Ultra Libris: Policy, Technology, and the Creative Economy of Book Publishing in Canada

by Rowland Lorimer

Reflecting cultural, political, and technological changes, this detailed exploration of Canadian book publishing displays trends of the industry from the last 50 years. Against the backdrop of historical highlights, the book dives into modern events in book publishing, focusing on the explosion of national book publishing in the 1970s and detailing the sparring match between the industry and government during the 1970s through the 1990s. While industry and government policy both aimed at national survival in the face of globalization, the book documents how, beginning in the mid-1990s, Ontario established an emphasis on financial stability for the cultural sector accompanied by stimulants to encourage participation in domestic and international markets. This new vision laid the foundation for and anticipated the growing recognition of the creative economy worldwide. Coinciding with that recognition came an embrace of technology not just as a business catalyst, but also as a transformative medium for expression with the potential to change the nature of both book publishing and human understanding. Finally, the text concludes with a discourse on the future of books and book publishing, not only in Canada but in the world as a whole.

Genres: Nonfiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive, wide-ranging tour de force. This book covers it all: the cultural nationalist moment of post-war Canada and the emergence of the Canadian book industry in the Trudeau years, the advent of big-box booksellers and corporate conglomeration, the rise of digital media, the copyright wars, the ultimate sale of McClelland & Stewart, and even... the future. 400 pages, decades of prep, close to 500 notes, a twenty-page bibliography. AND it's actually readable!

If you care about Canadian books and publishing -- or you think you know anything about it -- this book is simply required reading.

And I did NOT get paid to say that.

[Danya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest - unless the chapter was directly relevant to my pursuit of the Golden Throne of Librarianship, I mostly skimmed it.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book through first reads.

A thorough look at the publishing industry in Canada, its history and development, and some of the major issues that it faces. A particularly good focus on what appears to be the complex economics surrounding publishing, promoting, and selling Canadian literature. If you are studying publishing or looking to break into the industry, I would definitely buy this as it seems it would give you insight into the industry and provide you with some key terms and publishers to drop in your interview.

This substantial book feels very much like a textbook, but one of those ones you would actually read. It is also one of those books that I can feel myself dipping into in the future. I won't lie, this book took me a very long time to get through, but I'm rather glad it did because it gave me time to think about everything I had read. So, if you are having trouble finishing this tome, I would just recommend to keep slogging through it at your own pace. It is worth it.