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josh o'kane

@joshokane

"A dogged reporter with a weakness for bad jokes." Business of arts for @globeandmail. Wrote Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy. jokane@globeandmail.com

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20.09.2023
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Latest posts by josh o'kane @joshokane

Non-writers are wondering why in the replies, and it's basically math. Authors typically make a few bucks or less /copy and even a Big 5 book can sell <10k and that might even meet expectations (depending). Like all things in capitalism, it's uneven, with a small minority of authors selling lots.

10.03.2026 12:26 πŸ‘ 65 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

I remember, @joshokane.bsky.social, but my paperbacks used to fit in small pursesβ€”in Hoi Bo stitches, Arket clutches, and Γ–lend shoulder bags.

10.03.2026 01:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
09.03.2026 04:53 πŸ‘ 1155 πŸ” 329 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Calgary Public Library announces residency for an artist who uses AI. Not everyone is on board | CBC News The library is offering a 10-week community engagement residency, to be awarded to one artist β€œin any discipline who [uses] AI ethically as a collaborative partner in their creative process,” the CPL ...

The headline here is kinda ambiguous. When I first read it, I thought they announced a new artist in residence, and it was someone who has used AI in their art.

Nope! They are soliciting applications for an artist residency, and specify that the candidate *must* use AI.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

09.03.2026 18:02 πŸ‘ 39 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 8
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

This is fascinating as it is the opposite of what others are doing ...

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...

08.03.2026 19:01 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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2026 Oscars predictions: Who will win, and who should win From Sinners to One Battle After Another to Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne, here are our best guesses and hopes

Ignore Polymarket, I'm your one-man Oscars betting machine: Who will win, who should win, and who shoulda been a contender at this Sunday's Academy Awards. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film...

09.03.2026 17:05 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Live Nation reaches settlement with DOJ in antitrust fight Justice Department had accused the company of building an illegal ticketing and events monopoly.

Yasmin Khorram | Live Nation Reaches Settlement w/ DOJ In Antitrust Fight - Limits To Length Of Term + Level Of Exclusivity For Ticketmaster Contracts, Disposal Of Some Amphitheatres And $200M In Damages | @politico.com

www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

09.03.2026 12:08 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
musician Gary Numan, born March 8, 1958, aged 68

musician Gary Numan, born March 8, 1958, aged 68

actor Gary Oldman, born March 21, 1958, aged 67

actor Gary Oldman, born March 21, 1958, aged 67

Happy Gary Retrograde everyone!

The next two weeks are the only two weeks out of the year when Gary Numan is older than Gary Oldman

08.03.2026 15:37 πŸ‘ 4716 πŸ” 1404 πŸ’¬ 30 πŸ“Œ 72
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back /via @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...
#books #publishing

06.03.2026 20:50 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against N.S. arts cuts: β€˜The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ Artists and arts-industry workers have issued warnings after the province axed $130-million in provincial grants

Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against N.S. arts cuts: β€˜The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ - The Globe and Mail www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...

07.03.2026 16:04 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

This is interesting: Indigo's experimenting with a niche nonfiction mass-market thing. Is there a world where MMPs become, like, prestige items? Maybe. Am I envious of the authors whose titles got tapped for this? Absolutely.

06.03.2026 22:48 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

Canadian bookseller Indigo is experimenting with mass-market paperbacks (for new Canadian nonfiction):

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...

06.03.2026 18:53 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I feel like Ian and Steve covered the Kill Taker sessions rather extensively with me when they were on the show:

vishkhanna.com/2015/11/12/e...

and the 33 1/13 book that @joegross.bsky.social wrote delves into it extensively, so I'd check those things out for more insight

06.03.2026 20:31 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Remember paperbacks that fit in your pocket? Indigo’s trying to bring them back The retailer sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers

New from me: Remember pocket-sized mass-market paperbacks? Indigo is trying to bring them back from the dead – one Canadian non-fiction book at a time www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...

06.03.2026 18:54 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney lands deal with Netflix for Alexander the Great series The show will be based on Canadian writer Annabel Lyon’s 2009 novel The Golden Mean
05.03.2026 21:16 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous β€˜Stop Cop City’ Protestor A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the ...

New from 404 Media: Proton Mail, the privacy-focused email service, gave authorities data that let the FBI unmask an anonymous 'Stop Cop City' protester. It was payment data linked to the anonymous email account. From that, FBI ID'd them, then tracked their movements www.404media.co/proton-mail-...

