New Tariffs Could Effect Books, Authors, Publishers

The world is in a tailspin and not even books are safe.

Part of the new retaliatory tariffs coming in April is a proposed 25% tariff on books being imported into Canada from the USA. Since most books are published through US publishers (almost all of my published works are through US publishers), this means multiple things, none of them good:

Higher prices for books to start. Bookstores will most likely have to raise prices, which means less people buying books, shops buying less titles, and authors finding it harder to get their books into shops, not to mention getting their books published at all.

Bookstores absorbing those costs and the potential of fewer shoppers means indie bookstores can’t compete in an already impossible market against larger retailers

Not to mention authors. How many indie authors will continue writing if their books don’t sell? The cost of living is already a struggle. With little/less/no income, the number of those pursuing their art continues to shrink.

Those that self-publish are also being hit with the general 25% tariff. Profits from self-publishing are already razor-thin. Imagine pouring your heart into a book, sometimes for years, only to make pennies for all that time and emotional effort.

I found out first-hand that local indie shops often don’t even consider carrying books in-store that are printed in the US unless they are bigger names. Why? The cost of shipping from the US to Canada. With these new potential tariffs, it will only get worse.

What Can We Do?

Molly Rookwood has shared some important info on how fellow Canadians can voice your opinion.

Fill out the form here:
https://forms-formulaires.alpha.canada.ca/en/id/cm7upmkx9008rx268zhy9l6pj

And cite the following tariff codes you are against:
4901.10.00
4901.91.00
4901.99.00
4903.00.00

Make Your Voice Heard

We can’t just sit by and let a few dictatorial people change the entire world for the worse. I know books might be on the low list of priorities when the health and safety are also on the line. But arts, and the artists/authors/creators who pursue their dreams offer hope. And what we need now more than ever is to preserve that sense of hope.