Blog / Free Advice and Other Musings

On Monday the Georgia Straight posted an article on how Vancouver’s book scene is being reshaped by online communities.

The article looks at how the web is changing the publishing industry and readers’ relationship to books. Vancouver, in particular, is playing a role in changing the Canadian publishing landscape with events like the Vancouver Book Club, the W2 Real Vancouver Writers’ & Culture Series and BookCamp Vancouver.

Monique, who the article states, “has played an instrumental role in the digital growth of Canada’s publishing industry” was interviewed for the article:

When Trottier started at Raincoast, she was one of only a handful of people in publishing who worked online.

“Even at that stage, it was clear that the hierarchy of conversation about books was collapsing,” Trottier told the Straight at a Kitsilano coffee shop.

Publishers—and only publishers—used to engage with media and booksellers, and then media and booksellers would communicate with retail buyers and the public. “The web has really collapsed that,” Trottier said. “The conversation happens between readers and between writers, and then directly between readers and writers and publishers.”

While social media allow publishers to listen more closely to their markets, Trottier acknowledges that they’re not the silver bullet that will save the industry. “Publishers are going to save themselves when they figure out what their new business model is,” she said.

Read the full article.