05.03.2026 20:39 πŸ‘ 2483 πŸ” 1410 πŸ’¬ 91 πŸ“Œ 339
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Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against N.S. arts cuts: β€˜The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ Artists and arts-industry workers have issued warnings after the province axed $130-million in provincial grants

'The proposed cuts would be devastating, and would drive even more talent out of the province....Please don’t do this”
Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against arts cuts: β€˜The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...
#defendnsbooks

04.03.2026 12:10 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
04.03.2026 01:22 πŸ‘ 95 πŸ” 26 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 2
04.03.2026 00:32 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Art Gallery of Ontario chief curator Julian Cox steps down after eight years Cox joined the AGO in 2018 after leaving the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
03.03.2026 23:56 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
Deputy Director & Chief Curator Update | Art Gallery of Ontario Today, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) announced that after eight successful years, Julian Cox has chosen to move on from his role as Deputy Director & Chief Curator. Under Julian’s leadership the AG...

New: the Art Gallery of Ontario's deputy director + chief curator, Julian Cox, is leaving in April. No reasoning given, but worth noting AGO is under deep scrutiny over its governance re the Nan Goldin saga, and it hasn't begun searching for a replacement
ago.ca/press-releas...

03.03.2026 22:03 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Fitch Downgrades Paramount After Warner Bros. Deal Announcement The $81 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery is highly complex and poses credit risks, Fitch Ratings said.

After Warner Bros. deal, Paramount's debt has been downgraded to junk status

Basically, the ratings agency thinks the combined entity faces a ton of competition & there's a risk the entire enterprise fails -- debt attached to it is therefore high-risk

www.wsj.com/business/med...

03.03.2026 16:18 πŸ‘ 1202 πŸ” 350 πŸ’¬ 63 πŸ“Œ 109
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Nova Scotia budget cuts publishing grant in blow to sector Program’s end is a major blow to independent publishers trying to carry the torch of Canadian storytelling

'It’s a huge loss to future generations of Nova Scotians who won’t hear their stories'
N.S. budget cuts publishing grant in blow to sector
www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...
#DefendNSBooks @theglobeandmail.com @writersfedofns.bsky.social @afterwordsliterary.bsky.social @nimbuspub.bsky.social

27.02.2026 19:49 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Nova Scotia budget cuts publishing grant in blow to sector Program’s end is a major blow to independent publishers trying to carry the torch of Canadian storytelling

New: The elimination of Nova Scotia’s publishing funding has left the book sector reeling in a province that often depends on its independent houses to preserve its history and tell its stories.

Some worry it could set a precedent for other provinces www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

27.02.2026 19:38 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Ford government unveils designs for proposed Ontario Science Centre despite opposition Cost for planned facility on Toronto’s waterfront is about $1-billion, including a 30-year maintenance contract, premier says

My confusing day: Government claims the new, smaller proposed building will actually have more "exhibition space" than its shuttered predecessor, despite releasing numbers showing it in fact has less -- and then couldn't explain itself.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

27.02.2026 18:44 πŸ‘ 67 πŸ” 35 πŸ’¬ 12 πŸ“Œ 5

Wonder how TIFF feels about Doug Ford calling the Metro Toronto Convention Centre β€œone of the worst convention centres anywhere in the world,” as the festival stakes its upcoming multi-million-dollar content market on ... the attractiveness of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

27.02.2026 14:15 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The AGO didn’t just embroil itself in controversy over Nan Goldin’s work – it missed out on a magnificent piece of art The gallery’s decision not to acquire β€˜Stendhal Syndrome’ was based less on artistic merit than the politics of the artist
27.02.2026 10:08 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Public Lending Right (PLR) Program It pays to have your books in Canada’s libraries! Learn more about the Public Lending Right Program

Canadian authors, remember to register your books for the PLR program by May 1! For the first time, you are no longer required to mail things inβ€”you can do it online.

18.02.2026 23:04 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 29 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Failed Nan Goldin acquisition raises questions about art gallery volunteer committees: What kind of power are they supposed to have? Industry professionals weigh in on how these committees work and the role they play
26.02.2026 15:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Arts and culture in Nova Scotia left reeling from 'unprecedented' cuts - Halifax Examiner "It's going to be absolutely devastating."

Arts, culture and local publishing in Nova Scotia left reeling from 'unprecedented' cuts
www.halifaxexaminer.ca/arts-and-cul...

26.02.2026 16:09 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2