Alex Liot, founder of Wordsworth Gifting, looks out over downtown Halifax. Liot says his gift-recommendation company is set to quadruple its revenue in its third year of business.Aaron McKenzie Fraser/The Globe and Mail
In a world of generic pens and fruit baskets, one Canadian entrepreneur wants to make corporate gifting more meaningful and personalized. He’s convinced that finding the perfect book is the best way to accomplish that.
In 2024, Halifax native Alex Liot launched Wordsworth Gifting, a corporate book-gifting platform for Canadian businesses. So far, Liot counts law firms, wealth management services and software companies among his clientele.
At Wordsworth, staff curate a selection of 12 Canadian books for vendors, based on their clients’ – or potential clients’ – geography, social interests or lifestyle. Once vendors choose which of those books to gift, Wordsworth packages and sends them to the clients in question. “I’ve always had this slightly outside-the-pickle-jar view of things,” says Liot. “I look at the value of an incredible Canadian authored book more from its ability to develop or strengthen a relationship.”
According to research by IBISWorld, corporate gifting in Canada is an approximately $3.5-billion industry, but it’s largely invisible because that gifting moves between businesses: a coffee mug here, a basket of condiments there. But gifting generic merchandise is a missed opportunity for vendors looking to make meaningful connections with their customers, says Liot. “What do I learn out of a cheese tray? All I learn is that you have an interest in giving me a gift.”
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Gift recipients, it seems, are feeling this, too. The 2018 Knack Business Gift Satisfaction Survey found that gifts carrying a company logo were half as likely to be described by recipients as being memorable. Only 9 per cent of recipients said a logo-branded gift made them feel special, and 83 per cent said they preferred a unique, useful item over a gift card. Academic research has made similar findings. People want gifts that make them feel seen and serve as a talking point – and books are uniquely primed to fill that role, says Liot. Books can also serve as a way to break the ice by communicating shared interests between a client and vendor.
“There are 6,000 high-net-worth wealth managers in Canada. Which one do I want to work with? The decision is not based on who generates the maximum financial return. Humans are not like that, we’re way too emotional,” says Liot. “Your real question is, ‘Who do I want to spend time with? Whose values do I agree with? I like to play golf. Who also likes to play golf? I like to eat Italian food. Who likes to eat Italian food?”
Ben McNally Books, which for years was located on Bay Street in Toronto’s Financial District and now sits just outside it, also sees its fair share of corporate gift requests. It’s not uncommon for professional firms or corporate social clubs to ask for help selecting the perfect book for clients or customers, says Danielle McNally, who runs the store along with her brother.
“One will reach out and say ‘I have a client really interested in the banjo. Any ideas?’ And we’ll say, ‘We have just the thing’ … There’s always a bit of back and forth to get the right book for each person, but it’s one of the most fun tasks.”
For Liot, the corporate book-gifting model also helps the publishing industry get their books in front of a broader audience. As a former marketing professional – he held business development roles at The Chronicle Herald, Transcontinental and the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association – Liot knows the sector’s challenges well: funding cuts, dwindling sales and increasing competition with the digital realm. Liot, perhaps because he is dyslexic, has always felt like an “outsider” in the reading community. He hopes this outside perspective can help the market bridge the gap between the human value of a book and its ability to bolster business outcomes.
“My passion and my interest has always been, ‘Holy smokes. Look at the emotional value connection. Look at how this thing gets the attention of the most powerful, most hard-to-reach, most valuable individuals in the market.’”
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In the hands of the right client, he says, a true-crime novel written by a local author may be worth far more than just its sticker price: It could mean thousands of dollars in repeat business.
It seems Liot may be onto something. In its first year, the Wordsworth model made $25,000. Last year it made more than $100,000 in revenue and Liot says they’re on track to quadruple that for 2026. To him, the growth speaks to a real need driving both corporations and customers: the need to be seen.
“If people don’t believe the gifts are thoughtful, they actually just don’t work. It doesn’t matter what you spent on them.”