SK Publishing Statistics

So…you’re a numbers wonk.

It just so happens we have some numbers for you!

As of 2021:

• • Number of book publishers in Saskatchewan:
    45 (including self-publishers, literary presses, university presses, non-traditional publishers)
  • Total revenue generated by the publishing sector: $2.1 million
  • Estimated labour income from publishing in Saskatchewan: $1.8 million
  • All publishers in Saskatchewan produce print books; about half also produce eBooks, and roughly 16% of the province’s publishers produce audiobooks

• • Up to $6 in sales is produced for every $1 invested in Saskatchewan publishing.

Historical stats:

• 6 publishers founded SaskBooks (as the Saskatchewan Publishers Group) in 1989
• Membership grew to 21 publishers by 2001
• All-time high for SaskBooks’ publisher members: 75 in 2008

Economic Impact of the Creative Industries/Cultural Products in 2016 (Statistics Canada, via Hill Strategies Research):

• • $915 million in Saskatchewan (1.3% of GPP)*

*Based on Statistics Canada’s product perspective, the direct economic impact of culture products was estimated at $915 million in Saskatchewan in 2016, or 1.3% of GPP. The culture employment estimate was 12,900 in 2016, or 2.2% of all jobs in the province. The value added of culture products in Saskatchewan is below the national average (1.3% in SK vs. 2.8% nationally), and the employment impact is also lower in Saskatchewan (2.2%) than nationally (3.5%).

Between 2010 and 2016, the GPP of culture products grew by 17% in Saskatchewan. Similar growth in the overall provincial economy resulted in no change in culture’s share of the provincial economy (1.3% in both 2010 and 2016).

The direct contribution of culture industries to GDP was $1.1 billion in Saskatchewan in 2016, or 1.5% of GPP. In 2016, there were 13,800 jobs directly related to culture industries in Saskatchewan, or 2.3% of the province’s jobs.

In Saskatchewan, the GPP of culture industries ($1.1 billion) is similar to the impact of accommodation and food services ($1.3 billion). However, the value added of culture is less than that of utilities ($1.8 billion), educational services ($3.6 billion), transportation and warehousing ($3.8 billion), construction ($5.6 billion), and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting ($5.8 billion).

The PTCI also provides an estimate of the GDP of sports industries in 2016 ($265 million, or 0.3% of the GPP). The value added of culture ($1.1 billion) is four times larger than the sports estimate.

Using the product perspective, Statistics Canada estimates that the direct economic impact of culture products was $53.8 billion in Canada in 2016, or 2.8% of overall GDP. The employment estimate was 652,400 in 2016, or 3.5% of the 18.5 million jobs in the country.

Some key contributors to the GDP of culture products include:

• Audio-visual and interactive media: $19.4 billion.
• Visual and applied arts: $10.1 billion.
• Written and published works: $8.2 billion.
• Live performance: $2.7 billion.
• Heritage and libraries: $0.7 billion.
• Sound recording: $0.6 billion.