John Degen remembers being a child in a small Canadian town, walking through the shelves of his local library and thinking that perhaps, one day, a book with his name on it might be there too. The library was a sanctuary. It opened entire worlds to him and eventually led him toward literature, poetry, theatre and a life built around words. Years later, however, the dream of being a writer collided with a much less romantic question: how do you actually make a living as an artist? That question sits at the heart of my conversation with John, now Chief Executive of The Writers’ Union of Canada and Chair of the International Authors Forum.
Art feeds the soul, but it also needs to feed the kids
John’s path into advocacy came from experiencing the economic reality of creative work himself. Becoming the father of twins made those realities even harder to ignore and eventually pushed him toward a career defending the interests of professional creators.
One of the most memorable things he says during our conversation is also one of the simplest: art feeds the soul, but it also needs to feed the kids. We are comfortable talking about the emotional value of art. Books change us. Music moves us. Culture helps us understand one another. Yet somewhere in that conversation, we often forget that the people creating those works also need to pay rent, raise families and earn enough to keep doing the work we claim to value.
For John, protecting creativity starts with changing that conversation. Creative work does not become less meaningful because money is involved. If we value art, we also need systems that allow artists to sustain themselves.
Copyright as a gate, not a wall
Our conversation naturally moves into copyright, where John offers one of my favorite metaphors from the episode.
Imagine a beautiful meadow surrounded by a fence. The fence is not there to stop you from enjoying it. There are gates. You can walk through, experience the landscape and appreciate what is there. It simply reminds you that the meadow belongs to someone. Enjoying it does not give you the right to destroy it, take everything growing there or sell what you find as though it were yours.
For John, copyright works in much the same way. It is not about keeping culture away from people. It is about creating access with respect. And if society benefits from books, music and art, then ensuring that the people who create them can continue working is also part of the public interest.
The invisible work behind a book
At one point, John and I end up talking about something every author eventually discovers: the enormous amount of invisible work behind a finished book. Writing is drafting, deleting, rewriting, editing, rereading and questioning decisions long after you thought the work was finished. A reader eventually holds one clean object in their hands, but behind it may be years of labor. That is why John makes an important distinction when people talk about artists seeking “profit.” Most authors are not talking about corporate margins. They are trying to earn an income from their work.
Finding your people
Writing can be lonely. John says advocacy can be lonely too. Through the International Authors Forum, however, he has found a global community of people confronting many of the same challenges. He describes them simply as “my people.” Those relationships have also shown him how differently cultures gather around books. He remembers seeing thousands of readers lining up in the heat for the Guadalajara International Book Fair and discovering traditions such as Iceland’s Christmas “book flood,” when people exchange books and spend the evening reading. Different countries build their literary cultures differently, but the desire to tell stories and gather around them remains remarkably universal.
Creativity has survived every prediction of its death
John has worked in writing and publishing for more than 30 years, and throughout that time he has repeatedly heard that some new technology was going to make professional creativity obsolete. Digital publishing was going to change everything. Ebooks were going to destroy print. Now AI is supposedly going to replace writers. And yet, the books are still here. So are the writers.
John does not dismiss technology. What he questions is the assumption that technological capability automatically makes human creativity unnecessary. His experience has taught him that human cultural work has far more staying power than we often give it credit for.
Access and compensation can coexist
We end the conversation where John’s own story began: with libraries.
Libraries make books accessible to entire communities, often becoming the first place where readers discover new authors, ideas and worlds. At the same time, systems that recognize and compensate authors for the public use of their work can help ensure that access does not come at the expense of the people who created it.
For John, this is an important reminder that access and compensation do not have to be opposites. A healthy cultural ecosystem can make creative works widely available while still recognizing the value of the people who make them possible.
I kept thinking about that little boy walking through the library shelves, imagining his own book among them. What he could not yet know was everything required to make that possible: the writing, the publishing, the copyright framework, the libraries, the readers and the people advocating so that authors can keep creating.
Celebrating authors can’t mean only celebrating the books they have already written. It also means helping make the next one possible.
🎧 Listen to John Degen: Celebrating Authors, Protecting Creativity, and join us for a conversation about books, copyright, creative work and what it really takes to sustain the people who tell our stories.
Intangiblia™ is a bilingual podcast available in English and Spanish.
Give Your Creativity Room to Grow
Creative work can move people, shape culture and open new possibilities, but it also deserves to be understood as something of value. Protection for the Inventive Mind is my interactive fieldbook for helping you identify what you have created, understand where its value lies and explore how intellectual property can support its future. Through practical exercises and accessible guidance, it helps you make more deliberate decisions about protecting, developing and building on your ideas.
The views and opinions expressed (by the host and guest(s)) in this podcast are strictly their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the entities with which they may be affiliated. This podcast should in no way be construed as promoting or criticizing any particular government policy, institutional position, private interest or commercial entity. Any content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.
