SUDBURY – The Book fair of Grand Sudbury is back this Thursday and until Sunday for its first edition for an odd year. This 12e Salon will be more modest with activities outside the Place des Arts.
“The formula is a little smaller and more intimate this year because we want to ensure the budget over the next two years,” explains Geneviève Leblanc, general and artistic director of the show.
This unavoidable literary meeting of Sudbury has previously occurred every two years, but has become annual after the development of the 2024-2028 strategic planning.
“In this planning, we have prioritized the presentation of an annual book fair to compensate for the closure of the Hearst Book Fair since 2019, then, this is a first try,” she adds about this edition which occurs during an odd year for the first time since its inception in 2004.
And to specify: “The first book fair was in 2004, but it was volunteers then the book fair incorporated in 2005. So we are 20 years old this year. »»
Programming out of the walls
Another novelty this year is this “programming outside the walls” with, in particular, shows and other activities in the city center, near the Place des Arts (PDA) where the show takes place.
Among these activities outside the walls, we count the Cabaret Accent Queer at the Little Montreal bar Thursday evening featuring, among others, the local pride Alex Tétrault, a literary vigil at the Yes Theater Refettorio on Friday evening with, in particular, the writer Gabriel Osson and the poet Chloé Laduchess.
In addition, there will be a literary interactive walk in the city on Saturday morning and a 5 to 7 in the evening at Wander Food & Wine with authors like Vincent Francoeur and Julie Huard.
Fred Pellerin double dose
This year, there will be fewer shows, but that compensates, according to Ms. Leblanc, by the arrival of a star very appreciated by the public.
“We have some less activities and shows this year, for example, we don’t have a show as such on Saturday evening because we have two performances of the Fred Pellerin show on Sunday,” said Ms. Leblanc.
This songwriter and Quebec storyteller’s show is also organized as part of the 60e Birthday of the Slague of the Francophone Carrefour, in collaboration with the Franco-Ontarian Center of Folklore (CFOF).
Franco-Canadian chats
Forty Franco-Canadian authors are expected this year, a slight reduction compared to the latest editions (fifty), but the number of exhibitors and workshops for school groups is similar to those of previous years.
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Several Franco-Ontarian authors and teachers will be present this year such as Michel Bock, Serge Dupuis, Antoine Côté Legault, Marine Sibileau or Sarah Migneron.
Also note, the launch of the Sudbury Moulin-à-Fleur book: workers’ district, Canadian-French territory with the authors Serge Dupuis and Normand Carrey. For lovers of history, there will also be talks around several strong elements of the Canadian Francophonie like that of Acadia or even the Montfort moment.
Some activities are chargeable and packages are available. Complete programming is available on the Salon website.
Decrease in attendance
If it is impossible to anticipate frequentation figures for this 12e Edition, it is likely that the downward trend in recent years has continued. Last year, global participation amounted to 6,736 visitors, compared to 7,387 in 2022.
If school participation has always soared, that of the general public has been down slightly since the pandemic, according to the one at the bar of the book fair since 2017.
“It is largely due to the closure of French -speaking programs from Laurentian University, it had a big impact on us as well as the population which is aging in Sudbury. »»
Still according to Ms. Leblanc, several other elements would explain this decrease in crowds such as the fact that there are a certain number of activities surrounding the fair as the emerging night which takes place the following week.
The challenge of the sale
Another difficulty for the show is the sale of books: “Families are very popular with all kinds of activities that make sure they have to make choices. Parents do not necessarily come to the book fair to buy books, but that is a challenge that we see in all the salons of the book. »»
As with other fairs, the biggest challenge is to convince distributors to send their works.
“More and more distributors in Quebec no longer want to participate in the salons of the eccentric book like those in rural areas or in Ontario because it costs too much in transport,” says Leblanc.
Books sales figures for the PDA Panache bookstore, which opened in December 2023, are not disclosed to the media according to a decision of the board of directors. “It is still a non -profit organization, but which is in its infancy,” said the one who is also part of the Board of Directors of the Bookstore.
“The bookstore becomes a representative of different distributors who cannot move to Sudbury. They therefore receive a rating or percentage of sale. Turnover as such is not representative of sales in general, ”she ends.
