B.C. book publishers create online tool for finding local authors

Finding the perfect book written by a B.C. author is just a click away, thanks to a new website.

The Association of Book Publishers of B.C. has created B.C. Books Online, a website where users can find detailed information on about 8,500 titles from writers in this province.

"In many, many communities, including Vancouver, there aren't as many independent booksellers, so it's difficult for the public to find books by browsing in a bookstore," said Margaret Reynolds, the association's executive director.

"Here it's all books about British Columbia, it's very easy to navigate, and you can get all the information on the book that you want."

Reynolds said that, with help from librarians, they arranged the books into about 30 different categories —  from antiques and collectibles to true crime — and also created a list for the books that don't fit into any standard category, but highlight different parts of the province.

B.C. publishers are surviving

Reynolds said that, despite the difficulty B.C. book publishers sometimes have in promoting their titles, they are still able to produce about a thousand new books each year, and reach a wide audience.

"Our books have been sold in 91 countries around the world. It's not an easy business, but they are surviving … they're keeping up in ways that many publishers in other countries admire," she said.

"We hope initiatives like B.C. Books Online will help us to grow domestically, maybe even internationally."

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled: B.C. book publishers launch online tool for people to find titles by local authors.