Livres Canada Books, the Ottawa-based organization that supports Canadian book exports, is maintaining a measured approach to the potential tariffs threatened by the Trump administration while affirming its commitment to the U.S. market. The nonprofit, which helps Canadian-owned publishers with international exports through financial support, promotional activities, and collective stands at major book fairs, told PW that it is closely monitoring developments while continuing to engage with its largest trading partner.

"We're not stopping to promote the U.S. as a good market," Gabrielle Etcheverry, deputy executive director of Livres Canada Books, said. "We're just keeping our ear to the ground."

Lisa Quinn, executive director of McGill-Queen's University Press and a board member of Livres Canada Books, emphasized that the relationship with the U.S. remains crucial despite current uncertainties. "At the moment, there is both an element of wait and see, and the need to continue pushing forward with engaging with the U.S.,” Quinn said. "The fact is that the U.S. is the largest English-language market in the world.”

The threat of tariffs has raised concerns throughout the Canadian industry and drawn a variety of reactions from publishers, booksellers and advocacy organizations alike. Some are calling for Canadian publishers and authors to cancel events in the U.S.—as bestseller Louise Penny recently did—and to boycott American books in favor of a “buy Canadian” mindset, while others are more measured.

"We're seeing a lot of nuance, a lot of different approaches, depending on the type of publisher, the size of publisher, and the type of audiences and communities that they engage with in the United States," Etcheverry explained.

Quinn was more direct. "Our strong preference would be that the current status quo be maintained," she said. "There's a very good argument, both culturally and economically, that books remain tariff-free."

Knock-on effects

While the direct impact on finished books remains unclear, tariffs are likely to affect the broader supply chain. “Where tariffs may fall on paper, on materials, on other points in the chain, we're expecting there will be an increase in cost,” Quinn said.

Among those voicing strong opposition to potential retaliatory tariffs is Mark Champagne, president and CEO of Login Canada, who sent an open letter to the Canadian government yesterday warning that imposing a 25% tariff on textbooks and educational materials would severely impact student affordability, adding CDN $125-250 to annual educational costs that already range from CDN $500-1,000 per student. The company argues that such tariffs would primarily harm Canadian students rather than effectively targeting the U.S. government.

He emphasized there is no domestic textbook publishing industry large enough to replace U.S. imports, making the tariffs "purely punitive to Canadian students and institutions." He also suggested publishers might accelerate their shift to digital materials to avoid tariffs, "further entrenching U.S. private equity control of educational content," while post-secondary institutions facing budget constraints would be forced to either reduce resources or increase costs for students.

Market diversification

In response to these developments, Livres Canada Books is working to provide support where it can and where it feels it can be most impactful. "We're having conversations [not only] with publishers, but other granting organizations and government organizations, to see what kind of flexibility we can offer," Etcheverry said. "How we can pivot quickly to update our programs if they can be more supportive of new initiatives or new conditions on the ground."

The organization is simultaneously pursuing a strategy of market diversification that predates the current tensions. This includes increasing outreach to European markets and exploring opportunities in Latin America.

"We're seeing a lot more interest in English-language books in Latin America," Etcheverry, who is originally from Chile, said, noting particular interest in Indigenous-themed works and other areas where there are cultural commonalities.

Quinn emphasized that diversification efforts complement rather than replace U.S. engagement. "That can be in combination with increased support for diversification of markets internationally," she said. "These should be complementary activities."

For the Canadian publishing industry, avoiding a binary "us vs. them" posture and maintaining a strong national identity while engaging internationally is the key to resolving this conflict, Quinn said: "We can engage with the U.S. market and be proud Canadians at the same time."