About Us

The Ontario Book Publishers Organization (OBPO) is a trade association of 48 Ontario-based Canadian-owned book publishers.

Holly Kent serves as Executive Director.

The OBPO's main activities are:

  • representing the needs, interests, concerns and issues of Ontario book publishers to government and arts organizations;

  • facilitating information sharing and educational opportunities to our membership about the provincial, national and international book publishing industries;

  • facilitating group marketing projects (both domestic and international) at a reduced cost to our members.

Through these activities, the OBPO fulfills its objectives of:

  • encouraging in particular the writing, publishing, distribution and promotion of books written by Canadian authors;

  • co-operating with other associations and organizations to further the reading and study of all books;

  • working for the development and maintenance of strong and competitive publishing houses owned and controlled both in Ontario and in the rest of Canada;

  • representing the interests of Ontario-based publishers in relations with public and private institutions in Canada and abroad;

  • facilitating the exchange of information amongst its members;

  • furthering professional training for individuals engaged in all aspects of publishing activity;

  • promoting the highest standards of professional conduct in the book publishing industry;

  • co-operating with individuals, organizations and governments in pursuit of the objectives of the organization

     

The OBPO Executive for 2022-23 is:

President: Lisa Quinn, Wilfrid Laurier University Press

Past-President: Karen Brochu, House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books

Vice-President: Alayna Munce, Brick Books

Treasurer: Jay Millar, Book*hug Press

Member at large: Heather Campbell, Latitude 46 Publishing

Member at large: Laura Boyle, Dundurn Press

Member at large: James Saunders, Saunders Book Company/Beech Street Books

Member at large: Ashley Hisson, Wolsak & Wynn

The OBPO administers the Janice E. Handford Award, given each year in recognition of an individual who has advanced the cause of small and literary Canadian publishing. Established in 1997, past winners include Hamish Cameron, Kristine Murphy, Alana Wilcox, Krystyna Ross, Carolyn Wood, Kirk Howard, Janet Hawkins, Jim Polk, Sheila Koffman, Jack David, Roy Macskimming, Angela Rebeiro, Judy Mappin, Simon Dardick, Tim Inkster, David Caron, Karl Siegler, and Stan Bevington.