Book Publishing Production Grant – Author-Funded Stream Guidelines

The Author-Funded stream of the Book Publishing Production Grant supports self-publishers or publishers working with Saskatchewan authors to produce and market a book.

The Guidelines were approved on April 1, 2023 for the 2023-24 Fiscal Year. Any amendments made after the fact will be posted here:

No changes to date.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria defined in the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines.
Applicants must be either an individual who is an eligible Saskatchewan resident or an eligible Saskatchewan corporation – see the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines for definitions.
Where the author makes a financial contribution to cover any portion of the cost of production, the publisher must apply to the Author-Funded Book Production.
Self-publishers or publishers can apply. A self-publisher is defined as an individual or a corporation whose primary goal is to publish books written by authors who are the individual or are shareholders or owners of the corporation, and who is distributing the book(s) through at least one bookselling channel.
Applicants must be either an established Saskatchewan author or be a publisher working with a Saskatchewan author who meets the below criteria.
- An author must meet the following criteria:
- Have published a minimum of 1 traditionally published book or 2 self-published books (excluding anthologies)
  OR
- For fiction, have published a minimum of 4 texts of creative fiction (e.g. short stories or excerpts from novels) published on 2 separate occasions in established magazines, periodicals or anthologies published by an established book publisher
- For poetry, have a minimum of 10 poems published in established magazines, periodicals or anthologies that are published by established book publishers
- For non-fiction, have a minimum of 40 pages of articles published in established magazines, periodicals or anthologies that are published by established book publishers
When a book is co-authored, both authors must be Saskatchewan residents, and at least one author must meet the above established author criteria.
When the author makes a financial contribution to the project to cover any portion of the cost of production, they must be a signatory on the funding agreement should a grant be awarded.
Authors must be a Saskatchewan resident, as described in the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines.

Eligible Projects and Expenses

An eligible book meets the following criteria:
- Is at least 48 pages in length for a printed book, with the exception of children’s books
- Is clearly and publicly attributed to the author(s) and/or translator(s)
- Bears an ISBN assigned to or acquired by the self-publisher or publisher
Audiobooks and e-books are eligible.
Production expenses directly related to the project and incurred during the project timeline (expenses incurred prior to the date of application are ineligible).
The project may contain the production expenses of multiple titles by the same author, however, each title requires a separate budget. In order to maintain the privacy of author financiers and publishers, multiple titles will only be accepted if the books are written by the same author. Reprints are eligible.
The production expenses for each title may contain marketing expenses to a maximum of 25% of the title’s budget.

Ineligible Projects and Expenses

Titles commissioned or paid for by an individual, group, political party or company where the applicant does not have complete and independent editorial control.
Titles for which the author or illustrator does not receive financial compensation.
Directories, agendas with less than 36 pages of original editorial content, catalogues, periodicals and magazines, calendars, maps or books of maps, loose-leaf updates, colouring books, sticker books or other activity books, sheet music, games in the form of a book, and other similar products;
Expenses related to ongoing core operations.
Expenses related to print-on-demand production. “Print on Demand” refers to a system where individual copies or small batches of a book are not printed until the publisher receives an order. Short-run on demand printing, in which a publisher orders their entire print run through an on demand printer, is eligible.
Activities undertaken prior to the date of application.
Capital expenditures and in-kind expenses.
Activities that have received funding from the SK Arts or SaskCulture (Creative Saskatchewan will not duplicate support provided by SK Arts or SaskCulture, however projects where the author received funding to develop the content might still be considered eligible to Creative Saskatchewan’s Book Publishing Production Grant).
Shipping expenses related to distribution.
Please see the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines for a list of ineligible expenses.

Assessment

An initial review of applications is conducted by Creative Saskatchewan program staff to ensure the project and applicant meet eligibility to the program.
Applications to the Author-Funded Book Production Grant will be assessed by an external assessment process against the criteria as defined here.

Financial Participation

Funding will be in the form of a grant.
Projects will be funded up to a maximum of 50% of the approved project budget.
No application may receive more than $15,000 per fiscal year (with the exception of projects involving significant illustration or photography, which may apply for a maximum of $25,000 per fiscal year).
No applicant may receive more than $80,000 per fiscal between both Book Publishing Production Grants.
Please note, applicants may be eligible to apply for additional marketing support through the Market and Export Development Grant Program.

Submission Requirements and Deadlines

Please refer to the specific program page for application deadlines and instructions.
Applications to the Book Publishing Production Grant will be accessed and supported based on the availability of funds.
Applications must be complete in order to be accepted.
Creative Saskatchewan provides templates for each grant application.
By submitting an application for this grant, applicants confirm they have read the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines. If awarded a grant, they will be obligated by all criteria in the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines, as well as criteria specific to this grant as described herein.

Required Acknowledgements

Successful recipients of a Book Publishing Grant must include Creative Saskatchewan’s logo on all promotional materials.
The Creative Saskatchewan logo and guidelines for acknowledgement can be found here.

Confidentiality of Information

Please refer to the Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund General Program Guidelines for details of Creative Saskatchewan’s Confidentiality Policy.
If you are not awarded a grant, all information in and about your application is held in confidence.
If you are awarded a grant, your name, a description of the project and the amount of funding will be made publicly available.