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Contact Information Book Publishers Association of Alberta 10523 – 100 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5J 0A8 780-424-5060 Fax: 780-424-7943 E-mail: info@bookpublishers.ab.ca Website: www.bookpublishers.ab.ca |
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The Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) is a provincial association of book publishing companies and is one of the strongest communities of regional publishers in North America. The BPAA was founded in 1975 to support the development of strong publishing houses, away from Canada’s traditional centres of publishing. Today the BPAA has more than 30 members, all of which are owned and operated in the province of Alberta.
The BPAA responds to all questions from its members, the public, media and industry, on matters to do with publishing.
Major Programs
Alberta Book Publishing Awards
Each spring, the book publishing community in Alberta comes together to honour excellence in Alberta-published books. Our hope is that this recognition will make readers more aware of the high quality and range of book publishing in the province, and that this awareness will be a source of shared pride. The gala is held in May annually, alternating between Calgary and Edmonton.
Awards are presented in twelve categories: Book of the Year (Children’s, Educational, Scholarly, Trade Fiction, Trade Non-Fiction); Book Design (Book Cover, Book Illustration, Book Design); Publisher of the Year, Emerging Publisher of the Year, Lois Hole Award for Editorial Excellence, and the Alberta Book Publishing Achievement Award.
Professional Development
The BPAA is committed to providing up-to-date professional development opportunities to members and non-members alike. The highlight of the BPAA’s Professional Development program is a two-day session held in Banff each fall in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting. Also featured are the One-Hour Lunches, which provide members an opportunity to discuss a particular topic, accompanied by a brief presentation, over lunch; and periodic sessions when the opportunity arises.
Best of the West
Best of the West is an annual guide to Prairie books released each fall. It provides Canadian publishers an effective and inexpensive vehicle to advertise books Prairie books to a targeted audience of dedicated book buyers. We distribute 200,000 copies through bookstores and libraries across Canada, as an insert in five different publications, at trade shows and displays, and as an electronic publication through the BPAA website.