Noah Genner, president and CEO emeritus of BookNet Canada, died on August 27. He was 52.

Genner got his start in the book business as a bookseller at BookShelf Cafe in Guelph, Ontario, where he led the supply chain side of the store’s web presence for what became Canada's first online bookstore. Following several roles outside the book business, he joined the then newly founded BookNet Canada in 2004, and was appointed its president and CEO in 2009.

At BookNet, Genner led the launches of nearly all of the nonprofit's major projects, including BiblioShare, CataList, and SalesData; "his personal love of fantasy baseball inspired the launch of PubFight, an annual fantasy publishing game that tested participants' ability to manage stock against real-world book sales," the organization added in a tribute post. In 2016, he was awarded the Most Valuable Volunteer award by the Book Industry Study Group, and in 2020, he cofounded the Green Book Alliance with BISG and the U.K.’s Book Industry Communication.

"Noah’s leadership at BookNet was characterized by instincts to collaborate, empower, and better the company’s people, products, and services," BookNet said in its tribute. "He was transparent, approachable, and, more than anything, deeply kind. He inspired greatness among our colleagues and his friendship and mentorship over many years will offer comforting memories and inspiration as we continue to serve. Noah cared for the industry and the people in it; indeed it was his life’s work."

Fellow Canadian book business organizations offered their own condolences. Jack Illingworth, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers, called it “impossible to imagine Canadian publishing functioning without Noah Genner’s contributions,” noting that, “without his work, and that of his talented team at BookNet Canada, we would be unable to reach our readers as efficiently and effectively as we do.”

ACP president Alana Wilcox said, "Canadian publishing works infinitely better because of the work Noah and the BookNet team have done. But beyond that, Noah was a wise, generous person with an infectious love of data and profound enthusiasm for what we do. He will be deeply missed."

“LPG publishers continue to rely on the tools that Noah Genner shepherded into being,” stated the Literary Press Group of Canada. “His contributions to this industry cannot be overstated. We will miss his regular presentations and his friendly and collaborative presence in our community.”

Genner is survived by his life partner, Annette Synowiec; his brothers, Ari and Devin, and sisters-in-law, Rhonda and Alyssa; his stepfather, Peter, and his wife, Nancy; and several nieces and nephews.

More on the life of Noah Genner can be found here. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to Toronto Mount Sinai Hospital and/or the Canadian Cancer Society. A celebration of life will be held at the University of Guelph Arboretum on October 27; companies and individuals are encouraged to RSVP to rsvp@booknetcanada.ca to aid the family in planning. More information can be found here.

This story has been updated with further information.