CANADIAN BOOK FAIR UNDER THREAT

More publishers sitting out BookExpo
January 20, 2009 By Scott MacDonald Writing in Quill & Quire

Reed Exhibitions hasn’t called the whole show off yet, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that BookExpo Canada will be happening this year.

Last Friday, The Globe and Mail reported that Penguin Canada and HarperCollins Canada have joined Random House of Canada in deciding not to attend a 2009 show, and now other publishers are coming forward to say the same thing.

Yesterday, in conversations with Q&Q Omni, representatives from Scholastic Canada, H.B. Fenn and Company, and DK/Tourmaline said that they, too, will be sitting out the show. According to H.B. Fenn vice-president of marketing Tom Best, the decision was made based on a number of factors, but it mostly came down to wanting a better return on investment than they were getting. “I think we’re likely seeing the end of the show,” Best added.

Read the full piece at Quill & Quire online.