The Chapters effect on British Columbia-based literary publishers

The restructuring of the Canadian bookselling industry-the effect on that industry of the creation of superstore bookstore chains Chapters and Indigo, their subsequent merger, and the parallel decline of the independent bookstores-is an area of heightened importance to the publishing industry in British Columbia (B.C.). This enquiry begins with the merging of three bookstore chains (Coles, SmithBooks, and The Book Company) to form the Chapters phenomenon in 1995. The period of enquiry ends with the newly merged Chapters/Indigo superstore mega-chain in 2001. The aim of this project is to document the events from 1995 to 2001 as they related to B.C.-based publishers; specifically, how Talonbooks, a Vancouver-based independent literary press founded in 1963, weathered the radical and sudden changes in the Canadian book marketplace.