Independent booksellers in Canada will be able to expand their online book sales thanks to federal funding.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced on Wednesday that the Support for Booksellers component of the federal Canada Book Fund will be providing $12 million to 180 booksellers.
One of the retailers is the Bookshelf in downtown Guelph.
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield was at the store on Quebec Street Wednesday to announce that the federal government is providing the Bookshelf with $23,024 in funding.
He also announced that $156,575 is going to the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association to increase its ability to sell books online across Canada over the next two years.
Bookshelf president Ben Minett in a statement said this grant is going to help give a distinctly Canadian flavour to the books it offers and improve communications between Canadian authors and the Canadian public.
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Longfield said local booksellers like the Bookshelf went above and beyond in supporting Canadian authors throughout the pandemic.
In a news release, funding amounts were based on past sales of Canadian-authored books.
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