Recent government budget cuts in Nova Scotia have eliminated the Publishers Assistance Program which provided $700,000 in annual funding to independent book publishers in the province to help cover costs such as printing and design, author royalties, and marketing. The move will significantly reduce the number of titles published. The recently tabled $1.2-billion deficit budget cuts about $130 million combined from over 280 government grants, reducing or eliminating funding for scholarship programs, arts funding, and Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian programs. 

 This year’s finalists for a 2025 National Newspaper Award (NNA) represent 27 publications across Canada, including journalists in digital-only and print media that publish journalism in English, French, Inuktitut and Chinese. A total of 99 journalists and seven team submissions are finalists this year. More than half are first-time finalists for Canada’s most prestigious journalism award. Winners, including the 2025 Journalist of the Year, will be announced at a gala in Toronto April 24, 2026. The complete list of finalists can be found here.

 

La Pastèque (The Watermelon), a Quebec leader in publishing comics and children’s literature for almost 30 years, has been purchased by Bayard Canada. La Pastèque was founded by Martin Brault and Frederic Gauthier in July of 1998. Headquartered in Montreal with a team in Toronto, publishing and media company Bayard was founded over 30 years ago. The partnership will increase distribution of La Pastèque books in Canada and abroad, and includes plans to expand in France, where it generates almost 40% of its sales. 

 Germany’s newspaper industry may offer guidance for Canadian publishers in their digital transition. Sourced from a recent Twipe Insights article, new research out of Germany highlights the importance of ePapers. Twipe offers solutions for digital edition publishing and analytics across Europe. According to the 2026 BDZV/Highberg Trends Survey of 94 German publishing executives, nearly 60% believe printed newspapers could disappear within the next 15 years!

 

Canadian investor Stephen J.R. Smith will acquire a 26.9% stake of The Economist magazine from the Rothschild family after reaching an agreement with Lynn Forester de Rothschild to buy her family’s shares in the time-honoured publication. Terms were not disclosed. The Smith family’s holding company, Smith Financial, has interests in various businesses, while The Economist Group has offices in 14 countries worldwide. Born and raised in Ottawa, Smith co-founded First National Financial Corporation in 1988 with Moray Tawse, a manager at Guaranty Trust.

 

According to Booknet Canada books by Canadians made up 14% of print book sales in Canada in 2025 — up from 12% in 2024. Canadian-owned publishers made up 6.2% of the total market share of books sold in Canada in 2025, up from 5.6% in 2024. For the eighth year running, two out of every five print books sold in 2025 in both the English- and French-language markets in Canada were categorized as either Juvenile or Young Adult.Combined, the sales of Juvenile and Young Adult subjects accounted for the majority of the market share at 39%. In second place, Non-Fiction made up 30%, and Fiction occupied the third place at 29%.

 Postmedia Network has acquired accelerate360 Canada, a wholesale distribution and merchandising provider serving customers across Canada. With almost 250 years of experience delivering the news, and five years in parcel delivery, this adds a key Canadian supply-chain partner providing wholesale distribution and merchandising for book and magazine publishers, as well as household brands. Postmedia Network, a Canadian news media company representing over 110 brands,