Publishing Organizations: Operating Program – Canada

Deadline: 9-Feb-23

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has launched the Operating Program for Publishing Organizations to support Ontario-based, Canadian-owned book and magazine publishers that publish works of literary, artistic or cultural importance for the general public.

Categories

There are two categories:

• Book publishers: Organizations that publish books in print or digital format as their primary activity. Some publishers may publish magazines or journals as a secondary activity.
• Magazine publishers: Organizations that publish magazines in print or digital format as their primary activity. Some publishers may publish books as a secondary activity.

Subject Areas

• Eligible books are works of literary, artistic, or cultural importance in the genres of fiction; poetry; drama; literary and arts criticism; autobiography, biography, memoir and essays; comics and graphic novels; works for children and young adults; and creative and literary works of history, politics, social issues, science, travel, etc.

Funding Information

The type of financial statement required depends on the amount of your grant request and the size of the organization’s annual budget, as follows:

• requests over $50,000 from not-for-profit organizations: audited financial statements
• requests over $25,000: review engagement (or, if available, audited financial statements)
• requests $25,000 and under, unaudited financial statement (or, if available, review engagement or audited financial statement)

Ineligible Books

An ineligible book is any book that does not meet the criteria stated above. Additionally, books in the following categories are not considered eligible:

• abridgments or translations of non-Canadian-authored works
• saddle-stitched books, except illustrated books for children or poetry books where no more than 50 per cent of the poetry books from the company are saddle-stitched
• reprints of books that have been previously published for the Canadian market
• books for which 50 per cent or more of the print run is pre-sold outside normal trade bookselling channels and book clubs
• books commissioned or paid for by an individual, group, political party or company where the publisher does not have complete and independent editorial control; if the copyright for an eligible title is held by an organization, a government department or the Crown, the publisher must include contract details
• co-publications with governments or government departments or agencies, except books that are co-published with museums or art galleries and that make a significant contribution to the arts
• books for which the author receives no royalties or the author has contributed financially towards the publication costs
• mass-market paperbacks distributed through mass-market channels, with print runs of 8,000 copies or more
• curriculum materials
• instructional, personal-growth or self-help books and manuals, including those of a devotional nature
• books that describe how-to techniques, skills or games
• colouring, activity, trivia and quiz books
• travel guide/picture books, nature guide/picture books and tourist-market picture books
• reference books, unless they are about the arts
• books published primarily to exploit public interest in an event or personality
• sports books, except for literary books and works written for children
• cookbooks
• catalogues of exhibitions
• commissioned business, industrial or political books/histories
• books that are collections of specialized scholarly or conference papers, unless they are destined for a general audience
• testimonials, including those of a devotional nature, unless they make a significant artistic contribution

Ineligible Magazines

This program will not fund:

• lifestyle magazines: unless they are also significantly devoted to the publication of original fiction and poetry and/or critical commentary on the arts, culture and society
• magazines devoted primarily to reportage, political advocacy, the promotion of commercial enterprises, religion or spirituality
• business and trade magazines (except in the field of Canadian arts and literature)
• scholarly magazines and journals
• alternative weeklies/monthlies (normally in a tabloid or online format)
• self-help magazines
• newsletters, bulletins or house organs that publish material directed primarily to their membership or are not financially or editorially independent

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations must:
  • be Canadian-owned and —controlled with its head office (at least 50 per cent of employees and editorial, management and financial control) in Ontario
  • have been operating as an Ontario-based publisher for at least two years
  • have at least $75,000 in total revenues for the last fiscal year, and in projected revenues for the current and requested years (for applicants not currently receiving funding from this program)
  • have completed at least two years of sustained, regular, ongoing programming in its community as of the application date (for publishers, publication is considered programming)
  • have book and/or magazine publishing as their primary activity
  • be free to make their own editorial decisions and sign contracts in their own name
  • conduct the majority of their publishing activity in English.
  • be governed by a board of directors or an advisory body solely responsible for the publisher (exception: sole proprietorships and private companies)
  • have a range of revenue sources such as private and government
  • have proof of sound financial management
  • submit verification of financial results of the last completed fiscal year with their application.
• All financial statements must be verified or prepared by an independent auditor or chartered or certified accountant.
• They will reduce your grant request to an eligible level if you do not provide the type of financial statement required.
• Organizations that publish both books and magazines apply in the category responsible for the largest share of revenue related to eligible publishing activity. The distinct eligibility criteria for book and magazine publishers will be applied on that basis.
• Book publishers must:
  • demonstrate a significant and ongoing trade book publishing program. New applicants must have at least six eligible trade books
  • have published at least three eligible trade books in the previous calendar year
  • have published at least 10 eligible books in the previous calendar year if the books make up less than 25 per cent the total annual book publishing program
  • have established a marketplace presence through bookstore distribution and marketing
  • have devoted less than 25 per cent of its previous year’s publishing to books authored by its owners, staff, editors or their families
  • provide authors with a signed contract before announcing books, regularly issue clear royalty statements and fully meet all royalty and contractual commitments, as defined in its contracts with authors, illustrators and translators
• Magazine publishers must:
  • publish (print or online) at least two issues a year, or post original online content at least 40 times a year
  • have an identified readership and an appropriate distribution method to reach it
  • pay writers and artists established fees, issue contributor contracts prior to publication, and have fully met your contractual commitments to your contributors
  • be dedicated to the publication of original fiction and poetry and/or critical commentary on the arts, culture and society
  • have and follow a clear policy with respect to the use of contributors’ writing and intellectual property

Ineligible

• municipalities, colleges and/or universities
• publishers that do not pay their authors/contributors, or that require authors or contributors to contribute to publication costs
• imprints or divisions of companies that apply to this program or Publishing Organizations Projects. Publishers may have a parent company, but must demonstrate
• magazines written or run by students, or publishers whose publications are primarily prepared by students within the context of academic courses or training sessions
• any magazine in an ineligible class

Deadlines

• February 9, 2023 (Book publishers)
• June 15, 2023 (Magazine publishers)

For more information, visit OAC.