Quebec Proposes 10% Discount Limit on New Books

Shelf Awareness

In an effort to protect independent bookstores and libraries and "the identity and culture of Quebec," the provincial government has introduced legislation to limit discounts on new books and e-books to 10%, globalnews.com reported. Under the bill, the discount limitation will be lifted nine months after publication and the law will be reassessed after three years.

The Quebec Writers Federation has backed the proposal. However, Blaise Renaud, president of Renaud-Bray, the largest chain of French-language bookstores in Canada, has indicated that he opposes the legislation, saying, "The measure won't save independent bookstores, it will just make the distributors even more money."

And yesterday, after the Quebec government announced the legislation, Renaud said to the Canadian Press: "How will the provincial government stop booksellers in English Canada, the United States or elsewhere from practising their discount policy on books sold to Quebec homes? There was no answer to this question at today's news conference."

The proposed approach is similar to that of France, which limits discounts on new books to 5%.