Québec book in numbers
Nowadays, roughly 300 Québec publishers publish 6,000 books, all categories combined, every year. Approximately forty distributors circulate them at a little less than 400 bookstores, where books published in Québec account for about 40% of sales to the general public.
Québec publishers dominate the educational book market, an area where Québec's expertise is recognized around the world. Québec publishers have also enjoyed major international success in specific categories like dictionaries, encyclopedias and practical books.
There are about 1,500 professional writers in Québec who work in a sector that has a total of 10,000 jobs and generates approximately $800 million in annual sales. 120 Québec publishers are registered with various SODEC programs. In fact, Québec publishers also obtain nearly half of the funding awarded by federal agencies and departments, which shows just how active they are.
The Québec book market is also set apart by its many book fairs, which are highly popular public events that bring together authors and their readers across Québec. Québec has 9 book fairs, including the ones in Montreal, Quebec City, Outaouais, Trois-Rivières, Côte Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Estrie and Rimouski.
LQuébec publishers also belong to various organizations, such as the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres, whereas the main organization representing writers is the Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois.
