The government of Nova Scotia has launched a $10 voucher program that will allow Nova Scotians to receive a discount on the cost of a book authored or published in the province.

The Nova Scotia Loyal book industry pilot program launched on Oct. 24 and is slated to run until Feb. 28, 2026. As part of the program, four thousand $10 vouchers will be available to consumers at 11 independent bookstores in the province. The vouchers will be valid on the purchase of 1,600 titles identified in stores. Participating booksellers include Block Shop Books and Lunenburg Bound in Lunenburg, Bookmark and Woozles in Halifax, and On the Same Page Books in Sydney.

In a press release announcing the program, the ministry of growth and development noted that the province is renowned for its storytellers.

“Independent bookstores are important cornerstones in our communities that are first to support our local storytellers,” ministerial assistant Damian Stoilov said in the press release. “Through this new pilot, we are helping more Nova Scotians discover a new favourite local author at a store owned and operated by their neighbours.”

The book industry voucher program is the second voucher program for Nova Scotia Loyal, the provincial government’s buy-local program. Under a previous voucher program, students and new Nova Scotians received a $10 voucher redeemable at local farmers’ markets across the province until the end of 2025.

Terrilee Bulger, general manager and co-publisher of Halifax-based Nimbus Publishing and treasurer of the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association, said the publisher is very excited for this “ground-breaking program.”