So…you’re a numbers wonk.
It just so happens we have some numbers for you!
As of 2019:
- Number of book publishers in Saskatchewan:
47 (including self-publishers, literary presses, university presses, non-traditional publishers) - Number of books produced in Saskatchewan each year:
~100 - Number of people working in the book publishing industry:
~600 (This includes volunteers and/or unpaid labour) - All publishers in Saskatchewan produce print books; about half also produce eBooks, and roughly 16% of the province’s publishers produce audiobooks
- 1/5 of the publishers in Saskatchewan actively market more than 10 individual titles a year
- Most (over 40%) Saskatchewan publishers take advantage of export markets
- Number of people working as “Full-Time Equivalents” in the Saskatchewan book publishing industry:
~179 (this doesn’t include writers, but does include manuscript editors, copy editors, proofreaders, indexers, designers, marketers, publicists, translators, and administrative staff. It includes in-house staff as well as freelance or contract employees.)
- The book publishing industry generates up to $8 million in gross revenues (Distribution Feasibility Study, 2008);
- Saskatchewan Publishers paid $3.7 million in non-wage expenses in 2015
- Publishing activity produced a $6.9 million labour income effect
- Publishing activity produced a combined fiscal effect of $1.46 million provincially in 2015;
- Publishing contributes $8-10 million to the Saskatchewan GDP;
- 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):
- $7.2 billion in British Columbia (2.9% of provincial GDP)
- $5.3 billion in Alberta (1.7% of provincial GDP)
- $915 million in Saskatchewan (1.3% of provincial GDP)*
- $1.6 billion in Manitoba (2.5% of provincial GDP)
*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 provincial GDP. 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 GDP 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 provincial GDP. 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 GDP 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 province’s GDP). 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.
