Canada Book Fund Publishing Support
Last Update: July 22, 2025
Gatineau, QC
Financial support for publishing and sales of books
Canada Book Fund Publishing Support at a glance
Eligible Funding
- Max. $850,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
Timeline
- Open Date : November 1, 2023
- Closing date : April 3, 2024
Financing Type
Grant and Funding
Eligible Industries
- Information and cultural industries
Grant Providers
- Canadian Heritage
- Government of Canada
Program status
Closed
Overview of the Canada Book Fund Publishing Support program
The Canada Book Fund's Publishing Support sub-component provides funding to foster the production, marketing, and distribution of Canadian-authored books, with supplementary support based on export sales. The maximum base funding amount available is $850,000, and eligible activities include editorial, design, and promotional efforts.
Financing terms and conditions
- A grant or contribution will be determined for funding disbursement, with terms specified in a funding agreement.
- Funding agreements may require interim reports during project execution.
- Recipients with funding of $100,000 or more must repay the contribution if the profit margin (excluding CBF funding) reaches or exceeds 15% during the financial year in which the agreement was signed, and the two previous financial years.
- Total financial assistance cannot exceed 75% of book publishing expenses or 90% for specific groups such as official-language minority, Indigenous, or Racialized community publishers.
- Recipients must adhere to legal deposit obligations as per Library and Archives Canada regulations.
- Acknowledgement of government financial support is required in all communications and promotional materials.
- If any ownership changes occur, the Canada Book Fund must be informed immediately.
- Funding utilization for dividends, bonuses, or extraordinary shareholder compensation is prohibited.
- Compliance with public health guidelines and anti-racism values is mandatory for funded organizations.
- Recipients are subject to audits and must maintain relevant records for five years.
Eligible projects & activities
- Production of Canadian-authored books in print or digital formats.
- Marketing initiatives to increase the reach of Canadian-authored books.
- Distribution of Canadian-authored books nationally and internationally.
- Activities related to export sales of Canadian-authored books.
Examples of admissible projects:
$ 7,000
Digital marketing for an anthology of indigenous Canadian short stories
$ 12,000
Promotion of Canadian-authored academic books in international markets
$ 20,000
Export and marketing of a Canadian science fiction series in European markets
$ 8,000
Marketing campaign for a collection of Canadian poetry
$ 15,000
Distribution of a Canadian-authored historical fiction across independent bookstores
Eligibility criteria of the Canada Book Fund Publishing Support program
- The applicant must be a book publishing firm.
- The applicant must have completed at least 12 months of operation as a book publisher.
- The firm must be at least 75% owned and controlled by Canadians.
- The headquarters of the publishing firm and at least 75% of its employees must be based in Canada.
- The applicant must be a private-sector firm or a university press.
- The firm must be financially viable.
- The applicant must have fulfilled all contractual obligations with respect to author royalty payments or other methods of payment to authors from the beginning of the reference year through to the end of any funding agreement.
- The publisher must have an active and ongoing publishing program.
- Publishers with net sales of their own titles of $50 million or greater in the reference year are not eligible.
- Unincorporated divisions of larger organizations are not eligible, with the exception of university presses.
- Each individual applicant within an affiliated group must independently meet all eligibility criteria.
- In the reference year, eligible net sales of own titles must be at least $50,000, or $30,000 for official-language minority, Indigenous publishers and publishing companies owned and controlled by members of a Racialized Community.
- At least 65% of net revenue, including grants and contributions, must be related to the publication and sale of books (excluding author-subsidized titles).
- Revenue from the sale of author-subsidized titles must not exceed 25% of net revenue.
- The number of self-published titles must not exceed 50% of the total number of new titles.
Who is eligible?
- Book publishing firms that have completed at least 12 months of operation as a book publisher.
- Firms that are at least 75% owned and controlled by Canadians.
- Firms with headquarters and at least 75% of their employees based in Canada.
- Private-sector firms or university presses.
- Firms that are financially viable.
- Firms that have fulfilled all contractual obligations regarding author royalty payments or other payment methods to authors.
Who is not eligible
- Publishers with net sales of own titles that were $50 million or greater in the reference year.
- Unincorporated divisions of larger organizations, with the exception of university presses.
Eligible expenses
- Editorial expenses.
- Design and printing costs.
- Author development expenses.
- Author royalty and salary expenses.
- Overhead costs.
- Managing bibliographical data.
- Promotion and advertising expenses.
- Packaging and shipping costs.
- Capital expenses.
- Travel directly related to business activities (must not exceed government permitted rates).
Eligibility criteria of the Canada Book Fund Publishing Support program
- Calculation of "factored sales" by multiplying domestic and export sales of eligible books in the reference year using appropriate sales coefficients.
- Allocation of budget for base amounts proportionally among all recipients based on their factored sales.
- Eligibility for a supplementary amount based on achieving eligible export sales of at least $5,000 in the reference year.
- Provision of all required documentation for supplementary support based on export sales.
How to apply to the Canada Book Fund Publishing Support program
1
Reading the guidelines
Read the full guidelines on application submission to understand the criteria and requirements.
2
Obtain the application kit
Contact the Canada Book Fund to obtain a complete application package.
3
Preparation of the documentation
- Prepare the completed application form.
- Include the required supporting documents such as financial statements, production report, and business plan.
- Prepare other necessary documents such as the catalog, distribution contracts, and proof of export sales.
4
Submission of the request
Submit the application online through the Canadian Heritage funding portal.
5
Acknowledgment of receipt
Receive an acknowledgment email of your request within two weeks of submission.
Additional information
- Applications are accepted electronically through the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal, enhancing ease of submissions.
- There may be additional conditions in the funding agreement, including interim report submission obligations.
- The funding disbursement may be in the form of a grant or a contribution, based on the assessment of the application.
- Recipients of funding are required to meet legal deposit obligations with Library and Archives Canada.
- All recipients must publicly acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada in both official languages on all related materials.
- Recipients must comply with public health guidance during their project activities, reflecting current standards due to situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Applicants must adhere to anti-racism and anti-hate strategies, creating environments of respect, diversity, and empowerment.
- The grant is purposefully designed to reinforce official languages in Canada, supporting the creation and publication of works in both English and French.
- Regular audits and evaluations ensure compliance and effectiveness of the funding, requiring recipients to maintain relevant documentation for five years.
Contact Canadian Heritage
flc-sae-cbf-sfp@pch.gc.ca
819-997-0055
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