News

Dear President Morrison and Provost and VP Vaughan:

I am writing to urge you to restore Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing and Publishing (CWP) program, which was included in a larger set of recently announced program cuts.

The Literary Press Group of Canada represents 66 Canadian-owned independent literary publishers located across the country. Our member publishers produce books by Canadian and international authors, including fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, poetry, graphic narratives, and children’s literature. Collectively, our ties to Sheridan’s CWP community—students, graduates, and faculty—are broad and deep. CWP student and alumni writers find markets for their creative writing with our presses. CWP students and graduates also serve as publishing interns, and many continue afterward as employees and freelancers. CWP students are new publishing professionals and, as such, they need both technical skills and knowledge of the Canadian publishing industry, which the highly regarded CWP program provides.

Our member presses also engage with the CWP program through its literary journal, The Ampersand Review, and through The & Festival. Impressive in their design and execution, both initiatives have nurtured the literary community in Mississauga and beyond. Both provide opportunities for students to build relationships with literary book publishers.

While the funding issues related to international student visas have clearly caused financial pressures for colleges, the CWP program continues to attract strong enrolment, primarily from domestic students. If it is not possible to restore the program now, it is our hope, as industry stakeholders, that the College will at least place it in “review” status, so that a conversation about potential efficiencies and long-term sustainability can be had.

CWP is a valuable, vibrant program that benefits current and prospective students, the Canadian publishing industry, the broader literary community, and our culture. It deserves to continue and thrive.

Sincerely,
Laura Rock Gaughan
Executive Director

cc: Genevieve Amaral, Associate Dean; Gabriel Levine, Associate Dean; Norm Nehmetallah, Publisher and LPG Chair; and the Sheridan College Board of Governors

What independently-published books were most borrowed by library patrons in November 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of November 4 – December 1, 2024.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in October 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of October 7-November 3, 2024.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in September 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of September 2-29, 2024.

The Literary Press Group of Canada joins colleagues across the publishing industry in mourning the loss of Noah Genner, President & CEO Emeritus of BookNet Canada. His two decades at BookNet Canada, with 15 as President & CEO, resulted in innovations that are essential to the success of publishers across Canada. The book supply chain runs on BookNet products such as SalesData, LibraryData, CataList, and BiblioShare, which provide users with powerful data-driven insights and help booksellers, librarians, and readers discover Canadian books in an efficient and convenient way. BookNet’s research and publication program is equally valuable, illuminating trends in book sales and reading habits. Beyond his many professional accomplishments, Noah Genner’s dedication to the book publishing community, as well as his good humour and kindness, was obvious to all.

LPG publishers continue to rely on the tools that Noah Genner shepherded into being: his contributions to this industry cannot be overstated. We will miss his regular presentations and his friendly and collaborative presence in our community.

On behalf of our board of directors and member publishers, we extend heartfelt sympathy to Noah’s family and friends, and to our valued colleagues at BookNet Canada.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in August 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of August 5–September 1, 2024.

Thanks to support from the Canada Book Fund’s Accessible Digital Books Initiative, the LPG completed a second round of its Accessible Digital Books creation and conversion project. The result? The addition of 132 titles joining our existing 600+ title ebooks for Everyone collection, ensuring even more works of Canadian literature are accessible to all Canadian readers.

Working with assistive reading technologies, ebook accessibility features include scalable text, alternative text for images, and a navigable table of contents. It is estimated that less than 5 percent of books published each year are accessible to readers with print disabilities. The hard work undertaken by LPG participating member publishers, project partners at eBOUND Canada, and conversion partners Newgen and Laura Brady means that more entertaining, engaging, and critical cultural work is available to a wider reading public.

The expanded ebooks for Everyone collection will be available to borrow via the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA). Librarians and educators interested in acquiring books in the collection should ask their sales representatives or reach out to the LPG for assistance. The books are also available for sale to readers via All Lit Up and through participating publisher websites.

Moreover, the in-house capacity for creating, testing, and releasing accessible epubs has increased across participating LPG members. Three well-attended training sessions on accessible ebook QA and metadata were hosted by LPG and eBOUND Canada. Over 20 LPG members are Benetech-certified for creating accessible epubs, as well.

“We were thrilled to see CBF’s investment in this critical program, which enabled Canadian literary publishers to create and market more accessible ebooks,” said Laura Rock Gaughan, executive director of the LPG. “Our member publishers have increased their capacity for producing accessible formats, which will benefit all readers. We know the demand from librarians and educators for accessible formats continues to be high. Now, we hope for new public investment to support this activity going forward, given the high costs involved.”

A social media marketing and influencer campaign conducted with the help of ZG Stories concluded earlier this summer, resulting in nearly 1.7 million impressions and plenty of positive user engagement.

We thank our funders at the Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Canada Book Fund, for their necessary support in this important initiative. Browse and buy the ebooks for Everyone collection via All Lit Up.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in July 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of July 1-28, 2024.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in June 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of June 2–30, 2024.

What independently-published books were most borrowed by patrons in May 2024? We consulted the data - specifically, the BookNet Canada LibraryData - to find the top 50 loaned books.

Note that this graphic represents the four-week period of May 6-June 2, 2024.