The State of Digital Publishing in Canada report is the result of our third year of surveying publishers and compiling data on digital publishing programs. With three years of data to compare, this report looks at the size, scope, and production processes of the Canadian digital publishing market.

When asked about their goals for producing ebooks, almost all publishers (88%) cited the explicit goal of increasing sales, allowing for greater accessibility (72%), and fulfilling customer demand (70%).

Enhanced ebooks are books with any form of multimedia built into the book. The study found that enhanced ebooks are still prevalent as 52% of publishers are either currently, planning to, or investigating the possibility of producing enhanced ebooks. Of those who already produce enhanced ebooks, a huge majority use audio (91%), while fewer use video (36%), interactive images (18%), scripted animation (18%), and slideshows (9%).

A recurring topic that came up at our Tech Forum and ebookcraft conferences this year is accessibility. Building accessible ebooks using navigational aids, as well as embedded graphical, audio, and video media with alternate formats and textual descriptions is becoming increasingly requested and valued by readers. 51% of publishers are currently adding accessibility features to their ebooks.

The report also found that 67% of publishers are releasing digital formats at the same time as print—the highest percentage ever—and over 30% of publishers have now digitized over three-quarters of their backlist collection. Now, more than ever before, publishers are demonstrating that they are committed to the development of digital formats in their publishing programs.

The State of Digital Publishing in Canada 2015 is a free publication available from BookNet Canada. Head here to find out how you can download your free PDF copy of the report.

