President Donald Trump’s anti-Canadian jingoism has elicited a strong reaction on the other side of the 49th parallel, and our famously polite neighbors to the north have been “elbows up” since Trump not-so-casually suggested that the country might want to become the 51st state. Elbows Up! Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, an anthology of essays coming from McClelland & Stewart, takes its title from the catchphrase, which originated with Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe. Edited by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, the book features work by Margaret Atwood, Omar El Akkad, and Peter Mansbridge, among others.

M&S is not the only publisher to take a patriotic stand. Greystone Books is publishing The Eh Team: A Celebration of Canadianisms from Elbows Up to Poutine by Charles Demers. It is a book “for Canadians embracing their culture and country, and for Americans who hope to better understand their Canadian friends and their quirky sense of humor,” says Jen Gauthier, publisher of Greystone. Harbour Press is offering The Canada Handbook with a dual market in mind: Canadians who are drawn to stories of identity and pride, and Americans considering a move north.

Historically, Canadian readers have not always been inclined to read books by and about themselves. In August, BookNet Canada, which tracks book sales and other data for the industry, reported that only 30% of Canadians it surveyed said they had read a book in the past year by a Canadian author, a number that has been flat since 2020 and was down from a 41% high in 2012.

This is reflected in book sales as well. In 2024, according to BookNet Canada, Canadian titles accounted for just 12% of the C$1.1 billion ($796 million) Canadian book market. American authors, including James Clear, Kristin Hannah, and Dav Pilkey, topped the Canadian bestseller list last year. The top-selling book by a Canadian author was The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny.

Buy Canadian

These days, with patriotic fervor taking hold, the numbers are slowly ticking up: as of late August, sales of Canadian books—including those with Canadian contributors—were up 7.63% compared to the same period in 2024, says Ainsley Sparks of BookNet Canada.

Some of this credit can go to booksellers, who have turned “buy Canadian” into a mantra. Cedar Canoe Books in Huntsville, Ont., is credited with pioneering the use of bookmarks topped by big red maple leaves to identify titles by Canadian authors—a practice that has become widespread. Canadians authored 85% of the books on the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association’s inaugural list of most-anticipated titles for fall.

Indigo Books, the country’s major bookstore chain, is also promoting homegrown talent, selling T-shirts featuring an image of a beaver and the phrase, “Give a dam, read Canadian.” And September 13 was the second annual Heather’s Free Great Canadian Books Giveaway, when Indigo CEO Heather Reisman gave away 10,000 copies of Canadian books, including Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, The Break by Katherina Vermette, and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.

Convincing Canadians to buy books not just written by Canadian authors but published by Canadian-owned presses seems especially urgent for the 115 members of the Association of Canadian Publishers. “Often, you’ll find if a publisher or an imprint has ‘Canada’ in their name, they are not likely to be Canadian owned,” says Jack Illingworth, executive director of the ACP.

On October 2, the ACP is launching a branding program in which books will be printed with a logo of a maple leaf that resembles an open book and the words “certified Canadian publisher.” The program aims to meet demand, Illingworth says, and help people navigate a confusing landscape. “We’ve heard from booksellers, librarians, and consumers that they want to be able to more confidently make choices that support the Canadian-owned publishing industry.”

Approximately 60% of ACP publishers are signed up to participate in the launch, and Illingworth concedes that it’s not for everyone. “There are some companies that don’t necessarily feel comfortable with that kind of Canadian nationalism, or they might be heavy exporters that don’t want their books aggressively branded as Canadian,” he explains.

Export challenges

Many independent Canadian publishers are reliant on sales to the U.S. Those sales account for 50% or more of revenue for many children’s publishers, and in some cases the figure is as high as 70%. For trade publishers, exports to the U.S. generally make up 50% or less of their revenue, and in some cases those sales are negligible.

Trump’s capricious tariff policy toward Canada has been troubling, Illingworth says, but had more or less stabilized when the de minimis exception was eliminated in September, which has caused “chaos” once again. Publishers have reported shipments being turned back or held at the border for extended periods of time, in spite of proper documentation. “This isn’t just small shipments,” Illingworth notes. “These are large distributor transfers that are being tariffed or in some cases returned. So, we’re extremely concerned.”

Douglas & Macintyre publisher Anna Comfort O’Keefe says the tariffs are having an impact on the entire publishing ecosystem. “We’ve experienced hyperinflation on printing and shipping costs, as well as confusion in how tariffs are applied that keep publishers, printers, and distributors on edge.”

In response, some publishers have simply stopped selling books to the U.S. for the time being. “We’re just not going to be shipping, because the shipping charge plus the duty is not worth it for the consumer,” says Don Gorman, publisher of Rocky Mountain Books.

While American tariffs on paper and other materials have made production more expensive, U.S. culture wars are also cutting into sales: several Canadian publishers, including Arsenal Pulp, KidsCan Press, and Orca Books, have been impacted by book bans. “We’ve taken a financial hit,” says Orca publisher Andrew Wooldridge, noting the press has had at least three titles pulled from U.S. library shelves. “It’s had a huge impact. Especially considering how fragile the market is right now.”

Seeking support

Canadian publishers are also frustrated that their books were used by U.S. companies to train their AI data sets, but because of the vagaries of copyright law, they are likely to be left out any legal settlements for remuneration.

“The unchecked use of text and data mining without the consent of copyright holders poses a serious threat to intellectual property and revenue streams,” says Simon de Jocas, president of Montreal-based publisher Les 400 Coups. “Yet, the AI companies continue to operate freely—seemingly with the blessing of governments, including our own.”

The Canadian government does have initiatives aimed at helping Canadian publishers, including the Canada Book Fund, which gives grants to support some 125 small and midsize presses. And on September 11, Canadian Heritage, the government department that oversees the Canada Book Fund, convened Uniting Around Canadian Books, an online event to promote Canadian literature and cross-cultural dialogue. But with uncertainty surrounding exports and the specter of rising inflation, publishers may need more substantive action.

“For over 20 years, the Canada Book Fund has been fixed at C$39.1 million per year, of which C$30 million goes directly to support publishers,” says Illingworth. “And while we’re in year two of a three-year C$3.3 million top-up, to say it is chronically underfunded is an understatement. When we’re working and competing with much larger international players that sell into our market, it’s an equalizer. Now more than ever, it is especially important to us, to sustaining our independent publishing culture.”

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