BookNet Canada uses BISAC code research to explore Indigenous-focused literature in the English-language Canadian market.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Charting Rising Interest in Indigenous-Focused Content

Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada (June 21), and from Ottawa, the nation’s governor general, Mary May Simon—who spoke very movingly in October at the opening ceremony of Frankfurter Buchmesse—has issued a statement.

In it, she says, in part, “As an Inuk woman, I am proud that Indigenous peoples are telling their stories.

“Our collective history cannot be told without Indigenous voices. And it cannot be told without some hard conversations.

“The recent findings of unmarked graves in many communities made us all pause to consider the impact of residential schools. But through the pain, I have seen Canadians from coast to coast to coast open their hearts and minds because they want to be part of reconciliation and the healing process.”

In the language of the Canadian government, National Indigenous Peoples Day is “a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples.”

BookNet Canada—the English-language Canadian market’s standards and data agency—has created a report by Aline Zara, in which the organization uses BISAC codes to gauge sales of Indigenous-focused subjects; the classification of Indigenous publishers’ titles; and consumers’ tracked interest in Indigenous content.

BookNet’s discussion, using data from its own BiblioShare and SalesData operations, begins with a list of BISAC codes by which North American books can be classified for their relationship to topics related to Indigenous matters. Here’s that list:

• ART / Indigenous Art of the Americas
• BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Indigenous
• COOKING / Regional & Ethnic / Indigenous Food of the Americas
• DRAMA / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• FICTION / Indigenous
• FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY / Indigenous Languages of the Americas
• HISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• JUVENILE FICTION / Legends, Myths, Fables / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous
• JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / Native American
• JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous
• JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / United States / Native American
• LAW / Indigenous Peoples
• LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• LITERARY CRITICISM / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• POETRY / American / Native American
• POETRY / Canadian / Indigenous
• POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Indigenous Studies
• YOUNG ADULT FICTION / People & Places / Indigenous
• YOUNG ADULT FICTION / People & Places / United States / Native American
• YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / People & Places / Indigenous
• YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / People & Places / United States / Native American

The BookNet assessment points out that while these classifications are intended for market players—publishers, booksellers, distributors—to use in meaningfully designating and surfacing such work for those who may search for it, “For better or for worse, they become part of a title’s archival representation and the groupings are a powerful research tool—something we will be leveraging later on. As a result, classifying titles by Indigenous contributors and about Indigenous topics can be complicated.”

In explaining this, BookNet’s Zara writes, “Titles written by Indigenous contributors are not—and should not—only be categorized under Indigenous-focused subject categories. Likewise, non-Indigenous contributors are also writing on Indigenous-related topics and have titles categorized under these Indigenous-focused subjects. Within BISAC itself, it’s also difficult to identify specific Indigenous nations. Some subjects are grouped as ‘Indigenous Peoples of the Americas,’ while others have been split into Canadian ‘Indigenous’ and American ‘Native American.’ It’s also unclear whether all ‘Canadian’ Indigenous works are classified under the Canadian-focused codes.”

Helpfully placing those considerations on the table, then, BookNet presents three brief sets of data points.

Sales of Indigenous-Focused Subjects

BookNet’s observations show more than 10,000 ISBNs with Indigenous-focused BISAC codes in the Canadian book market. Of those:

• 15 percent show “an Indigenous-focused BISAC code as a main subject”
• 90 percent “have an Indigenous-focused BISAC code as a supplementary category”
• Between these two groups, 5 percent of titles “have an Indigenous-focused BISAC code as both main subject and supplementary category”

In the past 10 years, BookNet can see sales of titles with Indigenous-focused classification subjects increasing. Those with Indigenous-focused codes as main subjects have grown 527 percent between 2012 and 2021. Titles with such codes in supplementary categories are seen to have risen 604 percent in that same time frame.

The most popular categories for titles with Indigenous-focused main subjects:

• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies: 22 percent of all titles
• JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous: 13 percent of all titles
• HISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas : 13 percent of all titles

The most popular subjects among Indigenous-focused supplementary categories:

• HISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas : 26 percent of all titles
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies: 26 percent of all titles
• POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism: 11 percent of all titles

Indigenous Publishers’ Classifications

BookNet then runs down data gathered from the patterns of 50 Indigenous publishers with inventory and sales history in SalesData. Those sales, the agency says, have grown 1,083 percent in 10 years. The numbers are put together from 2,000 ISBNs in 40 BISAC headings and with more than 300 BISAC subject codes.

The study finds that only 27 percent of these 2,000 titles actually use Indigenous-focused BISAC codes.

Those codes most commonly used:

• JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous: 7 percent of all titles and 18 percent of Juvenile Fiction titles
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies: 4 percent of all titles and 42 percent of Social Science titles
• JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous: 4 percent of all titles and 20 percent of Juvenile Non-Fiction titles

Among other codes used by Indigenous publishers, the most popular:

• Juvenile Fiction: 66 BISAC codes and 38 percent of all titles
• Juvenile Non-Fiction: 49 BISAC codes and 19 percent of all titles
• Social Science: 11 BISAC codes and 10 percent of all titles

Within those heading codes, the most popular subject categories:

• JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Beginner: 12 percent of all titles and 32 percent of Juvenile Fiction titles
• JUVENILE NONFICTION / Readers / Beginner: 9 percent of all titles and 48 percent of Juvenile Non-Fiction titles
• JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous: 7 percent of all titles and 18 percent of Juvenile Fiction titles

Interest Among Canadian Consumers

BookNet’s team reports that it sees interest rising in Indigenous-related content. According to BookNet’s Canadian Book Consumer Study 2021, in the second half of 2021:

• 6 percent of Canadian book buyers searched for books about Indigenous peoples
• 5 percent of Canadian book buyers searched for books by Indigenous authors or illustrators

The readership of these titles also seems to be increasing, BookNet reports. In its Canadian Leisure and Reading Study 2021, the agency found that 19 percent of Canadian readers “had read books by or about Black, Indigenous, or people of color, up from 9 percent in 2020.”

You can learn more about Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples Day—part of a month of activity—here. Today’s date, June 21, was chosen and originally called National Aboriginal Day because, as the site puts it, “For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.”

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More from Publishing Perspectives on BookNet Canada and its research is here. More from us on the Canadian market is here, more on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here, and more on issues in diversity and inclusivity is here.

More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here