Could the port strike impact your holiday reading list?

Within the next two weeks, publisher Andrew Woolridge says eight to 10 of Orca Book Publishers's new fall titles are scheduled to arrive on a ship bound for B.C.

But with the B.C. port strike ongoing, the books will likely have to wait a while before they are unloaded – likely delaying their release.

Local publishers order their fall releases to arrive over the summer, ahead of the back-to-school and holiday season. Howard White, president of Harbour Publishing, says 70-80 per cent of their business comes from that season.

Negotiations continue with 7,400 waterfront employees, who walked off the job on Saturday over concerns regarding wages, contracting, and automation.

Although they expressed sympathy with the striking dock workers, local book publishers are growing concerned about the impact supply chain delays may have on their sales.

"There will definitely be an impact, not only for us," said Woolridge.

'Lagging' delays

Adel Guitouni, a business professor at the University of Victoria, says that many kinds of goods may face shortages as a result of a prolonged strike. These ports handle 16 per cent of the Canada's total traded goods and are a major Asian-Pacific trade hub.

Even small delays in unloading boats can cause delays in the supply chain, as it takes time to catch up on the backlog of ships waiting to dock at the port.

"There is a lagging effect," says Guitouni. "If we don't resolve it soon, the risk is high."

Woolridge says the publishing industry has dealt with these delays in the past, with other strikes and most significantly during the pandemic. This may come at a significant toll to independent publishing houses and authors who worked for years to publish their books.

"We'll figure out how to get through, just like we did with the pandemic," he said.

To address this issue, Woolridge and White say they've tried to print as many books domestically as they can. However, the higher cost of domestic printing means they still have to produce some books abroad.

'Edge of our seats'

In order to get the books in time for fall sales, White says he is looking at rerouting Harbour Publishing's books through U.S. ports — and paying more for land deliveries.

It's been tough for him to make decisions, he says, not knowing how long the strike will go on.

"We're just sitting on the edges of our seats here, wondering how soon this will be over," White said.

White says that local publishers and authors are hoping for a deal to be struck soon.