-year review: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/10/2/canadian-readers-in-2020-half-year-review

2020 Canadian book market half-year review: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/8/27/2020-canadian-book-market-half-year-review

This month’s episode is tailored to booksellers. In it, we go over some key things you should think about before facing the peak of the holiday bookselling season, as well as a series of tools, products, and resources from BookNet and other organizations that can help you take your business to the next level now or beyond the gifting season.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/11/24/podcast-bookselling-during-the-2020-holiday-season-and-beyond)

Links:

-Weathering the COVID-19 storm blog series: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog?category=Publishing+%26+COVID-19

-Prepare for the 2020 holiday season now: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/10/22/prepare-for-the-2020-holiday-season-now

-Blog posts relevant to booksellers: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog?category=Bookselling

-BookNet Canada research: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/bnc-research

-Subscribe to the Let’s Sell Some Books newsletter: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/newsletter-sign-up#lets-sell-some-books

-BookNet Canada contact information: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/contact-us

-Digital Main Street: https://digitalmainstreet.ca/

-Retail Council of Canada resources for retailers: https://www.retailcouncil.org/coronavirus-info-for-retailers/

BookNet Canada products and services mentioned in this episode:

-SalesData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/salesdata

-LibraryData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/librarydata

-CataList: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/catalist

- Pubnet EDI: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/edi

-BiblioShare: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/biblioshare

-Shopify plugin: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/bibliographic-data-distribution#shopify

-WordPress plugin: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/bibliographic-data-distribution#wordpress

Websites that already use our web services:

-Playwrights Canada Press website: https://www.playwrightscanada.com/

-Arsenal Pulp: https://arsenalpulp.com/

-Coach House Books: https://chbooks.com/

-Les Libraries: https://www.leslibraires.ca/

-49th Shelf: https://49thshelf.com/

It's Canadian library month, so LibraryData team members, Hannah Johnston and Monique Mongeon share some data about Canadian library circulation stats, genre trends, and more.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/10/27/podcast-canadian-library-month)

Further reading/listening

LibraryData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/librarydata

Loan Stars: https://www.loanstars.ca/

Borrow, Buy, Read: Library Use and Book Buying in Canada: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/borrow-buy-read

LibraryData sign up form: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/librarydata

In this episode, BookNet Marketing & Communications Manager, Ainsley Sparkes, shares insights about the status of the publishing industry in Canada. What impact has COVID-19 had on readers' habits? Have book buying behaviours changed? What subjects are selling the most? All these answers and more in this edition of the BookNet Canada podcast.

(Find the transcript here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/9/29/podcast-the-canadian-book-market-so-far-in-2020)

Links:

Canadian book market half year review blog post: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/8/27/2020-canadian-book-market-half-year-review

The State of Publishing in 2019 infographic and blog post: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/9/8/infographic-the-state-of-publishing-in-canada-2019

The impact of COVID-19 on reading blog post: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2020/4/15/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-reading

The State of Publishing in Canada in 2019 full report: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/state-of-publishing